33. Aurelia

Chapter 33

Aurelia

W eston sat in his little garden, the doors opened behind him and the emberflies drifting in the night sky. He didn't look up when I came out, staring at nothing.

I pulled a chair around and positioned it right in front of him so that he had no choice but to look at me. When he did, his eyes were shuttered, his demeanor closed down.

"You need to make a choice," I told him, leaning back, suddenly exhausted.

Quietly, coolly, he said, "It isn't me who got the offers."

Emotion flared within me. "Like I said, you need to make a choice. Are you on my side, or are you on the royals' side? Because if you are on my side, it is you who got the offers. We both did, because we are mates. To me, being mates means we are a family, and I don't make decisions that will affect my family without consulting the other members of my family. If you are on the side of the royals, though, the way you have been up until and including this moment, then I need to decide if I can tolerate being left out and having information withheld from me by someone I love for the rest of my life."

I knew I was coming on a little strong, but I needed to make a point—one he couldn't avoid.

He didn't speak, watching me silently.

"You didn't claim me because you didn't want to send me away with your permanent mark, right?" I asked, my heart suddenly very heavy. "You didn't want to make it harder for me to find someone else."

It was hard to even say that last bit.

Through the bond I felt the pain pierce him, evidence he felt as hurt by that thought as I did. "I didn't claim you because I didn't want to trap you. I didn't want you to think you'd have to stay here with me. Or stay with me, period. You made it clear that you needed space to decide what you wanted for your future. If or when I claim you, it will be as an alpha claims his mate: in front of the pack, publicly, a statement. It will unify us all, you and me and them. You didn't seem ready for that before, and now you have other offers to consider. I won't join us all only to rip you or us away from each other, from them. It's not fair to anyone. In this, my wolf agrees. I don't have all the answers, Aurelia, but I'm trying to navigate this complicated situation as best I can."

I sagged against the chair. "It's complicated because you are trying to navigate both our lives without any input from me. Talk to me, Weston. Include me. Stop locking me out."

"This was the last time," he said sincerely. "The very last time, I promise. I didn't want to mention the message I intercepted from Calia because there was a chance her king would've changed their offer. Or denied it, even. I didn't mention Nyfain's intended offer because I didn't want to add my weight to it. I just..." He ran his hand down his face and took a deep breath. "Aurelia, I want you to be happy, baby. You fought so hard to survive, and then I ripped you from your home, your life. I want to make that right, to make sure you never suffer again. I'll do whatever you think will make you happiest. I'll go wherever you want to go. I'm with you, always."

My eyes were glassy as I resisted the urge to go sit in his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. There were still decisions to be made.

"So you agree, we're in this together?" I wiped the tears I couldn't stop from my eyes.

"Yes."

"Okay then." I nodded and crossed my legs, ready to get down to the nitty-gritty.

"You look really pretty, by the way."

I lit up inside and my heart melted, feeling the truth of his words through the bond. I soaked in his handsome face.

"Thank you," I murmured, suddenly bashful and feeling so in love with this man. "No one has ever told me I was pretty before. Well, except my mom. But she doesn't count. I never had clothes to dress up in in Granny's village?—"

"This isn't you dressing up, this is you making do. We'll get you a fancy dress and sparkly jewelry and everything you could ever want to feel beautiful."

Resisting the urge to sit in his lap suddenly became a lot harder.

"Right, time to discuss those offers. Let's go in order." I cleared my throat. "What would be the situation with my biological father..."

"Without me, you'd be admitted to that court because of your power and your bloodline, but the fact you have fairy magic would dilute your bloodline in their eyes. Plus, you'd be a half-sister to siblings who don't know you exist and a horrible reveal to a mate who wouldn't want to see constant proof that her mate was unfaithful. Bottom line, you wouldn't be well liked or received, and would very likely be miserable." He paused. "Assuming you allowed me to go..." He smiled at me. It didn't reach his eyes. "I'd be admitted to that court and handed the beta job in a split second. I'd be offered a lot of gold. More than here. I don't know if they'd allow you to be a beta pair with me, given your tainted blood?—"

"Just stop." I lifted my hand. "Stop, please. It was never even a consideration, but now it just sounds.. . awful."

