8. Aurelia

Chapter 8

Aurelia

I laughed. "No, no." I shook my head. "Wait, wait. What? "

"This type of bond is permanent. It's nearly impossible to deny it if the wolves want it."

"We don't even know if I'm a wolf."

"In order to have a bond like this, a four-way bond, you'd have to be a wolf."

"Well, that's... just fucking crazy." I looked at his expression for some hint that this was a joke. "Weston, that's nuts. We can't have a permanent bond. I?—"

It was really bad fucking timing for an orgasm to tear through me, but I was powerless against it. "Mmm, Weston," I said, shaking against him. His fingers dug into my hips as I writhed. It took me a few seconds after the high abated to gather my thoughts.

"Damn it. No, hold on—this has to be some kind of a joke. You don't want this. I definitely do not want this. I'm a criminal, for crapssakes! I'm headed for the prison."

He stilled and growled out, "You will not go to the dungeon."

"Wherever I go, we can't..." I moved my finger between our chests. "We can't do this. I'm right in the middle of a very dark time in my life, and that is saying something because—well, you know my history. You'll be miserable!"

"I can help you through it. It's my duty as..." His jaw tightened. "As your bond member."

"But..." I shook my head again and forced out a laugh, hoping someone would start laughing with me and share in this ridiculous joke. "Weston..." I put my hands on his shoulders. "I have no words for how crazy this is. You can't shackle yourself to me forever. You're a powerful alpha. I mean, what happens when we meet other people? How will this work?"

He ground deep inside me, and I gasped. "You won't be meeting anyone else. No one else will touch you. Ever. You're mine." His vicious growl was back, making me shiver in annoyed ecstasy. I moaned, and he pulled me in close. He nuzzled my ear and asked, "How do you want to get back, awkwardly on a horse or in the back of a cart? I doubt I'll be releasing you anytime soon. Our wolves want the connection."

"Our wolves can fuck off, that's what our wolves can do. What the fuck—" I stared hard at him. "This is really fucking awkward, being stuck with you right now when all I want is to kick you and your damn wolf in the balls. I'll tell you what, I'm not yours, someone else will be touching me, I won't be trapped in this bond, and I have my own duties to tend to. I need to render Granny's coating ineffective."

"They are ours and we are theirs," my wolf said. "They are our mate. Can't you feel it?"

"You are brand new in this world and you've already created a mess. No, I cannot feel it, and more importantly, him being our mate is impossible. I'll explain another time."

"Cart it is." Weston tightened my legs around his waist before he stood. "Hadriel, gather up our clothes. For anything that's ripped, go to the supply cart and get a replacement. We'll be riding near the back. Clear people out. Aurelia is going to have some angry orgasms, and she's already getting a little bashful."

"Don't worry, my darling." Hadriel winked at me as he hurried past to grab our clothes. "We've all been there."

"I don't think I have ever been laid that well, actually," Nova said thoughtfully.

"Oh, definitely not. That was clearly something amazing," Hadriel replied. "I just meant fucking in front of people."

"Speak for yourself," someone said.

"I was."

"Do any of them have a four-way bond?" I asked as Weston carried me away.

"No. It's a rare bond. And before you ask, yes, I knew of the possibility our animals would push for a bond, but I thought I could thwart it. No way did I think they could be this strong. I wasn't prepared. I've known of the possibility since I met you, but because of our situation, and because you wouldn't have understood given your past, I didn't mention it. I'll go over it more tomorrow, after I speak with the royals, and hopefully things will make more sense."

Hadriel opened the cart for us and spread out a blanket. Weston sat with me on his lap, his arms wrapped around me, keeping me put. Even now, as annoyed and frustrated as I was, his strength wrapped around me felt so fucking good. My wolf and his continued to flow power back and forth, and it felt like a piece of them was sent and received in each interaction.

"Enjoy." Hadriel closed the back and walked away, leaving us to ourselves.

"How is this going to work for you?" I asked as our caravan got underway.

Weston traced the line of my jaw with his knuckles and then dropped his hand to run his thumb over my nipple.

I batted his hand away, feeling a spark of passion when I did. His grin said he felt it.

My inability to hide things from him was going to get old really fast.

He dropped his hand further still, his eyes searching my face as he brushed his thumb against my clit.

"This thing between us has always been hell for me. It still is," he murmured, sliding his other hand across my hip and pulling. The movement shifted his cock inside me. His thumb stroked, and pleasure coursed through my body. I could barely focus on his words through the exquisite sensations. "It won't get easier for a while, either. The royals aren't going to give me much leeway, even with the bond. I intend to figure it out. I will keep other males from touching you. Your wolf has made her choice. You're mine now."

The shiver of raw lust that coursed through me at his words, at his possessive growl, made me gasp.

