Page 11 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

“Why did you serve me and wait? We are equals.” I am puzzled by Aurora’s actions, so why not ask?

“Well, Dimitri and Andre both said tradition dictates I should serve my first mate before myself.” She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s the way things were done back when my mother ruled and her mother before her.” Her eyes drop to her lap, where her hands are tightly clasped. “I’m sorry if I didn’t do it correctly. The guys did their best trying to teach me, but I’m stubborn and willful, and honestly, don’t give a shit half the time.” She raises an eyebrow and looks up at me to find me smiling and trying not to laugh. My smile must be contagious because soon, Aurora begins to laugh. “What’s so funny?” She cants her head to the side.

I reach out and pull Aurora onto my lap. “Fuck tradition! We’ll make our own as we go along!” I nibble on her throat and make her giggle. I reach out and grab a piece of meat, then offer it to her. Ever so gently, Aurora takes the offered meat and eats it. Her own hand reaches out and grabs a piece of meat to offer it to me, and I take it in my mouth and eat it. An hour passes as we take turns feeding each other. We are so relaxed with each other, it is just what we need to settle our nerves.

I pick Aurora up, making her squeal. I have her now straddling my lap, facing me. Her eyes move over my body, then back up to my face. I lean forward and capture her lips, kissing her slowly, savoring the moment. Breaths between us begin to deepen as the kiss grows in intensity. Aurora starts to paw at my shoulders, leaving fingernail tracks from my spine to my biceps. She doesn’t understand what she wants, but instinctively she knows what she needs. A deep approving rumble reverberates deep in my chest. Aurora’s scent thickens with her arousal as she starts to become more aggressive.

I can’t hold back anymore, and my wolf demands I take our mate now. My erection is throbbing, thick and hard as steel, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. I grab hold of Aurora and flip her onto her back and come to lay down over her. I’m not about to give in completely to my wolf. I refuse to be rough and set a punishing pace her first time. No, the man was in control, no matter how much my wolf howled in the background. My lips come to rest against Aurora’s.

“Baby, this may hurt, I’m not a small man.” I kiss her again, looking into her eyes for some sort of acknowledgment. Slowly she nods and nips my jaw. “I’m going to go slow. Stop me if you need to.” I’m worried about her comfort; I love her too much even to cause the slightest bit of pain. My hand slides between her thighs to position myself at her entrance. Aurora is soaked,absolutely beyond wet. I slide myself through her moist lips, coating my length before starting to enter her.

Aurora inhales quickly as she adjusts to my girth. Her eyes lock with mine, and she nods again, showing she is okay. I stop when I meet with resistance. Hesitating, I know this is the part that is going to hurt her. My mouth drops to her shoulder over my mating mark, I sink my teeth in hard as I slam forward, breaking the barrier. Aurora grips me tightly, wiggling from the pleasure my bite is bringing her. Slowly I begin to move, setting the pace for our mating. The slapping of skin, pants, and moans can be heard in the distance. Aurora is whining, sounding more wolf than woman as she approaches her climax. When she finally cums, her screams morph to a long haunting howl. My own howl soon joins hers as I, too, reach my peak.

We lay there cuddled up, tangled within each other’s arms for what seems like hours. We consummate our mating many times throughout the night, deepening our connection and strengthening our bond. In the morning, it will be time to begin the hunt for the dires and whatever may come after that.

CHAPTER 10

Aurora

I closemy eyes as I sit at the lake’s edge. I can feel precisely where Sebastian is, and if I concentrate hard enough, I can almost see what he’s seeing. A gentle breeze blows and shifts, and in the winds I smell Dimitri and Andre approaching. Thankfully the Strigoi that attacked had only been scouts. Although by tonight, they will know that their scouts were killed and that I was now a threat. Heh, they don’t know the half of it. I’m sitting here, with my head thrown back, enjoying the breeze with my eyes close. I’m still trying to figure out what gift I received from Sebastian when Dimitri decides to interrupt my thoughts.

“Princess, we should get moving. The Strigoi won’t attack during the day so we can move quickly, and the village won’t get attacked.” He spoke with truth and logic—he’s learned not to fluff things with me. After all, they raised me to be a no-nonsense kind of girl. Give it to me straight, and I’ll respect you more for it.