"Your biological father and the current beta would try to sabotage me, as well. I'd be stealing their positions?—"

"Stop, seriously. Just stop. It's a no."

This time his smile made his eyes glitter. "Good. I really didn't want you to think that was the most appealing offer."

"And you thought that was a possibility how ?"

"Family. Blood relations."

" You are my family. Moving on." I inhaled deeply as his soft eyes drank me in with that comment. "Have you been to the fairy kingdom? The Narva kingdom, I mean."

"Yes. It's beautiful. It is stunning, truly. The castle is gorgeous, the grounds are amazing, and, despite her best efforts, Finley is failing to compete with their gardens. It's really annoying her."

"They said my drug making—because I'm not really a plant worker, more like a plant burner—could be a wonderful hobby."

"They want you solely focused on your magic, then?"

"Yes. But to receive training, I'd need to accept their offer."

He didn't react to that. He must've expected it.

"What are the people like?" I asked.

"I don't know many of them personally. I was in the demon dungeons with Calia and her sister. She is lovely. Her position as a foreign dignitary, which basically means a spy, doesn't allow her to be genuine with us about some things, but she makes it clear when she is acting in her professional role. The others I met seem..."

"Spit it out."

"Arrogant."

I scoffed. "Dragons are arrogant."

He laughed. "Yes, they are. Fairies are also snobbish. Status is a huge thing in their kingdom. If you have it, you are afforded a certain level of reverence and respect. You are seen as your position. You'd have it, so you'd get deference, the best placements at theaters, invitations to formal dinners, the works. You'd have the best clothes, the most servants, things like that. You'd be expected to procreate, and you'd be expected to don that arrogance if you met dignitaries and the like—which is guaranteed, because they'd want you to exercise your powers as an Emoter to influence outcomes. That would be your role, I imagine. You would help the king get what he wants. Don't hold that against him, though—all royals are the same. They play politics, always. It's their job."

Not the dragon royals, though. Not Finley, at least. She'd given me an out. She'd told me to be happy. Hell, she'd even told me that I could rip Weston away from her kingdom, that he'd allow me to do it. A move like that would cripple their pack, yet she was open and honest, wanting the best for me. Just as she clearly wanted the best for her people.

When I took my place at Nyfain's side, it was to fight for this kingdom. It was to fight for what I believe in, for a better place, a stronger, more cohesive community. Every day I work toward this kingdom's prosperity, not just for those with the most gold, but for all. I want everyone well, want everyone as happy as possible. I want this place to thrive.

She'd said it, and she'd meant it. She'd proven it in how she took me aside behind her mate's back, with how she'd given me all the information that her mate was trying to hide, and done it right in front of his face. She stuck up for what she believed in, and, in so doing, asked that I do it too.

Weston continued. "They are a long-established kingdom with a lot of clout. They are well run, well managed, and push for peace. Their army isn't great, but they've worked to build it up in the event the worst should happen, which it did over a year ago. This kingdom shouldered the bulk of that conflict. Still, they saw the need for improvement and are rising to the occasion. As far as leadership, they are one of the better kingdoms."

"And this kingdom?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm biased."

"Of course you are. Maybe your bias here will balance out my desire to be a fairy queen and rule the land with my crown and scepter or whatever they have."

"This kingdom comprises a lot of people who barely survived a very hard time. They're fighters, dreamers, builders. They are rough around the edges, don't follow the typical social norms of a court, and don't care who you are—just what you can do. Here, you prove yourself or you get out of the way. It's a kingdom that is making more gold than any other kingdom, but whose royals are not keeping it for themselves or their top people. You wouldn't get paid nearly as much here as you would with the fairies. Not even half, I think. They won't sacrifice the wellbeing of their kingdom to keep us—you or me. I respect that about them."

"You love it here."

"I do."

"Even lonely as you are."

