The Elemental Mate

Aurora POV

After Xander and I talked, he helped me into the bathroom so I could take a shower, immediately leaving the second he turned on the hot water so as not to make me uncomfortable. I could still feel the blush on my cheeks from the kind gesture.

After taking an extremely long shower, I slipped on a loose t-shirt and soft shorts Xander had handed me. As I brought the shirt over my head, slightly wincing in pain, I caught the scent of the shirt. It smelled like him. I rolled my eyes at what the gesture meant. He didn’t give me the shirt to be kind, it was to mark me with his scent so other males in the house knew to stay away from me.

Ringing out my hair with the towel, I opened the bathroom door. My eyes locked with Xander, who was sitting on the bed waiting for me. His eyes lighting up when he sees me standing there, “You done?”

“Yep,” I tell him, before pinching the collar of the t-shirt I was wearing and giving him a look, “Was marking my scent really necessary?” I playfully asked.

He stood up and strode the room in less than three steps before standing in front of me. He placed both hands on my hips as he placed his forehead against mine again.

“Yes, yes it was,” he smiled ear to ear, before glancing down to my side. The same side that had caused pain when I had lifted the shirt over my head, “Are you okay?”

I nodded my head, unsure how to talk to him. It felt so strange to have someone care about my well-being the way he did. For witches, any sign of weakness reflects badly on the entire coven. We were supposed to shove our feelings aside and focus only on what the coven needed. The coven law was to put the coven above all else, even one’s own children. Another law my father was never quite good at following; which is why I admired him even more.

Also, on the list of coven laws that I broke. Still not my worst offense.

Xander’s voice broke me from my thoughts, “Do you want me to bring you breakfast here, or do you want me to carry you downstairs to the kitchen?”

I rolled my eyes at him as I glared at him, “I can walk on my own just fine, thank you,” I tell him as I push past him to get to the door. I only make it two steps before my injured leg nearly gives out below me. I feel the tingles rush up my body again as Xander picks me up and holds me to his chest, a light smile on his face. I give him another glare, “This doesn’t prove anything.”

I felt his chest shake as he lets out a deep laugh, the sound felt like melted chocolate to my ears, “Of course it doesn’t.”

I couldn’t even stay mad at him as I caught his contagious laugh. With me still in his arms, he carried me out of the room and down a long hallway. I couldn’t take in the details before we reached the stairs.

From what I could tell, the house was much larger than my cottage, but not a mansion either. It looked newly built as everything seemed newly bought and hardly lived in, “Whose house is this?” I asked as we made it to the bottom of the stairs.

Xander just continued to give me that amazing smile, “It’s ours.”

He made a right around the stairs and into the kitchen, before placing me on a stool at the counter, “What do you mean it's ours?” I ask him.

“I mean that it's ours,” he tells me before opening the fridge and taking out the eggs. Swiftly grabbing a pan from the cupboard and placing it's on the stove. I watched him move around the kitchen like a professional as he continued to talk, “This house was built when I became Alpha. Every Alpha has a house built for his Luna, a place to call home and to raise a family in. This is our home.”

“But if it's your house, why does it look barely lived in?” I say, avoiding the subject of raising a family for now. That was not a topic I was going to discuss with someone I just met, mate or not.

“Because no one has stepped foot inside since it was built,” he shrugs. I go to ask another question, but he beats me to the punch, “Most alphas aren’t handed the title until they find their Luna. Since my parents were lost, I had to claim the title before finding you. This house wasn’t built for an alpha to live in, it was built for a Luna. It was built for you. I refused to live here unless I was living with my mate.”

He turns back to the food as he lets the words sink in. From what I could tell, the house was had an open concept with space for any type of entertaining. It had high ceilings and maple wood flooring with a kitchen I could only dream of. Finally, looking out the window, I could see how close we were to the woods, to nature. He built the perfect house for me before he ever knew me. A smile crosses my face as that thought crosses my mind.

“I’m happy you like the house,” he smirks.

My smile falls as I glare at him, “I don’t appreciate you reading my thoughts. Especially when I can’t read yours.”

He laughs again at my attempt to be stern, “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I enjoy hearing that I’ve made you happy,” he tells me before placing an omelet in front of me, “I will try not to listen in.”

“Thank you,” I say before starting to eat. I nearly let out a moan as I taste the food, “This is the best omelet I have ever had,” I tell him honestly.

“Well, I’m glad. It’s just about the only thing I can actually make,” he says before eating his own.

We don’t talk as we both sit and eat, content with each other’s presence. When we finally finish, I start to feel anxious, the nervousness starting to build, but I’m not sure why. As I try to find the reason for it, Xander gets up and collects the dishes before placing them in the sink. He doesn’t turn back to me though as his hands grip the counter. I can see his knuckles turning white from his steel grip.

Then it hits me. The nervousness, the anxiety, it isn’t my feelings, it's his. I want to calm him but I’m not sure how.

“Xander,” he turns and faces me again. I can see his emotions running through his eyes, but I can’t tell what the defining one is, “What’s wrong?”

He sucks in a deep breath before saying anything, “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to hurt you or cause you any pain,” he starts, walking around the counter to sit on the stool next to me. I place one of my hands in his, hoping the tingling feeling we get when we touch will be enough to calm his racing emotions. He gives me a soft smile as he gently rubs his thumb over the back of my hand.

“You can ask me anything,” I tell him honestly.

He took another moment before opening his mouth again, “What coven law did you break?”

“Anything but that,” I say, removing my hands from his.

“Aurora-” he started, but I cut him off.

“No Xander. What I did,” I start, before shaking my head, “What I had to do, was one of the darkest things I have ever done.”

“You have to tell me, Aurora,” Xander says, trying to reach for my hands again, but I just pull away. I know I need to tell him what I did, why Iris will never stop until I’m dead. But to say the words out loud to him, to have him know that I’m a killer. He would never look at me the same.

“I’m just not ready. Not yet,” I tell him, hoping to buy just a little more time, before everything changes.