Attack (The Aurora Marelup Saga Book 4)

I can’t believe what my mate just did! She literally stole Kazimir’s life and gave it to my grandmother. I wonder what else Oberon did to Aurora. She said he settled her beast and unlocked new powers within her. My bond mates and I have been discussing it in private for days now. We are thankful she’s calmed down and doesn’t seem to be waging war within herself.

I head outside to catch up with my packmates, who are currently training the new arrivals. We are leaving nothing to chance when it comes to the assault on the castle. The training pit is loaded with people training with not only weapons but also their shifted forms.

Dimitri and Dominik emerge from the house, dressed for training. The pit stops and the occupants turn to face Dimitri and Dominik. They explain the training for today and the new pairings for the training. Wow, their combined knowledge is impressive. I know Dimitri has been in service of the crown for years. Dominik, he said he was the weapons master and enforcer of his father’s pack. I kind of feel inadequate compared to them. Aurora says we are all equals, but it kind of hurts that I feel like I have nothing to offer.

Suddenly, I have slender fingers covering my eyes from behind. ‘Hmm, I wonder who has taken my sight from me?’ I know by scent it’s my mate, Aurora. Her soft giggles behind me give me butterflies in my stomach.

‘It’s the big bad Hybrid,’ Aurora says, trying to be serious. Aurora leans forward and nips my shoulder over her mate mark. Her bite sends a thrill straight to my groin.

I look up and see Dominik and Dimitri watching me closely. They know all too well what she’s doing to me. Both men smirk at me, then turn their backs to me. Shit, I’ve never done anything alone with Aurora. To be perfectly honest, my mate kind of scares me. She’s so powerful, skilled, and experienced. I’m actually kind of embarrassed to admit Aurora was my first. I spin in Aurora’s grip and kiss her lips. ‘My beautiful angel, what can I do for you, my love?’

Aurora blushes as she looks up at me. ‘I’m…. I was kinda wondering if you would have lunch with me today?’ Aurora starts to fidget with the hem of her shirt. I can’t believe she looks so nervous.

‘Of course, I would love to, my sweet angel.’ I lean down and kiss Aurora gently. I take her hand, and she leads me off towards the large Douglas fir tree. There’s a modest picnic setup just for us. We sit together, and Aurora starts to serve us lunch. I’m quite puzzled by our queen serving me.

‘My angel, shouldn’t I be serving you?’ I tilt my head, looking at her curiously.

Aurora draws in a slow, deep breath then grips both of my hands. ‘I know I can be scary at times.’ Aurora lowers her eyes and looks at our hands. ‘I know, I must scare you; I’m sorry that I do.’

I pull a hand free from Aurora’s and gently cup her cheek. ‘Don’t be sorry, angel, I’ve never dated anyone else but you. I’ve been waiting for my mate for what feels like forever.’ I bite my bottom lip as I watch her reaction to the news.

Aurora smiles softly and blushes. Slowly, she leans forward and kisses me. ‘I waited too. It just sucks it was that fucking rat bastard, scumbag of a false mate that I lost my innocence to.’ Aurora laughs softly then strokes my beard.

‘At least you got to lose yours with your true mate.’ Her smile is brighter than a thousand suns. I feel blessed to have her in my life.

‘I knew that day that I came to your camp you were mine. I was shocked to see you had a Lycan male claiming to be your mate when clearly he wasn’t. The sun rises and sets according to our mate’s desires. He didn’t seem to care if the sun came out at all.’ I bite my bottom lip again, feeling as though I may have gone too far.

‘Klaus, I know that now. You’ve shown me what it’s like to have a true Lycan mate. You, Alaric, and the others make me feel like I can take on the world and win. That may or may not be in the best interest of the rest of the world.” Aurora laughs softly and scoots closer to me.

“What is one thing your heart desires? If it’s within my power, I will give it to you freely.” I can see how serious Aurora is with her question. She actually wants to know what I covet most in the world.

I reach out to pull Aurora into my lap and wrap my arms tightly around her. Gently I rest my head on top of hers and sigh softly. “You’ve already given me two of the things I most desire. The third will come in due time.”

