The Elemental Mate

Aurora POV

Standing outside Amara's room, I watched through the window as the doctor checked over her vitals. Asher sat in the chair next to her bed, both of his hands desperately clutching onto hers as if it was his lifeline.

His expression held such helplessness as he kept his focus on Amara's face.

"How is she?" Xander asks as he moves up behind me to hold onto my waist.

"She's still unconscious," I tell him, keeping my voice low, "I healed her as much as I could. She will have some scarring on her arms, but she should be fine," my voice solemn.

"She's going to be alright?"

"If she wakes up," my voice drops off.

Xander moves around my side to look at me before he asks, "If?"

"She hit her head when she hit the ground," I tell him.

"Can you do anything?" he asks me, hoping my magic might solve the problem.

"Magic can only do so much. It's not a miracle," I say, "Is she Asher's mate?"

"She is, and she will wake up. Magic or not," Xander says, the promise strong in his voice, "I don't think Asher could survive if she doesn't. I know I wouldn't."

"Xander," my voice cracks a bit as I look towards him. His eyes already on me.

It was a few moments before he broke my gaze and pulled me into his chest. I clutched my fingers onto his shirt as he ran his hand through my hair.

The door to our right opened as the doctor stepped out Amara's room, "Alpha, Luna."

Pulling apart, we gave him our complete attention. I needed him to tell me she was going to be alright. She was my best friend. Hell, she was more than that. She was my sister.

"She's awake."

"What?" I nearly screamed as I turned my focus back to the window.

Asher was leaning over Amara's bed with a huge smile as Amara raised her hand to lay against his cheek. I couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but I could see the small smile Amara held get wider as Asher leaned forward to kiss the top of her head.

"She's really going to be alright," I whisper, not wanting to break the silence.

I heard the doctor talk to Xander and then leave, but I could focus on nothing but seeing Amara awake through the glass.

"We can go in," Xander tells me.

"Xander," I pull on his arm, stopping him from moving any further away, "I love you."

I feel him take a deep breath before I pull away to gauge his reaction. He's watching me carefully as if he's trying to determine if he heard me correctly, "I know it may be early or you might not feel the same, but I needed you to know. In case I don't get to tell you-"

He didn't let me continue as he pulled me closer to him before placing his lips on mine.

It wasn't a slow or gentle kiss. It was an explosion of emotions. The sparks radiated through my body at lightning speed. That one kiss and I didn't need to use the matebond to know what he was feeling. He didn't need words to tell me.

He showed me exactly how he felt.

He loved me too.

Pulling away, he gave me his contagious smile before leaning forward to kiss me again.

"I have been in love with you since you trusted me enough to tell me who you are," he tells me honestly, "And nothing is going to happen. Iris has no foot to stand on now. Without the witches backing her, she'll have to let it go."

I scoffed at that, "Would you?"

"What?"

"If someone killed me, self-defense or not, would you let it go?" I asked him, already knowing the answer, "I know I wouldn't."

Kissing me once on the forehead, he pulls me closer to him again. I lay my head against his chest and listen to his heart's steady beat. He ran his hand through my hair in a calming motion.

"Let's go in and see your friend. I am dying to meet someone who can spill all your secrets to me," he laughed as he separated us, but only a foot. His arms still tightly wrapped around my body.

"Good luck with that Alpha," I laughed, "She's not going to tell you anything."

*****

The boys laughed as Amara finished telling them about my disastrous first date when I literally set a table on fire.

Shaking my head at the horrid memory, I turned to Amara, "You know, I swore that you were a steel trap when it came to my secrets. Good to know I was completely wrong."

Sitting up a little bit more, she continues to laugh, "That wasn't a secret. It was just an example of the disaster that is you," she smiles, "Xander deserves to know what he's getting into."

I rolled my eyes before smiling back, "So should I tell them how your first date went?"

"Yes," the boys said at once.

Her smile dropped immediately at that, "Don't you dare."

"Fine," I held up my hands in a mock surrender gesture, "But no more stories about me."

"Not even the river one?"

"Want to talk about Cancun?"

"Belgium?"

"Alexander?"

"Fine! No more stories."

"Deal," I say.

"Deal."

"What about Belgium?" Xander asks at the same time Asher had moved closer to Amara.

"Who's Alexander?" I could tell by the low look in his eyes that his wolf was jealous.

"Sorry boys. Storytime is over," Amara laughed.

"But-" Asher started, but Amara brought her fingers to her lips as she made the childish locking motion.

Asher rolled his eyes since she refused to hell him any more. She gave him a small smile before she weaved their hands together. Asher immediately pulled out of his pout as he raised their conjoined hands and placed a kiss on the back of her hands.

Knowing fun time was over, I started asking Amara about what we needed to know about Iris.

"How was the coven after I left?"

"Honestly, Iris put everyone on edge. She made everyone believe that you would try to kill again if you were allowed to live."

I scoffed at that but decided to let it go, "What about my mother?"

"No one has seen her since your hearing. All of her children are gone. She's not coping well."

I nodded my head in understanding. "I wish I could talk to her."

"She knows why you can't. Hopefully, with your freedom, she will reach out."

"Maybe," my voice gets low as I think about the pain she has endured in the last year. Her youngest child was murdered, her daughter was found guilty of murder and went on the run, and her son has disappeared.

We will find a way to talk to her, Xander tells me through the bond, knowing I don't want to talk with words.

She may not want to hear what I have to say. She believed everything Iris had said about me.

Then we will go to her, Xander says.

You'll go into witch territory?

If it means I get to meet your mother, most definitely.

Rolling my eyes at that, I focus back on Iris, "Do you think Iris will try again?"

"If she does, it won't be with the witches," Amara says, "Irene freed you. No witch will go against the council."

"Iris was confident enough to attack both of us by herself. She's not going to just let this go," I tell her.

"When you escaped into wolf territory, my mother mentioned something about Iris wanting to use the wolves to find you."

"She tried that," Xander spoke up, "She threatened all the Alphas not to protect Aurora."

"This was different. The way my mother was told was that Iris was going to make a deal with the wolves, but not a pack."

"Rogues," Xander growled out.

"But rogues are independent. They don't tend to work together unless they have to," Asher says.

"Give someone a good enough incentive and they'll do anything," I say, "Rogues have no land, right? They have no place to call home."

"At the meeting, Iris said she would wipe out the pack that was hiding you," Xander told us, "She offered the rogues the pack land."

"And rogues are desperate enough to make the deal."