38. Jayce

CHAPTER 38

Jayce

As I turn to walk out of the room, a sense of purpose propels me forward, my steps steady and determined as I make my way toward the front door. Behind me, I can sense the presence of my brother, Aurora, and Sebastian, their energy palpable as they follow close on my heels.

As we reach the front of the Alpha House, we are joined by the five Dire Wolves from our pack, their forms shifting seamlessly as they fall into step beside us. Together, we form a formidable group, united in our shared mission as we prepare to venture into the depths of the forest.

With a silent nod of acknowledgement, we set off into the woods, the rustling of leaves and the crunch of twigs beneath our feet the only sounds that break the stillness of the morning. The air is alive with anticipation, the scent of pine and earth mingling with the primal energy that surrounds us.

After crossing a few small streams and navigating the winding paths of the forest, we begin to ascend a steep hill, our muscles burning with exertion as we climb higher and higher toward our destination. At last, we reach the cliff's edge, the village below spread out before us like a patchwork quilt.

As we take in the breathtaking vista, Aurora is the first to shift back into her human form, her eyes scanning the horizon with a sense of purpose. And as she turns to look at each of us in turn, a silent understanding passes between us, a shared determination to see our mission through to the end.

"The center house is the only one with a basement of any size. From what my father told me about Strigoi, they tend to nest together and sleep in a pile during the day. The leader will be in the center of the pile. We will systematically search all the outlying houses first before we converge on the center house." We descend upon the town like phantoms, moving silently through the remaining shadows along the edge of the town. Aurora moves directly to the center house and begins to freeze the wood, making it brittle. Dom and I search several houses, finding nothing of interest in any of them. Seven Dire Wolves and Sebastian join Aurora at the center house, which now looks like a giant ice castle. I cannot sense nor find any signs of life anywhere in the compound. As far as we know, the Strigoi have eaten all the bears.

Aurora and Sebastian start moving as one, using their talons to rip the boards off the house. Sometimes, I think it must be nice to be a Lycan and be able to do shit like that. Several moments pass until they have all the walls ripped off the house. The stench of rot and sulfur fill my nose, causing me to sneeze. The Strigoi are definitely down there. Sebastian leaps onto the roof and begins to rip the wood off of the house. Aurora watches closely as Sebastian starts to remove the rooftop. Movement can be heard below the floorboards. Aurora's beast smirks and raises an eyebrow as she cocks her head to listen to the movement. A few of the Dires shift back to human and start to remove the furniture from the house. Dom and I move to flank Aurora's great white Lycan beast as we wait for the last of the roof and furniture to be removed.

Eventually, Sebastian leaps down and lands right next to us. I turn my face to the sun, which is directly overhead. Now is the time to rip up the floorboards. Aurora and Sebastian move as one and begin at the room's outer edges, ripping up the floor. Shrieks and screams can be heard down below as the Strigoi start to panic and try to hide from the sun. The other seven Dire Wolves move into position around the house's perimeter, making sure none try to escape through tunnels. Aurora suddenly stops and tilts her head, listening to something I can't hear.

There might be a child left down there." Aurora is beside herself, thinking about the defenseless little one that could possibly be down there. She also knows it could be a trap to lure her down. Her growls rattle the floorboards as her talons sink back into the wood. Her drive to destroy this house is fueled by her need to find the possible child below. Sebastian joins her in the destruction, and soon, only a three-foot-wide section is left. The scent of ash is thick in the air from the Strigoi, who couldn't get to cover. We all peer down into the basement. About a dozen are left, but no signs of the child.

Plank by plank, Aurora and Sebastian rip up the floor. Off to the side, I notice a small tunnel by the bookshelf. I don't think it's big enough for a Strigoi, but who knows, a small one could possibly make it in there. The last of the planks are removed, and the Strigoi are reduced to ash and bone. I leap down into the basement and approach the tunnel. In the far back is a small bear cub—the last survivor of the bear clan. I whimper at the cub, and it slowly waddles its way out of the tunnel to me. I gently pick it up by the scruff of its neck and leap out of the remains of the basement. Aurora quickly comes to my side, sniffing at the cub. Her shift comes quickly, and my mate takes the cub from me. The little cub rolls onto its back, giving Aurora its belly. She smiles and starts walking.

"Our job is done here. Let's go home." Aurora doesn't even turn to look at us; she continues to walk, carrying her precious cargo. We walk in silence back to the compound following Aurora. We arrive, and Sebastian's mother runs up to Aurora, looking at the cub in her arms. I didn't know cubs could shift that young, to be honest. I know Dire Wolves don't shift until we're at least five years old. Elena attempts to take the cub from Aurora, and she growls at her. I shift back and slowly approach the two of them.

