“She crawled in the back, grabbed your sweatshirt, then went to sleep. She grumbled something about Ellis meeting us at some port.” Hmmm, makes sense. I guess he’s going to introduce us to his group, that way we can catch their scent to prevent us from accidentally attacking them.
“Alright, we need to load up. We’re driving straight through to the port. No more stops between here and there. Grab extra provisions and whatever you need to eat before we remain shifted until after whatever ambush we’re walking into.” The look of surprise on Klaus’s face is completely worth it. I look over and see my brother, Jayce, coming back from a different store. It looks like he bought every protein bar they had in stock.
“I’ve got enough to sustain the shift and then some. Aurora’s going to need a lot, so we need to keep her fed.” Jayce is funny when he goes all mother hen on us. I grab two of the bags from him and watch as the others walk out with similar bags in their hands. Time to gorge ourselves. While we cross over to Siberia, our animals are going to burn more calories from trying to keep us warm through the blizzard-like conditions. With one of the bags of protein bars, Jayce slides in the back and lightly rocks Aurora. “Love, we need to start eating. We’re not far from the port. You need to start storing the carbs for the crossing.” Aurora pops one eye open, revealing the liquid mercury of her beast.
Slowly, Aurora sits up and rubs her eyes before rooting through the bag to grab what she wants to eat. Klaus climbs in the driver's seat and fires up Black Betty. While he is distracted, I watch Aurora’s hand slide forward and snatch the cheesecake flavored bar that Klaus left on the center console. He acts like he didn't see her do it and just laughs to himself, watching her eat it in the back seat.
“About five hours before we make it to the port. Make sure you eat.” Klaus’s accent is heavy as he addresses us. He pulls out behind Dimitri and we’re off again. I text Ellis and let him know our approximate ETA. He warns us about the storm and says it’s whiteout conditions at the port. I forward the message to Klaus’s brother, who’s in the truck with Dimitri and Nico, to let everyone else know what happened.
The next three hours are the longest hours of my life. It gets to the point where we have to stop at a town about fifty miles from the port. Ellis and his group are en route to the town before they have to head back out to the islands. We found an abandoned farm on the outskirts of the town and set up camp inside the barn. Several packmates scouted the town before hand. Apparently, the townspeople head further inland this time of year. Every building and store is devoid of people. Our scouts return with boxes of pasta and rice; you know, the heavy carbs we need for the remaining part of our journey.
A knock sounds at the barn door and we all fall silent. Dimitri and I move toward the door and open it slightly. Ellis stands at the entrance with about twelve other men behind him. Dimitri gets out of their way and they all file in, dragging a caribou behind them. Aurora remains in the shadows and watches as the strangers enter the barn. Ellis has another small box in his hand and refuses to hand it to anyone.
“I have a present for the princess from her future mate!” Ellis projects his voice, knowing full well he is being watched.
Klaus keeps his eyes on Aurora as she moves across the barn’s rafters above Ellis. She drops down silently behind him, and her eyes are pools of liquid mercury as she stares at him. Aurora lightly taps his shoulder and holds her hand out to him. Ellis almost jumps out of his skin when she touches him. He spins around and leaps back, terror evident on his face. Once he realizes it’s Aurora, he holds the box out for her to take. Aurora gently takes the box from him then leaps back up to the platform—which is about twelve feet off the ground. All eyes are on Aurora as she opens the box. Inside is a hunk of meat and a large canine tooth. I watch Aurora smirk then devour the offered meat.
Aurora steps back out of sight and strips herself of her clothing. She shifts into her beast’s form and leaps back down from the platform. The polar bear clan quickly backs up after seeing that monster of a lycan hybrid move toward them. Jayce brings a frightened Ellis up to speed as Aurora examines the caribou. She sinks her canines into the rump of the caribou and uses her talons to cut a hunk off. She drops the hunk of meat into the box and pushes it to Ellis.
“You dragons are fucking freaky. Damn, what happened to chocolates and flowers? But no, y’all send dead things and hunks of flesh. Fuck man... Now, I have to bring this back.” Ellis visibly shivers then freezes when Aurora gets in his face. She breathes frost on him—just a light coating—before walking off.
