37. Jayce

CHAPTER 37

Jayce

It frightens me to think my pack mates would turn against Aurora. The way she decided to handle the traitor was something my father would have done. However, there is one huge difference: he wouldn't have shown mercy and ended it quickly.

I'm not sure how the mate bond thing is supposed to work. Is Aurora supposed to gain a unique ability—a gift—from each of us or just each species? Personally, I know I've gotten stronger and faster since we've mated.

My phone dings, and it's a text from Alex. He's just as upset as I am over the betrayal. The three in question will get beheaded tonight. Alex also tells me the prince received Aurora's gifts, and he asks me to gather the others before he sends the video over to her. It will be the first time she gets to see him. Part of me is scared. I'm not afraid of losing my place in the pack, but I'm so frightened of having a pure-blooded dragon in the bond. What if he has a bad temper? What if his bad temper makes Aurora's worse? So many questions bounce around in my head as I enter the main sitting room to find my other bond mates.

"Aurora, love, Alex has forwarded a video for you." Aurora scrunches her nose and tilts her head to the side as she studies me.

"Please cast it to the smart TV, Jayce," Aurora says. Sebastian turns the TV on and sets it up to receive. I send the video to the TV, and we watch as it pans from the vast white of the tundra to the mouth of a cavern. A blonde man is standing inside; if I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was a Viking. He's easily three hundred to three hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. His hair is a light, golden blonde and hangs down past his shoulders. His face is rather rugged, complete with a full beard and mustache. Aurora is so focused on the video she barely notices Sebastian picking her up to sit on his lap.

Dom and I share a look and watch as Alaric receives Aurora's box. You can clearly feel the anxiety through the bond when he starts cutting the top open. Alaric slowly removes the popcorn and stops dead, looking at the box's contents. He reaches in and pulls out the braid of hair she had stuffed in there. Sebastian turns to me and mouths, When did she do that? I shake my head at him. If he had been paying attention to our mate and not his phone, he would know when she did it.

Alaric brings the braid to his nose and sniffs it. His eyes become the gold of his dragon, slit and all. I know the look of recognition, and that was it. Aurora has gotten quite antsy in Sebastian's lap as she waits to see what Alaric thinks of the skull. A black man—I believe his name is Ellis—steps into the frame and reaches into the box. He pulls out the Wendigo skull and holds it out to Alaric. I can tell the moment Aurora starts to hold her breath. Her heart rate picks up, and her scales begin to ripple up and down her arms.

Alaric's eyes lock on the skull, then the silver-white scale that Aurora placed on top. Alaric rubs the back of his hands across his eyes, wiping away tears. Ever so gently, he takes the scale from the skull and sniffs it. His right hand comes up quickly, and he cuts into his own flesh. Ellis freaks out and runs back behind the camera. Alaric pushes the fleshy side of Aurora's scale into his wound, and Ellis zooms in on how quickly the flesh knits around the scale.

Alaric gasps and whispers, "I can feel her."

As soon as he says he can feel her, Aurora's hand moves to touch his scale in time with him touching hers. It's times like this I wish Nico was here to explain exactly what the hell is going on. We watch the remainder of the video in silence. Alaric turns to the camera and smiles.

"My princess," he places his hand flat on Aurora's scale over his heart, "I am yours to command. I have gathered forces beyond my father's reach. We will take back what is rightfully yours. By my blood, I swear this to you." He draws in a deep breath as his eyes flicker between human and dragon. "To the first mates of our princess, we will be brothers in arms. We will fight for her and protect her together." His flattened palm turns into a fist against his chest, signifying the difference in his promises. "Dream of me? Aurora?" Alaric smiles one last time and winks at the camera before the video cuts off. All eyes are locked on Aurora, waiting to see her reaction to his video.

"Holy shit, he's hot!" comes from behind us. All of our heads whip around to find Sebastian's mother, Elena, fanning herself in the doorway. "Hot damn, baby girl, that's a mountain of a man that's pledged himself to you. A dragon's word is worth its weight in gold. Don't forget his mate bond and offered scale. He's yours for life." Elena casually walks into the room and flops into the recliner opposite Aurora and Sebastian. Aurora's cheeks are cherry red, and Sebastian looks like he wants to kill something.

"Elena? I have questions. The wolf's mate bond seems to be much different than the dragon's." I figured I'd ask since I believe I'm the only one not threatened by Alaric's arrival on the scene.

"Jayce, to be honest, there's not a lot that's different between the two species when it comes to choosing a mate. It's exactly the same by sight and scent. To a dragon, its mate is its greatest treasure. A dragon's hoard means nothing to them once they find their mate." Elena draws in a deep breath before beginning again. "Unlike wolves, there is no bite needed to forge the bond. Dragons offer a scale, a piece of themselves to their mate. That, and a skull, of course." Elena looks down to her phone, briefly types on it, then looks back up.

