42. Aurelia

Chapter 42

Aurelia

I startled awake; something was not right.

I lay in our new apartment within the castle, which was basically just a larger version of his old space but with more rooms, one intended for a nursery. It was the middle of the day, and given I hadn't stopped waking up early and didn't usually go to bed until late, it was now essential that I took naps. I was a little over a month into my pregnancy, and I was so fucking tired all the time during this phase.

Weston was sitting on the edge of the bed beside me, looking down on me fondly.

"Hi," he said, pushing my hair away from my face. "How do you feel?"

I looked around in confusion, dazed from being yanked out of sleep.

"Um..." I ran my hand over my still-flat belly. "Good?" I smiled. "Just tired. As usual."

He gave me a slow smile and dipped his hand into my shirt, resting it over mine on my belly.

"You're making Mommy very tired," he said to my stomach, bending over to kiss our joined hands.

I ran the fingers of my other hand through his hair. "Join me?"

He pushed my shirt up a little more so he could kiss my skin before pulling back. "Can't. I need to run to the docks. They found someone trying to smuggle Granny's product onto our shores. I need to check it out."

Apprehension made me jolt. "What? No, you shouldn't go alone. Let me help."

He bent to kiss my forehead. " Shh. It's okay. It's a routine inspection, and probably a confiscation of goods. I do them with the larger merchant ships—you know that. Don't worry, we checked things out. This vessel has been here before, and it was stopped for the same things last time. They clearly haven't learned their lesson."

"Still." I licked my lips. Something about this felt wrong. "Just because she hasn't resurfaced in all this time, doesn't mean she won't. It's best to stay away from anything with her name on it."

He braced his elbow on the bed and ran his thumb across my forehead. He looked deeply into my eyes, reading me.

"I have to, baby," he said softly. "It's my job. We know why she hasn't resurfaced, though, right? She found someone else to try to make your product. I'm sure she was handing out punishments when they couldn't make it happen."

It was true; she'd been putting out product these past few months, but word was that it was terrible. She'd gotten someone else to use my recipes, but they couldn't churn out the same results. Weston and the royals had always been right—take out the drugmaker and Granny's reign would end. Without me, she was pushing herself out of the market all on her own.

No one had said, "I told you so." Miraculous.

"It's just..." I put my hand on the back of his neck. The fear of her coming for me had never gone away. Maybe it never would; I was terrified I'd have to go back to that life. Terrified I'd be taken from this one.

He hovered close, comforting me, probably giving me the time to work around the fear logically. Only a fool would go after a wolf of Weston's power and position. It was me she'd want to grab, not him. Me she'd tried to lure to the docks.

My wolf had come a long way. Something had clicked within her, and she was on fire as it pertained to learning to co-lead, but she wasn't fully there yet. She had a ways to go before she could be a commander and harness the help of the pack to combat someone like Granny. We were still vulnerable, especially now that we were with child. We didn't have the hardiness of dragons; Arleth went out of her way to remind me of that any time I came back from training tired.

I let my hand slip away.

"You're just too happy," he said with a warm smile. "You're afraid something will happen to crush our perfect life. You don't feel like you deserve this..." He shook his head. "This incredible joy. You've finally found true love, true happiness, and you're scared something will happen to make it all go away."

He was speaking for himself, too. We'd had this talk. Everything was going so well. Unbelievably so. Our love strengthened every day. My fondness for him knew no limits. My excitement for our future, both personally and with the kingdom as a whole, was at an all-time high. We were doing something special in this kingdom. We all worked together, came up with new ideas, and the gold we made was always pumped back into the kingdom to foster prosperity and growth of the people. We were expanding, but not so far that we'd become disjointed like the Red Lupine kingdom, with villages falling off the map, isolated and left to the wilds.

We were a pack, all of us. We were strong. Some of us were crazy (dragons). It worked.

My biggest fear was that I'd wake up from this dream.

I nodded slowly.

