126. Klaus

CHAPTER 126

Klaus

Aurora's steps never falter on her way to the east wing of the castle. My hand remains on her lower back as we move through the corridors, with Elsa on her left holding her hand, showing support. It's a very emotional and touchy subject that we're about to discuss with these females. A painting down the hallway catches my attention. As we get closer, it looks exactly like Aurora but with black hair. "Angel, look. It's a beautiful painting of your mother." I motion to the painting, and Aurora pauses to look at it.

"Mom was younger than I am now when she died." Softly, she sighs and moves forward to touch the picture frame. "If memory serves me right, mother was a little over a hundred and fifty years old when she had Seraphina and me." Sniffling, Aurora turns away from the painting to get back on track.

"Little one? Do you wish to talk about it?" Elsa asks softly as she strokes Aurora's bicep.

"No, thank you, Grams, some things are better left to rest than to dredge up." Aurora's eyes flicker between her human grey and her beast's mercury.

"It's not good to repress things, angel," I say gently as I brush my fingertips on her shoulder.

"I know, but right now there are unwanted pups that can possibly be saved. I wish to focus on them rather than deal with what's rolling through my head." The depth of her pain is evident in the way she's looking at me. I nod slowly and give her a break. It's only a temporary solace for her. I will question her mental health later when all of her mates are present.

Softly, Aurora knocks on the door to the suite the females are being kept in. A blonde female named Sophie opens the door, and her jaw drops seeing Aurora standing there. Quickly, she lowers her head and bows as she opens the door wide. Time moves slowly for the next several moments. Shock and recognition cross the faces of each of the eleven females in the room. A female with darker brown hair comes over and grabs Sophie. "Do you know who that is?" she whisper yells at Sophie.

"Duh, Riley, that's the last Marelup." Sophie points at Aurora's family brand on her right forearm.

Aurora raises a brow, looking at the two bickering back and forth about who she is. She extends a hand out to the females. "I'm Aurora, Anca's daughter." Her eyes flicker between her human grey and her beast's mercury.

Both Sophie and Riley lunge for Aurora's hand and take turns shaking it. I can tell by Aurora's posture that she's uncomfortable with all the attention and contact. "Okay, ladies, let's let our queen into the chambers so she can visit with everyone," I say as gently as possible, as I place my hand on Aurora's lower back.

Aurora draws in a deep breath and nods her thanks to me, and allows me to lead her to the sitting area. Slowly, she lowers herself onto the pillows and gets comfortable. "I wanted to come see you all myself." Her eyes roam over each female, acknowledging them. "I am truly sorry for what Vladimir and his officers had put you through. Most died at my talons." Aurora shifts her right hand to her dragon-scaled gauntlet, her talons gleaming in the light of the room. Her eyes are fixed on her talons as she flexes her hand for the females' benefit before her. Quickly, she shifts her hand back and rests both hands on her lap.

"I understand some of you are with pups and were taken as mates against your will. Is this correct?" Aurora asks as gently as she can.

In unison, the females all murmur that what Aurora said was correct. "Do you sense the males that formed the bonds are dead? That the bonds have been severed?" Aurora looks anxiously between the females.

Only one still holds her head down. "Who is the male that took you as his mate, young one?" Aurora questions hesitantly.

The young female's head shoots up, and she looks panicked. "Please don't kill Sven. He's my true mate. He kept the other males away from me." Tears begin to stream down the female's face.

Aurora closes her eyes, and through the pack bond, she searches for the male in question. A smile crosses her lips as she locates him. "He's been summoned. He'll be here shortly to collect you."

Joy instantly crosses the female's features as she jumps up and runs over, throws her arms around Aurora and hugs her. My poor angel looks panicked. She's not used to affection outside of our bond. "Think of her as Tia," I say to Aurora through our bond. Aurora instantly relaxes and snuggles the female, and starts making the soothing sound of her beast.

Moments after, three knocks sound at the door, and Aurora stiffens. Without hesitation she moves swiftly and puts herself between the door and the females. Frost begins to gather in her hands as she watches the door closely. I move to open it and Aurora cocks her head to the side as her eyes land on the male standing there. It's the same young male she spared and gave a braid of her hair to. He still wears it around his wrist. "Ioana!" he yells and bolts across the room towards her. They embrace tightly and cry tears of joy.

"My Queen, thank you for sparing me that day in the tunnels. I was trying to find a way to get to my mate during the war." He furrows his brow then looks down at the braid on his wrist. "Why did you spare me?" Ioana looks at the braid, then back to Aurora as well.

"You are a descendant of my grandfather, the King." Aurora tilts her head as she looks from the couple then to me.

"You are the last living relative I have from my mother's side," she says as she returns her gaze back to him.

"Your family is my family. Pack protects pack," she states matter of factly.

"You mean I'm a Marelup?" He furrows his brows.

Aurora slowly shakes her head. "Sadly no, Sven, that name is passed from female to female. You are a Constantine, my grandfather's family name." Aurora moves and extends her hand to Sven. "I'm guessing your mother is the offspring of my grandfather and one of the females that worked in the castle." Aurora rolls her eyes. "Apparently, he liked to take liberties with some of the young females."

There's a look of shock that moves across Sven's and Ioana's faces. "Vladimir was the same way, my Queen," Ioana states flatly. "It's why five of the other females are with pup."

The temperature in the room starts to drop immediately. Not long after, Alaric comes barreling into the room with Dimitri hot on his heels. "Do you know what Vladimir did?" Aurora shrieks, venom dripping from her descended canines. Her rage is palpable in the air.

