The Elemental Mate

Aurora POV

I clutched onto Xander’s hand tighter as we walked through the door. I could feel every moment of his life brush past me as we went farther back through his mind.

A bright light encased us as we moved into the first memory.

The sun shone high in the sky as I felt a light breeze against my skin. As my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I heard a soft laugh of a woman.

Looking around, I noticed we were standing in front of a beautiful Victorian style home, similar to the one Xander had built for us.

Squeezing onto Xander’s hand, which hadn’t let me go, “Xander, where are we?” I asked him, looking up into his face as he held a seldom look.

“It’s the oldest memory I have,” he tells me, “It was just a normal day. My mom had just brought Ellie home from the pack hospital. They had spent the entire day with us. I was only three, maybe four, at the time.”

I could see a smaller Xander with his mom. The smile on his face was so bright. At such a young age, he didn’t have a care in the world, “You were adorable.”

“Thanks,” he tells me before turning to motion to the building beside us, “This is the house I grew up in.”

“It’s beautiful,” I tell him as I take in the house.

I hear another laugh from the woman before me. She was sitting in the grass, watching the smaller boy run around in front of her. She had soft caramel-colored hair with bright green eyes, matching Xander’s. The smile on her face showed off her small dimples as I took in the aura of strength around her.

“Your mother,” I smiled. Xander nodded his head in confirmation as I saw tears fight to fall from his eyes, “She’s beautiful,” I tell him as we hear the front door of the house open behind us.

Looking back to see who was exiting the house, I saw a spitting image of Xander walk out of the house, carrying a small baby in his arms. He had a large build with messy brown curls on his head.

I could feel the wave of power coming off him. He was the Alpha, which means this was Xander’s father.

“My dad was always a tough person, never showed any emotion and kept everything he felt guarded under a mask, except when he was around his family,” Xander told me, “I never saw him unhappy when he was around us.”

I watched as his father carried the small baby towards them both with a soft smile on his face. He had kept his eyes on his daughter. He was completely wrapped around her little finger.

He kissed his mate as he sat down and handed her the small baby Ellie before he wrapped his mate in his arms. I watched as Xander moved closer to them and watched his little sister, almost enamored by her.

“This is when I truly became an older brother,” Xander said, his voice barely above a whisper, “Even at that age, I knew I would do anything to protect my sister.”

“This is when your protective side first showed,” I told him, seeing this is when his wolf and he gained one of their strongest traits.

I felt the shift as the bright light flooded my vision again. When it cleared, I looked around at the scene before me.

A smaller version of Xander sat at the head of a table in a backyard. The place was full of party decorations and other kids and families. His mom was walking around the table with a large cake in hand.

I smiled at the scene, “Which birthday is this?” I asked Xander.

I could feel happiness wash over him through our bond, “Tenth,” he answered me, “This was the day I and Asher became best friends.”

“At your birthday party?” I question.

“About two weeks before the party, Asher was found near the border of the pack. He had been covered in blood that we later discovered was his mother’s,” he tells me, pain and sorrow filling my emotions for Asher, “He had refused to talk to anyone after he was found. I used to sit with him every day because my mom hoped maybe he would open up to someone his age, but nothing worked. The morning of the party, I found him on the stairs of the packhouse and handed him an invitation and asked if he would come. His nodding was the first reaction he had given to anyone.”

“So, what made you become best friends?” I asked.

“My mom,” he smiled as he motioned to the scene before us, “My parents had sent scouts into no man’s land to where Asher had told them he lived. While there, they found his birth certificate which showed that his birthday was the same as mine,” he tells me as we watch his mine place the cake on the corner of the table, not only in front of Xander but also in front of the kid to his left.

The small boy was skin and bones with long, unmatted blonde hair. I wouldn’t have any clue who he was if he didn’t smile, his goofy smile showing off his dimples. The small boy couldn’t be mistaken as anyone other than Asher.

“My mom had put both our names on the cake,” he says as I watch little Asher grow a huge smile on his face. I smiled at how happy he looked, “After that day, Asher started talking. He opened up and we became extremely close.”

“This is the start of you and Asher’s friendship,” I mumble, before a question comes to mind, “Why aren’t I seeing every memory?” I asked him.

