Page 167 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

Apparently, most of us had secrets today. In turn, we each turn and look at Dimitri, and he just smiles and shrugs his shoulders. The big guy doesn’t do well with accepting congratulations or any kind of positive emotional feedback from the males in the family.

Arnulf surprisingly takes the lead and begins to explain everything that he and Dimitri had done. We stare in wonder as he points out all the little special things. He then explains what kind of products and materials were used in the making of the nest. You could tell that Aurora was exceptionally impressed by their craftsmanship by how she runs her hands over the bedding. Ever so carefully, she climbs out of the nest and then launches herself into Dimitri’s waiting arms. She cries softly, thanking him profusely for all that he has done for her and the babies.

Being the honorable man that Dimitri is, he motions towards Arnulf and explains his part in the whole process. Aurora wiggles her way free from Dimitri’s arms and goes and hugs Arnulf. She then comes over to me and tenderly kisses my cheek and then my lips, thanking me for what I did. She repeats the process with my twin, hugging him and kissing him, and thanking him as well. We go room to room upstairs and down, checking out the two new nurseries.

Klaus was exceptionally impressed by the color palette that we chose for both of the rooms. There are two shades of evergreen, one light, one dark, in both rooms. We alternated which walls had what colors. We alternated which wall was designated for what between the two rooms. Both rooms are the same, yet different in their own way. Alaric congratulates us and thanks us for the time and effort we put in to ensure that the babies had the perfect sleeping area. He’s not even the male that fathered the children this time, and he’s grateful for what we did. It just warms my heart to know that my brother and I’s efforts are appreciated.

It’s different being an Omega in this pack. I don’t feel like I’m at the bottom of the ladder. I don’t feel like I’m only useful for one thing. It’s nice to be up at the top with those I love and all of us on equal footing. Klaus comes over and hugs me and thento my surprise, kisses me in front of everyone. It wasn’t a soft, gentle kiss you would expect; this is full force, Klaus not holding back. He makes my toes curl, and butterflies rise up in my stomach. I can’t help but wrap my arms around him and return his passionate kiss.

The kiss finally ends and I can’t help but stare up into his eyes, lost. A slender hand rests on my shoulder, and I turn to look at Aurora, almost horrified at what we just did in front of her. Quickly, I look back to Klaus, and he is just as panic-stricken as I am.

“Don’t worry, boys, I knew you two had a thing going and I’m fine with it.” Aurora smiles at us and kisses us both, and then walks out.

Releasing the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, my eyes dart back and forth between Klaus and Aurora. Shock doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling right now. Part of me feels as if my heart is soaring; the other half feels extremely blessed and grateful. Klaus hugs me tightly to him as we look to the others. The guys smile and high-five us and tell us that they knew. It’s such a relief to get that off my chest. Aurora being okay with it makes it all that much better.

We spend a few moments alone before heading back up to the main part of the house. Tia and Ladon come running into the house. Tia is crying, and Ladon has three cuts across his arm. Aurora instantly flies into a rage as she drops to her knees in front of her children. “What happened?” Aurora looks Tia over then examines Ladon’s arm before passing him off to Alaric.

I quickly go to Tia and cradle her against my chest before sitting across from Aurora. My wolf rumbles softly, trying to calm her. “Shadow man took Lia. We were playing under the peach tree, and he came up out of the ground and grabbed her.” Deep in my heart, I have an idea about who she’s speaking about. My fingers thread through Tia’s hair as I try to soothe her.

Aurora’s facial bone plates shift several times before she looks at me and Dominik. “Get Alex to go with you and search the area and report back. Oh, and find out when Alex wants to have his wedding too.” Aurora’s always multitasking if she can get away with it.

I quickly place Tia in Aurora’s lap as Dominik and I head out of the house. Through the pack bond, we reach out to my brother and his mate to have them meet up with us. They arrive quickly, and we bring them up to speed as we walk towards the peach tree. The stench of sulfur and rot fills our sensitive noses. Dominik and I have smelled this before; the Strigoi have taken Lia. I reach out through the pack bond to Aurora and fill her and the rest of our pack mates in on our discovery.