"Even so. I owe Finley a life debt for getting me out of that demon dungeon. I count her and Nyfain as friends, something usually unthinkable with royals. They should be above me, but they've had it so hard that decorum often slips away when they are able to relax. The pack I've built is strong, and they let me lead it as I see fit. Micah and I don't get along well, but we've made it work. The kingdom is cohesive, solid. The dragons are a rush to fight beside. And when it comes to material possessions, I have more than I need here."

"You'd give all that up to go with me?"

"That's why I didn't mention any of this before now. I knew it would affect your decision. Yes, Aurelia, I would give that up to be with you. I love it here, but I want a family, our family. I want you as my mate, and, you and the gods willing, children. I want to watch you with our child like I see you with Tabitha. I want to watch as you hand our baby to me and say, ‘Here's your daddy.' You've sacrificed so much to get to this point. I think it is only fair that I be willing to sacrifice for us to get to the next step."

I stopped resisting the urge and climbed into his lap, my legs draped over the sides of his. I slipped a hand under the hem of his shirt and onto his warm skin, tracing my fingers over the muscle I found there.

"I haven't sacrificed to get here," I murmured, tucking myself against his body. "I was stolen, and because I was stolen, I was saved. I have always wanted to live with the fairies, it's true, but I think it is enough that I am one."

He pulled back a little, just enough to look me in the eye. "You need to be sure."

"No, I don't. I don't assume this magic is going to go away. If I end up hating it here, I can always go to them later. They want me more than I want them."

"Aurelia, you need to be sure, baby, because I can't integrate you into the pack and then uproot us both if you decide to leave later. This isn't just your life we are talking about here—it's theirs too."

The gravity of his tone, in his eyes, sobered me. I licked my lips, thinking about this.

But what was there to think about, really?

"I say I've always wanted to live amongst the fairies because they seem so ethereal and magical," I said. "Which, honestly, Calia does a great job proving is the case."

"She does."

"But the other half of that dream was to have a little house all my own with a loving mate and a wagonload of children. It was to have friends who would sit with me in the garden, or to be cooking dinner for a large gathering. What I really wanted was a community that welcomed me. That was it. I latched on to fairies, I think, because I'd never met one. It was easy to dream that they would treat me differently than the shifters I met every day, and that they were less... icky than the demons or goblins or vampires. I latched on to them because they were my best hope at a community."

"You didn't even think about the dragons."

"I didn't." I leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't tell them. They'll just get pissed."

He laughed and kissed me. "They don't need much of a reason for that."

"No, they don't." I cuddled close.

"You have time to think it through," he said softly.

When you ultimately choose your path, you need to choose what will make you the happiest. You need to choose what you're most passionate about. With hard work and perseverance, everything else will fall in line.

"I want to make those medicines," I told him. Or maybe I was telling myself. "I want to speak with people and come up with ways to make their lives a little more manageable. I want to work with Vemar and play jokes on Hadriel. I want Leala to teach me how to wield a whip, because how cool would that be? I want a family with you, and I want to be claimed. The public part of that is a little daunting, but it's not like we haven't done it before. Do you know what else I want?"

"Should I be writing this down?"

I laughed and snuggled against his neck. "I want to create a business that eclipses Granny's. I want her to see that I wasn't just good at making drugs—I am good at many things. I want to show her that I have more value than what she gave me the barest of credit for, and I want to do it after I have driven her business—the business I was integral in building—into the fucking ground."

His lips crashed down on mine, and relief soaked through the bond. "Thank fuck. I was worried you'd want to go to the fairies."

"I mean, I do want to visit someday, if they'll have me. I want to see their land. It sounds beautiful."

"We will. Once life settles down and the threats are exhausted"—the last part was a growl, clearly referencing Granny—"we'll follow Calia home and let her show us the gardens and the countryside. Maybe we can keep you from meeting the king and tarnishing your love of the lands."

I laughed and smacked him. "You didn't mention that I wouldn't like the king!"

He chuckled. "He's fine. Like any other royal. Nyfain is an exception." He kissed me again, gentler this time. "I love you. I need to organize the timing with the royals and ready the pack for it, but once the particulars are sorted..." He pulled back to look deeply into my eyes. I felt his heat run through me. "I will claim you for all to see and show the kingdom that you are now, and will forever be, mine ."