Page 25

Aurora

The abandoned estate on the outskirts of Silver Pack territory was our best lead. The air is thick with tension the moment we arrive, an eerie silence settling over the perimeter. Not even the birds are chirping, and you can hear a pin drop. They know we're coming. Our warriors position themselves in the shadows, waiting for the command.I stand at the front, every instinct on high alert. My wolf, though silent, pulses beneath my skin, craving blood and vengeance. This is the angriest I've ever seen her. Every protective instinct is out, and she can't wait to tear Damon apart.Selene walks up to the entrance, standing beside me, sharp eyes scanning the perimeter. "He's in there," she murmurs.

My breath gets caught in my throat, and I feel a hand softly squeezing mine. I don't need to turn to know who it is. His presence has always had a way of reassuring me."Stay close to me," he says. I have a good mind to tell him I can hold my own, but the look in his eyes lets me know he doesn't mean it in an authoritative manner. Just like me, he's worried, and despite how hard he's trying to hide it, the situation is a delicate one.

I nod, my eyes blazing with determination. Liam signals that the warriors are ready, and Selene does a quick check with her warriors.

Everyone is ready. Silver Pack has hurt a lot of people and taken loved ones from a lot of people. It's finally time to make them pay for all of it.

Selene signals she's ready, and Lucien locks eyes with me, his brow raised in a questioning manner. I suck in a deep breath before sending a quick prayer to the Goddess.

I am half-blood and have no prior training in combat. The only thing I have fueling me is maternal instinct and rage from being toyed with and betrayed.

Behind these walls are warriors trained to kill. I am no match for their strength. As though he could read my mind, Lucien's hands squeeze around mine again. "I'm here, Rora, and I'll die before anything happens to you."I believe him. Our history might not give room for a lot of trust, but I know with every fiber in me that he'll protect me. My wolf knows it, too, because a certain glow of confidence shimmers through her, straightening my spine.A sharp movement flashes through the window. I give Lucien a quick nod, and he gives the signal.

Chaos erupted the moment we breached the estate. Wolves clash, metal meets flesh, and growls and shouts echo through the halls. I move through them like a storm, cutting down any enemy in my path.There are torn limbs and body parts flying around me, but they fuse into a blur. My sole focus is on finding Ronan.

A grey wolf charges at me, forcing me to pull out the dagger Lucien forced into my palm on our way here.She's not a very big wolf, and I'm confident I can easily take her on, but I'm trying to maintain my human form. That's the only way Ronan will recognize me.

The wolf snarls at me, teeth bared and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes are dark and malicious, and something tells me she's been waiting for this moment.I position myself to attack the moment she lunges, but she's cut mid-air by a white wolf biting into her neck with so much force the cracking sound of her spine fills the air.

Selene. She gives me a little nod, not releasing the whimpering wolf beneath her. I send her a nod of gratitude before making my way further into the estate.Then, I hear it.

A child's cry.

My head snaps toward the sound, and my vision narrows. Every part of me pauses, narrowing my concentration till the battle cries drown and I can single out exactly where the cry is coming from.

I run, my feet hitting the ground in hard, fast strikes till I enter the building.Damon is standing in the center of the room with Ronan in his grasp. A blade is pressed against his tiny throat. My son's wide, terrified eyes lock onto mine.

"Mom!" Ronan cries, kicking against Damon's grasp.

My heart shatters.

"Let. Him. Go." Lucien's voice fills the room, hard and authoritative. I didn't notice him following me.

Damon's eyes shift to the spot beside me, his lips curling into a malicious smirk. "If it isn't the man of the moment."

Lucien let out a growl, taking a step forward. "I said, let him go."

Damon responds by pressing the blade tighter, my breath hitching with the contact. "One step closer, and he dies.""Damon, please. He's just a boy." My voice is weaker than I intended, but I don't care. Seeing that knife so close to my baby's neck has stripped me of every rage. One wrong move from either him or Damon will make a clean cut.