Damn it, why did I like hearing those things so much?

"I'm no one's," I said defiantly.

His grin was smug. "We'll see."

His thumb kept stroking. The cart bounced, jostling us, creating a delicious friction. I basked in the pleasure and leaned harder against him. Some things couldn't be resisted.

"I'm really angry that my first day with magic has me in this position," I grumbled.

"In this position?" he asked, leaning me back so that he could lick my nipple before sucking it in. "You mean properly fucked?"

I rolled my eyes... but didn't push him away. He'd be able to feel how damn good that felt.

"What's going to happen when they sentence me to death?" I asked quietly as I rolled my hips.

He stilled and then caressed my neck, sliding his hand around to the back and holding me in place. He leaned forward, running his lips along my skin.

"I won't let anyone harm you, Little Wolf. If it comes to that, I'll secret you away and suffer the consequences. Handling the pain myself will be a blessing if it means you won't have to endure it."

Even though I could never allow him to take the fall for something I'd done, it was hard to be angry when he said things like that.

I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see people along the lane or working in the Everlass fields while I gyrated on top of him and just took the orgasms as they came. There wasn't much else I could do for the time being. I'd deal with my future, my reception at the castle, when it came.

"I really could've walked," I said with my arms wrapped around Weston's middle and my cheek resting against his shoulder, fully dressed and sitting behind him on his horse.

"You probably should've walked. Or at least stayed in the cart." He looked out to the side, paying no mind to the traffic on the road as we meandered through the wood. People watched him pass with fondness and respect; it showed in the smiles on their faces or stars in their eyes. It was clear he was important here.

This road must've been some sort of thoroughfare. It was wide enough for two carts to pass, and there were enough people moving along it to suggest travel between towns or cities, none of which I could see from this point. We passed various other roads or lanes leading from this one, some with signs and some just single dirt lanes.

"It's going to muddy the waters with your being taken in like this," Weston murmured.

I didn't ask why he allowed it. I knew the answer: our animals craved the closeness, and it was almost physically painful to deny them. I should've been the stronger one and forced the distance for the sake of my situation, butin all honesty, I didn't want to. So, here we were.

"How do you feel?" he asked as my vision slowly altered, going from kind of normal, if a lot more detailed and vivid than pre-magic, to a strange sort of lightness—I was able to see in the dark, but in shades of blues with tinges of greens.

I shrugged because I really didn't know how to answer that. I felt... fine. Normal. I had power and I knew it. I was almost certainly faster and likely stronger than before, but I didn't have any proof. I felt my animal pulsing inside of me, a comforting kind of hum as she basked in Weston's wolf's proximity, but otherwise I just... felt like me.

"How is it going with your wolf?" he asked, and I found myself wishing I knew more about this four-way bond that made him so sure she was a wolf.

"She seems sort of headstrong."

"The more powerful animals tend to be. Once a wolf settles into a pack, he or she usually calms down."

"And I'll be able to do that? Settle into a pack? At least for a little while, maybe, until the dragons decide my fate."

His power pulsed and his wolf did the equivalent of pacing. It was such a trip that I could feel that! That I knew what it meant!

"Please stop mentioning that," he ground out.

"Sorry," I whispered, watching the people we passed. Most of them wore well-made clothes in fine fabrics. Nobility, maybe? That, or this kingdom had money at its disposal and the people prospered because of it. Even the small, out-of-the-way village had seemed well taken care of: well fed, well dressed, everyone groomed. My village must have seemed poor and shabby when they invaded. We certainly hadn't had any of this finery.

"In answer to your question, I don't know." He glanced at a woman on the road, a pretty lady with a gorgeous dress and long, flowing hair. She waved at him, her face lit up in delight. It was clear she knew him. Intimately, if I had to guess.

An uncomfortable tightness squeezed my chest. My wolf coiled within me, teeth bared.

I looked away. Maintain logic, maintain logic, I said inwardly. His personal life had nothing to do with me. He was home now; he had to resume his life regardless of what our animals were doing.

He dropped his hand to my thigh, rubbing supportively. He'd felt my jealousy through the bond and was offering comfort. My heart swelled, and I tightened my arms around him a little more. It was a small gesture, but until I could figure out all these primal urges, it was welcomed.

"What are the complications of my joining a pack?" I asked, seeing another woman light up. This one looked more hopeful. My guess was she didn't know him well but wanted to. I put my forehead against the center of his back and closed my eyes. It was probably time to go ride with Hadriel.

"Your power and our bond. I can easily dominate most wolves. They fall in line. Yours..."

"You can easily dominate me."

"Physically, yes." A rush of desire surged through the bond from all four of us. Weston took my hand and slipped it under his shirt, my palm on his warm skin. I started tracing his muscles absently, eyes still closed so that I didn't see anyone else look at him like their next meal. "Magically, likely not. I've never heard of an alpha pair who were—" He swallowed. "Who shared a four-way bond. I don't honestly know how it works, and I can't have you jeopardizing the safety of the pack."

