57. Aurora

CHAPTER 57

Aurora

December-

Formalities suck. I look down, and the slight dome of my stomach is visible, and ornate gemstones emphasize its presence. I roll my eyes, thinking that Alaric has done this on purpose. Next, the handmaids help me slip into the thick, caribou, floor-length coat. I notice hand sewn wolves and dragons adorn the length of the baby-soft leather. The fur on the inside is super soft and very warm. The handmaids then give me riding gloves and special fur-lined boots. A small satchel is handed to me, containing my dress shoes for when we arrive. I return my crown back into its velvet pouch and slip it in with my shoes. An arctic fox hat is given to me, and I clip the chin strap in place. Once I am fully dressed for the journey, the handmaids lead me outside to a great field filled with dragons as far as the eye can see.

I don't need any assistance spotting my mate among the other dragons. His horns reach high above his head. I gently reach inside my coat and rub his scale. The minute I touch it, his great head whips around to look at me. I remain where I am, not wanting to venture out into the snow and the ice in my human form for fear of injury. I spot my father sitting in front of Alaric's wings in a notch between his spines. Nicodeamus looks almost as excited as I do about this flight.

Alaric's great dragon stops before me and lays down flat on the ground. Dimitri and Dominik rush over to my side to help me get onto Alaric's back. I'm not that far along, I don't think, but then again, I'm not sure when I got pregnant. With the aid of Alaric's wing and the steadying hands of Dominik and Dimitri, I take my place behind Alaric's crown of horns. I look back and wave at my father before patting Alaric's neck. I reach out to him through our bond. I'm ready, my love. Let's fly!

His response through the bond is almost immediate. As you wish! Alaric says, filled with love and his own excitement. My silly mate is quoting one of my favorite movies of all time. I giggle softly and grip the horn closest to me as I feel his dragon rock a bit as he stands. Once standing, he roars, sending the Black Dragons into the air first as our guards. When he feels the moment is safe enough, he leaps up, launching us into the sky. I hear my father, Nicodeamus, screaming his excitement and joy into the afternoon sky. Your father seems to be quite pleased, my love. Are you happy as well? Is the baby ok? Alaric asks, happy yet concerned for our well-being.

We are well, love. No nausea and no discomfort. As for my father, you've given him the gift of flight again . I laugh a bit through the bond. You do realize you are going to be his favorite after this? I state as I try not to laugh. Poor Alaric doesn't know how badly my father yearned to be sky-bound again. I can feel his dragon jiggle a bit as if laughing to himself.

I look at all the other dragons flying around us in formation. It's truly a beautiful sight to behold. I watch a myriad of colors move around us as we fly. We have a good tailwind, and the dragons get to glide on the thermals more often than not so as not to expend excessive energy. We fly over small villages and mountain ranges. It's amazing how far one can see from up here. I try not to move too much so I don't distract Alaric. His dragon occasionally makes noises, and the four Black Dragons with us turn in unison so Alaric can show me the sights he wants me to see on our trip.

The palace's spires can be seen in the distance, nestled in the cliff face of one of the tallest mountains. There is no access except if you can fly or be carried up there by the looks of it. Strategically, it's probably the safest place for me to birth the next heir. First, the boys and I have to make our presence known within dragon society. I watch the palace and see a contingent of dragons fly out toward us. I feel quite anxious. My beast wants us to shift and be ready.

Alaric reaches out to me to try to calm me. It's normal protocol, love. Please calm down. We mustn't appear hostile. I can't fight with you and the baby on my back. I will not risk you two. Alaric's voice is pleading. At his urging, I settle down and rest my hand on my stomach. Fuck, it feels like the fucking thing has grown. Maybe it's just the way that I'm sitting. Nope, I'm pretty fucking sure it's bigger. Fuck my life. How the fuck am I supposed to battle like this?