"The cub may be hungry. We should probably take it to the kitchen and feed it." Aurora's mercury orbs land on me, and she gives me a gentle smile. A slight nod of her head sends me into the house before her, opening the doors en route to the kitchen. Before raiding the fridge, I set Aurora and the cub up in her favorite window seat. I make bacon, eggs, and ham for them. I also thin slice some brown trout filet's I found in the bottom of the fridge from Dom's fishing trip yesterday. I carefully arrange the platter and bring it over to Aurora and the cub. I can't help but laugh; Aurora is still naked from her shift and holding a bear cub against her chest, softly singing to it. Definitely not typical Aurora behavior.

Speak of the devil, Dom comes strolling in with a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for me and one of our T-shirts for Aurora. He stops dead, watching her with the cub. I can bet that he and I have the same thought; we can't wait to see Aurora with one of our pups. Dom slides in close to the window seat and offers to hold the cub so Aurora can put the shirt on. She reluctantly hands the cub over and quickly puts the shirt on. Her eyes lock on the tray of food in my hands, and she waves me over. I wiggle a strip of crispy bacon at Aurora, and she lunges forward, biting the bacon strip in half. In the back of my mind, I fear for my cock's safety when she does shit like that. Dom gives me the same look. Yeah, we thought the same thing.

Aurora tears through the platter of food like there's no tomorrow; the only thing left behind is the ham and the fish strips. Aurora makes the give me motion with her hands, and Dom hands the cub back to her. I bring the fish closer, and you can see the cub's nose sniffing the air. He starts making a distress call and tries to scramble toward the food. Aurora makes a soft growl to correct the cub, and it immediately obeys and settles back down on her lap. Strip by strip, Aurora feeds the cub while Dom and I watch.

As I look around the kitchen, something dawns on me. Where is Sebastian? He never detaches himself from Aurora for too long. My eyes scan the area outside the window that overlooks the backyard. Sebastian isn't there either.

I lock eyes with my brother and speak only to him. Where's his royal ass-ness? I know it's not nice to call names, but Sebastian is a royal pain in the ass. Dom looks away for a moment, scanning the room and outside the nearby window.

Not sure. He's been acting rather suspicious lately, Jayce. Ever since he implanted the scale on Aurora, he's been off—even more so than usual . Dom furrows his brows and shrugs his shoulders lightly. I catch the change in Aurora's eye color before she speaks, and I know we're busted.

"Guys, it's not nice to have private conversations in front of others. You know I don't like it." Her eyes lock with ours only for a moment before looking back to the cub in her lap.

"We're just concerned. Sebastian has been acting odd lately —e ven more so than usual." I keep my eyes downcast. I don't want to challenge my love. Dom stays quiet as well, waiting for Aurora to speak again. The cub has fallen asleep on her lap as her fingers gently move through the baby's fur.

"I went to bed naked with him last night, and he didn't even try anything. Something is eating at him, and I don't think it's just the prince. I sent Andre off to investigate Sebastian's bloodline further." Aurora's eyes flicker between mercury and steel-grey. I can tell the subject is bothering her, but at least I wasn't the only one sensing it.

Before I get the chance to continue the conversation, Sebastian decides to stroll into the kitchen like nothing's wrong. He gives Aurora his usual megawatt smile and offers her a single flower. She regards the flower, then gently takes it.

"The baby just fell asleep. You missed all the fun, Bash." He just smirks at Aurora in typical Sebastian fashion before heading to the fridge to grab a beer.

"I bet," is all he says before returning his gaze to his phone and typing away on it. I hear the low grumble from Aurora. I honestly believe, one of these days, she's going to shove that phone so far up his ass the proctologist will call it a lost cause.

"Sebastian? I want dick," Aurora says, so matter-of-fact. His eyes never leave his phone. He mutters something incoherent, sounding almost like "we'll get it at the store" or something along those lines. Aurora shakes her head, scoops up the cub, and walks out the back door.

I can feel her aggravation clear as day through the bond. I'd love to find out what's so fucking important on that phone that would cause Sebastian to start ignoring Aurora. Motioning for Dom to follow me, I step outside into the cool morning air, the familiar sounds of the compound fading into the distance behind us. There's a sense of urgency gnawing at the edges of my consciousness, a feeling that something isn't quite right, but I push it aside for now, focusing instead on the task at hand.

As we walk deeper into the woods, the silence between us hangs heavy in the air, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the distant calls of birds. With each step, the weight of the situation settles upon us, a tangled web of emotions and unanswered questions swirling around in our minds.

But as we continue to navigate the forest in silence, a sense of determination begins to take root within me, a resolve to find out the truth and set things right. For Aurora's sake, and for the sake of our pack, we cannot afford to let this situation spiral out of control.