"Me too," he whispered. "But remember what we said? We can't let fear alter our journey. We need to live in each moment and savor each smile, each touch. We can't let our fear of what might come get in the way of our enjoyment of the here and now. Right?"

I let out a long, slow breath and nodded again.

"Right." He kissed the tip of my nose and then my lips. "I'll have wolves with me. I won't be alone. You stay here, safe and warm, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Are you nuts? I'm not going to stay in bed. Don't you remember the number of orders the queen handed me yesterday? The Flamma kingdom went crazy for the new product, and the merchants are clamoring for more. They especially love the elixirs that glow, even though they are only a mild relaxant. Wolf flower for the win! Take that, dragon weed."

He laughed. "You have more help now, and Vemar is a champ at making the dangerous stuff. Take a break. They'll be okay for a day."

I frowned at him and pushed up to sitting. "They're being very patient with me. I'm not going to slack off."

His gaze turned sharp, but he didn't say what I knew he was thinking: Take it easy and look after yourself and our baby.

"I know, I know," I grumbled. "I'll be careful."

He kissed my forehead. "Good girl. I'll see you later." He paused. "I'd planned to make dinner tonight. Don't let Hadriel talk you out of letting me."

I laughed and watched him leave the bedroom before feeling a little naughty and lying back down. I slipped my hand into my pants, finding the right spot and starting to massage. Pleasure immediately rolled through me, and then through the bond.

Desire filtered back through, then frustration. Before I knew it, he was standing in the doorframe, staring at me.

"You're killing me," he growled.

"C'mere, Daddy. Let me suck that cock while I get myself off."

I slipped my other hand up my shirt and tweaked a nipple, moaning with the sensations.

He swore but started forward, working at his belt. He took out his cock and pumped it a couple times before kneeling on the bed, his hand at the back of my head, guiding my face toward him. I sucked him in deep as he fisted my hair and started thrusting, face-fucking me.

I groaned when the sweet taste of precum exploded across my tongue. I worked my fingers faster, building higher. His pleasure coursed through the bond.

"Do you like sucking your alpha's big cock, Little Wolf?" he growled, thrusting.

I moaned out my answer, gyrating as I massaged. My cheeks hollowed with my suction; his smooth skin slid against my lips and his cock plunged deep into my throat. I felt his pleasure build as he worked and released my hand from my nipple to wrap my fingers around his shaft. I slid my hand in time with my mouth.

"Fuck," he ground out, tensing.

I rubbed myself and sucked, working faster, nearly there.

He groaned as he exploded, his delicious flavor flooding my mouth. I sucked it down as an orgasm hit me, making me shake on the bed.

He extracted himself before bending to kiss me, tasting himself on my lips.

"Naughty girl," he whispered, before tucking himself away and heading for the door.

I gave myself a moment with an evil smile before rolling to my feet. A few moments later I heard the exterior door close and felt him moving away.

After a glass of water and a quick bite to eat, I headed for the door myself. As I opened it, I was surprised to find Finley out there, ready to knock. She paused with her hand in the air.

"Hi," I said, blinking out at her.

"Hi. Look at this!" She shoved a piece of paper at me.

I took it, reading down the list of products and then the large numbers next to them. "What is this?"

"This, my dear, is a summary of all the merchant orders for Red Lupine. Word got around that Granny's original drugmaker was working for the dragons now, and they all flocked to our product. No sickness, no deaths, no danger. That's what we advertised, and it was exactly right. But guess what else?"

She stepped to the side so I could exit. We began walking down the hall.

"What else?" I asked.

"People who would never normally touch that kind of stuff were recommended certain things from the medics—since, you know, we insisted some things be treated like medicines. Hitting that market opened up a whole new income stream for your product. You put things out there that didn't exist before, and the need for some of it is high. And you know what else?"

"Not a clue."

"The product design worked like a charm. Like a fucking charm, Aurelia. Sales are up across the board. You nailed that."

"That was Granny's idea. I just applied it to your stuff."

