The Elemental Mate

Aurora POV

I felt numb. I could feel my surroundings moving and shifting, but my brain wouldn’t register it. I felt the sparks from Xander’s touch move around me, but I couldn’t react.

I watched as my mother was lowered from the tree and placed gently on the ground. Xander moved away from me for a moment to say something to one of the wolves near us, but I couldn’t make out the words.

I felt my heart shattering with every moment I tried to accept the fact that my mother was dead.

One of the warriors moved closer to her body, and I snapped, “Don’t!”

I move from the ground, quickly scrambling up before placing myself between everyone and my mother.

“Aurora,” Xander said softly, “We need to move her body.”

“No!”

He reaches out to touch me, but I shrink back away from him. Hurt crosses over his face at my blatant rejection, but I couldn’t allow myself to feel that.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I let the feeling of being numb wash through me as I focused on only feeling it. I shut out every piece of grief I had and chose to stay numb.

It was the only way I could survive what had to be done.

“Aurora,” Xander tried again, taking a step forward. I know he was afraid of what was happening. He could feel me shut out my emotions, but I couldn’t deal with that now.

He took another step, and I took a large one back, “No, Xander. Please don’t.”

His eyes held such pain at not being able to comfort me, his mate.

“I need Amara,” I tell him before moving to the other side of my mother’s body, “Just bring me Amara.”

“Aurora,” he tries again, but I’m not going to budge. I know what I need right now.

“Bring me Amara!” I demand before kneeling next to my mother’s head.

I hear Xander give a few orders to one of the warriors, but I don’t pay attention. I just sit and stare at the woman who was once my mother.

I can see the moments we shared flutter through my mind.

When she taught me to ride a bike. When she would cook breakfast every Saturday morning. When she would kneel in front of me when I fell and kiss my knee better.

Every moment she had smiled. Every moment she was laughing. Every moment we had shared.

It was all I would have left of her now.

I don’t know how long I sat there without moving. I’m not sure if the same girl will be the one who gets back up. I’m more broken now than I ever was.

“Aurora,” I hear Amara say quietly as she moves closer to me. I lift my eyes to meet hers. Deep regret and sadness can be seen in her eyes.

“She needs to be put to rest. We can’t move her,” I tell her, “She needs to find peace.”

“I know,” Amara says quietly, kneeling across from me, “I brought everything that we need.”

“She needs to be free,” my voice cracks on the last word.

“I know,” she gives me a sad smile, “She will be. We will make sure she is. Okay?”

I nod my head repeatedly, “Okay. Okay.”

“Aurora, just breathe,” I nod my head to tell her I know before she gets up to grab the dark blue cloth that she had brought with her.

Gently brushing a piece of stray hair away from my mother’s eyes one last time, I stand up and move around her. Grabbing one end of the cloth, we move apart and gently placed the cloth onto the ground.

I moved to stand by my mother’s head as Amara moved feet. Lifting both our hands, she floated above the ground as we moved her to be gently placed in the center of the cloth.

“Sit tibi pacem invenies,” we speak in unison as we gentle wrap the dark blue around her body.

When her body is covered, Amara grabs the bowl of petals from a cyclamen flower. We both grab a handful of the flower as we scatter them around her body, “Utinam inveniat libertatem te.”

Amara circled around my mother as she came to stand by my side. She grabbed my hand in a tight grip and she comforted me the only way she could, “Epulari autem iterum conveniant.”

I felt one of my tears break the barrier as it slid down my cheek. We watched as the dark blue cloth hardened and solidified before it began to crack.

“Epulari autem iterum conveniant,” Amara spoke softly as the cracks became wider before it began to flake. A breeze of wind filled the trees as my mother’s body slowly turned to dust, blowing away with the wind.

My mother's soul was set free.

“Merry meet again.”

*****

Translation of the Latin: May you find peace. May you find freedom. Merry meet again.

Merry meet again.