Fight (The Aurora Marelup Saga Book 3)

February

I’m back at my favorite crystalline desk; it feels like forever since I’ve sat here to conduct business. I still have all the maps and sketches I made when I was first aware of Aurora. I run my fingers over the charts and my doodles I had made of her face. It’s hard to believe that almost a year has passed, and here I am a father, her mate, and now king.

Slowly, I open the top drawer of my desk, taking out my favorite parchment. I begin to write the birth announcements that shall be personally flown to the different kingdoms around the world. To my right is the list of godparents that Aurora and I have come up with for our children. Aurora barely trusts any females so there will be no godmothers for our kids. She has, however, picked out three godfathers, and I agree with her choices wholeheartedly. I have chosen my long-standing friend Austin Skybane as a guardian for my daughter. Austin’s Kingdom is on a hidden island off of New Zealand. Aurora has chosen Ellis as a guardian for our son, as well as both War Dragons. She figured since Polar Bears are not long-lived, the War Dragons would be a good backup. I decide to write Austin’s letter first.

Dear Austin,

It feels like forever since the last time I have put pen to paper. I have wonderful news to share with you. Remember that unique female I wrote to you about? The hybrid? Well, she’s my mate, we married and have birthed twins! TWINS!! Can you believe it? I hope you would do me the honor and agree to be my daughter, Tiamat Andrea Krauss’s Godfather. No pressure or anything. I would be honored if your would be Tia’s Godmother. I hope all is well with you and your family. As soon as we have a date for the christening and the proper coronation, I will send word.

Respectfully,

King Alaric Kraus

I laugh to myself, thinking about how I have signed the letter to one of my best friends. He’s going to shit bricks when he sees I’m now king and not my father. I feel the guys panicking and Aurora’s agitation. Something’s set my mate off; I need to go defuse the bomb before there’s a slaughter on our hands.

I run downstairs and head to the fitting room. Aurora looks like a heavenly vision in her flowing gown. That is until I notice her arms are shifted, and she has a seamstress in an ice prison. “Aurora, baby, what seems to be the matter?” I look at the beautiful dress and then over to the seamstress.

“She said she had a hard time with you and your trousers! She doesn’t belong anywhere near your trousers! Where’s the usual seamstress that does your clothing?” Aurora is using her talons to accentuate her displeasure over a single female making adjustments to my wardrobe. That’s where the problem lies.

“Love, Helline passed on while we were gone. Her granddaughter took over her duties so that we wouldn’t be without a head seamstress.” I hold my hands up in a placating manner, trying to get my mate to calm down. She’s definitely more territorial now that the babies have been born.

Aurora looks between the young seamstress she has trapped and me. “Sorry for your loss.” She releases the girl quickly, then her eyes move between her other mates and me. “No one gets fitted alone. Ever.” Aurora’s eyes land on the young girl now, and she looks her over.

“You’re a wolf, am I correct?” Aurora slowly shifts her hands back to humans as she waits for an answer.

“Yes, my Queen,” the girl answers softly with her eyes low, staring at the ground.

“Klaus, Dominik, gather all our single males. This young female shouldn’t be without a mate during times like this. If one is her mate, fantastic. If not, she comes with us when we leave to go to Klaus’s pack. Hopefully, she will find her mate and my animal will settle.” Aurora looks down at the girl and notices her smiling. Slowly, a smile creeps over Aurora’s lips. Her eyes raise to me, and she winks. Apparently, she’s pleased with her progress.

Dimitri meets me by the door as I go to leave. He motions for us to walk away from the others. We head down the hallway and into the library. “Something on your mind, Dimitri?”

“Da, Alaric. Aurora has located Elena. She’s not far from Klaus’s pack. There’s been minor skirmishes between the packs lately. Thankfully, Klaus’s pack is larger and stronger. Aurora is planning on hunting down the old witch and slaughtering her.” Dimitri word vomits the information, sounding like it’s no big deal.