Alaric roars out several times and banks to his left, showing his cargo to the incoming dragons. I raise my arm and show off my brand, the mark of the House of Marelup. I know the dragons have phenomenal vision, so I know they see it. What appears to be the leader roars at us, then turns back to the palace. Great move, love, showing off your brand. Apparently, Sebastian sent word ahead that an imposter was going to be here to kill them off. Alaric has a bit of a laugh to his voice. The dumb fuck is here somewhere in the castle. Apparently, he has an Earl's protection for his visit. This should be interesting, Alaric says, still laughing mentally. I'm not finding it funny at all. I'm fucking pregnant and getting fucking huge, and now my psycho ex-mate is here. I'm going to use his intestines for garland.

Alaric lands in the central courtyard, and I don't budge till my guys come to get me. Alaric keeps his head held up high and remains standing till our close-knit group gets to us. I'm already on edge knowing Sebastian is here somewhere in this fucking maze of a castle. I'll kill the motherfucker for what he did. After what feels like forever, the guys finally make it over to us. Dimitri and Klaus are the ones to help me down most of the way, and I'm handed off to Dominik and Jayce. Jayce has decided to shift to his Dire Wolf form because he feels he can better protect me that way. I'll be honest, I do feel better with one of the twins as their wolf. Jayce presses his muzzle against my stomach, and he makes me laugh. I run my fingers through his fur and rest my hand on his shoulders as we walk. Alaric and my father flank my left and right side. Dimitri takes point, while Klaus and Dominik bring up the rear protecting our backs.

I have put my crown back on my head, as well as the dress shoes that were given to me before we departed. I pass off the bag of extra riding gear to Klaus's brother to hold for me. We arrive at the palace's double doors, and a fat, balding man with a sash and medals meets us at the door. "Your Highnesses, I am Ulrick, Duke of the southern province. I welcome you to the Ice Dragon castle." He bows quite stiffly. Every move he makes, I analyze the fuck out of it. My estimation is he's hiding something, and he's protecting Sebastian. My resting bitch face is perfect, nothing is betrayed. Alaric steps forward and introduces us to the Earl. The Earl's eyes widen as he looks at me. He recognizes the crown, and he acknowledges my name and father. I don't bother moving from Jayce's side, nor do I try to extend my hand for the Earl to kiss. On the flight over, my father educated me on how my great-grandmother used to be. I am emulating her the best that I can—the I don't give a fuck game is strong with this one.

Once inside the castle, Jayce growls lowly in the back of his throat. I speak to him through the bond. What is it, love? I run my fingers through his fur, trying to calm him down.

I scent Sebastian, he's not far away. I gently pat Jayce's back once he finishes speaking to me.

I know, I smell him too, I reply to him through the bond, allowing Alaric, Dominik, and now Klaus in on the conversation. Klaus looks at me, shocked that he just heard me. Dominik goes on to explain to Klaus about the bond and how it all works.

We continue through the halls and are led to a suite similar to the one we shared at the Chalet. Dominik strips and shifts to his Dire Wolf; he and Jayce search the rooms making sure they are safe and secure. "Is this truly necessary?" the Earl states in a rather uppity tone.

Oh, fuck no, I'm not having this. I motion to my guys, and they move to stand beside me. Jayce and Dominik flank my sides as I stare at the Earl. "Kneel," I say—it's the first word I have spoken since my arrival.

The Earl starts laughing at my request. "Me? Kneel? To you? Ha! You're just a mutt that won't last a day on the throne." The Earl keeps laughing as I slowly remove the flight coat, passing it to Dimitri.

I unbutton the top of my sleeves so that they fall to hang loosely at my side. I smile and wink at Alaric before looking back to the Earl. "You have been weighed and measured." I shake my head at him and shift my arms to my armored gauntlets. Thick, pearl-white scales cover my arms from elbow to fingertips; my nails turning into long, thick, curved, white dragon talons. My eyes shift to my beast's mercury orbs with the black dragon slits; small, pearl-white dragon scales decorate around my eyes and down the bridge of my nose. "You are Earl no more." I unleash the full weight of my Alpha power, making the Earl crash to his knees before me. I hear several people fall and glass shatter.