Aurora moves a bit in my lap so she can look up at me. “I have?” Her voice rises at the end of her two-word question, as if I hold the mysteries of the world in my hands. I kind of do. I hold my hybrid queen in my arms, and she is the entirety of my world.

“You have, my angel. You’ve given me your heart and your love freely and in its entirety. You have given me bond mates that I call my best friends, lovers, and brothers, depending on the situation. The last will come in due time. I’m in no hurry. I’m blessed to have forever with you.” I kiss her lips gently, then rest my hand on her stomach so that the third want is clear. She smiles against my lips, then lightly bites my bottom one. I can’t help but laugh at my mate’s antics.

I’m so lost in my happy little bubble I don’t notice Jayce’s approach. “Guys, I hate to break up the lovefest, but a convocation has been spotted on the horizon, and Nicodeamus wants us all present for when they land.” Jayce basically spits out his information then takes off to search out the others.

All I can do is shake my head and stand up, cradling Aurora like she’s a bride on her wedding night. I love listening to her laugh because I refuse to set her down on her feet. Nope, this is my time with her, and nothing is going to end it early.

We reach the porch of the Alpha house, and I set Aurora down. Alaric comes up behind her and sets her ruby crown on her head. He then hands me the one that Aurora had made for each of us. I still can’t get used to wearing this blasted thing. Aurora goes prancing from mate to mate, adjusting our crowns and kissing our lips before she moves onto the next one. A few of the house girls stand waiting with robes for our guests who are about to arrive.

As the convocation gets closer, we can make out that they are Golden Eagles, the same as what Aurora’s guardian was. Dimitri looks beside himself. I can’t tell if it’s excitement or pain. I mean, seriously, the man has perfected the male version of the resting bitchface.

One by one, the Golden Eagles land and shift to their human form. They appear slightly skittish around all of the apex predators in the camp. I can’t blame them, to be honest. If I didn’t know Aurora and Alaric, I’d be scared of them too. The last eagle to arrive lands the closest to the porch, shifting to his human form at the last moment. His eyes remain that of his eagle as he stares at Aurora without blinking.

I hear Aurora’s breath hitch, then stop; the ambient temperature around us drops significantly. The man before us looks like that guy Jax from that motorcycle show that was on TV. His hair is a dirty blond, and so is his beard. If I didn’t know better, he looks like he could be related to Alaric, you know, that Viking type. My guess is he is the Alpha of the Eagle Clan. Two others try to approach and he raises a hand, stopping them in their tracks.

We turn and watch Aurora, scales ripple up and down her arms and over the bridge of her nose. Her eyes are those dragon orbs of hers, the liquid mercury seeming to swirl around the black slit. Alaric reaches for Aurora, and her beast explodes into existence and growls at him in warning.

Her beast’s massive head swings to regard the naked man before her. It feels like that t-rex scene from that dinosaur movie. Each step of hers shakes the planks in the porch; the air is heavy with anticipation, no one is sure what Aurora will do now. Half of the males’ clan have shifted and taken to the trees nearby to watch.

I watch in horror as Aurora reaches the last step; she steps onto the soil, freezing it with every step. I give the man credit; he’s standing his ground as Aurora’s massive ten foot tall, half-ton beast looms over him. Slowly, she lowers her head and sniffs at his scalp first, then his neck. His Golden Eagle eyes remain focused on Aurora, not one ounce of fear evident on his face. Aurora proceeds to sniff his neck then she begins to circle him.

“We need to do something. Alaric, Dimitri, can’t one of the two of you step in?” I look between Alaric and Dimitri, figuring since they both are the largest of us, they should be able to save him.

“No need; she’s testing him,” Nicodeamus states so calmly it’s frightening.

“Besides, if you step in now and he’s unworthy, it will only give him false hope that he was accepted only to be shunned later.” Nicodeamus slowly turns to head back the way he came, “We don’t need another Sebastian on our hands.” With that, Nicodeamus leaves the five of us staring at each other. None of us want to deal with the fall out of another mate that shouldn’t be.