Nico steps forward and says, “I suggest you return her offering to the prince before she gets mad.” He looks up to the platform where Aurora sits, still shifted, watching everyone moving around below her. Aurora backs into the shadows and the glow from her eyes can still be seen. Then suddenly, it disappears.
“That’s just fucking freaky.” Ellis grabs the box and he and his men disappear quickly out the barn door. Aurora moves from the shadow, shifts back to her human form, and fully dresses. She looks around and then jumps back down to join the rest of us.
“Silly bears.” She shakes her head and giggles, looking back at Dimitri. “You can easily beat their fuzzy asses.” We watch Dimitri closely, and his eyes glow yellow orange of his bear then fade back to his human amber. Slowly, he nods and smiles broadly at Aurora. She dips her head lightly to him then moves back to the caribou and rips off a hunk of flesh. According to Ellis, the caribou is a gift from the prince. The fat content of this animal will help sustain our energy. Someone in the back asks what he sent Aurora. “The prince sent me a hunk of walrus. He figured I’d need the extra energy to power my gifts.”
Aurora moves around the barn, watching everyone interact and eat. I'm honestly not sure what she's looking for, but something is apparently off to her and she wants to check it out. She stops at another food dump, grabs several protein bars, and starts eating as she moves about. I look around quickly and—well I’ll be damned—Nico is doing the same damn thing. It’s got to be a dragon trait to prowl around and make people uncomfortable. Aurora stops and tilts her head to listen, and Nico does the same thing before moving to the door. Aurora moves to follow, but he raises his hand to stop her. A frustrated growl can be heard from her as she stares at the door, waiting for her father to return. I move forward cautiously and hug her from behind. Aurora sighs softly and leans back against me.
“A dragon landed. I feel that it's the Prince. Father doesn’t want me out there for some reason.” Aurora sighs again and leans a bit more against me. Her heat has just about passed, but that delicious scent still lingers on her flesh. “We need to organize our people. We will depart early in the morning. It's going to be a long, cold walk.” Aurora moves away from me and starts to break the groups up. She encourages them to sleep as their animals to keep warm tonight.
Dimitri’s Great Bear comes up alongside Aurora and begins to herd her toward the food, trying to encourage her to eat more. She shakes her head and laughs before jumping on Dimitri’s back and riding him around the barn like a horse. I haven't heard her laugh that hard as he starts to swing his head, making his whole body rock.
The barn door pops open, and a viking-looking man stands in the doorway. Nico moves in front of him to stop him from going much further. Aurora is still playing with Dimitri and doesn’t notice the prince enter. Aurora leaps off Dimitri’s back and shifts before her paws hit the ground. She charges Dimitri as he rears up and tosses her. Aurora lands on all fours, tail whipping back and forth, before her talons dig into the dirt. She launches herself at Dimitri again, but this time her beast rolls his bear and sends him flying. Aurora just threw over a half ton bear. I watch the prince’s jaw drop and Nico smiles broadly like a proud peacock.
The prince whispers, “Holy fuck,” which catches Aurora’s attention. She growls as she turns her head to see who spoke. Instantly, her demeanor changes.
Aurora’s beast tilts her head left then right, studying the pri
nce from a distance. Dimitri moves alongside her and offers her a robe to wear. She looks down at the offered robe then looks at her talons and whines. She knows her talons will shred the material. Jayce moves forward and takes the robe with him, leading her into one of the stalls so she could shift and get dressed in private. I walk over and introduced myself to Alaric and wait nearby just in case.
Hesitantly, Aurora steps out of the stall with Jayce. I can tell he helped her brush her hair and made her look presentable. As she approaches, her eyes flicker between steel-grey and the liquid mercury of her beast. The prince isn’t doing much better as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. When Aurora is about five feet away, she lets loose all the power she could manage to test him. Her alpha power magnified significantly since the last time she unleashed it. Everyone is driven to their knees, including me and Jayce. Only three remain standing: Aurora, Nico, and Alaric. She had to test him, and had to test us too, I guess.
