58. Aurora

CHAPTER 58

Aurora

December-

We leisurely stroll through the halls, looking at art and listening to the local gossip. Apparently, the servants are singing my praises for putting Ulrick in his place.

We finally find the throne room, and I move towards it. Dominik and Jayce both start growling immediately, which halts me in my tracks. Sebastian comes strolling out from behind the throne, missing half of his left arm. Gee, I wonder how that happened? I should have taken his heart instead.

"Is it mine?" Sebastian asks, looking at my elaborate dress that emphasizes the small curve of my growing belly. He attempts to move closer, Dominik and Jayce immediately move in front of me. My Dire Wolf mate's hackles stand on end as their heads lower into attack mode. I can see the venom dripping from Jayce's canines, I look at Dominik, and I can visibly see the tension in his coiled muscles.

Dimitri is the only one that appears to be completely calm. Dimitri moves to wrap his thick arm around my middle, opening his hand wide, and palms my belly, covering it completely. "It's not your's, you dumb fuck, it's mine," Dimitri growls and bares his teeth. I witness his canines descend while his eyes take on the amber-gold color of his bear. It's the first time he's shown any possession over me; I'm getting wet just thinking about it.

Dimitri's proclamation visibly shakes Sebastian to the core. I can see the white-blue of his wolf's eyes glowing from where he stands on the steps leading up to the throne. "If he charges, he's mine. I'm going to provoke him a bit more first." I speak through the bond so that everyone knows what's going on. I rest my hands on Dominik and Jayce simultaneously, silently telling them to move to the side. I turn my head and kiss Dimitri on the lips passionately. Sebastian's growl is unmistakable. At this point, I'm pretty sure I've got him.

Sebastian starts to clap and sarcastically say, "Bravo!" over and over. I break away from Dimitri and look at Sebastian. "All you had to do was give me an heir, then the Lycan throne would have been mine. But no, you had to send Andre to investigate all the elder families. You signed his death-warrant that day." I feel scales emerge along my spine and ripple from my hairline base down to my tailbone. My stomach twists in knots, listening to Sebastian, thinking about Andre and how he died. Shot down like common prey instead of face to face like men. Sebastian drones on, eventually snapping me out of my inner monologue. "It's your fault, really, that he's dead. Poor bastard trusted the wrong people." Sebastian slowly strolls down the stairs, enunciating every word spoken. He's smart enough to remain out of my physical strike zone, that cocky grin I used to find sexy now grates on my nerves. "If you haven't connected the dots, Aurora, I killed Andre."

I shift my eyes to that of my beast. I focus on the area behind the throne while Dominik and Jayce scan the rest of the room. Sebastian has at least four others behind a secret passageway behind the throne. I reach out to my father and inform him as to what's happening. He, in turn, learns from Alaric how to access that area from a different room. "I figured you did. Let's face it, you and your witch of a mother got too comfortable and sloppy." I start to laugh as I lean back against Dimitri's broad chest. Slowly, I close my eyes and open the bond wide so that all of my mates hear everything.

"By some miracle, I ended up being sent, by Vlad's sister,"—I hold up one taloned finger—"to his other sister, who just so happens to have a son." I hold up a second taloned finger, counting off the facts. "Elena purposely spiked my tea then sent three genetic rejects and you to meet me." After raising the third finger, I shake my head and then raise it to look at Sebastian again. My steel-grey eyes lock on him; I'm starting to enjoy this way too much.

"Of course, the first Strigoi attack I experience is with your pack. Coincidence? I think not." A fourth finger is raised. "Then, there was your cousin's attempt on my life and two different females, one of which was probably your true mate." I raise a fifth finger, then lower one, counting now up to six. "Oh, and don't get me started on the Strigoi camp stationed not far from your pack." I lower another finger now up to seven. My eyes move between Jayce and Dominik then back to Sebastian.

"Your greed robbed us both of our Lycan's true mates." Smirking, I look down for a moment then smile broadly as I look back at Sebastian. "Well, actually, just you. I found mine. You've been reduced to a feather-light ghost in the back of my mind." A maniacal laugh escapes my crimson lips. "Hell, I probably killed your true mate at your camp." I flex my taloned fingers that I had used to count with before resting the tip of a talon on my chin. "I wonder which bitch it was?" I narrow my eyes on him; his grief-stricken reaction tells me that he's more attached than I am. This is handy information.

