49. Dimitri

CHAPTER 49

Dimitri

I know the level of betrayal that she and Nicodeamus feels runs bone-deep. I don't know if there's anything I can do to help her deal with everything. As a young pup, when she would get stressed, I used to give her rides on my bear and purposely toss her and roll around with her. I start to laugh a little as I think about that memory. Aurora gives me a strange look because I'm almost laughing my balls off in the middle of a serious discussion.

"Aurora, do you remember when you were a little girl, and you would get upset or stressed out over what was going on around you? What would I do?" Aurora slowly stands up, looks around the room, and then snatches a drumstick off Jayce's plate and begins to pace. I can tell she's now searching her memory for all the crazy, little things I used to do just to make her smile. I can also tell the moment she figures out the answer to my question. Her smile slowly broadens, her eyes light up, and she looks almost ethereal.

"That's an easy one, D. You used to sit there and tickle the hell out of me. When that didn't work, you would shift to your bear and roll around on the floor with me, tossing me in the air with your paws." A melodic giggle escapes her lips as she looks deeply into my eyes, reliving the memory. "Or you'd lay down so I could climb onto your back and grab onto your fur, and we would go running through the forest while Andre would scream at us to slow down." Aurora is almost laughing hysterically. Slowly, she turns to look over at Nicodeamus. She smiles and sits down next to her dad, snuggling into his left side, still very protective of him.

"Dad, Dimitri deserves, like, national honors for dealing with me. My mood swings alone deserve hazard pay. I was stubborn and pig-headed and probably a royal pain in his ass." I try not to laugh as Aurora perfectly sums up her childhood for her father. "I definitely didn't make their lives easy, nor did I even attempt to. I had all this speed, strength, and agility, and I just wanted to go. Poor Andre. I'm surprised he still had hair when you saw him last. That poor man would be terrified and frantically searching for me while I clawed halfway up a tree, staring down at him and trying not to laugh."

Aurora's gaze lands on me as she smiles and points at me. "Damn, Dimitri and his sneaky bear with his sense of smell would find me every flipping time. I know one thing, between those two, I learned how to hide, I learned how to evade, and I learned that you cannot trick a bear's nose for anything." The way she is smiling at me makes me feel like the king of the world—like the sun rose and set around me for once in my life.

It's moments like this when I hope and pray that Nicodeamus is right and she's really mine. She has me so elevated upon a pedestal, it's like I can do no wrong. I've loved that girl since she was born, and I love her still, though it's changed. The rest of the guys are watching me as I smile like a lovesick pup.

Of course, while we're all jovial and laughing, remembering the past, Ellis gets a text message. The message is from Alaric, who informs us the German Lycan pack was attacked. Everyone survived except for the alpha. Klaus and his brother Kaden are so distraught that both of them want to go back to their birth pack to keep everything under control. Shortly after Alaric's text message, Klaus's phone starts ringing. He answers quickly and receives a report from his younger brother about the attack. Klaus gives detailed directions to his younger brother as to what to do. He decides to video chat with his brother, so it's projected for his entire pack to see. He reassures them that all will be well and he is on a mission of utmost importance to return the last living Lycan heir to the throne.

Aurora chooses this time to stand up and take the phone from Klaus, and she looks down at the phone itself. Aurora slowly raises her right arm to show his pack that she bears the royal house's mark. You can hear the chatter erupting on the other side with shouts of joy and excitement. They all begin to rally behind her, pledging their undying loyalty to her and to the remaining people of her house. Aurora stands perfectly straight, shoulders back, looking like the future queen she is. She addresses the pack in their native tongue, reassuring them she has the drive and ability to regain her mother's throne.

She looks up and scans those who are assembled before her. Aurora gives them a nod and acknowledges her forces before addressing the Lycan pack. She tells them she will be returning to the throne, she will remain in the castle after the war is over, and she will reunite all the packs and call them home. Then she issues an open-ended invitation to anybody who wishes to challenge her upon her arrival on Romanian soil.

No one dares to speak. Aurora watches the Lycans drop to their knees and lower their heads, submitting to her. Aurora lets them know she's going to hand the phone back to Klaus, and she allows him to handle the daily duties in her place. Slowly, Aurora walks back over to Klaus and hands him the phone. Aurora gives him a kiss on the cheek and tells him she's sorry for his loss. She creeps back over to where Dom and Jayce are, and she sits between them and starts to eat.