"I would never do that," I said in a rush of anger. "I would never put other people's safety at risk for my own benefit." I paused. "Aside from that issue with the drugs, obviously." I sighed and turned my head so my cheek rested against his back. "Kind of a black mark on my character, that."

"Granny's addition is hurting people, not your product."

I scoffed. "Agree to disagree."

"We can't afford to agree to disagree on that, Aurelia. You can't own the story that you're hurting people, not if you want an escape from the dragons' wrath."

"All due respect, Alpha, but this isn't your life. I know it'll affect you now, but you and your animal really should've thought of that before you pushed all of us into a bond. You should've thought of your pack, too. I will travel my journey, come what may. I will not make light of what?—"

I'd opened my eyes to stare at the back of his neck in frustration when, out of the corner of my vision, a throb of pink glowed. Not a lighter blue, not a heavier green, but pink!

"Oh gods!" I swung my focus right, ignoring the people on the road looking at me in confusion at my outburst. The swell of pink increased, localized to a little area beyond the trees and nestled within taller plants I couldn't really make out in the strange blue of my new nighttime vision. "Oh my?—"

I scrambled off the back of the horse, easily dodging Weston's attempt to twist and grab me. The horse grunted and kicked, its hoof nearly clipping my side. I ducked around it, in between people, in front of a donkey pulling a cart, and practically dove into the bushes. The pink glow continued to swell, growing in both size and strength as I got closer to it.

My heart thundered, and I knew my grin was crazed, but I couldn't help it. I trampled through the plants—fuck, Everlass grew everywhere—and then slowed as I came up on the flower in question. Its swell of light hit a crescendo, the pink so beautiful within the hues of blue in my vision, the image soft and serene.

Weston stepped in behind me, trying to be careful where he placed his feet, and reached for my arm. I evaded his grasp easily, moving around the Moonfire Lily.

"You can't be walking through here," he told me, trying to follow. "You'll ruin the plants."

"Seriously, the Everlass is like a weed. It's commonplace here. It'll choke the whole forest at this rate. This flower, though. Do you know what this is?" I pointed down at it. "This enhanced my product like nothing else ever has. Just one petal boosted the effectiveness. Just one ! It must be useful in other ways, but it's always been so hard to find." My mind was racing. "I wonder if that's why it is called the Moonfire Lily—it keeps the pink in our vision even when everything else is blues and greens." I just about squealed with excitement. "It'll be so much easier to find this way."

"You need to stop trampling the Everlass. The dragons do not take kindly to people mucking up their plants."

"No, what we need to do is..." I grimaced as I looked around. "We really should take it with us. By the roots, I mean. I want to rehome it. I don't want to leave it here and have the dragons come through and squash it or pick it thinking it is invading their weeds."

I bent down to look more closely as it went dark. It didn't have anything over the top of it and grew in what looked like a pathway between the Everlass. It was easy to get to.

"I just need a shovel. I can hold it in the cart if we don't have a bucket." I glanced up at Weston and saw that he was watching me with a blank expression. Warmth slid through the bond, though. Humor. "What?"

He shook his head. "You do remember that you're a captive, right?"

"Yes, but seriously, your queen is going to want this plant. There is hardly anything written in books about it. It's a ghost, this flower. And look, here it is, growing right among the dragon weed!"

Now his expression was bewildered. "Who cares about Granny's drugs? You're going to get yourself killed with that mouth. You cannot keep calling it that." He shook his head, turning to his pack and calling out, "Bring a shovel and a bucket. We're taking a plant as a prize."

We waited for Dante to climb down from his horse and bring us the items found by the pack member digging through the carts.

"I took the petals from your work shed," Weston told me, carefully removing me to a "safe area" just outside of the Everlass. "You'll have those, if they're still good."

I gasped. "You did? Why? To analyze?"

"Mostly, yes, but also because they were pretty. I'm not sure if they're still good at this point."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never let it sit this long. But this way we'll have an actual plant. Assuming the rehoming goes okay and I can get it to grow."

"If anyone can, it will be the palace garden keepers. I've seen your flowers. You should turn it over to them."

It didn't show on his face, but I could feel his humor. I narrowed my eyes at him and laughed when he hooked his hand on my hip to drag me closer.

"Okay, it's true, I'm not very good at growing things. This one doesn't like growing in the open, either. I half wonder if other plants should be put around it so that it's happy."

"I have no idea. All that stuff is over my head. You can mention it to the queen."

"I'm a captive, remember? I doubt she'll want to talk about plants with me."

"On the contrary. That'll be one of the main things she'll want to talk about."