“Every moment of our lives would take a lifetime to relive. You are going to see the moments that mean the most, the ones that shaped who I am,” Xander tells me as I feel the shift start again and moved into the next memory.

I nod my head subconsciously at the information, “So I’m only going to actually see the life-changing moments, like you getting a sister or finding your best friend. But doesn’t that mean-” I stop myself, not knowing how to say the words.

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” Xander says quietly, “I dealt with the pain a long time ago.”

When he says that, the bright light surrounds us again, shifting into a new memory.

“Where are we now?” I ask, seeing only trees around us as the light cleared from my vision.

“The north border of the pack territory,” Xander replies.

“Why are we here?”

Before he had a chance to reply, a loud siren blared through the trees. Nearly thirty or forty wolves rushed through the trees on both sides. It was a war zone as the wolves clawed into each other, pieces wolves being thrown everywhere.

As I watched all these wolves die, I felt a crushing feeling in my chest, “This is horrible.”

Xander clutched my hand tighter as I felt a small tear roll down my face, “Where are you?” I asked him.

“There,” he pointed to our right.

I could see a greyish black wolf weaving through the chaos. He knocked down a wolf as he jumped onto another’s back. I nearly screamed out as I saw another wolf charging behind him.

“You can’t change anything, Aurora,” Xander pulls me back when I take a step towards his past self, “We aren’t actually here.”

I watch with wide eyes as the wolf leaps towards him. Right as it’s about to jump onto his back, a small brown wolf knocks it out of midair.

The smaller wolf land harshly on its back leg as I heard the crack of it breaking. Getting up on shaky legs, it leaped towards the wolf again, snapping at its neck.

I could see Xander rush for them, but the wolf captured the small brown wolf’s neck in its jaw and bit down. Xander jumped onto the back of the wolf, clawing into his side.

The wolf released a whimper before Xander placed his claws into his neck and killed him.

He moved over to the brown wolf as it whimpered. Xander pushed his snout into her neck as he let out a soft whine. The brown wolf lets out one last whimper before its eyes close.

I hear a long, painful howl fill the trees as my eyes connect with Xander’s, “Your mother.”

I watched tears roll down his face as he tries not to look at his mother, “She saved my life and it cost her hers,” he tells me.

I shake my head as he continues to cry silent tears, “She sacrificed her life so her child would live. She did what every mother would do.”

He nodded his head, “I know, but it doesn’t change how hard it is to live with the fact that I got her killed, and because of it, my father’s death is also because of me.”

My eyebrows draw together in confusion, “Your father?”

“He felt the bond break with her death. He was weakened by it and vulnerable. He was killed only a few minutes after she was.”

“Xander, I’m so sorry.”

There were no words that I could say to fix what had happened. I could only try to take away the pain.

“I’ve dedicated my life to being the alpha my father wanted to be, to be the amazing leader he was,” he tells me.

I move closer to him, trying to comfort him from his pain as I feel the tug again.

A flash of light surrounded us as we moved into a new memory.

Refocusing my eyes, I clutched Xander’s hand tighter as the realization of what the memory was connected with me.

The heavy downpour heated onto the hard cement as we stood on the side of a highway. Lightning shattered into the ground a few feet away from us as an SUV slammed on its brakes.

The light from the car broke reflected through the raindrop, shining onto someone lying beside the road.

“This is the night you met me,” I say as I turned my focus to Xander.

He nods his head as we watch a Xander and Asher get out of the car. Xander seems almost frozen as he lifts his nose to smell the air. I see his eyes go wide before he moves closer to my unmoving form.

“The moment I smelt your scent, I knew you were my mate,” Xander spoke into my ear, “But I could also smell your blood. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so terrified in my life. I didn’t think I would find you and when I did, you were dying.”

I clutched onto his hand even tighter as I moved closer to him, “But you saved me.”

“I almost couldn’t,” he mumbled out before he leaned closer to me, “And I promise you will never be hurt again. From now on, I will always be there to protect you.”

The second his eyes connect with mine; I feel a surge forward. I feel myself leave his mind as he softly closed the door behind me.

As I feel myself reconnect with my surroundings, I open my eyes to look into the emerald green staring back at me.