"You created the look of it. People love it." She dug in her pocket and pulled out my Moonfire Lily branding with the two wolves and fuchsia coloring. "They get a kick out of this one in particular."

"Why is that?"

She gave me a flat look. "Don't play coy with me. You pointed out the little heart you worked in there, but you failed to mention the other hidden gem you put in the picture."

I twisted my lips, trying to hide a smile. The negative space between the wolves created a heart, somewhat apparent but not terribly obvious. Weston had really loved that branding. In the corner of the image, though, I couldn't help creating another image in the negative space, one that was small and difficult to notice.

"A flying dick, Aurelia?" Finley said. "Really?"

I busted out laughing. "That branding is Cecil approved."

She looked at it, shaking her head. "I can't believe nobody noticed."

"Vemar noticed. He's good at keeping secrets."

"Fucking Vemar. Of course he noticed. He has that painting you created on his wall, front and center. Hadriel gave it to him as a joke. He gets a good laugh out of it." She shoved the wrapper back into her trousers. "Well, I guess a few other people noticed and absolutely loved it. Now they are looking closely at all the packaging for other little hidden images. I think we should try to incorporate that idea. Maybe have a few different ones released every so often, I don't know."

I kept looking at the sheet. Finley grabbed my arm to stop me abruptly, pushing me toward the wall.

"What's the matter?" I asked in alarm.

"There goes the nanny with Tabitha. She's going for her nap. If she sees me, she won't want to go down."

I longed to peek around the corner to get a glimpse of the little cutie but resisted. Instead, I ran my hand along my belly, hardly able to wait until I had one of my own.

"Okay." Finley jerked her head toward the hall. "Coast is clear." She noticed my hand, and a little smile played across her lips. "Is Weston overbearing yet?"

"No. Whenever he steps in about something, he's right. He's not rough about it, either. Most the time he doesn't bother to say anything. Just gives me a look ."

She shook her head slowly as we made it to the back door. "You guys are too easy to manage."

"It's too much effort to argue."

"Effort? Fighting about it is half the fun!"

"What's the other half?"

Her eyes sparkled with mischief when she said, "Making up, obviously."

I looked at all the numbers. "This is a lot of product. If Granny had given me this list, I think I would've hyperventilated."

"Granny could've given you a list like that if she hadn't fucked up your product with that coating and started addicting and killing people. Or even if she'd heeded your direction and treated some of it as medicinal, like we're doing. She was greedy and shortsighted, and now we are going to shove her out of the market altogether."

I nodded and knew I should've felt satisfaction over that; it was what I had been trying to do, after all. The idea of it, though, made me feel hollow. Vengeance had been a great motivator early on, but now that I had a life I loved, a mate of my dreams, and a baby on the way, vengeance just seemed like a poison I didn't want or need.

"This is just the beginning, too," Finley said as we pushed through the door. "The other kingdoms will catch on. The orders will pour in. Nyfain has offered the fairies a cut of the proceeds from the product you drew a fairy on, plus acknowledgment that you have fairy blood, in exchange for that training. Once they see how well it is doing over there, they'll up the percentage of the cut and want to know how you make it. We'll show them some things, but the Moonfire Lily will remain a secret. Given they don't have wolves in their kingdom, they probably have fuck-all growing in their wilds. And even if they do, fairy vision is different than a wolf's night vision. They won't be able to find it. Suck on that, fairies." She glanced at me. "No offense, Aurelia. Anyway, hopefully that'll finally end the negotiations. They really fucking wanted you. Bad. It makes me giddy to see what your magic can really do."

"Do you think they'll teach me all it can do? Won't they be concerned I'll use it against them?"

"We'll bake a sort of ally situation into the contract and have you spend time there and get to know the people. They'll think you wouldn't want to hurt them if you come to think of them as part of your heritage."

"I won't."

"Yeah. And hopefully that won't be a real pity." She laughed as a flash of pain stabbed through me.

I reached out for her and staggered, clutching at my belly, terrified that something might've happened to the baby.

"What's wrong?" she asked, holding me to keep me upright.