I raise an eyebrow at him, then start to stroke my beard. “So what you’re essentially saying is that Aurora is going to go all homicidal when we arrive at Klaus’s pack, but not to worry?” I tilt my head to the side, looking at Dimitri, waiting to see if I have made a fair assessment of what he’s told me.

“Sounds about right, Alaric.” Dimitri shrugs his shoulders, then goes and pours two glasses of brandy. He returns and hands me one of them. “She’s also planning on searching for my people to see if any still live before we attack the castle. Aurora figures that if any Great Bears still live, it would be an asset to have them with us.” He downs his glass in one swallow. I can immediately tell the subject bothers him greatly. Dimitri won’t meet my eyes as I rest a hand on his shoulder.

“Aurora wants to search so you don’t feel alone in the world. She loves you so much, and I have it on good authority she wants to try to have your cub once the war is over.” Dimitri’s bear surges to the surface and he now looks at me, smiling.

Without warning, the big guy wraps his massive arms around me and literally bear hugs me. I’m almost unable to breathe with the force he’s exerting. “This is fantastic news! Thank you, Alaric!” Dimitri spins me in circles as he lovingly squeezes the life out of me. Dimitri eventually stops spinning us, and I’m dizzy as fuck. I look up towards the door to find Aurora with the twins latched to her breasts. Her robe is open just enough that I can see both babies’ shoulders while keeping herself covered.

Aurora smiles and starts to laugh. “I’m guessing Alaric told you my plans, D?” Aurora’s eyes shift to that of her beast as she stares at me. Yup, I prematurely spilled the beans, and now she’s not happy with me. Aurora’s eyes shift back to human as she turns to look at Dimitri. “Does this news please you?” I watch Aurora move slowly and rests her forehead on Dimitri’s shoulder. I still can’t get used to the idea of Aurora looking unsure of herself in regards to anything.

Dimitri lets go of me like I was set on fire, and he carefully turns and takes Aurora and the babies in his arms. I watch Dimitri’s hand come up to gently move aside the robe, and he kisses the crown of both babies’ heads. His hand moves to cup Aurora’s cheek; he lightly kisses her pouting lips. Honestly, I feel like I’m watching one of those Hallmark movies. “Aurora, I am extremely blessed just by being allowed all this time with you. You’ve gifted us with babies, your undying love, and loyalty. We are blessed every day we get to have you in our lives.” He sighs and glances at me briefly before continuing. This level of emotional honesty from the big guy is definitely a huge change for him.

“One day, when the time is right, and you gift me with my own cub, it will be the second greatest day of my life.” Dimitri ends his declaration by kissing Aurora. Me, I’m over here blubbering like a fool, having listened to one of the most romantic speeches I’ve ever heard.

Aurora has her own tears freely flowing down her cheeks. Carefully, Dimitri wipes them away. Being the wiseass that I am, I search my phone and put on November Rain by Guns n Roses. Both of them look at me and smirk. It seems like it’s the soundtrack of their love story. I leave my phone on the desk and walk out of the room, leaving them to their moment.

Those two, I swear, I don’t know how Dimitri went from guardian to mate. I know our animals have a lot to do with how we process things. Dimitri explained it to me: his bear wanted her from the moment she turned a hundred. As soon as those womanly curves kicked in, it was over. It was the reason he kept going to town to relieve himself. I don’t know if it is just because Aurora is a hybrid or something else that kept her from ascending. Aurora should have ascended long before her hundredth birthday. I’ll have to ask Nicodeamus about that one. Even to this day, that one little fact still puzzles me. I wonder exactly how far Elena meddled with Aurora and her life?

I find myself wandering into the throne room, looking at all the decorations going up. It’s nice to feel the lack of my father’s oppressive presence. After Bane’s death, it seems like a new life was breathed into the castle and the staff. Random staff approach and congratulate me on the birth of our children. Not a single soul here knows of Aurora’s changes, and we are not about to let anyone know until we absolutely have to.

