“I take it she was hard on you the most, then…”
Aurora shakes her head slowly, allowing me to catch the glint of tears glossing over her eyes. “Sh-she was the only one who wasn’t hard on me,” she reveals with a crack in her voice that betrays her usually defensive nature. “She loved me a lot, and she filled the gaps of not having parents or siblings around. She was my source of strength, but now she’s gone.”
Sensing Aurora’s vulnerability at this moment, I’m once again faced with the urge to reach out and console her. But the second I make a slight movement, Aurora sniffs and pulls the covers closer to her chin.
“You’re still strong without her, Aurora,” I relent to using my voice instead of actions. It’s the only way that Aurora won’t keep her defenses up. “But…you don’t always have to be strong.”
“I’vehadto be strong,” she defends. “I had no other choice. I couldn’t even speak about my powers, let alone train myself. If Grandmother were still alive…”
“Maybe in the past, but things have changed now. You’re not anymore,” I declare earnestly. “You are free to explore your witch powers, and no one will ever bother you again. Not as long as I am alive.”
A moment of dense silence passes until I feel Aurora moving to turn her face toward me. Her dark brows arelifted against the creaminess of her smooth skin, her doe eyes suddenly full of hope.
“You mean that? You’re not against me being part witch?” Her raised brows knit to a confused frown, prompting me to turn on my side and stare convincingly into her eyes.
“I don’t mind it at all. What I saw out there that night was shocking, but it was also riveting. It makes you who you are, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You should be free to explore who you are.”
A mild smile tugs her lips, and hope sparkles in her eyes as the brown shades lighten.
“Thank you, Alpha Elias,” she praises before turning her face back to the ceiling.
“No, thank you, Aurora,” I whisper so faintly that I’m not sure she’s heard me. Either way, something in the air between us feels lighter and effortless, and I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
***
My eyes open to the subtle rays of light filtering in from the window. Though the Alaskan air is cold during the Solstice period, the sun comes out just enough to ring in the mornings before it retreats and leaves the colder conditions behind.
As a werewolf, it doesn't matter how cold the weather can be, and the afternoon and night snowfall doesn't hinder our work or our duties.
One such duty comes the morning after my mating ritual, but as the leading alpha of this pack, it is to be expected. Work can't wait, unfortunately, even if I was meant to beconsummating the mate bond all night with my mate and luna of this pack.
Turning to her, I hear the gentle lulling sound of her breath as it escapes the narrow line where her lips are parted, the scent of her essence spreading out like a shield around her face. Drawn to it, I shift closer, taking care not to wake her as I stare at her face and allow my mind to wander in the few moments I have before I have to clock in with the others.
At least she hasn’t run away and remains asleep in my bed. Feeling compelled to pull her into my arms, I groan under my breath when Beta Dillon’s voice enters my mind through the mind link, and he informs me that the troops have gathered in the training arena, ready for my class this morning.
With irritation surging to the top of my throat like acrid bile, I stare at Aurora’s face for a few stolen moments, etching her soft features to mind so that she can accompany me through the day that way. From the delicate way her cherry-colored lips are shaped to form a heart, to the plumpness of her ivory cheeks, Aurora is soft and subtly beautiful. Her features aren’t as wildly expressive to stand out from her crowd, but up close, she’s the most ethereal being I’ve ever seen.
And her eyes aren’t even open right now.
It seems that as more time passes, I’m able to become attuned to the fated mate bond I share with Aurora, despite her dampened wolf keeping her unaware of this bond we share. I can imagine that it will be stronger once she’s figured out how to enlist her wolf powers along with her witch powers. Being a half-breed between a werewolf and a human from a fabled witch bloodline is what makes her most powerful. If only she could tap into her gifts.
Though her dormant witch powers can help defeat the demon, I’m more concerned about her becoming attuned to her wolf, which will allow her to see that I’m her fated mate. But with those powers unraveling, it begs the question of whether her premonition was true.
Did she really become pregnant that night when we knotted? It’s too early to tell, but my eyes flit to her belly covered by the duvet, the outline of her curves visible as the white covers pull taut. There’s no way to tell yet, and staring at her body outlined by the covers is to my detriment. Her explicitly delicious curves fuel my wolf’s hunger and desire for her, and I can’t do this right now.
I need to tend to my pack responsibilities, and letting my mind drift to the sinful things I want to do to her isn’t a good idea.
***
“And…go!” I yell out the instruction, slicing my hand through the air between two of the young recruits who have volunteered to do border patrol duty.
The two wolves growl at each other before kicking their hind legs into the snow and lunging in attack, satisfied that after three rounds of training, they’re getting the hang of the combat skills required to be considered for the task of border patrol.
Our soldiers are highly-trained operatives in both wolf and human form, allowing them to successfully stop any threats from falling over our perimeters. Just a year ago, we dealt with a coven of vampires in the area, who’d been threatening the humans nearby. When humans from the small town of Hope began disappearing, it was Snehvolk wolves who drew the vampires to the vicinity and dealt with them accordingly.
Ending a vampire’s life is a walk in the park, considering that all it takes is snapping its cold marble head off its shoulders. But it takes precise skill to get that close to a vampire who possesses lightning speed. My subordinate alphas and I have worked hard to put together a range of tactics to fight such creatures. With our large forms, we’re able to successfully outwit any of our foes.
All except one.