Alaric goes to comfort Aurora, and she immediately rejects him. The look of shock on his face is priceless. Jayce, Dom, and Arnulf arrive just in time to witness the whole thing. Dimitri tries his hand at getting close to her, and she immediately melts into him. Out of curiosity, I start to approach and she grabs me and pulls me into the group hug. Hmm, this is an interesting turn of events.

The other mates watch with great curiosity at the new dynamics. The last time Aurora was pregnant, she only wanted Alaric. Now so far, it's Dimitri and me. Wait! Does that mean I get to be a dad next? My eyes dart over to my grandmother and she smiles at me. I think I may be onto something. Eventually, Aurora wiggles free from our embrace and moves before the five pregnant females.

"It doesn't matter to me who the father of your pups are. I would like to make a request." Aurora sits in front of the females, making eye contact with them. "Let them live. There are families in Klaus's pack that are childless." Aurora looks down and rests her hand on her lower stomach. "I would consider it a favor to me if we can give those childless couples a pup." Aurora keeps her eyes lowered as she listens to the females speak between themselves.

"My Queen?" A young female says softly. Her stomach is huge, and she appears to be close to giving birth.

Slowly, Aurora raises her head to look at the young female. "Yes, my dear?" she says tenderly, watching the female's stomach move.

"I would like my baby to go to a family." She steps side to side, appearing nervous.

"May I request to meet the members of your mates pack? Maybe my true mate is there?" she states the last part as a question, not sure where Aurora's thoughts may be.

"Fair enough. You can even meet the family that will be raising your pup, if you wish." Aurora's soft voice shocks the rest of us. She's so tender with these females. It's quite odd and almost unsettling the way Aurora is gently handling these females. Maybe it's because she, too, is pregnant, or perhaps motherhood has changed her some. Either way, it's strange to watch this interaction amongst Aurora and all the females.

Nodding slowly, the female extends her hand to Aurora. When Aurora reaches out, she places her hands on her stomach. A broad smile creeps across Aurora's lips as she feels the baby moving. "Thank you for this gift. I hope we can find your mate, sweetheart. Everyone deserves their happy ending." Aurora leans forward and kisses the female's forehead, then looks to the others.

"Who else would like to accept my offer?" All but one female accepts. The last one wasn't far along and decides not to endure the pregnancy. I could see the war waging in Aurora's eyes. Being an Alpha, she could force the female to endure the pregnancy. But then again, it's not Aurora's style to force anyone to do anything if she doesn't have to.

Aurora motions to my grandmother, and she has the girl that didn't want the pup to follow her. Without hesitation, Aurora stands and leaves the room with her head held high. Through the bond, we can feel the pain she's in even though she's refusing to show it. We make it into the royal suite, and she starts to cry the moment the door closes behind us.

I move in quickly and scoop Aurora up into my arms and pull her flush to my chest. Her tears flow freely down her face as I run my fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. "I don't understand... Why?" Aurora manages to get out between sobs.

Gently, I kiss the crown of her head and sigh softly. "Angel, you have to understand. That mating was forced, and the female is young and can't work through it." I nuzzle her hair, then rest my cheek on the crown of her head. "We managed to save four of the five pups. Lucky pup number six is going to be raised by its parents."

I pull away slightly and look into her pale-grey eyes. Lightly, I run the backs of my knuckles along her jawline and smile at her. "You did good today. Before you went in there, those pups had zero chance of survival." Tipping her chin up further, I gently kiss her plump lips. "I'm so proud of you, angel, so fucking proud."

Aurora's face lights up at my praise, and a smile graces her blood-red lips. "Thank you, Klaus, it's tough to see the big picture at times." She snuggles in close to me and rests her head on my chest again. With the way things are up to now, I never thought I'd be in the position I am in now. It was always Alaric and Aurora. I'm guessing it's because of the babies and who has paternity.

"I'd hate to break up this love fest, but Elsa sent me to gather Aurora for her check-up and vitamins," Dominik says and extends his hand out to Aurora.

"If I must!" she says with a mock sigh and rolls her eyes.

"Yes, you must, sweetheart. We need you and the baby healthy and strong." Dominik tilts his head, studying Aurora.

She smirks at him again, then runs and jumps on Jayce's back. "Let's go cutie! Time for momma to get tortured!" Aurora and Jayce take off laughing.

Shaking my head slowly, I approach Alaric, who looks beside himself. "You ok, buddy?"

"Yes and no. I mean, I knew the day would come when she would be carrying one of her other mates' babies, but I didn't think I'd be rejected." He shrugs his shoulders then looks between Dimitri and me. "If I had to venture a guess, I believe you two managed to father the next clutch of babies," Alaric says as he strokes his beard.

"I suspected the same thing," Dimitri says with wonder in his voice. "I can't believe I'm going to be a father." He raises his eyebrows, looking slightly shocked as reality sinks in.

Dimitri sways on his feet, and Alaric and I have to catch him and assist him to the floor to sit safely. "I'm going to have a cub. An actual cub, Klaus. Alaric, what do I do?" His bear flares to the surface, his eyes that golden hue of his bear.

"It's a miracle for sure, big guy," Alaric says as he grips Dimitri's shoulder.

"Since Aurora is a twin, you factor in wolves and bears have multiple births." He shrugs his shoulders slightly.

"She's carrying at least two babies with the way she's seeking you both out." He smiles and claps me on the back.

"Congratulations, gentlemen. Welcome to fatherhood!" Alaric says, laughing as he leaves the room. I have a gut feeling we are in for a wild ride.