Something flickered in his expression—hesitation. Just enough, but it disappears as fast as it came.

"Call off your wolves, or the boy dies.""Damon—""Aurora, stay out of this." His voice is sharp and courteous, meeting me like a slap in the face, but I don't relent. If I have to beg to get my son out of here alive, then so be it. I'll definitely get back at Damon, but I need to get Ronan away from him first.

The battle around us intensifies, but it doesn't take much to tell who is winning. The screams, the growls, and the snapping of bones are a testament to lives given for the sake of what each wolf believes in.

A warrior walks into the room, whispering something in Damon's ears, and the cold, murderous look he had earlier returns to his face.

"Call it off.""You can't win this." Liam steps in, Selene hot on his trail. "More than half of your warriors are dead, and what is left of them won't take much to finish off. Let the boy go."

Damon let out a dry laugh. "You don't get it, do you? I can always raise a new set of warriors, but him," his eyes move to Ronan, "you will never replace the loss."He straightens, locking his eyes on Lucien this time. "I would advise you to choose wisely this time. I hear you have a history of making the wrong decisions."

Lucien's eyes narrow, and his hands roll into a fist, clenching hard. The veins in his body are pronounced, and his jaw is taut from how hard he's grinding his teeth.

"He's bluffing," Selene says, studying Damon.

Damon smirked, tightening his grip on Ronan. "Are you willing to bet his life on that?"

My stomach twists. I take a step forward before I even realize what I am doing. "Damon," I say, my voice steady despite the terror gripping me. "Please."

Damon let out a slow, exaggerated sigh. "I had plans for us, you know. I didn't expect to like you, but you turned out to be quite fascinating."

I feel my stomach churn in disgust. "I was never yours."

His expression hardens, something sinister flashing in his gaze. "No. But you were useful. Using you to lure him out of his pack while we struck and sticking around you to get some intel. You contributed to my success, darling."A disgusting smirk stretches his face, and I find the urge to hurl a projectile of vomit at him. That is why Lucien was late to save me. It would also explain Damon turning up without a call, but I was too angry at Lucien to pay attention to all of it. The strategic appearance at my house shortly after I came back from Blackwood. All of it to access the situation of things. In all of these, one thing stood out to me. Lucien. He came to me straight from a battle with an injured leg.Understanding dawns like a sickening weight in my chest. "You used me." I always had suspicions, but hearing it from him was different.

A flicker of something—regret, maybe—passes over his face, "Not entirely."

I seize the moment, taking another step forward. "So, what was the exception? Was there anything that would've changed your mind?" I don't know what my end game is, but I can tell the conversation has distracted Damon a little. His grip on Ronan loosens.

"You should've been mine. Together, we would've easily taken him, but you chose him over me," Damon spat, looking at Lucien with disgust.

"Look at him. He's so weak and pathetic he can't even access his wolf or keep you safe."

"I would rather die than ever be yours." The words leave my mouth before I can stop, and I instantly realize the gravity of the mistake I've made.

Damon's face twists in fury. "Then you can watch as your son dies."

Everything happens in a blink. Damon's arm moves, and a sharp glint of his knife flashes under the golden ray of the evening sun, its tip pressing against Ronan's throat.Ronan whimpers, his tiny body trembling, and a scream builds in my chest. My wolf tears through my flesh and releases herself in a flash.

A few wolves I never noticed hiding in the background rush into the space, heading straight for Selene, Lucien, and Liam.

Lucien moves first, but his movement is slowed by the lack of his wolf and the slight limp in his leg, which gives Damon a chance to switch the blade to his other hand and slice through Lucien.

The wound bleeds out, staining his shirt and making tiny droplets on the floor, but Lucien doesn't stop. He can't. His hands find Damon's throat, gripping and squeezing tightly, eyes wild with fury.

I shift back to my human form, my legs moving before I give the signal. I seize the opportunity to pull Ronan from Damon's weakening grasp.