I slightly pull away from Dimitri and rest my hand on his side where Sebastian had touched the blade to his ribcage. "What's the one thing I've always said, Sebastian?" I turn to face him and slowly prowl towards him—my ample breasts struggling to break free of my heart-shaped gown top. I step more towards his left side, stopping within my striking distance. Under the sleeves of my beautiful gown, I calmly flex my hands, itching to sink my talons into his flesh. I look up to Sebastian adoringly, all the while plotting his death that's seconds away.

Hesitantly, he raises his hand and rubs the back of his knuckles along my jaw. His touch repulses me to the point my stomach starts to turn sour. I keep telling myself, just a few more seconds. "Care to remind me, beautiful?" He leans in slowly, and just before his lips touch mine, I lunge forward and drive my talons up into his stomach, continuing up into his chest. I feel that all too familiar tearing of flesh and the sliding of scales over intestines. The muscle that separates the abdomen and rib cage really isn't that strong and easily grants passage to his vital organs. The rhythmic beating of his heart in my hand is soothing. Small pulses of blood run down my inner forearm as I look up into his shocked eyes. His lungs slowly expand, touching my sharp, bladed scales. I know every breath he takes is shredding his lungs to pieces. I give his heart a bit of a squeeze to emphasize the dire situation he's currently in.

Quite literally, I have his heart in my hand. I quickly take my left hand and cut his right hand off, then grip his throat—the dripping of his blood echoes in the silent throne room. His blood has managed to ruin my pretty gown, and it's sprayed all over the throne room floors. Sebastian is gasping for breath as I slowly apply pressure to his heart. I feel when Alaric and Klaus use the bond to watch through my eyes. "Sebastian, tsk tsk tsk... My golden rule hasn't ever changed. Never fuck with those under my protection and never threaten what's mine !" As I scream the final word, I rip down, pulling his still-beating heart free from his chest. His blood runs slowly between the spaces of my scales. My left-hand moves quickly as I use my talons to sever his head from his body. In a very "300" style move, I kick his chest, sending his body to the floor in a pool of his own blood.

I bend my knees and pick up Sebastian's head with my free hand and turn to Dimitri. Drawing in a deep breath, I stare at Sebastian's head, his admission of killing Andre echoing in my head. My eyes then look at Sebastian's heart in my bloody talons, the quivering mass of smooth muscle still twitching randomly. I'm finally free of his false echo, and I've managed to avenge one of the people I've loved most. Without hesitation, I close the distance between Dimitri and me. Tears are streaming down my cheeks because of what I need to say next. "I want you to have these. Our Andre has been avenged." I swallow hard; I'm all choked up with emotions I can't easily process on my own. I hold Sebastian's head and heart in my now human hands offering them to Dimitri.

Dimitri accepts my gifts then kisses me softly, his lips lingering on mine. "He would be very proud of you right now. He would also be proud that you kept your promise to him when you set him free." Dimitri reluctantly moves over to one of the closest tables and sets down Sebastian's head and heart. He wipes his hands on his pants and then comes over to me, smiling ever so softly. His thick arms slowly band around me, holding me tight and flush to his chest. I feel his lips lightly press against my temple before resting his cheek on top of my head. We stay like this for what seems like hours when in reality, only several minutes pass. We hear the sliding of stone, and the smell of burned flesh hits us. My father emerges from behind the throne, four heads in his hand dangling by their hair. He chucks the heads towards the table where Sebastian's head now rests.

"It's about bloody time that wanker finally got what he deserved," My father says with almost too jovial of a tone for someone who has just finished killing four assassins. He smiles at Dimitri and me and gives us a slight wave before herding the twins out of the room. Dimitri and I can't help but laugh as we watch my father herding two large male Dire Wolves out of the room.

Dimitri gently cups my cheek, and I raise my gaze to look at him. Lightly, he kisses my lips, then smiles. "I have always loved you, Aurora. Regrettably, I'm just not ready yet to take the next step. As much as my bear wants me to, mentally, I'm having a hard time getting over being your guardian all these years. I hope you understand that it has nothing to do with you; it's my own hang-ups. Nico is right, it's all mental with me."

I listen ever so carefully to every word that comes out of Dimitri's mouth. He's speaking honestly and from the heart. I value that. I guess in my heart, I always knew he would end up being mine someday. My wolf isn't a crazy bitch after all. Since the ascension, my instincts are sharper, my emotions run deeper, and to have him be by my side for the rest of my life would be my greatest treasure. Treasure? Now I'm genuinely speaking like a dragon. Maybe my dragon side is much stronger than I initially believed?