"I'm not the one who needs to worry about surviving with me on the throne. My mother was Anca. My great-grandmother, the Blood Queen. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to, you insolent whelp? You want to call me a mutt?" My upper lip curls up to expose my canines that have descended. "For a pure-blood, you're too inbred to remain in power. I now strip you and your family of title and lands." With a flourish of my hand, I curl my fingers in so that I can examine my talons before looking back up at the Earl. "If you're not careful, your skull will join my collection." Alaric comes up to my side and kisses my cheek. I slowly release my grip on my power, reining it back in. Ulrick is ghost white as he looks at my partially shifted form. Alaric stands beside me, his arms shifted to look exactly like mine. We present a unified front. Ulrick starts begging for forgiveness: apparently, Sebastian had gotten to him first and fed him lies. Oh yes, I will be hunting Sebastian down real soon.

Dimitri ejects Ulrick from the suite. As soon as the door closes, I shift back to fully human and almost collapse from exertion. The boys grab hold of me and move me to the big bed. Alaric and Nicodeamus leave the room, seeking out food and drink for me. Jayce and Dominik, in their wolven forms, lie on either side of me, keeping me warm and safe so the others can move about and unpack.

I see the worry on Dimitri's and Klaus's faces as they look at my semi weakened state. I gently rub the small swell of my stomach as I ponder the events of our arrival. There are several things I know that are true. First, my ex is here spreading lies and sowing the seeds of fear among the ranks. Second, he wouldn't be here of his own volition; he's definitely not smart enough to target this place on his own. Third, my strength is directly tied to how well I'm being fed while carrying my baby. It's been about a week and a half since I enjoyed the twins during my heat, and less than a week after it was Alaric. Any of the three of them could be the father; the big difference is the gestation length. The door opens suddenly with Alaric and Nicodeamus carrying trays of food. Katherine and Alaric's sister, Sabine, enter the room behind the guys. It's the first time I've seen Alaric's sister in her human form. She's beautiful and is almost a carbon copy of her mother.

Dominik and Jayce start to growl at Sabine, she's someone new to them, and I'm not feeling well. My father and Alaric set the spread for me to eat at the table in the middle of the room. Jayce and Dominik move their large wolven bodies, assisting me to the chair at the head of the table. They flank my side, watching the room very closely. "What brings you to my chambers, Katherine?" I ask before sniffing the leg of lamb several times before biting into it.

"We wish to check on the child you carry. Rumors have it that it's very powerful," Katherine states with a hopeful look in her eyes. I narrow my eyes as I look at her. A deep, rumbling growl escapes my lips as the tabletop begins to freeze before me.

I look between the guys, shifting my eyes to that of my beast, and really look at Katherine and Sabine. I don't see anything out of the ordinary with them. I reach out through the mate bond to the guys. Alaric, I know it's your mom and sister, but their interest concerns me greatly; I'm not comfortable with them being here. What are everyone else's thoughts? I leave it as an open question to the group. Maybe I'm just paranoid, or perhaps I'm onto something?

The twins chime in together almost precisely at the same time. We trust your instincts: if you say something is wrong, then we believe you. Both guys' wolves nuzzle me at the same time, emphasizing their stance.

I can tell that Klaus is struggling with trying to use the bond since it is not fully cemented in place. I extend my hand to him—direct contact will allow the connection to flow much easier for him. Gently, Klaus takes my hand in his much larger one. My grandmother is a very experienced midwife, perhaps we can send for her? The other guys nod in agreement with Klaus's suggestion.

Alaric, love, please take some guards and Klaus back to his pack. Gather his grandmother and whatever she feels she needs to take care of me. For all intents and purposes, I must not appear weak at any time. My mates nod at me, and I look to Dimitri. "Care to escort me around the castle while Alaric is busy?" I manage to gorge myself on enough food that I feel my strength returning in full. I carefully re-button my sleeves then extend a hand to Dimitri. He places my hand on this thick forearm and allows me to use him to steady myself. "As for my child, Katherine, its power is none of your concern. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself right along with Ulrick."