His little arms wrap around me instantly. His sobs are muffled against my chest. Relief is so sharp that it is painful tears through me.Damon thrashes beneath Lucien, gasping, but Lucien doesn't falter. Even wounded, he still maintains his grip.

Selene's voice slices through the chaos. "Aurora!"

And that's when I see it. The amount of blood that has pooled on the ground and the slight tremble in Lucien's shoulders. He is doing his best to hold on, but he's growing weaker, and Damon is slowly gaining on him.In a fraction of a second, Damon flips them over, trapping Lucien beneath his body and digging his fingers into the cut. Lucien's cry of anguish bounces off the walls and shoots straight into my chest. I look around me. Everyone is busy. Liam is struggling with a wolf on top, and Selene has a she-wolf throwing claws at her.I'm frozen in place. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I've never been in combat before. Lucien screams again. This time, his voice is muffled by Damon's psychotic laughter."Is this your alpha? This is who you've chosen to protect your pack? Look at him." Damon grabs Lucien by the jaw, forcing his face to me. "Is this the mate you've chosen for yourself?"

Emotions tighten my throat at the sight in front of me. I pull Ronan into me, shielding his eyes with my palms. He doesn't deserve to see his father humiliated like this. "Get away from him!"

"Or what, Aurora? Look around you. Everyone is busy. No one is coming to save you." He directs his next words at Lucien. "I'm going to drain you first. Then, I'll marry you're cute little mate over there and pump her full with my kids."

Lucien's eyes lit with rage. He tries to land a blow on Damon, but his reflexes are slow, and his swing is weak. Damon catches his arm, twisting it to an abnormal degree before driving a claw into his side and discarding him to the side like a ragged doll."Lucien!" I scream, rushing to his side with Ronan beside me while Damon laughs. "Pathetic.""Hey, hey." I tap Lucien's cheeks, forcing his eyes open.He tries to keep them open, but he's too weak. The blood from his first injury and the new one mingle to form a little pool next to me.He holds out an arm to me, groaning at the pain from the effort. I waste no time in slipping my fingers into his. "Stay with me, please. Please, Lucien, stay with me." I turn to Ronan, who is clutching me with tear-filled eyes. "Stay with us."My voice is shaky, and I can feel the tears stinging behind my eyes. Lucien tries to talk, but he can only manage a cough. The light in his eyes slowly starts to dim."To kill both father and son. How glad that makes me," Damon mocks behind me, sending a cold shiver down my spine. It was him. He killed Lucien's father.

Lucien's hand tightens around me, and I can see how hard he's struggling with the situation.Selene's voice cuts through the heavy fog of emotions in my head.

"Aurora. The bond!"

Damon snickers. "No bond can raise a dead man."Selene lets out a battle cry, tearing through the wolf in front of her to lunge at Damon, but is tackled by another wolf from seemingly nowhere. This whole building is brimming with them, and they keep dropping out in numbers. This was a trap.Fears cripples me, freezing me to the spot. The bond between us has been broken for so long, buried beneath hurt and betrayal. I have no idea how I am supposed to bring it back. I didn't do anything to break it in the first place.Panic spreads through every inch of me. Selene is fighting against a wolf that has her backed into a corner, and Liam is still trying to fend off two wolves in front of him. My grip tightens around Ronan, who is trembling with fear, pulling him closer to me. There's no one to help. I'm the only thing standing between Lucien and death. I have no clue what I'm supposed to do.

Selene's voice rings out, urgent and heavy, as she drives a knife into the wolf on top of her and pushes him off. "Do it now!"

"Lucien!" My voice breaks, trembling with desperation, but he doesn't respond. His eyes flicker open for a moment, glazed with pain, his lips struggling to form words. "Stay with me, Lucien! Please, you can't leave me!"

He manages a whisper, his voice as weak as the flickering spark in his eyes." Aurora...I..." The words fail, his strength dissipating like smoke in the wind.