Aurora’s beast looks back to us as she stands behind the male. Her gauntleted hand raises, and her talons come out in front of him. Her hand is level with his throat, and her beast has that gleam in its eye. Quickly she pulls her hand back, her talons heading for the man’s throat. The five of us yell “no!” at the top of our lungs. Before Aurora’s talons can touch the man’s throat, she shifts back to her human form and grips his throat. Quickly, she pulls him back to her and sinks her canines into his shoulder, as her eyes remain locked on us. Rivulets of his blood run down his chest as his eyes roll back in his head. The extreme pleasure from her bite makes him cum; his seed sprays wildly in jets out before him, landing in the dirt.

Besides the mate orgy we had a while back, this has to be the single hottest moment I’ve gotten to witness. Aurora slowly releases the man and licks his wounds, healing them instantly. Cautiously, she steps before him and looks up into his eyes. You can see the love and adoration he has for her instantly once his eyes shift back to human. His eyes are a beautiful shade of grey-green. Aurora’s eyes sometimes turn a similar color, depending on her mood. Slowly, we all move to greet the new mate.

The new male looks down at Aurora, kisses her forehead and extends his hand to Alaric, who approaches first. “I’m Arnulf, Alpha of the Golden Eagles. Our ancestors came to the elders during meditation. He spoke of a female that was a daughter to him, that faces great peril ahead of her. He said she needs our wings, our sight, and our talons to help take back her mother’s home.” Aurora and Dimitri immediately begin to tear up looking at each other, then at the male that now holds her.

Tears began to stream down Aurora’s cheeks, her bottom lip quivers as she tries to restrain the emotions fighting to surface. “Andre?” Aurora says, her voice a whisper as she looks up to Arnulf, hoping he is talking about Andre.

Slowly, he nods and kisses away her tears and hugs her tightly to him. “He was only able to cross the veil because the ancient rites were performed for him by a loved one. I can only assume he meant you.” His hand caresses her cheek gently. “He said your name is Aurora. It’s very beautiful and fitting for you.” He gently kisses Aurora’s forehead, and she loses it, crying hysterically.

Dimitri steps forward and takes hold of Aurora. The two of them cling ever so tightly to each other, crying hysterically. Nicodeamus feels a disturbance in the force, comes back out, sees Aurora and Dimitri crying, and runs towards them. Between Aurora and Dimitri, they fill Nicodeamus in on what is happening, and he joins in on the crying.

I extend my hand next to Arnulf and motion back to them. “Aurora performed the rites after Andre was murdered. She stood in her father’s flames and watched his body burn. Jayce has the video if you want to watch it. You can see Andre’s spirit leave the funeral pyre.” As soon as I finish my sentence, Jayce is at our side playing the video for Arnulf.

I watch the emotions move across Arnulf’s face; first pride, then amazement, then back to pride again. He looks between Jayce and me, then back to the major hug fest that now includes Dominik.

“A dragon’s flame won’t burn her? That’s incredible. We are truly blessed to have such a powerful mate.” Jayce and I nod, agreeing with his statement. He has no clue just how powerful she truly is.

Arnulf turns to his people and screeches several times and they fly off, leaving him behind here at the compound. “I will call them back when we are ready to go to war. For now, all the larger predators are making them uneasy.” Arnulf looks at me, then at Jayce.

“Do either of you have extra clothes I can wear until my bags arrive tomorrow? I don’t mind walking around naked, but I don’t believe other females should see me like this now that I have a mate.” That one statement from him catches all of our attention. He’s going to fit in just fine.

Jayce and I lead Arnulf into the alpha house and into the master suites. Aurora’s twins come running over and tilt their little dragon heads. Arnulf looks from the twins, then to me, then back to the twins. “Genetically, they are Aurora’s and Alaric’s babies. We all claim paternity when it comes to their care.” I smile proudly as I look at the hatchlings before me.

“When the babies are in their human forms, we’re all called Dad. Alaric is called Daddy; it’s the only difference. They accept all of us as their father figures; it’s really cool if you think about it. It definitely makes it easier on Aurora having multiple mates to help with the babies, so she’s not so exhausted.” I toss Arnulf a pair of sweats, and Jayce grabs him a T-shirt. Arnulf quickly dresses then sits on the floor to let the babies check him out.