“Fine, D.” I roll my eyes. “Have Andre fly ahead and tell Elena what happened with the Strigoi. Also, tell her I’m going to need that map she said she had.” Standing up, I stretch and crack my back. Faint pink lines cross my ribs like tiger stripesfrom Sebastian’s grip on me last night, and I can feel D studying them. “Don’t stare, D, it’s creepy.” I smirk, looking at him as I head towards Sebastian to help him finish packing up the site.

The sneaky male has a golf cart hidden nearby, so we load up everything in it. My eyes drift back to Dimitri. “D, please drive the cart back. I wish to stretch my legs before getting trapped in the truck with three stinky boys.” I playfully pinch my nose before turning back to look at Sebastian.

“Race ya!” I shout as I run and shift in motion. My great, white Lycan glides swiftly and soundlessly through the woods heading back to the village. To my surprise, Sebastian is on my heels. Guess I gifted him with my speed. That may come in handy in the future. We weave in and out of the trees, almost playing tag as we approach the edge of the forest.

Suddenly stopping, I look about… hmm, something isn’t right. The scent, it’s wrong. Raising my muzzle in the air, there’s a scent of blood carried in the breeze. In the distance, I stop and prick up my ears to listen closely and discern what I hear around me when suddenly I hear Andre screaming for help. We run towards him without a thought. The village center looks like a scene from a horror flick. Several wolves lay dead, and there are just as many ash piles. Sebastian takes off looking for his mother as I prowl the village. I catch the scent of a single surviving Strigoi hiding out in the meeting hall.

Without a second thought, I leap onto the roof and let loose a warning howl, so no others will approach. Sadly, it has the opposite effect, and the surviving wolves begin to gather. We listen to the screeches of the trapped Strigoi. The sun will destroy it if it comes out, so I think the smartest thing to do is let the sun in. My talons begin to rip at the metal roof, opening it up like a can of tuna. Light begins to flood the hall. I stick my head down into the hole I created and see where it’s hiding. It’s blocked in a corner, trapped by the beams of light I let in. Nowwas the time to fry it. Quickly, I leap to the other side and rip off the roof directly over its head and watch its body burst into flames. The Strigoi’s screams fill the air until its body is frozen in mid-scream with no more sound coming out.

Satisfied that I ended the threat, I leap down and the villagers drop to one knee before me. All except the Alpha, that dumb ass decides to walk up to me. “How dare you bring this threat to my people! Many have died because of you!” he snarls at me, pointing a finger. “I hope they rend the flesh from your bones and drink your blood like wine.” He stands there all cocky, thinking his title will protect him. Over his shoulder, I see Sebastian, Dimitri, and Elena. I didn’t want to do this, but I cannot let him poison my people anymore.

I shift back and stand before him, my eyes that of my wolf. “It’s amazing how you have short periods of time that you have balls—no brains, but balls. I’d almost respect that if I didn’t scent the terror oozing off of you.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Not one of the Strigoi fell by your claws. No, you hid in your cellar waiting for the sun to come up so you could claim the glory to the survivors.” I shake my head and circle him. “You forget your place in the hierarchy. You forget that Alphas have no power while a Royal still lives.” I smirk at him then point a finger in his direction. “You are a leader with a handed down title from a weak bloodline.” Jabbing a finger in Sebastian’s direction, I continue. “My mate’s bloodline is older than yours, from the old country where our kind comes from.” I circle him with my eyes narrowed. “You, you’re a thin-blooded, American Lycan no history, no lineage. I’m ending your rule today,” I say, baring my canines at him. “Step down and submit... or die. Your choice.” I give him my back and close my eyes. Sebastian feels what I am doing, and he locks onto the Alpha, watching his movements closely. I see every move through Sebastian’s eyes without having to turn.

“Like my daughter said, she’s not pure Lycan She’s part dragon and unfit to rule!” He charges at me, and just before impact, I regain my Lycan’s form and sink my talons into his chest straight to his spine. I hold him there, feeling his heart beating against my forearm. Blood pulses out and around the hole in his chest and down to my elbow. He’s in such a state of shock that he just stares into my pure mercury orbs. With one quick flick of my wrist, I end him, ripping out his spine in one fluid move.

