156. Aurora

CHAPTER 156

Aurora

We arrive home around lunchtime, and we settle back into the Alpha House with the German Lycan pack. To be perfectly honest, I feel the most at peace here and the safest. Deep in my heart, I know this is where I was always meant to be. The guys are off getting things settled, and I'm in the kitchen cooking for everyone. I already called the butcher, and he dropped off some fresh stag meat for me to prepare.

Elsa and Helle soon join me and act as my sous chefs, chopping and marinating what I need done. I've decided to prepare a stag carbonnade with all the fixings. Tia is helping Odette and Luna with peeling the potatoes and putting them in the cutter. Elsa pulled out a child-safe cutter. All they have to do is drop the potato in and press the handle to make slices. Tia is such a good big sister, and I know she will be a wonderful mother one day.

Ladon finally joins us with Kirra in tow. I hand them the cloves of garlic and put them in charge of peeling them and putting them in the press. I watch them work together, and they divide the job up between them. All of my children are helping with the dinner, and it makes my heart swell. I kiss my stepmom and Elsa on the cheek and step outside to where the stag is hanging.

I size up the stag then head back inside to grab large pots and trays. The picnic table becomes my prep station. I shift my hands to my gauntlets and start butchering the stag into the prime cuts of meat. Boris, the butcher, returns to see if I need help, and he stops dead in his tracks watching me. "My Queen?" he says hesitantly as I cut the back strap free.

"Oh! Hi Boris. This is an excellent stag you brought me. Please tell me you and your mate will be joining us for dinner tonight?" I ask ecstatically, hoping he says yes.

"Um, but of course, my Queen. Are you sure you want commoners to dine with you?" He furrows his brow, looking at me puzzled.

"The entire village is invited. You're just the first I've seen to ask. I'm sorry if that threw you off," I say, trying to calm down my excitement.

"I still don't understand, my Queen. I am no one." Boris lowers his head and closes his eyes. Quickly, I shift my hands back to human and gently cup his cheek.

"Your family has been loyal to my family since day one. You are not a no one. You made sure I was properly fed with both of my pregnancies when my mates couldn't hunt." I smile and kiss his cheek. "I am honored to know you and your family, Boris," I say softly to him as I notice Klaus coming around the side of the house.

"Boris and his father made sure my mom was fed when she was pregnant with Kaden and me. You are a treasure, ole friend," Klaus says and embraces a blushing Boris.

I return to the stag and go back to butchering. It takes me the better half of an hour to remove all of the usable meat. Back into the kitchen, I take trays of meat in to set on the prep island. The kitchen staff looks at me strangely as I and the other women in the family work on making dinner for the pack.

In the middle of cutting onions, a pair of hands slide over my eyes. To be honest, I can't smell jack shit except for the onions. I know it's not a pack member or one of my mates that's covered my eyes. Carefully, I lean back against a firm chest that's almost the same height as mine. "Hi, Ellis." I say with a squeal. Quickly, I spin in his arms and hug him tightly around his neck.

Ellis starts laughing and holds me tightly to him. "How are you, sweetness?" he asks sweetly and kisses my cheek.

"I'm good, E, what's shaking?" I ask as I smile, looking up at him.

"Not much, just come for a visit and to hang out," he says as he smiles broadly at me.

"Good. Stay for dinner, the girls and I are almost done. So get out of the kitchen and go join the guys." I shoo him out of the kitchen and into the backyard, where everyone has started gathering. We finish the final preparations for the meal and all the sides before we have the kitchen staff help us bring it out.

I even managed to sneak in chicken schnitzel, one of Klaus's favorites, into the mix. Dom and Jayce love how I make my mashed potatoes. Dimitri loves the chocolate cake I make for dessert. Alaric loves the cheddar and broccoli soup I make, and Arnulf loves the string beans with cranberries and almonds. I made sure each of my mates had one of their favorites made for them for this dinner.

The kitchen staff finishes with setting the buffet-style meal up, and they give me a smile and a bow. "Go eat with everyone else. This is as much for them as it is for you too," I say softly, and they all look at me shocked. Gently, I herd them towards the door, so they can go enjoy themselves too. Once the house is empty, I run to our room, pull on my favorite leggings and my favorite Grateful Dead shirt that reads hug me, love me, and take me on tour.

