The bone plates in my face start to shift and move. I feel as if my beast is about to break free at any moment. Suddenly, I grab Vladimir’s throat roughly and lift him off the ground, breaking him free from his ice prison. My talons sink swiftly into his flesh. He appears frozen in a state of horror. His eyes are open wide, and his mouth hangs open in a voiceless scream. I watch the color drain from his face as he realizes how deep of shit he is now in.
I feel the rage boiling under my skin as I hold him off the ground, looking into his pale blue eyes. This thief has stolen so much from my family and me. Without hesitation, I throw him away from me towards the center of town and stalk slowly after him. I hear the gasps and whispers of my family around me. Part of me knows this isn’t something my children should bear witness to.
‘Laurel, take the children to the pond to swim.’ I don’t bother to look in her direction, and without hesitation, I hear her gather up my children and feel them leave.
Once I am sure my children are far enough away. I tilt my head to the left, listening to my beast call for the blood of Vladimir.
Rip him to shreds. Tear him limb from limb. Rip his heart out and keep it as a souvenir. Bathe in the blood of our enemy,
my beast says with a growl in my head. A wicked smile plays upon my lips as I shift entirely to that of my hybrid beast.
Vladimir smirks as he attempts to dust himself off. ‘Oooh, I’m so scared of an abomination like you. You’re nothing but a whore’s spawn, a genetic misfire.’ He sneers and waves a hand at me dissmissively.
My family’s voices sound as if they are underwater as my singular focus is on Vladimir and his heartbeat. Movement out of the corner of my eye shows my mates holding my father back. Vladimir is using me to bait him back into battle. I’m mentally shaking my head. Oh no. This asshole’s time has come. I feel my power course through my veins and rise to the surface as the ice begins to form on my fur. An arctic wind begins to blow from behind me, sending small ice shards at Vladimir. I increase the storm’s power in increments; more and more of the shards start to slice and rip at his clothing. The wind howls as its intensity increases, adding to the destructive power of my storm.
Alaric moves to stand behind Vladimir, his hands clamped on his shoulders as my ice has no effect on my mate. He has the same wicked smile on his face as I did a moment ago. From my father’s memories, I pull forth one method he taught me. I remember the torture called Lingchi—the lingering death, otherwise known as death by a thousand cuts. I reach out to Jayce, and he brings me his flannel. My shift back to my human form is slow and painful since my last upgrade. My storm falters for a moment and almost gives Vladimir a chance to attack. Thankfully, Alaric is swift and recaptures him and holds him in place for me.
‘Tsk, tsk, tsk.” I shake my head. “Good try there, Vlad, old boy,’ I say, emphasizing the old part. His eyes narrow on me as I smile sweetly, trying to get on his last nerve before I start the ice storm back up again.
‘You’re a bitch just like your mother was, thinking so highly of yourself. You’re nothing! Not a Lycan, not a dragon.” He motions to his feet. “You’re lower than the shit on the bottom of my shoe.’ Vladimir spits his venomous words at me, yet I remain unaffected.
Tilting my head to the side I say,’I don’t need my beast to kill you; you’re already dead and don’t even know it yet.’ Straightening myself, I look him in the eyes. I raise my hands and ice shards begin to gather and swirl all around me violently. Alaric move! I say through our mental bond.
Suddenly, I throw my hands forward, and the ice storm flies at Vladimir, slicing his flesh like a thousand razor blades. I watch my ice shards rend the flesh from his muscles and down to the bones in places. A mass of vermillion fluid oozes down his body and starts to pool at his feet. I focus on his heartbeat, listening for the moment it begins to falter.
Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub…. Lub-dub. There’s the falter I was waiting for. The ice storm stops almost as quickly as it had started. He’s weak and beginning to sway on his feet. I immediately encase most of him in ice before moving over to him.
My human eyes scan over his remaining features; his blue eyes remind me painfully of my first love. Or what I thought was my first love, Sebastian. If that poor man wasn’t tainted, maybe I wouldn’t have had to kill him. It’s not worth pondering at this point. My mind wanders to Andre, the only mother figure I had. He was my best friend and someone I loved greatly, and he’s dead because of this fucktard before me. My mother, gods rest her soul, died because of his greed and lust for power. My father suffered for over two hundred years because of Vladimir. Dimitri and I could have been together all this fucking time if not for this man’s meddling.
Drain him… Make him die. Make him feel fear and suffering. My beast demands retribution, and I will not deny her any longer.
Vladimir stares at me. ‘You look so much like her… My Anca.’
I feel the ancient power spike in me. How dare Vladimir say my mother was his. ‘By the powers vested in me, by birthright and Gallus,’ my head tilts to the side as I study him, ‘I sentence you, Vladimir, to death eternal.’ I grip his head and shift my hands to my armored gauntlets. My talons sink into his flesh till they scrape his skull. At first, I channel all the pain I’ve felt at every turn throughout my journey. I give him the pain from all of the losses I’ve suffered over the last few years. I pour into him all the pain from never being able to stay in one place, always moving to stay safe. I give him my loneliness that I suffered from being isolated from everyone and everything. Vladimir’s mouth hangs open in a silent scream as he relives all of the horrors of my life.
Casually, I look over my shoulder to my father to see tears rolling down his cheeks. Fuck, I left the bond wide open. Everyone connected to me feels what I am feeling, right at this exact moment. ‘There will be no Elysium for you, Vladimir. I won’t allow it.’ His face is now ghost white, eyes wide, showing pure fear as he feels me starting to pull on his life force. He starts muttering “no” over and over again. His pathetic noes mean nothing to me.
