76. Aurora

CHAPTER 76

Aurora

March-

Alaric circles Klaus's pack lands several times, allowing the babies and I to get a good view of the Black Forest. I scent the different game animals on the wind, and to be honest, I can't wait until I can go hunting. We land in a field not far from camp; Alaric shifts back and dresses quickly in the clothing I offer him.

Our children follow us in their dragon forms as we walk toward the main part of the camp. My eyes fall on the American Lycan pack and the Dire Wolves hanging out in a group by themselves. Jayce and Dominik are speaking with their brother Alex, catching up for lost time. Alex is inspecting their mating marks and smiling broadly, proud of his brothers.

Personally, I'm not comfortable in large groups, so this gathering is making me quite anxious. Alaric senses my uneasiness and wraps an arm around me, pulling me tight to his side as we make our way through the camp.

I spot Klaus surrounded by at least eight females, all of them trying to touch him. Nope. I'm not okay with this. It's cold, and there's snow on the ground, so what I have planned next really won't take too much effort on my part. I tilt my head to the side when I spot one of the Black Dragons nearby, I wiggle my fingers at him and he approaches. I push his sleeve up and place my hand on his forearm.

Now the fun begins. The ground rumbles, and an ice spire erupts out of the ground under Klaus, and elevates him ten feet off the ground. Klaus is basically standing on his very own ice pedestal. I know my eyes have that haunting glow to them; the frost I command coats my hair. I release the Black Dragon male I used for a boost, I really didn't take much from him this time. Alaric is trying to soothe me, and I just give him my best death glare. I tilt my head to the side, looking at the females still clamoring up at my mate. I turn my back to the crowd and shift. Thank the gods, I wore an outfit I wasn't fond of this time.

My beast's mass dwarfs all the Lycans present. I gained mass from Dimitri's Great Bear and more dragon characteristics from Alaric. I'm an almost ten foot tall, just about half-ton hybrid, bent on death and destruction. I click my talons together and shake out my armored dragon scale gauntlets. My snow-white fur and scales almost make me invisible against the wintery background. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch the American Lycans, and the dires flee the scene; they know what's coming next. I focus on the females who are still trying to get Klaus to go down. Dumb bitches don't even realize I'm here yet.

Without warning, I focus the full fury of my Alpha powers on the bitches trying to get to my mate. I'm growling, almost foaming at the mouth from rage. I watch him show them his mating bite from me, and still they try. Slowly, one by one, they turn to face me and start crying. I release my grip on that particular power only to howl my summoning howl, ripping the wolf from every single wolf that can hear my voice. The only beings unaffected are my mates and the very old.

The camp is filled with Lycans of all different shapes and sizes; there's a slight variation in color within the pack. I force the pack to remain as their beasts, and I use the pack link to speak to all of them in their minds. I am Aurora, daughter of Anca Marelup and rightful heir to the Lycan throne. You either stand with me or against me. If you are with me, you have my protection. If you choose to stand against me, you will meet my talons in the pit. Decide now; I will not offer twice. Wolves and Lycans only understand the old rule of only the strong survive . I will battle if I have to; I kind of want to after that long flight. It's been two weeks since my last decapitation. Shit, I sound like I am in a confessional. One by one, the Lycans and other assorted wolves kneel before me. Some hesitate, and I mark their faces in my memory. I will watch those five closely. I share that knowledge with my mates, and they agree to keep a close eye on them.

I release my grip on the pack and return to Alaric's side. Slowly, he removes his fleece and offers it to me. I shift back to my human form and slip on his shirt. I look back at the pack, and here comes Klaus with his mother and grandmother in tow. His mom seems pissed. I guess she wasn't a fan of me forcing the shift to prove who I am. "My Angel, I wish to introduce my mother to you," Klaus says, with so much love and affection.

His mom looks like the type of woman who should be filed under demon-in-law. Damn, that woman makes my resting bitch face look jovial. "Who the fuck do you think you are coming onto my land like this?" Klaus' mother questions without hesitation. My team hears his mom and starts backing away. My own mates start backing away as well. Klaus' grandmother starts cursing at his mother for being disrespectful. Klaus' mother turns quickly and stares down Elsa. "I don't fucking care who this bitch claims to be. She is no Marelup!"

I start that sadistic laugh of mine as I stare at this insolent female before me. I push up the sleeve on Alaric's shirt and shove my family brand in her face. She stares at the brand for several minutes then looks back up at me. By this time, my father is by my side and holds his brand next to mine. It's amazing how quickly someone changes their tune when they realize they are standing before the harbinger of death. Lucky for Klaus's mom, I promised him I wouldn't kill anyone today. I look over to Klaus, and he seems scared of what I may do. "My love, please make with the introductions. I'd like to eat and shower before the festivities." I'm tired and hungry, and trying my best not to lose my shit and kill his mom.

"My angel, this firecracker is my mom, Agnes. Mom, this is my mate, and queen of the Ice Dragons, and future queen of the Lycans, Aurora Marelup." Klaus finishes the introductions and kisses my cheek.