I run through the house barefoot and grab my full wine glass on the way out the back door. I'm greeted by thunderous applause and people yelling my name. Taken back, I lean against the house and look at all the smiling faces.

"Daughter?" my father says softly as he places his hand on my elbow and starts to lead me forward. "You have managed to unite the clans once more." He releases my elbow and motions to the mix of species that are in my yard. "You and your mates managed to bring peace to the lands and free those enslaved." Dad kisses my temple and moves off into the crowd.

"Thank you, one and all for everything that you've done for my family and I." Using my Alpha powers, I amplify my voice so everyone can hear me.

"I wish to usher in a time of peace and prosperity for all the clans." I open my arms wide, motioning to everyone.

"My mates and I have plans to update existing villages as well as restore the one at the base of my mother's castle." My eyes glide over the crowd, and I smile seeing the excitement and happiness on all of their faces.

"It's time to call our people home. Bring the clans and bloodlines of the old back to their ancestral home." Cheers erupt as everyone celebrates the idea.

"If anyone has family outside our borders, call them home. They will have a home and work to support themselves." My eyes land on my mates, several of them with tears in their eyes from joy.

"Call home the Dire Wolves, the Lycans, the Bears, as well as the Eagles. All are welcome here," I say with a few tears escaping down my own cheeks.

"Over the next five years, I hope to have all of our loved ones back where they belong. Father, Alaric call home the dragons and dragon-kin, we will welcome them with open arms." Alaric wipes the tears from his eyes. I know several of his cousins were banished because of his father.

"Tonight, we rejoice and spend time with our loved ones. Eat, drink, and be merry." I say just before descending the stairs and into the crowd. I have to laugh; if you put the me from three years ago in a crowd like this, I would have freaked out. Now, I love being with my people. My people… there are so many species here all at once, and I consider them all mine. I'm passing out hugs and handshakes to any and all who wish to get close to me. My mates are looking at me like I'm a pod person.

I find Dimitri and Nicodeamus standing shoulder to shoulder, watching the gathering. "Looks like everything worked out in the end," I say softly and lean against Dimitri to watch the crowd. Alaric is hanging out with Ellis. Dom, and Jayce are with their brother and his husband. Klaus is with Elsa and his twin, talking over the dessert table. Arnulf is with his clansmen off to the side, skittish guys the whole lot of them. Slowly, I raise my wine to my lips and take a sip.

Dimitri's thick arms band around me, holding me tightly to him. "Da, it did, love. This is how it used to be before Vladimir. All the species interacting and enjoying time together." He bends down and kisses my temple. "We can't fix what was done, but we can make sure it never happens again," he says before he rests his head on top of mine.

"This is how it was always meant to be, little one," my father says, smiling. "I'm glad I've lived long enough to witness it again. We do need to weed out the wicked on the dragon council, but that can wait." Dad raises an eyebrow looking at me. If I'm reading the look right, he wants to personally clean the house with me at his side.

"Let's give everyone some time to enjoy the peace before we go stirring the pot, so to speak," I say with a smile upon my lips. It'll be fun going against the council, especially since none of them can stand against me because of Gallus.

All I get is a nod from my father before he walks off to go find his mate. I didn't think second chance mates existed. Apparently, they do, and dad was lucky enough to get one. It almost makes me wonder if my father was meant to have a harem of his own. It's not uncommon for dragon males to take multiple females for the continuation of their species. My eyes glance around the surroundings, taking in the interactions of those gathered. All of the species of old have arrived and are enjoying themselves.

Eventually, Klaus comes over and steals me away from Dimitri, and brings me over to the dessert table. He takes a tray and loads it up with delicious treats to head over to the table my other mates are already sitting at. Dimitri joins us, as well as all five of my children. I can't help but smile, looking at everyone interacting, finally able to relax. I know historically, these times of peace don't really last. But we will enjoy it for now and make sure that we set everything up so that my children are prepared for whatever may come.