I shift back, his spine still in my hand. My arm bloody to my elbow as I turn to face the gathered crowd. “You are my pack, my people. I will fight for you and protect you. All I ask is that you train hard in the old ways.” I raise my clean hand and wave at Elena to come forward. “Elena and her family have faithfully served my family for countless generations. I ask her to serve me now. Watch over our people; guide them in the old ways. Her word is my law. Those that stand against her will die by my talons.” I address the survivors who all nod and bow their heads, showing I’ve gained their respect and loyalty.

I turn to Elena, “Train them well in the battle skills. War is coming, and I’ll need every strong Lycan at my side for the final battle.” I pace back and forth. “Gather the rogues and the ones the old Alpha exiled, bring them back into the pack and give them purpose.” I kiss the top of Elena’s head before moving towards my shocked mate. I hold out my hand and offer him the spine of the old Alpha. “For you, my love. Do with it what you will.” I walk off towards his hut, listening to his mother comfort the survivors. I’ve chosen well, she knows these people, and she’ll do right by them. In the meantime, I need to clean up and pack. We have a road trip ahead of us.

I dragout the guitar and amp I found in Sebastian’s room and sit on the front porch to tune it. Usually I like playing Ax7, but today is a little different. Instead, I start playing Megadeth’s “She-wolf,” letting the notes carry through the compound. My head is down, my eyes closed, and I’m lost to the music. In my head, I’m singing the song. But somewhere around the first chorus, I hear several voices join in singing the lyrics.

I smile as I look up to see its Sebastian and several other young males. One joins in with his guitar, playing the backup rhythms for the song. We jam out, and I bask in the glory of how my mate and his wolf are staring at me while he sings. I stand up and start walking around playing the song, and eventually, it turns into a full-out performance for the pack. The young male playing back up approaches as we bounce back and forth toward the end of the song, taking turns playing the lead rhythm. It’s a thing of beauty when you can be in sync with another. I see Elena approaching, and she smirks at me. I look to my new buddy and change it up. I hit the opening riff of “Of Wolf and Man” from Metallica. Peter—I find out his name—is grinning from ear to ear as the pack sings the lyrics as we play.

Elena stands there enjoying the pack's flow; they are alive and acting as one, as a pack should. I breathe new life into them. Slowly I move toward Elena, still playing along with Peter. "Can I help you, pack master?" I smile at her as I thrash through the cords, and everyone begins to howl along with this part of the song.

"Princess, you have performed many miracles for your people.” She smiles. “You freed them, and gave them a purpose. We are blessed to have you." She pats my shoulder as I hand theguitar off to my mate, who starts up an early 90's tune. "I stuck a new author's book in your bag. The female main character reminds me of you." Okay, that got my attention.

"Oh, is she a wolven badass like me?" My smile spreads wide like the Cheshire cat—or is it the cat that swallowed the canary? Either way, it isn’t an innocent look.

"Definitely not. It’s a mob book. She shoots this girl...” She waves her hand in front of her, then adds, “just wait ‘til you read it. With the way you handled the last two threats, she's right up your alley." Elena has that innocent as fuck look going on, so I know she’s up to something. Now I really need to read that book.

I shelve that thought at the moment and turn to look at my people.My people… I never thought I’d be saying that. I was kept separate, raised off-grid for over two hundred years, all because of my bloodline. Now I have a pack, a mate, and other mates I must still find. I feel like I’m playing an advanced game of manhunt, well, a literal manhunt.

I stand here watching everything unfold and ponder what my parents would think of me at this moment. Am I too brutal? I mean, my death toll is rising, and I haven’t traveled more than four hundred miles in the last week. I’m mildly concerned as to how high it will reach before the final battle. I’ve killed a woman, an Alpha's daughter, and the Alpha. So only three in the last week... not horrible, maybe. Dimitri once told me I was going to need an army to take back the castle. A pack's loyalty is to its Alpha. So, unless I’m sure of the Alpha’s fealty, he cannot live. I must ascend to take over the pack. Many cogs in the machine, so many pieces to the puzzle, but I clearly understand how they fit together.

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