By this time, my remaining three mates flank me. My hatchlings sit at my feet, ready to breathe fire. I extend a hand to Klaus' mother, waiting to see what she does. Slowly, Agnes shows me her brand then grips my forearm. We hold onto each other silently, our grip firm. She attempts to look me in the eyes several times, and she's unable to for more than a few seconds. When she finally gives up and lowers her head, I lunge forward, biting her throat and growl. I wait for complete submission from her. My now extended canines applying pressure, almost to the point of breaking the skin. I hear her wolf whine, and her body goes limp, no sign of struggle or resistance left. I release her then grip her jaw, forcing her to look me in my now-shifted eyes.

"If you ever pull any of that bullshit again, I'll be having your heart for dinner." I let go of her jaw, and she stumbles backward. Promptly, Elsa starts to beat the fuck out of Agnes for her stupidity and disgraceful behavior. I tilt my head several times, watching the entertainment. Softly, I laugh and allow Klaus to lead us to what will be our home, for however long we need.

The Alpha House is impressive with high vaulted ceilings, carved support beams. These people really take pride in their work. I have to admit, it's an impressive sight to see. Fuck, I may reconsider my decision to live in the castle after this. Klaus leads us to the back of the house to a room, I assume, in the master suite. Quickly, Klaus moves past all of us and locks the door. He moves to the bed and reaches under it, hitting a secret button. The bed raises, and there's a stairway leading down into the bowels of the house. Klaus raises one finger and makes the shh motion before heading down the stairs.

Curiosity has definitely gotten the better of me, so I follow. My children race down the stairs into the room below. Ladon starts to breathe fire, lighting up the room for a brief moment. Klaus finally makes it downstairs and turns on the light switch then hits the button to close the hatch above us. "Okay, so sorry about all the spy activity, but I had this constructed for us for when we need time away from everyone. The pack is nosy, very nosy, so I figured this would be awesome for us to have. We have a heated pool, a shower that can comfortably fit three. Oh! The master bed, wait till you see that." Klaus is like a little kid on Christmas morning; he can barely contain his excitement.

Klaus runs over, grabs my hand, and starts dragging me to the back. So I grab Alaric who in turn grabs Jayce, who grabs Dimitri, who finally grabs Dominik. We have literally formed a human chain and are being dragged through the hallways. Finally, we arrive at what Klaus is calling the master bedroom. This room looks like it was built for the sex Olympics. The fucking bed is absolutely mammoth; it can easily sleep all of us no matter what direction we decide to sleep in. There's a fucking massage table in the corner—what he's calling an inversion table. I'm already picturing how I'm going to use these items, and it's not for their intended use. I start rubbing my hands together like one of those cartoon villains.

"Oh shit, that look concerns me, babe. Where has your dirty little mind gotten to already?" Dominik is the first to question me, and I just smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Play your cards right, and you may find out after tonight's celebration." I wink at Dominik, then head towards the showers. "Can someone grab my bags and bring them down here? I don't feel like socializing yet." Truth be told, my beast wants to make sure she has total dominion over all the other wolves, and I just can't allow that to happen yet.

Most of the guys leave except Dominik. I look over my shoulder as I turn on the shower. "Penny for your thoughts, Dom?" I step back under the water, looking at him.

Dominik looks down, and I can tell what he's about to say is really bothering him. "I was so hopeful... I mean... I was happy when we heard you were pregnant. I was happy that either my brother or I had fathered a pup with you." He sighs deeply, then roughly rubs his eyes with his hands and looks up to me. I hate this look; he's in so much pain.

I step out of the water and start to undo the buttons on his shirt, looking at him. I see Alaric is moving to come in to see what was wrong. Through the bond, I reach out to him. Please leave, my love; Dom needs me. He's hurting because he was sure our babies were going to be his or Jayce's.

Alaric's eyebrows shoot up, then understanding flitters across his features. I'll tell the others. Remind him we love him, Alaric says before leaving silently.

"I'm so sorry, Dom. I was honestly sure myself that the baby was either yours or Jayce's until things progressed the way they did." I rise up on my tippy toes and gently kiss his lips.

Shower sex isn't going to fix this. He needs my love and attention. It kind of explains why he's backed off some. I gently remove his belt and free him of his pants and I start pulling him back into the shower stall with me. I sit him on the bench and use the shower wand to get his hair wet before I start to wash his hair.

"Aurora, you don't have to wash me. I'm a big boy, I promise." Dominik smiles up at me. There's that smile I was hoping to see.

"You're right, Dom, I don't have to. I want to. You need my love and attention. You are hurting enough that you told me. I'm sorry I'm a bad mate and didn't see it sooner. The babies are a handful; I can only imagine what your momma went through with you and Jayce." I smile and bop his nose with my finger, leaving bubbles on the tip. I continue to run my nails over his scalp as I work the soap up to a good, thick lather.

Dominik wraps his thick arms around my waist and rests his head against my stomach. "You're not a bad mate; I just handled the news poorly. As for my mother, she's here if you would like to meet her." He looks up at me and I can't help but start to laugh. I am looking down at him between my boobs.

"Hmm, hopefully it's a warmer reception than I got from Klaus's mom. I really wish I didn't promise him I wouldn't kill anyone." I smirk, then grab the shower wand and start to rinse his hair for him. I remove every trace of soap, then I select the conditioner to work into his hair. "I'm just glad we could save your mom from your dad; he was a real douche canoe. I'm sorry, but he really was." After calling his father a name, I wince because that was rather insensitive since we watched my dad killed his.