We can clearly feel Aurora’s rage through the bond, and she basically tells us to stay put. I raise a brow, looking at my brothers. We know that Aurora will go against medical orders and come herself. No sooner did I share that thought with my brothers and my future brother-in-law, Aurora arrives.

She charges over to the hole and starts searching around it. Her eyes raise up to the sky locating the sun. “More than likely, we will hear from them at sundown. They probably believe that they stole my daughter and will want me in exchange.”

She raises a hand quickly and silences us all instantly. “We need to return and tell Anna what happened to her daughter. I also need to know if Lia has my scale with her or not before I attempt to locate her.” Aurora turns quickly and starts heading back to camp without further adieu.

We lag behind the group, and when we arrive back at the pack house, Aurora already has Anna wrapped up in her arms. The child’s mother is crying hysterically, and the father is speaking with Klaus and Dimitri. I pull my brothers off to the side as we wait to be needed. Alex and his mate pull out their phones, showing us their wedding plans.

We were so lost in the plans I didn’t notice that Aurora was standing over us, looking over my shoulder at the plans as well. “The blue one would be best,” she says and scares the hell out of all of us.

I clutch my chest as I turn to look at her, my eyes still wide from fright. “Excellent choice, babe. Um, does the little one have your scale?” Slowly, I tilt my head to the side, trying to get her back on track.

“In fact, she does!” Aurora smiles broadly. “The downside is all things considered.” She motions to her stomach.

“I’ll need Alaric and Nicodeamus to boost me; I don’t believe I can do it alone.” As soon as she utters their names, they move to her side, and we prepare for some freaky dragon location thing to happen.

CHAPTER 131

Aurora

Mother fucking bat-faced,deadhead bastards stole Lia. I swore to protect that sweet little baby girl, and I fucking failed her. Frustration boils within me like a cauldron, fueled by the bitter taste of failure. The knowledge that Lia, the innocent child I swore to protect, has been snatched away by those vile creatures stirs a storm of rage within my soul. With each step I take, the room feels like it’s closing in on me, suffocating me with a sense of helplessness.

My senses are heightened, every nerve tingling with adrenaline and fury. The urge to unleash my pent-up aggression is overwhelming, a primal instinct clawing at the edges of my consciousness. But I know that giving in to that impulse will only lead to further chaos and despair.

As I pace the room, my hand instinctively drifts to my swollen stomach, a reminder of the new life growing within me. The weight of responsibility presses down on me like a heavy burden, a constant reminder of the stakes at hand.

Amidst the turmoil raging inside me, the scent of my approaching comrades wafts through the air, carrying with it the promise of sustenance and companionship. The tantalizing aroma of various meats and desserts fills the room, ignitinga primal hunger within me. My guys return with a massive assortment of food to eat, and my stomach begins to growl in response.

Quickly, I start to dig in and eat a little bit of everything that’s in front of me. I stab a raw steak and get ready to eat it, and the smell makes me nauseous. Furrowing my brows, confused, I try again, except this time my stomach turns to the point I can’t stop. I roll to my feet and head straight to the garbage can and promptly lose my lunch. Up to this point, I have been able to eat everything I wanted to. Pouting, I look back to my lunch and sigh. I’m so hungry, and now I’m worried about eating.

Klaus and Dimitri rush to my side in a second, one rubbing my back while the other holds me steady. Jayce slowly approaches and offers me cold ginger water. I sip at it slowly and enjoy the cool, refreshing taste. Several minutes pass before my stomach settles; I sigh softly and feel relieved. How in the hell am I supposed to save this little girl when I can’t eat?

Dimitri kisses my temple and pulls me to him. “Shh, love, all will be okay. We just need to figure out what this litter needs.” He gently cradles me and keeps kissing my temple, trying to soothe me.

Klaus grabs ahold of my hands and holds them tightly. “We’ll do whatever you need us to do. Just tell us.” Klaus smiles and then kisses my lips gently. I’m so lucky to have so many good and loving mates.

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