Her drive for vengeance has been stoked, and the fire is burning much brighter than it was before. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And I am damn sure Aurora is going to rain hell on Earth upon those who stand against her.

Nicodeamus chooses this time to speak with Aurora about the weaknesses of each dragon species. We all listen carefully, making mental notes of where would do the most damage—with hits that we may or may not be able to rain down on them. Let's face it, dragons are a hundred times larger than any of us, except for maybe Nicodeamus.

I can see the gears turning behind Aurora's eyes as she starts to contemplate what her father's telling her. She tilts her head to the left then back to the right again. She scoots closer to her father and stares him right in his eyes, grabbing his hand with both of hers. Both of their eyes become that of their beasts. We can tell they're having a deep conversation, privy only to them. The way they are sitting stock still, barely even blinking, we can tell whatever is passing between them is of vital importance. The tension in the air starts to increase as the moments tick by. Nicodeamus is the first to break off.

"I am not a fan of this idea, baby girl. But if the opportunity presents itself, I will be more than happy to assist you in making it happen." Nicodeamus, like Aurora, does tilt his head left then right after he finishes speaking to assess whether his answer was enough. I decide to question them since his response makes no sense to me.

"M'Lord, what do you mean? What opportunity are you speaking of?" You know that look somebody gets when they are absolutely up to no good? Well, right now, Nicodeamus looks like the cat that swallowed the canary. That's usually the look he gets when something really reckless is about to happen.

"Well, I'm kind of happy you asked because it'll be much easier to explain it now than during battle. My crazy-ass daughter wants me to launch her into the air using my wing. That way she can sink her talons into a dragon flying overhead and rip out its throat. Honestly, from a logical standpoint, it should work perfectly. My only concern is the landing." I'm really starting to hate how Nicodeamus says everything so matter-of-fact when it has to deal with life or death.

Thankfully, Dom speaks up next and takes the words right out of my mouth. "Hold up, you mean to say you're going to send Aurora flying through the air to sink her talons into a dragon's hide? Then, we have to be concerned about her getting to the ground safely after she kills the dragon? Just fucking wonderful!" Dom throws his hands up into the air and begins to pace.

I look over at his brother, Jayce, and he is a ball of nerves. He's definitely very anxious about the possibility of his mate getting injured. Ellis is going back and forth, shaking his head no while saying, "Aww hell no, that bitch is crazy," under his breath.

I've decided that I'm in the middle of some sort of crazy rom-com that's gone horribly wrong. Aurora has lost her mind, and her father's not far behind her. Her two Dire Wolf mates are the only ones making any sense. The poor Polar Bear is beside himself. And I'm sitting over here, thinking what the actual fuck just happened?

I know Aurora can be reckless at times, but this absolutely takes the bloody cake. How does she expect to get to the ground without killing herself? I mean, seriously, these dragons are what, ten to twenty thousand feet in the air when they're flying? Even if she gets lucky and one swoops down close enough for her to launch at it, Who's to say he's not going to gain altitude to try to shake her off?

Between Aurora and her father, once they have their mind set on something, it's virtually impossible to get them to change their course. Tomorrow is going to be a shit show. If we make it out of this in one fucking piece, I will be absolutely amazed. For now, I have to try to figure out a way to talk some sense into that girl before she ends up becoming a dirt torpedo.

Klaus walks over, listening to Aurora and her father discussing ideas for her to become a Lycan projectile. Poor Klaus ends up face-palming and starts shaking his head in disbelief at the lunacy he's listening to. I really can't blame him right now. I'm still pondering how the fuck I got myself into this shit. I've lived almost two hundred years—past what my species should have lived. And now I'm probably going to die because the princess lost her mind.

Aurora runs over to the fire pit, grabs a few charcoal pieces that have cooled, and then heads over to the cavern wall. She starts drawing pictures of flying dragons, her father on the ground, little circles and stick figures that are supposed to be us, and then a giant smiley face flying up toward the dragon. I thought her homicidal tendencies were kind of frightening, but this absolutely takes the cake. She explains that when the timing is right she's going to run toward her father, he's going to lower his wing, she's going to stand on his wingtip, and he's going to launch her into the air like a frisbee. I really can't see this working; no way, no how.

But if I start thinking a little bit left field with this, I can almost see it working. Shit, just like that, I'm beginning to see the brilliance in her insanity. Both of her mates are attempting to talk her out of her hair-brained scheme, but it ain't going to happen. We'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. Hopefully, she stays in one piece, and we can all go home happy little campers.