“Children have become rare with my people. The occurrences of true mates are few and far between. I have been telling the elders that we must start looking outside our borders, to other species if we wish to survive.” He sighs softly, the mantle of Alpha weighing heavily upon his brow.

“They fear change, and it will be the death of us. At least with me as Alpha, we have a chance to change our way of thinking, especially when they see me with Aurora and you guys.” Arnulf is smiling broadly as he gets tackled by the twins. The rest of my bond mates and Aurora walk in, just as the babies go to attack Arnulf again. He rolls back, catching them gently and falls with them, taking the brunt of the landing. I have to give it to him; he’s laughing hysterically at the baby dragons’ antics.

Aurora stands there smiling and makes a noise only her hybrid can produce. Quickly, the children run to her and shift to their toddler selves. “Jayce, my love, please dress the children,” Aurora says softly. She then moves forward swiftly, catching Jayce off guard and kisses him passionately before he heads off with the children.

“Arnulf, sorry about the…” She motions to where she had bitten him, looking a little embarrassed by her actions.

“My beast got away from me. I’m sorry if I was a bit too forward. She did the same to Klaus a few months back. I feel bad when she doesn’t wait for consent.” Aurora lowers her eyes, looking at her hands as they grip each other, turning her knuckles white.

Arnulf moves swiftly and grips her hands. He tilts his head, trying to get her to look at him. “I am honored your beast chose me. Usually, a male makes a nest and hopes a female deems him worthy. You deemed me worthy without seeing my nest or what I was able to provide for you. Why?” He is genuinely curious as to what made him worthy in her eyes.

Aurora smiles and looks at each of us. She walks up to Alaric and places her hand on his shoulder. “Alaric’s dragon called to my dragon side, his promise of protection and his loyal heart sang to my beast.”

She next moves to stand beside Dimitri and smiles, looking up at him. “My beloved Great Bear, he has survived me from infancy. We have endured many hardships together and the loss of loved ones that is difficult to recover from.” Aurora reaches up and gently caresses Dimitri’s cheek; he leans into her caress, smiling at her. “His bear kept me sane, alive and protected. If it weren’t for him and our initial bond, I would have been one of the lost ones without a pack. Lost to my animal, never to be human again. Dimitri saved me from me.”

Next, Aurora moves over to Dominik and grips his shoulder. “Dom risked his life coming to me when I was my most volatile. I thought I was going to lose his brother and our fragile bond to the man he loved.” Aurora’s smile is radiant as describes hers and Dom’s bond. “Dominik made the decision to ask my father to place him in a confined space with me. It wasn’t the smartest move he could have made, but it’s what forged our bond. He put my needs before his personal safety.”

Jayce chooses now to re-enter with the twins in tow. “My sweet, sweet Omega mate, he guards my heart the fiercest. He’s my snuggler and my chocolate hoarder.” Aurora gently kisses Jayce’s temple, then moves to me.

She looks up into my eyes and smiles softly. “Klaus here sees me as the woman I want to be. He calls me his angel when all I ever feel like is a demon. He leaped across a balcony to catch me before I fell, in my early stages of pregnancy. He knew before I did what we were, damn blood magic stealing precious time from me.” Aurora kisses my cheek before turning to face Arnulf.

“Dimitri and Klaus were robbed of precious time with me because of Vladimir’s tainted bloodline.” She motions to Nicodeamus next. “My father was robbed of his mate because of Vladimir’s treachery that knows no bounds. I swear, I will have my revenge, and I will dance on the bones of my enemies.” She smiles, and her eyes flash with the power of her beast for a second.

“You know what I see when I look in your eyes, Arnulf?” She tilts her head for a moment. “Hope. I see hope for a better future. I see a future where I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder, afraid for my children’s lives.” She shakes her head lightly. “I don’t need to see material things to gauge the man you are. You stood up to my beast when I know your bird wanted to fly. You trusted me enough to know I would never harm what’s meant to be mine.” Aurora smiles and kisses Arnulf on the lips. She lingers there for a moment then pulls away.

“Ok guys, enough mushy shit, I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?” There’s the Aurora we all know and love. Her request for food has us all cracking up and heading to the kitchen. Jayce is in charge of dinner tonight; I’m kind of curious as to what he has made for all of us. The kitchen smells divine. Between my mother and Jayce cooking, we will be well fed.