A crawling feeling snaked down my spine before melting away, and my breath caught. A feeling I recognized took its place: danger. Specifically, the danger of Alexander turning his sights to me. He meant me harm, and now I was within arm's reach. The punishment would come soon.

"Fuck. Oh no," I said as another stab of pain hit me through the bond. With it came frustrated anger—anger and worry.

"It's Weston," I said, turning in his direction. He was far away, but those stabs throbbed, curdling his anger and increasing his fear.

My own fear rose.

"Fuck. It's Granny. She's come, I know it. I knew it." I ripped off my clothes. "He's in trouble."

"Where is he?" Finley shed hers.

"He said he was going to the docks. Hurry!"

"I'll meet you there."

I shifted, and my wolf took off at a sprint. The pack bond was waiting for us, helping my wolf feel everyone's location. Weston wasn't connected, though, and neither was anyone that should've been near his location. They must've been in human form.

My wolf fed a warning through the bond as she ran, communicating Weston's distress and location. She urged the pack to us, her power rising as she cut through the forest.

"Not everyone," I told her as wolves ran to us. "We need to leave people behind to protect the castle."

"I know that." She was terse but changed her commands, keeping a force to guard the forest and castle and calling on those not strictly needed.

Weston was uncomfortable, whatever was happening to him. Two points in his body ached. His fear and worry were paramount, but it wasn't for himself. It had turned, and now he worried about me . They planned to use him as bait.

Their plan would work.

We cut through the woods on the fastest route possible. Dante, Tanix, and Nova fell in. Sixten would stay behind to help orchestrate the remaining guard.

My wolf felt Dante's question though the bond. What is it?

She relayed that she didn't know, slowing a little so that they could continue to keep pace.

"Tell them you think it's Granny. Alexander. They know about our feelings about them," I said.

She did as I said, and I felt the answering rush of anger from the others.

Our fear beat a solid drum in our chest as we drew closer to him. This kingdom was much smaller than that of Red Lupine, so much more condensed. With time, we could build, but I was damn glad of it in this moment.

We cut through one of the smaller towns. People saw us pass, looking up as we did. Dragons flew above us, the great golden dragon beside his mate.

The townspeople shifted quickly and connected to the bond. My wolf directed them based on their power level and experience, and those we needed fell in. Dragons, who couldn't connect with the bond, rose into the sky to join the others.

Eventually the trees started to thin and the ground sloped downward toward the sea. Ships and boats dotted the waters, some tied up, some slowly making their way in or out. Traders had paused in unloading their supplies. Donkeys and horses hitched to carts waited to the side; no one was moving. They were all looking worriedly down the road.

As we cut through the market, someone pointed.

"Hurry," the man shouted.

I put on a burst of speed. The dragons soared overhead. Nothing looked out of place except for the people stalling in their activities.

My wolf's feet thumped against the docks as we used the bond to guide us to Weston. He was at the end. As we approached, my stomach got queasy.

On the ship out in the water, Weston stood in a sort of prison, the bars all around him affixed with spikes. If he moved, if his knees buckled, if he shifted, he'd be pierced in too many ways. He'd die.

He'd been posted right beside the railing of the ship so that we could easily see him.

Beside him, wearing her scarlet hooded cloak, waited Granny. She was endangering my mate. Of all the unforgivable actions she'd ever done, that was the absolute worst.

My wolf slowed, baring her teeth.

At the end of the dock, a little boat bobbed, its oars out. Alexander waited at the bow, sitting peacefully, looking at the wolves now crowding the docks.

"Have we got Aurelia in there anywhere?" he called out.

Nyfain roared overhead. Alexander flinched, looking up.

"If those dragons pop off, Weston dies," he shouted. "I'm looking for Aurelia."

"No!" Weston called out across the water. He tried to raise his hands. Pain radiated through his body. "No, Aurelia, don't show yourself. Run, baby! Let them have me. You stay safe!"

Flames danced in my memories.

Run, Aurelia. Save yourself. My mom's voice. Don't look back.