I find Nicodeamus making an ice sculpture in the corner of the room. He absolutely cracks me up with the odd things I see him doing. The statue is of a dragon with hatchlings at its feet. I’m guessing a family portrait in ice? I watch him for several moments more before turning to leave.

I need to seek Klaus out to make sure the arrangements for our trip to his pack are under control. Klaus’s twin and grandmother are flying back to Germany this morning so they can begin to set up for the Dire Wolves, as well as the American Lycan pack. I reach out through the bond and find Klaus and Jayce are together in the war room. Good, I get to kill two birds with one stone.

On the large mahogany table, they have a map of Klaus’s pack lands; the board behind them has Romania’s map, the region that Dimitri comes from. On the wall opposite the board, they map the area around the Marelup castle in the Carpathian Mountains. Right now, the boys are focused on Klaus’s pack lands and the existing structure.

“Need any help?” The guys aren’t expecting to hear my voice, and they jump. Klaus starts to laugh, and Jayce still appears to be slightly shaken.

“Sorry about that. How are we making out with the plans for the big move?” I walk over and sit in the leather recliner stationed in the corner, waiting to hear what they have to say.

Klaus moves and hands me a smaller version of the three maps, then moves back to the big one on the table. With Jayce’s help, they pin it up on the wall over the map of the castle. “The housing situation has been resolved. The indoor training pit, as well as the storage hanger, have been emptied out. Both are being filled with cots as we speak. We figure we’d keep the two species separate, just because we are not sure if there are any traitors in the American Lycan pack.” Klaus moves and points to the large buildings on the map, and I look at the corresponding spot on the map in my hands.

“Klaus, where on here is the Alpha house? Is it in a safe location in relation to the temporary housing? The last thing we need is Aurora going on a murdering spree because someone got too close to her babies.” I raise both my eyebrows, looking at my expert planners. I watch them both look at the map, back at each other, then finally settling on me as they smile.

“Yes, it’s far enough away,” Jayce says enthusiastically, then spins to look over the map one more time.

“They have a hot spring on the property, as well as a day spa. Aurora will love it. Oh! And the best part is the chocolate factory is only about two miles away!” Jayce is beside himself with excitement. I haven’t seen that man this happy since he watched me fuck Klaus.

I shake my head at the two of them and just start laughing. “I’m glad the logistics of the move are left in your capable hands. Just remember the gala is at sunset. You’re expected to be in your tuxedos and dress shoes. Aurora has gone into the treasury to retrieve the adornments she wants us all to wear.” Jayce and Klaus look at each other with such excitement. Without warning, they both leave the room to go investigate. Actually, come to think of it, I’m quite curious myself about what Aurora has picked out for me to wear.

I wander the hallways heading back to the suites, grabbing my bond mates along the way. We make it into the shared living quarters and there’s Aurora, standing on a pedestal in all her celestial glory. Her gown makes it look like she has wings hanging down her back. She’s currently wearing a crown I’ve never seen before. The crown is rather ornate; it appears to be made of elven mithril and adorned with thousands of diamonds. It’s as if Aurora is wearing all the stars in the sky upon her head. In front of her stands a man with long, black hair and pointed ears. I’ve never seen him before, but apparently, Nicodeamus knows him and Aurora is comfortable with him being in her nest. Aurora’s head turns slowly and she smiles.

“Hey, guys! I’d like you to meet Oberon, King of the High Elves,” Aurora says as she motions to the man before her. “He’s come to bless the children and me. I, apparently, am a beast of legend.” She smiles and looks back down to Oberon.

“Yes, Young Queen, you most certainly are a beast of legend, but the question is, which path will you choose once your mission is complete?” Oberon states in that musical voice of his. He slowly turns to look at the rest of us; he moves forward to greet each of us in turn. High Elves themselves are beings of legend, and to attract the attention of the king himself is a huge deal.