Aurora releases her grip on the room and stares at Alaric. He smiles so broadly at her. He sees her like we do, like the sun rises and sets because of her. He starts to laugh and moves his hair aside. Weaved into one of his braids is her stark, white braid. Aurora closes the distance and looks up into his eyes and then reaches slowly up into his hair to touch her braid. I can tell from where I’m standing that she is holding her breath, waiting for rejection.
“You, princess, are more than I could have ever dreamed of. I can only hope to be the mate that you deserve.” He gently takes her hand from his hair, kisses her knuckles, then drops to his knees before her. “I am yours to command. My army is your army, my dragon is yours.” He holds her hand as he looks up to her. There's nothing but love there for her. I know in my heart that my brother and I approve.
Aurora first looks to Nico and he gives her a nod of approval. Then, her eyes find both Jayce and me. We smile at her and do matching, sweeping bows. Aurora giggles as she watches our antics. Lastly, her eyes find Dimitri. His opinion means so much to her. He bows his head and raises his fist over his heart. Aurora mimics Dimitri’s move, placing her fist over her heart. Out of character for Aurora, she lowers her head to Dimitri then looks up to him. Although shocked, the big guy gives her a shy smile, embarrassed by the level of respect she had just shown him.
Aurora turns slowly and looks down at the prince, who is still kneeling before her. Her slender fingers gently cup his bearded cheeks, threading through the course hair. Ever so slowly, she leans down and tenderly kisses his full lips. As she kisses him, the rumble of approval from his dragon makes her smile. They open their eyes at the exact same time, and their beasts are able to look at each other up close.
It is said that when our beasts surface, they can see each other’s true form. We are technically one entity, but when mates meet, it’s almost an out of body experience. The world around them does not exist and time stands still.
Aurora and Alaric continue to look deeply into each other’s eyes. Eventually, Nico decides to move forward and lightly touch Aurora’s shoulder. She growls at her father for interrupting her. Aurora’s eyes widen in horror at her actions and she backs away quickly.
“I’m sorry, Alaric. I got lost for a moment.” Aurora’s eyes dart to her father then back to Alaric. “Will we be safe crossing? Our numbers are few due to the betrayal of the American lycans.” Aurora looks back at the fifty that we brought with us. According to the last message I received, the other two hundred from my birth pack will be arriving in the morning.
“My love, two hundred dire wolves will be here by sunrise as requested. We will march with two hundred and fifty at your command.” I raise my fist over my heart and bow my head to look at Alaric. “Any suggestions M’Lord would be most helpful and appreciated.” Alaric looks at the force we traveled with and then back to Aurora.
“My mother’s people are with us. I am in command of fifty gold dragons as well as another twenty ice dragons that are loyal only to me. Ellis has about twenty polar bears loyal only to him on the ground.” Alaric moves forward and offers his hand to me. “Brothers in arms and bond mates to Aurora, you and your family have my protection.” I shake his hand firmly and watch him shake Jayce’s hand as well.
“I speak for my birth pack when I say that we are grateful for your help and protection.” I look to my brother, Jayce, and he’s smiling like a fool while he looks at the prince. Well, I know who’s going to be ogling the new mate together.
Alaric moves forward and hugs Aurora once more then goes to shake Nico’s hand before heading to the door. He pauses in the doorway and looks back at us.
“Ellis will let me know when you arrive in the danger zone. My team and I will keep the dragons off of you. Destroy anything that isn't a part of yours or Ellis’ group. There’s a pack of lycans on the move to the islands. Be Careful.” He stares at Aurora when he speaks his final words. Surprisingly, she nods and waves at him. As soon as Alaric was out the door, Aurora runs as fast as she can after him. If I know Aurora, she wants to see his dragon. However, Nico blocks Aurora's path.
"No, daughter, not right now. He needs to focus on tomorrow, not you running out into the snow." Aurora growls at her father and walks away pouting. It's going to be a long night.
