The Elemental Mate

Aurora POV

I walked through the packhouse quickly, checking every room for the person I was looking for.

When I left our house, Xander had followed close behind me. I know he is worried about me and I can feel how terrified he is that I am going to leave him, but I can't reassure him.

I can't promise that I'm going to be perfectly fine. I can't promise anything to him.

I knew he could read my mind and I refused to hold back. I dropped the wall from my mind and let him in. I let him see everything I was thinking, everything I was feeling.

The moment I did, he stopped in his tracks, letting me walk away.

He saw my pain. He saw my anger. He saw everything I was holding back before and I think it terrified him.

I walk into the pack kitchen to find Ivy with Hayden and a few other of the warriors. Based on their track shorts and sweaty bodies, they must have just got back from patrol.

"Ivy," I call out to her, drawing her attention away from her mate and towards me.

"Luna," she nods her head respectfully. Usually, she would call me by my first name, but I had a feeling she could sense the anger rolling off me in waves.

Nodding my head to the side, she followed me out of the room and out of the house. We walked in silence as we entered the trees and made our way to the field we've used for training over the last couple of weeks.

"Luna, I don't understand. What's going on?" she asked me, concern over what she could feel radiating off me.

I stopped in the middle of the field, standing under the sun. Taking a deep breath in, I reigned in my anger as far as I could before I turned around to face her.

"I plan to kill Iris," I tell her, my voice devoid of any emotion other than anger, "And you're going to help me do it."

*****

“Again," I tell her, pushing her harder than before. Standing firm, Ivy pushed again, trying to break the wall I made.

Hitting the solid push back, Ivy stumbled a step backward, breaking her concentration.

"Again."

Rolling her shoulders to loosen up, she took a step forward and pushed harder.

"Again."

She pushed harder.

"Again."

She stumbled.

"Again."

She pushed more.

"Again."

"Enough!" she screamed as she collapsed onto the ground, "Enough. We have to stop."

"We can't," I tell her, though I know she understands what's at stake, "Iris is coming and you have to be ready."

"Why are you so sure that I have to be the one to do this?" Ivy ask.

"You're someone Iris won't expect. She won't know how to fight you. She's never been good at keeping her emotions in check. Hell, why do you think she's coming after me to begin with?" I nearly scream, my voice echoing off the trees, "She's can't control her pain the same way I can't," my voice cracks.

"Luna," she squeaks softly, afraid I'll completely snap.

"I'm too close. I'm too emotional. You can stay objective and in control. You can stop her."

"But what if I can't?" she asks, her voice wavering. She doesn't trust herself that she can do this. She doesn't realize how strong she is.

"You need to trust that you can do this. You need to know that you are stronger than you believe," I tell her, hoping she will trust in my belief of her, "Let's go again."

"I can't," she sighs, "I can't anymore. Not today."

"Fine," I sigh too, "but we pick again tomorrow."

"Alright," she nods, "But I need you to promise me something."

I listen closely to the tone she uses. She is trying to stay serious in the face of what's coming, but I can tell she's terrified.

"I need you to promise me that you will also prepare yourself," she holds up her hand to silence me from saying anything, "I will try. I will train and I will prepare to help you fight Iris, but if I'm not ready in time, I need you to be. You have to be able to beat her."

I stare back at her in silence. I know she wants me to promise that I will be able to stay objective, stay in control. But I'm not sure if I will be.

Iris trained me growing up. Almost everything I know about magic was taught to me by her. She was my teacher which means she knows me and my magic better than any other person in this world.

I don't know how I'm supposed to beat someone who knows exactly which moves I will make before I even do.

"She will be," Xander's voice enters the clearing. My eyes immediately are drawn to his as he watches me closely, "I'll make sure she can beat her."

Ivy nods at his answer, but Xander never takes his eyes off of mine.

I could see the promises swimming behind his eyes, "Iris will die."