Page 46 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

Alaric gasps and whispers, “I can feel her.”

As soon as he says he can feel her, Aurora’s hand moves to touch his scale in time with him touching hers. It’s times like this I wish Nico was here to explain exactly what the hell is going on. We watch the remainder of the video in silence. Alaric turns to the camera and smiles.

“My princess,” he places his hand flat on Aurora’s scale over his heart, “I am yours to command. I have gathered forces beyond my father’s reach. We will take back what is rightfully yours. By my blood, I swear this to you.” He draws in a deep breath as his eyes flicker between human and dragon. “To the first mates of our princess, we will be brothers in arms. We will fight for her and protect her together.” His flattened palm turns into a fist against his chest, signifying the difference in his promises. “Dream of me? Aurora?” Alaric smiles one last time and winks at the camera before the video cuts off. All eyes are locked on Aurora, waiting to see her reaction to his video.

“Holy shit, he’s hot!” comes from behind us. All of our heads whip around to find Sebastian’s mother, Elena, fanning herself in the doorway. “Hot damn, baby girl, that’s a mountain of a man that’s pledged himself to you. A dragon’s word is worth its weight in gold. Don’t forget his mate bond and offered scale. He’s yours for life.” Elena casually walks into the room and flops into the recliner opposite Aurora and Sebastian. Aurora’s cheeks are cherry red, and Sebastian looks like he wants to kill something.

“Elena? I have questions. The wolf’s mate bond seems to be much different than the dragon’s.” I figured I’d ask since Ibelieve I’m the only one not threatened by Alaric’s arrival on the scene.

“Jayce, to be honest, there’s not a lot that’s different between the two species when it comes to choosing a mate. It’s exactly the same by sight and scent. To a dragon, its mate is its greatest treasure. A dragon’s hoard means nothing to them once they find their mate.” Elena draws in a deep breath before beginning again. “Unlike wolves, there is no bite needed to forge the bond. Dragons offer a scale, a piece of themselves to their mate. That, and a skull, of course.” Elena looks down to her phone, briefly types on it, then looks back up.

“Unlike wolves, dragons cannot live without their mate, except if there’s a hatchling. The remaining mate lives only for that hatchling. Like wolves, dragons only get one shot at a true mate.” Elena’s phone pings again, and we watch her eyes scan the message. Her fingers fly over the screen before she looks up. “Nico needs to explain a bit of history to everyone. We need to cast his video up on the big screen TV.”I take the phone from Elena and pair it with the TV. Carefully, I balance the phone under the TV so Nico can see us. I hit dial and connect the call.

“What do you mean it’s on video, you giant furball! All of them won’t fit on this tiny screen.” Watching how animated Nico can get is quite comical. In the background, you can hear Dimitri tell Nico to look at his phone. “Oh! Hi! Umm, okay, so congratulations, Aurora, on gaining your dragon mate. Sebastian, stop being a grumpy ass! I see the faces you’re making behind my daughter!” As soon as the words leave Nico’s mouth, Elena gets up and slaps Sebastian on the back of his head. The growl that comes from Elena is enough to straighten him out quickly.

“Thanks, love,” Nico says before clearing his voice to continue. “You probably have a ton of questions. I’ve been answering them the best I can by messaging Elena. The past wasa dark time—a lot of magic and mystery. The alpha Vladimir was an evil, evil man.” Nico looks down as he gathers his thoughts.

“He possessed blood mages and kept the Strigoi on a leash. He used blood magic to subdue your mother’s mates to have us all castrated. If it wasn’t for Andre’s spy network and Dimitri’s quick thinking, you wouldn’t be here.” Nico reaches up to wipe a stray tear from his eye. “Rumors spread a while back that Vladimir still lives. I’ll be honest, I didn’t check his body before I set your mother’s body on fire. I also didn’t get to watch the whole thing burn to ash.” He ponders that thought for a few minutes, then looks back to the phone again.

“Elena, use your contacts with the European Lycans and see what they can find out. We need to be prepared for everything.” Elena nods and leaves the room, heading off to make her phone calls.

“Anything else we need to know, Nico?” I ask as I watch my brother and Sebastian take notes. Only Aurora seems disturbed by the information.

Nico watches Aurora closely before speaking. “My beautiful, powerful daughter. Elena was correct when she said a dragon cannot live without its mate. You die, so will Alaric. Your wolven mates will be left behind to wish for death. You are a special case, and I’m not sure what will happen to you if one of your mates die.” Nico’s sadness is apparent as he speaks to Aurora. All I can do is move to Aurora’s side and run my fingers through her hair. I feel my eyes turn wolven as I stare at Sebastian. He’s not even trying to comfort Aurora.

“What the fuck is your problem, man! Can’t you see our mate is in pain! Can you get over yourself for five fucking minutes?” I reach down to take Aurora from Sebastian and pass her off to Dom. It’s interesting to see my larger twin shocked by my actions. I’m not a fighter, nor am I even a beta, but our mate needs us, and Sebastian is being a self-absorbed jerk. Sebastianstands and goes toe to toe with me, looking down at me like I’m nothing.