Never again.

Never again would I flee and leave a loved one. Either we got out together, or not at all.

Besides, this was my fight, not his. His connection to me had dragged him into this. I would not let him take the fall for my past.

"Shift," I told my wolf.

She wasted no time, and I straightened from my crouch, staring at Alexander. I wasn't helpless anymore. I wasn't alone. I would not let him dominate me. Those days were over.

"Hello again," I said, strangely calm while burning with hatred. "What brings you to my new home?"

His eyes moved over me slowly, taking in my nudity. A sensation like ants skittered across my skin, sickening me. I didn't let it show in my expression; I was practiced at hiding feelings from him.

"I'm really going to enjoy you," he said, his meaning clear.

"I doubt that very much. What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? You. Tell those wolves to stand down, tell the dragons to bugger off, and get in this boat."

I looked around incredulously, catching sight of someone suspended in what looked like a harness from one of the dragons flying our way. No, from Vemar; I recognized his dragon's form. I couldn't tell whom he was carrying, though.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, pointing at the sky. "Do you really think the dragons are going to turn and go about their day while you have their shifter commander on that ship?"

"They will if they want to stay airborne. Granny isn't stupid, Aurelia. She came with magic. Now get in this boat or she pokes another hole in your mate."

They'd done their due diligence. Their people had reported on our milestones. They clearly knew about the kingdom and its rulers. They must know what dragons were capable of. I didn't know what kind of magic they might have, but I did know Granny's confidence was never false. If she was here, it was because she thought she could get away with it, which meant she'd planned the situation carefully.

I looked at Weston, knowing he'd hate this. But there really was no other choice.

"No, Aurelia," he said, his voice filled with pain. "Please, baby, no. Go, please. Let them have me."

"He's delusional," my wolf said. I had to agree.

"Yeah, fine," I told Alexander. I walked forward as the guy with him started rowing toward the dock.

"Aurelia, wait." Nova and Dante had shifted. Nova put out her hand. "Let's not be hasty. The beta does not want you going into that boat."

"I will not run while another person I love is killed," I ground out, watching Alexander draw closer.

"Very touching," he said, bumping against one of the pillars. "Come on. Get in."

I did as he said, sitting several wooden seats back from him, narrowing my eyes at his leer.

"She's not very pleased with you," Alexander said as the man rowed us out toward the ship. "She can understand taking on a powerful mate instead of trying to escape. Why wouldn't you go digging for a little gold, right? You got to see the world for the first time and quickly learned what you need to survive in it. That makes sense. But using your trade to try to push her out of the market? Did you really think she was going to let you get away with that?"

"She intended to take me before that happened," I replied.

"Yes, she did. She always intended to get you back. But now she's pissed—that was my point. And you heal quickly now. I'm going to really enjoy beating you to within an inch of your life."

"And I'm going to enjoy watching my mate kill you violently. I'd do it myself, but I'm going to let it be a present for him."

He snickered. "Your mate is going to spend his lifetime in a cage. Consider him your new encouragement to perform."

A wave of fear swept over me, but I didn't let it show.

"So you think all you have to do is sail away and that'll be it?" I asked, watching the ship as we drew near. "Once we're gone from these shores it's over? No one will come for us?"

"Oh, I'm sure they will. But as they proved during their last trek into our kingdom, they won't have the first clue where to find us. We're not going back to that piece-of-shit, out-of-the-way village. No one will ever hear from you again."

I shook my head and looked at the dragons circling above, my stomach churning. I had those five to seven guesses. I had to pray to the gods that one of them was right. That they could find us.

We got to the side of the ship, and I was made to climb up the rope ladder first, hating the disgusting creature coming behind me. We got to the balcony, and I swung my feet over, seeing people turn Weston so that he would face me. He'd been stripped to the waist. Blood seeped out of two points on his torso and down his skin, soaking into his pants. Those spikes in the cage pushed into his flesh, warning of a terrible fate should anything go wrong.

Granny stood next to him, her face so familiar, the pain of this moment acute.