"Unlike wolves, dragons cannot live without their mate, except if there's a hatchling. The remaining mate lives only for that hatchling. Like wolves, dragons only get one shot at a true mate." Elena's phone pings again, and we watch her eyes scan the message. Her fingers fly over the screen before she looks up. "Nico needs to explain a bit of history to everyone. We need to cast his video up on the big screen TV."I take the phone from Elena and pair it with the TV. Carefully, I balance the phone under the TV so Nico can see us. I hit dial and connect the call.

"What do you mean it's on video, you giant furball! All of them won't fit on this tiny screen." Watching how animated Nico can get is quite comical. In the background, you can hear Dimitri tell Nico to look at his phone. "Oh! Hi! Umm, okay, so congratulations, Aurora, on gaining your dragon mate. Sebastian, stop being a grumpy ass! I see the faces you're making behind my daughter!" As soon as the words leave Nico's mouth, Elena gets up and slaps Sebastian on the back of his head. The growl that comes from Elena is enough to straighten him out quickly.

"Thanks, love," Nico says before clearing his voice to continue. "You probably have a ton of questions. I've been answering them the best I can by messaging Elena. The past was a dark time—a lot of magic and mystery. The alpha Vladimir was an evil, evil man." Nico looks down as he gathers his thoughts.

"He possessed blood mages and kept the Strigoi on a leash. He used blood magic to subdue your mother's mates to have us all castrated. If it wasn't for Andre's spy network and Dimitri's quick thinking, you wouldn't be here." Nico reaches up to wipe a stray tear from his eye. "Rumors spread a while back that Vladimir still lives. I'll be honest, I didn't check his body before I set your mother's body on fire. I also didn't get to watch the whole thing burn to ash." He ponders that thought for a few minutes, then looks back to the phone again.

"Elena, use your contacts with the European Lycans and see what they can find out. We need to be prepared for everything." Elena nods and leaves the room, heading off to make her phone calls.

"Anything else we need to know, Nico?" I ask as I watch my brother and Sebastian take notes. Only Aurora seems disturbed by the information.

Nico watches Aurora closely before speaking. "My beautiful, powerful daughter. Elena was correct when she said a dragon cannot live without its mate. You die, so will Alaric. Your wolven mates will be left behind to wish for death. You are a special case, and I'm not sure what will happen to you if one of your mates die." Nico's sadness is apparent as he speaks to Aurora. All I can do is move to Aurora's side and run my fingers through her hair. I feel my eyes turn wolven as I stare at Sebastian. He's not even trying to comfort Aurora.

"What the fuck is your problem, man! Can't you see our mate is in pain! Can you get over yourself for five fucking minutes?" I reach down to take Aurora from Sebastian and pass her off to Dom. It's interesting to see my larger twin shocked by my actions. I'm not a fighter, nor am I even a beta, but our mate needs us, and Sebastian is being a self-absorbed jerk. Sebastian stands and goes toe to toe with me, looking down at me like I'm nothing.

"What the fuck do you think you're going to do to me, omega? You're weak and soft and can't fight your way out of a paper bag." Sebastian's sky blue eyes turn the white-blue of his wolf. I know I'm in trouble, but I won't back down. He's trying to use his power to dominate me. For once, it doesn't feel oppressive like it usually would. I hear Nico in the background start to laugh.

"It's about bloody time Jayce stood up for himself. Good for you, lad, good for you!" Nico is proud of me? Wow.

While I'm distracted, Sebastian takes this opportunity to strike. He grabs me by my shoulders and attempts to throw me. I squat down like Dimitri taught me and grab hold of Sebastian's forearms and use his momentum against him. I pivot and whip my body to the side, sending Sebastian off balance and onto the floor. I shift quickly and grab him by the throat. I hold him there, growling until I feel Aurora's fingers threading through my fur.

"Sebastian, love, what have I told you about picking on the other mates?" Aurora's power is oppressive as she speaks. Sebastian is squirming under me, trying to escape. "Jayce, love, please release Sebastian. I believe you made your point that he cannot pick on you anymore." I release Sebastian as asked. When I look up, I see Elena in the doorway with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her son's actions disappoint and hurt her. I let out a huff of a breath and stand next to my twin. I don't bother shifting back. I don't want to talk to anyone at the moment.

"When did he get so fucking strong?" Sebastian is pissed off that I put him down. You know what? I can't wait for the dragon to get here and beat his bully ass. Aurora slaps Sebastian across the face to get him to stop.

"What the actual fuck did I tell you about fighting with the other mates? I'm really disappointed in you, Sebastian. You're starting to act like my mother's Lycan mate. I swear to the gods, you even start going down that road, and I will fucking rip your throat out my fucking self!" Aurora is screaming and crying at the same time. This really isn't a safe state for her to be in. I look back at Nico on the screen, and he shoos me toward her. I place my muzzle under her hand and lift up, so her hand rests on my head. I gently place the weight of my wolven body against her hip, trying to comfort her.

Nico's voice booms through the speakers. "You have a village to liberate. Get your heads out of your collective asses and go free the remaining bears." We turn as one and nod. Nico is right; we got off task and forgot what had to be done.