Page 127 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

My scales look more like Gallus’s, chromatic in nature, still serrated and heavily armored. My talons are still white but have a streak of silver running along the talons’ top half, I guess, to hide them better. My thick fur now covers my scaled body armor. I’m back to looking more wolf than dragon. The greatest advantage is not being known as a weapon. Slowly, I walk over to the cliff edge and click my ignitor; my breath weapon is Gallus’s force attack. I hear the gasp of shock from Alaric as I rein in my newfound ability. I turn and test my frost, and the ground freezes before me. Everything is back to the status quo for now.

“I think we should head back, love. The others are in a tizzy with us being gone so long,” Alaric says calmly.

I shift back to my human form, nod, agree with him, and wait for him to shift and lie down. Quickly, I climb onto his back, and we drop off the ledge into a free fall. I squeal with delight at the speed he achieves before he opens his wings and levels out. It’s time to see my mates again and my growing swarm that waits for me back at camp.

As we fly home, I ponder everything that has happened to me since the beginning. Initially, I believed I was just an oddball white Lycan. After my ascension, I gained access to some of my father’s dragon’s abilities. Now, having almost died, I’ve been given the power of the ancients. What the actual fuck! I mean, seriously, I have a horrible temper at times, and to give me the powers to bring about Ragnarok is kind of insane to do. I shield my mates from my present emotions. I have mixed feelings about all of this. One being shouldn’t have this much power. But I do, and thankfully I was blessed with some level-headed mates to keep me from going off the deep end. Hopefully.

I run my fingers over the scales on Alaric’s dragon’s head, and I’m reminded how much I love them all. They are why I fight. My children’s future is at stake, and if I’m the only onestrong enough to protect it, then so be it. Tomorrow, I set my plans in motion.

CHAPTER 103

Alaric

As I fly backto camp, a sense of unease gnaws at the edges of my consciousness. Despite Aurora’s apparent peace, I can’t shake the feeling of tension lingering in the air. The hurried departure has left our group unsettled, each member grappling with their own doubts and uncertainties.

Descending to the hill’s base in the clearing, I land with caution, mindful of the weight of responsibility resting on my shoulders. Aurora dismounts gracefully, her presence a beacon of calm amidst the storm of emotions swirling around us.

But as the rest of my bond mates come running downhill, their expressions betraying a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, I know that our journey is far from over. Three of Aurora’s mates are wolven, their instincts and sensitivities markedly different from ours. It falls upon me to navigate this delicate balance, to ensure that harmony prevails amidst the chaos.

With a quick shift, I assume my human form once more, the transformation a physical manifestation of the tension coiling within me. Drawing upon my knowledge of Force Dragon powers, I guide Aurora through the process of mastering hernewfound abilities, each word uttered with a sense of urgency and determination.

Slowly, the atmosphere begins to shift, the palpable tension giving way to a semblance of calm. As my bond mates approach, their movements cautious yet determined, I can’t help but feel a glimmer of hope amidst the uncertainty that lies ahead. For in this moment, we stand united, ready to face whatever challenges may come our way.

Aurora moves and embraces each of her mates one by one, and tells them how much she loves them. Her eyes land on me then she looks back to the camp. “Is everything under control?” she questions before starting to walk back up the hill.

Dominik moves forward and takes her right hand, and Klaus takes her left. “We defeated all challengers and have assumed the title of Alpha over our respective packs. Everything we have done has been in your honor, my angel,” Klaus says, then bends to place a kiss on Aurora’s temple. I watch her smile and kiss both Klaus and Dominik as they lead her back to camp.

I move alongside Jayce and Arnulf and look between the two of them. “How are both of you handling what’s happened to Aurora?” I move before them, blocking them from walking back up to the camp with everyone else. Dimitri joins me, looking at the two most gentle mates in the family.

Arnulf and Jayce look between each other, then between Dimitri and me. Arnulf is the one who chooses to speak. “We were scared that she was going to die on us after her wolf was poisoned. It got even scarier when she took off out of nowhere.”

That made me raise my eyebrows, then I look between the three of them. “You didn’t hear the dragon’s call? The one that summoned Aurora and all the dragons to leave?” I look slowly between the three of them, and all three shake their heads no.Interesting, I say to myself as I look to Arnulf. “What do you know about the ancient dragon of the mountains?”

Jayce and Dimitri both shrug their shoulders, and Arnulf’s eyes flicker to his eagle’s then back to human. “There were stories of a dragon able to bring about the end of days—an entire species capable of mass destruction. The Elder Gods watched from their perch in the other worlds. One day, one of these Titans took their rampage too far, and the Elder Gods struck and wiped out most of the population. Only a yearling dragon was left behind; the Elder Gods explained why his people were taken from him. Gallus was raised on the mountain top isolated away from everyone else.” I nod slowly, having listened to his story.

As Arnulf’s words hang in the air, a palpable tension settles over the group. The mention of the ancient dragon of the mountains sends a shiver down my spine, and I exchange uneasy glances with Jayce and Dimitri.

The revelation of such a powerful and destructive force lurking in the shadows fills me with a sense of dread. It’s as if the very air around us has grown heavy with the weight of impending danger.

I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as Arnulf recounts the tale of Gallus, the last remaining survivor of his kind. The image of a lone dragon, raised in isolation atop a desolate mountain, paints a haunting picture of loneliness and despair.

As Arnulf finishes his story, a silence descends upon us, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. Each of us is lost in our own thoughts, grappling with the implications of what we’ve just learned.

In the midst of the growing uncertainty, I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve stumbled upon something far more sinister than we could have ever imagined. And as the night wears on, the sense of unease only grows stronger, casting a shadow of doubt over our every move.

“I had heard the same story as a little boy, and I thought it was something to scare little dragons into behaving. I met Gallus today; he gave his life force to allow Aurora to live. She is now an Ice Dragon-Force Dragon-Lycan hybrid.” The look on the guys’ faces matches how I feel on the inside. Shock doesn’t even cover it right now. I’m grateful we get to keep Aurora, but at what cost to her?

Jayce looks down and then back up to me. “What does that mean for the rest of us? You two were very close before, now it will be worse and we will be forgotten.” Tears slowly begin to roll down his cheeks. His wolf’s eyes surface and look at me—his heart breaking before me.

Quickly, I move forward and pull Jayce to my chest and kiss his forehead. My dragon rumbles to him, trying to calm him and his animal. I hear the soft little rumbles of his wolf answering my dragon. Arnulf moves close, and Jayce and I open our arms and pull him into our embrace. Arnulf’s bird whistles and chirps, trying to communicate with our animals.

Eventually, Dimitri joins the embrace. The four of us stand together, hugging and rumbling, settling our animals with all the changes. Aurora comes up and bounces around all of us. “Whatcha doing?” Aurora practically sings as she bounces around, touching each of us in turn.

Jayce pops free then starts bouncing around with her. “Bonding time, my love!” he says, practically singing to her as they hold each other’s hands as they dance in circles. He’s doing a great job hiding the hurt that had surfaced just moments ago.

This is the oddest thing I have yet to witness the two of them doing to this date. “Are you two okay?” I have to ask them. Even for Aurora, this tops her weird scale.

“Why, Alaric? What could possibly be wrong? I’m healed, my mates are safe, and we’re back together. The best part! We get tokill Strigoi really soon,” Aurora says, and her smile reminds me of her father’s. It’s like Hannibal Lecter and Joker had a baby.

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