We find my mother and grandmother in a heated discussion, yelling at each other in German. It’s not like German doesn’t sound angry enough, even when spoken calmly. Just as I’m about to say something, Aurora unleashes a blast of her Alpha power that silences the room. Both my mother and grandmother are subjugated before Aurora because of the force she uses.

Slowly, she moves to stand before both women, shaking her head at them. “Enough of the bullshit! Tonight is a night of celebration! If I hear one more jealous or petty word, I swear to the gods heads will roll!” Aurora growls out the sentence as she looks between the women. Jayce chooses now to move behind Aurora and rub her shoulder lightly. Slowly, the oppressive feeling leaves the room, and Aurora turns away from my mom and grandmother.

Arnulf chooses now to turn to me and raises an eyebrow in question. “I’d love to say you’ll get used to it, but I’d be lying. She’s only getting stronger as time goes on. Each new mate brings a new power and more strength.” I shrug my shoulders as I finish my sentence. I mean, seriously, what can I possibly say at this point?

“I would like to offer a mating present to you, Aurora, and to my new bond mates.” Arnulf looks to each of us in turn, then back to Aurora. “I can help you reach your friend in the spirit world and possibly your mother. If you would allow me to try?” Arnulf doesn’t realize the boon he just offered her.

Aurora’s eyes light up, and she runs to grab Dimitri and Nicodeamus. “Yes, please, can we try after dinner?”

Arnulf smiles and nods his head slowly. “Anything for you, my mate. If it’s within my power, it’s yours.”

The winner of the best and safest answer to date is now Arnulf. We all gather around the table, passing the bowls and baskets around. For now, the looming danger of the outside world is forgotten. Right now, everything is right in the world. We know the war is on the horizon, but it’s nice to forget that part of life for a little bit.

Aurora chooses now to come to me and sit on my lap at the dinner table. She absolutely cracks me up at times. I don’t think there’s a single dinner that she’s sat in her own chair the entire meal. Dimitri says it’s because her beast needs contact to feel secure enough to eat in new places. Let’s face it, this isn’t her home, and we don’t plan on staying here once the castle is liberated from the Strigoi.

Apparently, tonight I’m not allowed to feed myself; neither is Dominik. Aurora takes a huge helping of her favorite foods and alternates between me, Dom, and herself. Jayce starts laughing at Aurora’s antics, and she flings a scoop of mashed potatoes at his head. Son of a bitch. Jayce moves just in time to catch the scoop, mostly in his mouth. Aurora is cracking up, laughing at Jayce, who in turn flings some mashed potatoes at her.

You know it’s my luck that she moves at the last moment, and I get a glob of mashed potatoes on my face. Aurora is still laughing, looking at me before she starts to lick the potatoes off my face. The table silences as they watch Aurora lick my face clean. She turns and looks at everyone, who promptly starts to pretend like they weren’t watching. “Oh, come on, guys, that was not the weirdest thing you’ve caught me doing,” Aurora says, not skipping a beat. Poor Dimitri almost chokes on his drink. Alaric needs the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the chunk of meat from his throat.

Jayce looks like he is going to say something for a moment, then he thinks better of it. Arnulf looks at Aurora and me and shrugs his shoulders. “They think it’s odd for a mate to preen the other? I thought wolves are pack animals?”

“We are,” Aurora says, then turns to look at the others. “They don’t complain when I run my tongue in other places. But apparently, licking Klaus’s face isn’t normal,” Aurora says with a sarcastic tone. I look at my bond mates, and their faces are various shades of red. “Don’t act innocent, you heathens! You know you love it!”

This time it’s poor Nicodeamus that almost drowns at the table. He’s having one hell of a coughing fit. Dimitri is quick to pat Nicodeamus on the back, trying to help him clear the fluid from his lungs.

I decide to take this time to finally be a wise-ass. Then again, I have Aurora on my lap. Who in their right mind would fuck with me right now? “Welcome to the insanity, Arnulf!” I raise my glass to toast to our new bond mate. Poor guy has no clue what he just got himself into!