I press my forehead against his, my tears mingling with the blood on his skin. The bond between us hums faintly, a ghost of what it once was, and I feel my wolf clawing inside me, begging me to act. It takes me a moment to understand what she needs me to do. I quickly hand Ronan over to Selene and take in a shaky breath.

My hands press against his chest, over his heart, and I close my eyes, reaching deep within myself to find the remnants of our connection. The magic stirs, hesitant and wary, but I pour every ounce of my love, my pain, and my hope into it.

A surge of warmth spreads from my fingertips, wrapping around me before stretching out. I can't see the gust of energy, but I feel where it's headed. I channel every bit of strength into pushing at the energy around me till I feel it make a connection with something wild yet tender, strong, and bold. It's an energy so strong I feel my knees quiver beneath its dominating presence, causing my wolf to stir and know I've found him.In one quick moment, the bond snaps into place with the force of a tidal wave.

Lucien let out a guttural growl, shaking the walls of the old building and raising the air around us. The following moment is both magnificent and intense as his body shifts, bones realigning, fur sprouting all in a matter of seconds.The massive black wolf that has been missing for years stands before us, eyes glowing, teeth bared.

Damon barely has time to grasp the scene unfolding in front of him before Lucien strikes.

His teeth sink into his throat, tearing out his trachea and entire respiratory tract in one movement. The kill is swift and effortless.

Silence descends in the room, and only then do we feel the silence outside and the few warriors gathered outside the building. The battle is won.

Lucien stands over Damon's corpse, his massive chest rising and falling with ragged breaths before he discards the body with a kick.He turns, his wolf's gaze locking onto me. And then, in a slow, deliberate movement, he shifts back. He is still bleeding, but not as much. He's obviously exhausted from the amount of blood he has lost, but he reaches for Ronan and me, his arms wrapping around us, holding us as if he'd never let go again.I don't fight it.

Selene exhales, surveying the battlefield. "It's over."

We don't get the chance to revel in our victory when a convoy of cars arrives, raising dust at the old estate. With my support, Lucien rises to his feet, and we step out of the building to confront the intruder.

The cars arrange themselves in front of the building, and the dust relaxes to reveal the royal crest stamped onto each car. My breath hitches. It's Queen Alice.

As if summoned by my thoughts, the car in the middle opens to reveal her in all her glory. She takes in the scene in front of her. Her nose scrunches up at the pungent smell of blood clinging to the air. This might as well be a glorified burial ground. We all bow to greet her the moment she walks up to us.

"I was hoping to get this to you in time before a bloodbath, but clearly, you already took the law into your own hands." She holds out a scroll to Lucien, her eyes bouncing from one body to another. "This is the new law. It states that every alpha should maintain their boundaries. There'll be no more unnecessary wars, and Blackwood retains the right over the company and all that has to do with the economy, finance, and politics in this region.

Lucien steps forward, prostrating as far as his injury could let him before taking the scroll. "He took my son. I was not going to sit around and do nothing."

Queen Alice nods in understanding, her eyes finally settling on mine before breaking slightly to look at Ronan. "I understand."

We all hold our breath as Lucien peruses the content of the scroll, each of us hoping the verdict is in our favor.He closes it and gives the queen a nod, and she turns her focus to the Silver Pack warriors who surrendered.

Alice steps forward, her presence commanding. "Your leader is dead, and your Alpha Kaden is to be sanctioned. A new leader must rise."

Silence. Then, finally, a warrior who looked much younger than Damon but seems to possess strength with the way he carries himself steps forward. He kneels. "I will lead."

Alice studies him, then nods. "Do any of you have objections to his leadership?"Low murmurs spread through the warriors, but no one raises an objection.

"Then you will answer to the new laws of this land. There will be no more of this bloodshed. Take this message back to your alpha and instruct him he is expected to report to the royal court first thing tomorrow morning. Actions have consequences."

With a soft smile in my direction, the queen returns to her car and exits the estate in a cloud of dust and goodwill. I instantly feel a weight lifted from my shoulders, and I let myself collapse into Lucien's waiting arms.