We slept in shifts last night just in case of a surprise attack. I wake up the next morning and I can’t find Aurora, and I realize that Nico is also missing. Shit, what the fuck did I miss? Jayce is by the fire making the last of the rice and pasta for all of us to eat. I walk over to the barn doors and shove one of them open. About a foot of snow fell last night, which blankets the ground for as far as I could see. We are now in whiteout conditions. I concentrate and shift my eyes to be like Aurora's. After doing so, I’m able to make out the outline of Nico's dragon and Aurora's animal together. She is standing on top of her father's head, watching the countryside. I turn my attention to where she’s looking, and I can make out the outlines of my packmates on the horizon as they come up from the south. Good, we will be able to leave as planned. I return to the barn and rally the troops. Everyone eats quickly as they wait for the dire wolf pack to arrive.
Great Goddess Callisto. help me. First, I spend years fighting my feelings for Aurora. Then, her wolf kills because she believes I'm hers. Then all of a sudden, I don't rank and my feelings for her are squashed. Bloody hell, Nicodeamus is right! We were drugged so that our bond wouldn't grow. A thousand curses upon the Lupi family and their heirs. By my Romani blood, I will have vengeance for what they have stolen from me.
Mate after mate, I watch Aurora gain in power. The theory that Nicodeamus presented seems valid, but the real question is, What can I do to break the spell? I watch Aurora assemble the troops in preparation for departure. The way she rallies everyone reminds me of her mother on the battlefield.
Nicodeamus' dragon roars and begins walking toward the Bering Land Bridge. My bear lumbers along toward the back of the pack. What I lack in speed, I more than make up for in strength. We know we're walking into an ambush, so it's just a question of when. We walk for miles, following the path that Nicodeamus' dragon blazes for us. We walk in this endless sea of white not able to see more than a couple of feet in front of our faces. If it wasn't for the strong scent of Nicodeamus' dragon, our sense of direction would be thrown off by the lack of landmarks. However, I can faintly make out the glow of Aurora's eyes as she sits on her father's back. I pick up my pace to get closer to his dragon so I can see exactly what's going on.
Aurora sits statue still on her father's back, watching the pack behind him. Her eyes slowly scan the horizon, watching for any signs of the impending attack. The dire wolves and I are having no trouble whatsoever moving through this heavy snowfall. Our only disadvantage is that, unlike Aurora and her father, we cannot see much further ahead of ourselves than maybe a couple of feet.
Howls erupt in the distance, coming from multiple directions ahead of and alongside us. Here it is: the moment of truth. This is exactly what we've all been preparing and tra
ining for. Now, we get to see how good Nicodeamus’ and my training is as the dire wolves aid us in battle. Aurora issues several short barks and the pack splits into three equal units. These units end up splitting off: one going left, one going right, and the third still lagging behind Nicodeamus.
Aurora leaps off her father's back and comes up along side of me. Her eyes focus on the lycans that are walking with us and she issues several more barks at them, sending them off in their own direction. The wind shifts and several different scents hit our noses. The first scent that I pick up is from the polar bears, the second scent—that bastard Sebastian. Aurora begins to growl deep in her throat. With that tone, you know someone is going to die. She separates from her father and begins walking about 70 yards to my left. Nicodeamus then goes another 60 to my right. Divide and conquer is the order for today, apparently. To keep everyone safe, I just hope we switched up the training enough after Sebastian left.
Nicodeamus roars loudly as the crunching of the snow becomes louder. I see Aurora’s glowing eyes look back at me briefly before she takes off toward the masses. The spray of blood is a stark contrast against the bright, white snow. The scent of copper and blood fills the air as bellows of pain and anguish echo all around us.
A pair of polar bears charge at me. Finally, I get a chance to prove myself. I don’t think they were expecting to see a bear of my size in existence. When they get close enough, I swipe at them with my long, hooked claws. His white fur is painted crimson, and the snow is littered with droplets of blood. The second polar bear pisses himself when my next swipe rips the head right off of his companion. Another head for Aurora’s collection. Too bad we’re on the ice; it won’t be here in the spring. Without a second thought, I charge the second bear and roll him onto his back. Quickly, my massive maw snaps down around his throat, and I shake my head violently until every tendon and blood vessel is severed.
Hunt Little Wolf: The Aurora Marelup Series Page 16