"Dimitri. You have always been my rock, my strength, and as frightening as it sounds, my sanity," I say as I take both of his hands in mine and look up to him. "Without you, I probably would have gone on many more bloody rampages. Let's face it, neither one of us knew what we were dealing with when it came to me." Tilting my head to the left, I feel my cheeks flush under his intense gaze. "I'm the first of my kind, a true hybrid of two powerful species. Some days I don't even know what to do with myself." I release my grip on his hands and slide them up my face and into my hair. "The instincts that both creatures have are sometimes at war with each other."

I remove my hands from my hair and snuggle back in close, hugging him around his waistline, resting my head on his chest. "You will always be the one who I come to for comfort, for protection, for shelter." I lift my head up to look into his hazel eyes. "But you also have to understand each of the others have their own qualities that I need to seek out as well. You know I hold none above the other. But you do have an advantage over the others. You've been with me since day one; you've seen me at my best, and well, at my worst."

I smirk and start to laugh ever so softly. "We've cleaned up some real fucked-up messes together over the years. Like the intestine Christmas tree decorations. I'm still not too sure what to make of that, really. I remember Dad said it had something to do with the ascension, the internal wars that my dual natures had amongst themselves, struggling for power." I shrug my shoulders. "But I honestly can't blame either of them for what happened. They were protecting what was theirs. If those two assholes didn't interfere when they did," a soft growl escapes my lips. "We would have been together all this time uninterrupted, and you would have been the first mate." Tears roll down my face as I make the admission to him. I see tears form in the corner of my Great Bear's eyes. The huge softy is feeling how I feel at this moment, that we were both robbed of precious time. I swear to myself and to the others that are with me, I shall seek out my vengeance. Elena is next on my hit list, and trust me, once my child is born she will have limited days left. I have a very good feeling as to where I may find her. For now, though, I will not expose my suspicions. I don't want to panic the others.

In a rather romantic move, even for this Great Bear of mine, he scoops me up in his arms and carries me to the dining hall. The rest of my mates still here in the castle are already sitting at the table waiting for me. Each piece of meat put on the table is closely examined by my father and the twins. No one is taking any chances of anything getting to me that can harm the baby or me. I guess I'm not the only one whose instincts have been kicked up a notch by the impending birth of my heir. Dominik's phone pings with several messages in rapid succession. Silence falls over the dining hall as we look at him, waiting for him to finish reading all the messages.

"According to Alex, there has been a lot of movement at the American Lycan camp. A good number of the Lycans have started to head their way down to our home. They are seeking refuge in case of retaliation by either the Strigoi or Sebastian's family." Dom looks up briefly before returning to the messages. "I told him to vet each individual thoroughly before allowing them into the compound. We need our forces as strong as possible for the next leg of this journey. I don't think the American Lycans will be able to hold up against the Strigoi. Still, at least the extra numbers will bolster our ground defense," Dominik states before he fires back several more messages to his brother and receives two more back just as quickly. "Okay, Alex says that he will look into everything and everyone. He allows them to set up camp in the desert instead of letting them into the heart of the fortress. He doesn't want them in there on the off chance anyone decides to cause a coup."

As I listen carefully to what Dominik is telling me, I look over at my father then to Dimitri, seeing as both of them have more experience when it comes to wartime. They both gave me a slight nod, and I look back to Dominik. "Tell Alex that his plan is solid, and I appreciate him being so cautious with our people. When we reach the German Lycan camp, I will send for them. Keep up the training, and don't let anybody slack off; the war is coming faster than we think." I go back to eating my leg of lamb that I've had sitting in front of me for the last ten minutes. I'm starving, tired, and there's way too much shit to get done. Nobody ever said being a queen would be easy, nor would it be easy to wage and win a war. My boys are taking excellent care of me, making sure my drink is full, as well as my plate, and that everything I need is within reach. We missed the Krampus celebrations in Germany at the beginning of the month; I'm really disappointed about that. Right now, we are setting up for Christmas that is only three days away. Father receives word that Alaric and Klaus have acquired Klaus's grandmother and are on their way back with a good headwind. I should see them within the next two hours. I watch as the servants move around the room, changing the decorations to get ready for the holiday. I'm kind of upset I didn't get to go shopping for my mates, but I carry the greatest gift of all right now.