“What the fuck do you think you’re going to do to me, omega? You’re weak and soft and can’t fight your way out of a paper bag.” Sebastian’s sky blue eyes turn the white-blue of his wolf. I know I’m in trouble, but I won’t back down. He’s trying to use his power to dominate me. For once, it doesn’t feel oppressive like it usually would. I hear Nico in the background start to laugh.

“It’s about bloody time Jayce stood up for himself. Good for you, lad, good for you!” Nico is proud of me? Wow.

While I’m distracted, Sebastian takes this opportunity to strike. He grabs me by my shoulders and attempts to throw me. I squat down like Dimitri taught me and grab hold of Sebastian’s forearms and use his momentum against him. I pivot and whip my body to the side, sending Sebastian off balance and onto the floor. I shift quickly and grab him by the throat. I hold him there, growling until I feel Aurora’s fingers threading through my fur.

“Sebastian, love, what have I told you about picking on the other mates?” Aurora’s power is oppressive as she speaks. Sebastian is squirming under me, trying to escape. “Jayce, love, please release Sebastian. I believe you made your point that he cannot pick on you anymore.” I release Sebastian as asked. When I look up, I see Elena in the doorway with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her son’s actions disappoint and hurt her. I let out a huff of a breath and stand next to my twin. I don’t bother shifting back. I don’t want to talk to anyone at the moment.

“When did he get so fucking strong?” Sebastian is pissed off that I put him down. You know what? I can’t wait for the dragon to get here and beat his bully ass. Aurora slaps Sebastian across the face to get him to stop.

“What the actual fuck did I tell you about fighting with the other mates? I’m really disappointed in you, Sebastian. You’restarting to act like my mother’s Lycan mate. I swear to the gods, you even start going down that road, and I will fucking rip your throat out my fucking self!” Aurora is screaming and crying at the same time. This really isn’t a safe state for her to be in. I look back at Nico on the screen, and he shoos me toward her. I place my muzzle under her hand and lift up, so her hand rests on my head. I gently place the weight of my wolven body against her hip, trying to comfort her.

Nico’s voice booms through the speakers. “You have a village to liberate. Get your heads out of your collective asses and go free the remaining bears.” We turn as one and nod. Nico is right; we got off task and forgot what had to be done.

CHAPTER 38

Jayce

As I turnto walk out of the room, a sense of purpose propels me forward, my steps steady and determined as I make my way toward the front door. Behind me, I can sense the presence of my brother, Aurora, and Sebastian, their energy palpable as they follow close on my heels.

As we reach the front of the Alpha House, we are joined by the five Dire Wolves from our pack, their forms shifting seamlessly as they fall into step beside us. Together, we form a formidable group, united in our shared mission as we prepare to venture into the depths of the forest.

With a silent nod of acknowledgement, we set off into the woods, the rustling of leaves and the crunch of twigs beneath our feet the only sounds that break the stillness of the morning. The air is alive with anticipation, the scent of pine and earth mingling with the primal energy that surrounds us.

After crossing a few small streams and navigating the winding paths of the forest, we begin to ascend a steep hill, our muscles burning with exertion as we climb higher and higher toward our destination. At last, we reach the cliff’s edge, the village below spread out before us like a patchwork quilt.

As we take in the breathtaking vista, Aurora is the first to shift back into her human form, her eyes scanning the horizon with a sense of purpose. And as she turns to look at each of us in turn, a silent understanding passes between us, a shared determination to see our mission through to the end.

“The center house is the only one with a basement of any size. From what my father told me about Strigoi, they tend to nest together and sleep in a pile during the day. The leader will be in the center of the pile. We will systematically search all the outlying houses first before we converge on the center house.” We descend upon the town like phantoms, moving silently through the remaining shadows along the edge of the town. Aurora moves directly to the center house and begins to freeze the wood, making it brittle. Dom and I search several houses, finding nothing of interest in any of them. Seven Dire Wolves and Sebastian join Aurora at the center house, which now looks like a giant ice castle. I cannot sense nor find any signs of life anywhere in the compound. As far as we know, the Strigoi have eaten all the bears.

Aurora and Sebastian start moving as one, using their talons to rip the boards off the house. Sometimes, I think it must be nice to be a Lycan and be able to do shit like that. Several moments pass until they have all the walls ripped off the house. The stench of rot and sulfur fill my nose, causing me to sneeze. The Strigoi are definitely down there. Sebastian leaps onto the roof and begins to rip the wood off of the house. Aurora watches closely as Sebastian starts to remove the rooftop. Movement can be heard below the floorboards. Aurora’s beast smirks and raises an eyebrow as she cocks her head to listen to the movement. A few of the Dires shift back to human and start to remove the furniture from the house. Dom and I move to flank Aurora’s great white Lycan beast as we wait for the last of the roof and furniture to be removed.

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