“You have gathered the strongest bloodlines from each of the species of old.” Oberon moves and stops before Dimitri and lightly grips his jaw. “Great Bear, you are not alone. Your original tribe is still alive in the mountains where you were born. My people and I maintain a barrier around their territory to protect them.” Oberon hands Dimitri an amulet and smiles. “This will help you find your people when you are ready to go home.” Oberon moves away from Dimitri then back over to Aurora. Oberon offers her his hand, and he assists her down off the pedestal.

“You are ready, Young Queen. Remember, hide your true potential until your final battle. You don’t want anyone preparing for what you can accomplish.” Oberon leans forward and kisses Aurora’s forehead, then vanishes into a shimmering mist.

Aurora looks serene. It’s quite scary to see her like this. She seems at peace, settled. I’m happy but concerned at the same time. “Aurora, you seem a bit different. Is everything alright?” I tilt my head to the side and look at her, waiting for her to answer me.

With a fluid grace I haven’t seen before, Aurora seems to glide over to me. Gently, she lays her hands in mine and looks up at me, her steel-grey eyes focused on me. “Oberon helped settle my dual nature. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of you, I technically shouldn’t exist. Well, what I mean is I shouldn’t exist as I am, being an almost equal split of both species.” She tilts her head to the side smiling softly.

“Oberon said my dragon side is the most dominant. He used some old elvish magic to help my animal sides be more at peace and work together. I know we’re not separate beings, but the dual natures and instincts sometimes confuses the hell out of me. Oberon said that’s why my temper has such a short fuse. It’s because I couldn’t handle the mixed signals.” Aurora shrugs her shoulders and just smiles up at me like it’s that simple. To be honest, it really is. If her dual nature was causing her homicide-switch to flip, and he just fixed it, well, that’s the best news ever.

“What did Oberon mean by which path you’ll choose?” I lean forward and gently kiss Aurora’s full, blood-red lips. Nicodeamus takes Aurora’s hand and leads her over to the tall stool for her to sit on.

Aurora draws in a deep breath, then looks back to me. “I’m not the first of my kind; I’m actually the second one to be born like this. The first was a Black Dragon and Lycan hybrid. He went insane from the power of the two bloodlines. It took an entire army of elves and other dragons to take him down.” Aurora looks down, then at her own hands, shifting them to her beast’s gauntlets.

“Oberon says I’m more deadly than that male was because my beast literally took on the most dangerous traits from each mated species. I have Jayce’s venom and can release it in either form. I have Dominik’s agility and his night vision. From Klaus, I have his added speed and ability to jump to great heights. Dimitri, oh gods, he was a deadly addition. I gained the mass and strength of his bear and its height. Alaric, my love, I gained your immunity to both types of fire. You’ve also given me the ability to breathe fire, which is unheard of.”

Aurora slowly shifts her hands back, looks back up, and smiles. “I gained a lot of good traits as well from Jayce: his soft heart and compassion. Dominik gave me the ability to assess a situation quickly and pick the best course of action. I gained an almost extrasensory perception—Oberon said the older species of Lycans just know things. I got that gift from Klaus. From Dimitri, I gained his infinite patience, and now that my beast is settled, I can use it. From you, Alaric, I gained a stronger will than I had before and a higher value on life. All of these extra gifts were hidden by how unsettled my beast was. Oberon blessed our babies and me so that we all can be at peace. I choose the path of the benevolent leader, not the bloodthirsty tyrant. Well, that is, I will. After I kill Elena and Vladimir, then take back my family’s castle.” Aurora takes the offered drink from Jayce and looks at all of us.

I’m honestly floored by all that Aurora has said. To think, all this time, she’s been struggling with an internal war, and none of us knew about it. I feel horrible that our mate was possibly in her own private hell and never told any of us. Our servant comes in and alerts us to the fact that the guests are starting to arrive. Aurora rises up ever so gracefully and walks over to where the twins are curled up, sleeping as their dragons.

