47. Dominik

CHAPTER 47

Dominik

The next three hours are the longest hours of my life. It gets to the point where we have to stop at a town about fifty miles from the port. Ellis and his group are en route to the village before heading back out to the islands. We found an abandoned farm on the outskirts of the town and set up camp inside the barn. Several pack mates scouted the town beforehand. Apparently, the townspeople head further inland this time of year. Every building and store is devoid of people. Our scouts return with boxes of pasta and rice; you know, the heavy carbs we need for the remaining part of our journey.

A knock sounds at the barn door, and we all fall silent. Dimitri and I move toward the door and open it slightly. Ellis stands at the entrance with about twelve other men behind him. Dimitri gets out of their way, and they all file in, dragging a caribou behind them. Aurora remains in the shadows and watches as the strangers enter the barn. Ellis has another small box in his hand and refuses to hand it to anyone.

"I have a present for the princess from her future mate!" Ellis projects his voice, knowing full well he is being watched.

Klaus keeps his eyes on Aurora as she moves across the barn's rafters above Ellis. She drops down silently behind him, and her eyes are pools of liquid mercury as she stares at him. Aurora lightly taps his shoulder and holds her hand out to him. Ellis almost jumps out of his skin when she touches him. He spins around and leaps back, terror evident on his face.

Once he realizes it's Aurora, he holds the box out for her to take. Aurora gently takes the box from him then leaps back up to the platform—which is about twelve feet off the ground. All eyes are on Aurora as she opens the box. Inside is a hunk of meat and a large canine tooth. I watch Aurora smirk then devour the offered meat.

Aurora steps back out of sight and strips herself of her clothing. She shifts into her beast's form and leaps back down from the platform. The Polar Bear clan quickly backs up after seeing that monster of a Lycan hybrid move toward them. Jayce brings a frightened Ellis up to speed as Aurora examines the caribou. The upper lip of her beast curls up for a moment just before she sinks her canines into the rump of the caribou and uses her talons to cut a hunk off. She drops the chunk of meat into the box and pushes it to Ellis.

"You dragons are fucking freaky. Damn, what happened to chocolates and flowers? But no, y'all send dead things and hunks of flesh. Fuck man... Now, I have to bring this back." Ellis visibly shivers then freezes when Aurora gets in his face. She breathes frost on him—just a light coating—before walking off.

Nico steps forward and says, "I suggest you return her offering to the prince before she gets mad." He looks up to the platform where Aurora sits, still shifted, watching everyone moving around below her. Aurora backs into the shadows, and the glow from her eyes can still be seen. Then suddenly, it disappears.

"That's just fucking freaky." Ellis grabs the box, and he and his men disappear quickly out the barn door. Aurora moves from the shadow, shifts back to her human form, and fully dresses. She looks around and then jumps back down to join the rest of us.

"Silly bears." She shakes her head and giggles, looking back at Dimitri. "You can easily beat their fuzzy asses." We watch Dimitri closely, and his eyes glow the golden hue of his bear, then fade back to his human amber.

Slowly, he nods and smiles broadly at Aurora. She dips her head lightly to him, then moves back to the caribou and rips off a chunk of flesh. According to Ellis, the caribou is a gift from the prince. The fat content of this animal will help sustain our energy. Someone in the back asks what he sent Aurora. "The prince sent me a hunk of walrus. He figured I'd need the extra energy to power my gifts." A soft smile graces her crimson lips, thinking about the thoughtful gift she had received.

Aurora moves around the barn, watching everyone interact and eat. I'm honestly not sure what she's looking for, but something is apparently off to her and she wants to check it out. She stops at another food dump, grabs several protein bars, and starts eating as she moves about.

I look around quickly and—well, I'll be damned—Nico is doing the same damn thing. It's got to be a dragon trait to prowl around and make people uncomfortable. Aurora stops and tilts her head to listen, and Nico does the same thing before moving to the door. Aurora moves to follow, but he raises his hand to stop her. A frustrated growl can be heard from her as she stares at the door, waiting for her father to return. I move forward cautiously and hug her from behind. Aurora sighs softly and leans back against me.

"A dragon landed. I feel that it's the prince. Father doesn't want me out there for some reason." Aurora sighs again and leans a bit more against me. Her heat has just about passed, but that delicious scent still lingers on her flesh. "We need to organize our people. We will depart early in the morning. It's going to be a long, cold walk." Aurora moves away from me and starts to break the groups up. She encourages them to sleep as their animals to keep warm tonight.

Dimitri's Great Bear comes up alongside Aurora and begins to herd her toward the food, encouraging her to eat more. She shakes her head and laughs before jumping on Dimitri's back and riding him around the barn like a horse. I haven't heard her laugh that hard as he starts to swing his head, making his whole body rock.

The barn door pops open and a Viking-looking man stands in the doorway. Nico moves in front of him to stop him from going much further. Aurora is still playing with Dimitri and doesn't notice the prince enter. Aurora leaps off Dimitri's back, and shifts before her paws hit the ground. She charges Dimitri as he rears up and tosses her. Aurora lands on all fours, tail whipping back and forth before her talons dig into the dirt. She launches herself at Dimitri again, but this time her beast rolls his bear and sends him flying. Aurora just threw over a half-ton bear. I watch the prince's jaw drop, and Nico smiles broadly like a proud peacock.

The prince whispers, "Holy fuck," which catches Aurora's attention. She growls as she turns her head to see who spoke. Instantly, her demeanor changes.