"My, my, Grandmother," I said as I slowly walked closer, "what big balls you have. You've captured the beta of a dragon kingdom."

"I've captured your true mate, by the looks of things." Her gaze touched on the marks. "You've found yourself quite a prize."

I put my finger in the air, indicating the dragons. "How are you going to get rid of them?"

"As Alexander said, magic. How else? Dragons aren't invincible." She narrowed her eyes at me as Alexander walked around to stand at my side. The bond was thick with Weston's rage. "You've been quite naughty, Aurelia. You get taken captive, and the first thing you do is start making my product to compete against me? I told you I would come for you. Was it the wolf that turned you against me?"

She reached out and shook the cage. Pain came through the bond as the spikes pricked Weston's skin.

I clenched my jaw. "I did not approve of that coating you put on my product," I told her in a firm voice. "I did not approve of killing people and addicting them. You need to be stopped."

She quirked her brow. "Do I?" She laughed and motioned for those around us. Deck hands got active, clearly readying to make way. "How about I do the opposite, hmm? You will be going back to your duties, and your mate will help incentivize you to do a good job. Now you will also make that coating. Got that? You will make your improved formulas and you will make the coating. I assume you figured out how to do it better? You were always very good at solving riddles."

I let out a breath, my heart hurting. The sails lifted and the dragons circled.

"Just tell me why," I finally said as Alexander took a step toward me, clearly intending to grab me and force me to wherever they planned to keep me. "Why didn't you tell me I had magic?"

"And have an underling with more power than me? I wouldn't have been able to keep you contained. You should know by now, Aurelia, that you are integral to my operations. Without you, I won't succeed."

Her tone was callous, devoid of even a hint of an apology.

Anger nearly stole my breath. Pain ate at my heart.

"Don't you get it? I trusted you. I looked up to you. I loved you!" I shouted. "I wouldn't have tried to leave you. I thought of you as family. But having magic would've meant I could've had friends. People wouldn't have avoided me or spat at me. I would've been included. Instead, I was kept in solitude. How could you do that to me?"

"Aurelia, come now. You can't still be this na?ve." She looked at me as though I were an imbecile. "This is business. We had the perfect setup, you and me. You got everything you needed, and you had a job and protection. We had a partnership. Life isn't always fair, but survival isn't pretty, right? It'll be better now. I don't have to keep you in the dark about things anymore. Now maybe we can furnish you with some nicer things. You have your mate, and you'll have everything you need. It'll be great, you'll see."

A tear leaked out of my eye. "Did you ever love me?"

Alexander scoffed, laughing in disbelief. I felt like a fool.

Granny's smile was condescending. "Aurelia, as I said, this is business. You are too old to hang on to such silly sentimentalities. Time to grow up, dear."

"I'll say," Alexander murmured.

"But it wasn't business when you took me in," I pushed. "Why did you bother? I didn't have an animal yet. I didn't think I had magic. You couldn't have known how it was going to turn out with the business. Why did you shelter me?"

"You absolutely had magic when you came to me. You were emoting heavily, looking for someone to rescue you. For safety. If nothing else, I figured you might have fairy blood. It was worthwhile to put you up for a few years and see what you turned out to be. When I realized the treasure at my disposal, a treasure not because of your blood, but because of your mind.. . Well, the rest is history, as they say." She tilted her head at me. "I can see you're unhappy with this, Aurelia, but trust me, this is better. Once you let go of these sentimentalities, you'll see that business requires a passionless disposition. It requires cool logic. That's how you make gold."

"That's not even remotely how," I spat, the ache in my chest growing. "The dragon queen has nothing but passion in her projects. Those passions make more gold than you can imagine. They make a stronger community. Let my true mate out. It's time I parted ways with you for good."

She laughed and gestured beyond me. "Scatter the dragons and let's get underway. Our reunion is done. Alexander, take them to their room and lock them in. Then come back up here. You can punish her later. Come on, everyone, knock those dragons out of the sky."