Aurora shocks me by making dragon sounds at the twins to wake them. I look to the guys, and yup, we’re all surprised to watch and listen to what she can do now. Tiamat and Ladon have almost doubled in size over the last few weeks. We attribute their rapid growth to the fact that they spend more time as their dragons than as babies. Aurora believes they are safer as their dragons, and I hate to admit it but she’s right. Aurora bends down and picks up Tiamat, passing her to me. She then reaches down and picks up Ladon holding him close to her breasts. Slowly, he climbs up and wraps himself around her shoulders, preferring to sit up there so he can see better.

Tiamat, having seen what her brother did, also climbs up on my shoulders and lies down. I guess this is how we’re presenting the babies to the world: as their animals. Through the bond, Aurora reaches out to all of us. I want our babies to have a happy childhood. People cannot abduct children whose faces they have never seen. They are the first children born of me; those seeking to snuff out my bloodline will go for the children first, not me. I hate to say it but Aurora’s logic completely makes sense. We each take a turn kissing Aurora, then line up to head out.

Dimitri and Klaus take point, Jayce and Dominik following behind us. Aurora has her hand resting on my forearm as our children happily chatter with each other. We enter the grand ballroom to find Nicodeamus already standing on the platform near all of the thrones. Not only did Aurora make sure each mate has a crown upon his head, but she also made sure they have a throne.

We walk in time with the music that Nicodeamus has chosen for this momentous event. I feel Aurora’s hand tighten on my forearm, and she begins to look around the room slowly. Something isn’t right and she’s on high alert. I look up to see Nicodeamus with his eyes shifted, looking around. Aurora’s breathing has slowed as she uses her father’s vantage point to look around. At the very last second, she shoves me out of the way and catches a knife in her now-shifted hand.

I feel the room shift, along with Aurora’s temper. She’s commanding the dragons under her rule to seal the room. Carefully, she hands Ladon off to Dimitri and turns to walk through the crowd. Aurora stops before a female Red Dragon. She is one of the females my father tried to force me to take as a mate. “You threaten my mate? Your king?” Aurora’s voice is a mix of her beast, with hints of her human tone. You can see Aurora’s canines descend, as well as hear her talons clicking together in agitation.

“Abomination! You do not deserve a dragon like Alaric! He is to be mine!” The female screams at Aurora and shifts her forearms to her gauntlets. I compare the two quickly, trying to assess the situation. The red female has nothing on Aurora in the weapons department. “I challenge you to the pit. Beast on beast for the king’s hand!”

Aurora just starts to laugh hysterically at the female before her. “You? Wish to fight me? I killed Nexus by myself. Besides, if I die…” Aurora moves her hair aside to reveal my scale upon her chest. “Alaric will follow me into the great beyond, to the land of our ancestors. However, you will be left alone here, in the land of the living, having killed a monarch and sentenced to death. Your soul will never go to Elysium. Oh no, a far worse fate awaits you, my dear.” Aurora bows her head lightly to her father.

“Prepare the pit! Tonight, I get to stretch my talons and add another head to my throne!” Aurora’s words have struck fear into Camile, and she comes running over to me, dropping to her knees.

“Please! Spare me! Forgive my trespass!” Camile grovels at my feet, kissing the tops of my shoes. Before I have a chance to answer, Nicodeamus comes up to my side and rests a hand on my shoulder.

“At the stroke of midnight, on the Ides of March, your wish to battle the new Blood Queen shall be granted. Be happy she didn’t call for the horde to descend upon you.” Nicodeamus speaks like the King of old, like the man he used to be before losing his mate. Tiamat moves and climbs onto her grandfather’s shoulder, then breathes fire at Camile, sending her scurrying backward away from us. In typical Nicodeamus fashion, he tells Tiamat how proud he is and she’s such a good girl.

All I can do is shake my head at him, then look up at Aurora sitting upon her throne. She’s switched crowns to her great-grandmother’s, and she’s owning the title her father has bestowed upon her. I approach Aurora, and she smiles at me like nothing has happened. Dimitri sits to her left and me to her right; Ladon now sits upon his mother’s lap watching the celebration. We have fifteen days until the battle; Camile will sit in a cell waiting for death during that time. Tonight, we celebrate our children and the successful birth of a princess and a prince.