Sometime in the early morning light, the party starts to disperse. I know here in Germany some of the discotek's run till seven a.m. So it does not shock me that Klaus's pack is used to partying well into the next morning. I stifle a yawn and use my hand to cover my mouth. The guys give me a knowing look, and Alaric sweeps me up into his arms and starts to carry me inside.

I'm brought downstairs and into the main sleeping quarters, where we all tend to rest with the babies. My children are already asleep, curled up into a tight ball, snuggling against each other. It doesn't take much for the rest of us to climb in and surround the children, each of us with our hands on one of them. As soon as I'm surrounded by warmth, I quickly fall asleep.

We sleep until early afternoon when we are finally awakened because the littlest ones are hungry. We head upstairs and rejoin the land of the living. My home is filled with some of the local females bringing different trays of assorted foods and leaving them on our center island. Uncharacteristically for me, I go and quickly embrace each of them. At some point in my life, I have to put myself out there and trust those outside my bond.

Over the next several months, we complete my mother's castle's reconstruction and have a grand opening celebration. We were lucky to find out that some of the American Lycans had true mates within Klaus's pack. And the ones that did not match up with those in Klaus's pack matched up with some of the rogues we had rescued. Between the now blended packs, they divided themselves up between the original village and the new one that we had built at the base of the mountain of my mother's castle.

We founded several other small villages en route to my mother's castle for the Dire Wolves from the Americas. We discovered more Dire Wolves in mother Russia and the Netherlands. In light of the discovery of the new packs, I called a pack run. We had a great gathering on the eve of the Wolf Moon and ran as one pack. It was a great hit, and many of those that did not have their true mates found them that night. It was a fantastic event that led to many happy endings.

I stand now on the balcony of what would have been my mother's bedroom. The room has been reconstructed and renovated up to the most current technologies. I look into the Grand Courtyard, watching everyone interact, seeing the joy and elation on everyone's faces. I shall pray to the Goddess above that this time of peace lasts. I don't foresee anything bad on the horizon for once in my life. But in my heart, I know that Goddess forbid something does arise, I have a legion at my side willing to do what is necessary to protect all of those who need protection. We are blessed beyond measure, and I will not let the sacrifice of those who died be forgotten. The north wall that surrounds the castle has been reconstructed. Pallets of blocks were delivered to each of the clans before the wall was built. Instructions were left to carve the name of the loved ones lost on a stone. The finished wall serves as a memorial to all of those who were lost along the way.

Quickly, I head down and into the courtyard to the memorial wall. Nicodeamus is giving a grand speech about the thought behind the construction of the wall. Jayce and Dominik stand at the ready and upon my dad's signal, they pull the ropes. The tarps fall, and all of the names are visible for all to see. Someone apparently took the time to paint the names of the fallen to make them stand out more. The biggest stone bears my mother's name. Hesitantly, I reach out to touch it then notice my sister's and Andre's stones are under my mother's. Tears roll freely down my cheeks as I stand there, touching their names.

"Angel?" Klaus says softly just as he wraps his arms around me. "We put your mom's and sister's ashes behind their name stones. Dimitri had Andre's ashes, so his are there as well." Klaus kisses my cheek before he passes me off to Dimitri. Each of my mates holds and kisses me before passing me off to the next one. We stand in silence, looking at the memorial till my father speaks.

"You have done a wonderful thing with this memorial. It means a lot to your people that the fallen will not be forgotten." Dad smiles at me, and I move to embrace him tightly.

"So many died because of that mad man, and I didn't want them to be lost to history," I say as I lay my head on my father's chest.

"It may take a generation or two before the Lycans are fully trusted again. But I know Klaus and I will do everything within our power to prove that not all Lycans are evil." I peek over at Klaus, and he nods, agreeing with me.

Slowly, I release my father and move to stand with the wall at my back. "We will remember the fallen. Today will be marked as a day to celebrate them from now until the end of time," I say loud enough for those gathered to hear me. Cheers erupt, and instantly, a moment of mourning turns into a celebration.

Change is possible as long as everyone is willing. It doesn't matter if you're a bear, a wolf, dragon, or eagle. All of us are created equal in the Goddesses' eyes. It doesn't matter who you love as long as you love with all your heart.