Aurora's beast tilts her head left then right, studying the prince from a distance. Dimitri moves alongside her and offers her a robe to wear. She looks down at the offered robe then looks at her talons and whines. She knows her talons will shred the material. Jayce moves forward and takes the robe with him, leading her into one of the stalls so she can shift and get dressed in private. I walk over and introduce myself to Alaric and wait nearby just in case.

Hesitantly, Aurora steps out of the stall with Jayce. I can tell he helped her brush her hair and made her look presentable. As she approaches, her eyes flicker between steel-grey and the liquid mercury of her beast. The prince isn't doing much better as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. When Aurora is about five feet away, she lets loose all the power she could manage to test him. Her alpha power magnified significantly since the last time she unleashed it. Everyone is driven to their knees, including Jayce and me. Only three remain standing: Aurora, Nico, and Alaric. She had to test him and had to test us too, I guess.

Aurora releases her grip on the room and stares at Alaric. He smiles broadly. It's apparent he sees her like we do, like the sun rises and sets because of her. He starts to laugh and moves his hair aside. Weaved into one of his braids is her stark, white braid. Aurora closes the distance, looks up into his eyes, and then reaches slowly up into his hair to touch her braid. I can tell from where I'm standing she is holding her breath, waiting for rejection.

"You, princess, are more than I could have ever dreamed of. I can only hope to be the mate you deserve." He gently takes her hand from his hair, kisses her knuckles, then drops to his knees before her. "I am yours to command. My army is your army; my dragon is yours." He holds her hand as he looks up to her. There's nothing but love there for her. I know in my heart that my brother and I approve.

Aurora first looks to Nico, and he gives her a nod of approval. Then her eyes find both Jayce and me. We smile at her and do matching, sweeping bows. Aurora giggles as she watches our antics. Lastly, her eyes find Dimitri; his opinion means so much to her. He bows his head and raises his fist over his heart. Aurora mimics Dimitri's move, placing her fist over her heart. Out of character for Aurora, she lowers her head to Dimitri then looks up to him. Although shocked, the big guy gives her a shy smile, embarrassed by the level of respect she has just shown him.

Aurora turns slowly and looks down at the prince, who is still kneeling before her. Her slender fingers gently cup his bearded cheeks, threading through the coarse hair. Ever so slowly, she leans down and tenderly kisses his full lips. As she kisses him, the rumble of approval from his dragon makes her smile. They open their eyes simultaneously, and their beasts can look at each other up close.

It is said that when our beasts surface, they can see each other's true form. We are technically one entity, but it's almost an out of body experience when mates meet. The world around them does not exist, and time stands still.

Aurora and Alaric continue to look deeply into each other's eyes. Eventually, Nico decides to move forward and lightly touch Aurora's shoulder. She growls at her father for interrupting her. Aurora's eyes widen in horror at her actions, and she backs away quickly.

"I'm sorry, Alaric. I got lost for a moment." Aurora's eyes dart to her father then back to Alaric. "Will we be safe crossing? Our numbers are few due to the betrayal of the American Lycans." Aurora looks back at the fifty that we brought with us. According to the last message I received, the other two hundred from my birth pack will be arriving in the morning.

"My love, two hundred Dire Wolves will be here by sunrise as requested. We will march with two hundred and fifty at your command." I raise my fist over my heart and bow my head to look at Alaric. "Any suggestions, M'Lord, would be most helpful and appreciated." Alaric looks at the force we travel with and then back to Aurora.

"My mother's people are with us. I am in command of fifty Gold Dragons and another twenty Ice Dragons that are loyal only to me. Ellis has about twenty Polar Bears loyal only to him on the ground." Alaric moves forward and offers his hand to me. "Brothers in arms and bond mates to Aurora, you and your family have my protection." I shake his hand firmly and watch him shake Jayce's hand as well.

"I speak for my birth pack when I say we are grateful for your help and protection." I look to my brother, Jayce, and he's smiling like a fool while looking at the prince. Well, I know who's going to be ogling the new mate together.

Alaric moves forward and hugs Aurora once more, then goes to shake Nico's hand before heading to the door. He pauses in the doorway and looks back at us. "Ellis will let me know when you arrive in the danger zone. My team and I will keep the dragons off of you. Destroy anything that isn't a part of your or Ellis's group. There's a pack of Lycans on the move to the islands. Be careful." He stares at Aurora when he speaks his final words. Surprisingly, she nods and waves at him. As soon as Alaric was out the door, Aurora runs as fast as she can after him. If I know Aurora, she wants to see his dragon. However, Nico blocks Aurora's path.

"No, daughter, not right now. He needs to focus on tomorrow, not you running out into the snow." Aurora growls at her father and walks away, pouting. It's going to be a long night.

We slept in shifts last night just in case of a surprise attack. I wake up the next morning and I can't find Aurora, and I realize that Nico is also missing. Shit, what the fuck did I miss? Jayce is by the fire making the last of the rice and pasta for all of us to eat. I walk over to the barn doors and shove one of them open. About a foot of snow fell last night, which blankets the ground for as far as I can see.

We are now in whiteout conditions. I concentrate and shift my eyes to be like Aurora's. After doing so, I'm able to make out the outline of Nico's dragon and Aurora's animal together. She is standing on top of her father's head, watching the countryside. I turn my attention to where she's looking, and I can make out the outlines of my pack mates on the horizon as they come up from the south. Good, we will be able to leave as planned. I return to the barn and rally the troops. Everyone eats quickly as they wait for the Dire Wolf pack to arrive.