My Force powers begin to manifest and run like streaks of lightning through my long, white hair. Frost starts to coat the earth surrounding where I’m standing, plunging the camp into winter. I see Alaric shift into his dragon and move to sit behind me, helping me drop the temperature further. Vladimir’s body starts to wither slowly before my eyes as I drain his life from him. I pull at each strand of every year, one by one, taking his power into myself.
Oddly enough, I gather as I pull on his mana; he has no special gift. He had absolutely nothing he could have offered my mother beside his seed. This pathetic excuse of a male was never meant to be a mate to my mother ever. There’s not a single thing about him that would have been found worthy. Vladimir stopped making noise a while ago, and his heart has fallen silent. I steal the last fibers of essence from him before releasing my grip on his husk.
Burn him, turn him to ash. Leave nothing behind. He’s not worth remembering, my beast says to me.
Heal father, give mate more years. Make him whole, my beast tells me as I look at my father and Helle. I know what I have to do; I know what I want to do. The question is… Is it possible?
I reach back and touch Alaric’s dragon, then motion to the rest of my family to move back. I click my ignitor and open my mouth, breathing my force weapon upon Vladimir’s husk. I pour all my pain into the weapon at my disposal. He burns till not even ash is left, just a black mark upon the soil. I draw in a deep breath, silencing the weapon in my chest. Jayce comes running over to me and offers me water; I sip slowly from the offered cup, then hand it back. Gently, I kiss his cheek and move to my father next. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Elsa. She knows what I’m about to do because she was the recipient of my prior gift.
‘King Nicodeamus Tepish of the Ice Dragons, I ask you, not as your daughter but as your equal to kneel before me.’ I’m not sure how my father will react to this, but I must try—the power of the ancient pulses through my hair and over the scales of my gauntlets.
My father tilts his head slightly then drops to his knees before me without hesitation. ‘I, Nicodeamus Tepish, kneel before our Sovereign Queen, Aurora Marelup-Kraus, true leader of the Ice Dragon and Lycan packs’.’
I lean forward and press my lips to my father’s forehead. Ever so slowly, I start feeding the stolen life force back into him. In my mind’s eye, I reach out and grab hold of his dragon’s form. I focus a majority of the power on my father’s dragon. Being mythical creatures, things work differently for them. Gallus taught me the extent of his power as well as my own. As Gallus had done for me, I am doing for my father. I focus my love and my intention on his dragon. We remain locked for what must seem like forever to everyone else. For me, it was but a blink of an eye. A light coating of frost remains on my father’s whole body when I pull away. I offer my hands to him to assist him in standing. He rises to his feet, looking at me curiously. I didn’t reverse time for him as much as I would have liked. I gave him a better gift than years, I almost can’t wait to tell him.
‘Helle, would you come here, please?’ I extend my hand to my father’s mate. I don’t have much left for her but I can at least give her something. Helle comes to me quickly and grips my hands tightly.
‘Yes, Aurora?’ She beams up at me; the joy and love in this woman’s eyes almost erases the hell I relived today.
‘I need you to relax and trust me.’ I smile as I look down at her. The minute she nods, I press my lips to her forehead. I shift my gauntlets back to my human hands. And ever so gently, I place them on her face and slowly drag them down to her jaw. Next, I run my fingers through her hair, rejuvenating it too. I wish I could do more, but unfortunately, I used most of the stolen mana on my father. I feel the last of the stolen energy leave me, and I stand up straight, looking at Helle. She could easily be confused for an older sibling to her sons than their mother. I release her hands and look back over at my father.
‘Hey, dad?’ I smirk knowingly. ‘Would you mind shifting? I want to see if what I tried worked.’ Nicodeamus looks at me curiously, then moves away and shifts, shredding his clothing. His dragon stands tall and proud; everything is status quo till he spreads his wings. I may not have been able to give him back his leg, but I was able to give him back the skies. His great dragon turns his head and looks at his wings, then roars happily. He takes off into the air, and Alaric joins him for his first flight since my mother’s death. At least Vladimir was good for something.
I look back to my mates after watching my father fly for a little while. Once they are done, we need to return to the castle and finish up there. The guys nod at me, agreeing with my plans I shared with them through our bond. Out of nowhere, Helle hug-tackles me, crying. ‘Thank you, daughter, for this wonderful gift!’
Helle kisses both of my cheeks, still hugging the life out of me. I smile down at her before I kiss her forehead. ‘No need to thank me. I love you both, and I would walk through the fires of hell itself to see my father happy again.’ I look back to the skies, watching my father riding the thermals.
‘My family, I’ve prepared dinner for everyone, figuring that you would be hungry upon your return,’ Helle says, smiling, looking at each of us expectantly.
My father and mate both land not far from the Alpha House. I look from Helle, who announced dinner, then to the direction that Alaric and Nicodeamus will be coming from. I’m not used to eating someone’s cooking. Still, I doubt that this meal is any threat. After all, this is the woman who gave birth to two of my mates. Now she’s my father’s mate. Part of me is scared of eating something that my mates have not caught, but the other part of me accepts the fact that I need to move on and accept that not everyone is trying to kill me all the time.
Watching Helle and her sons interact, I’ll be honest… I’m jealous. I wish I knew what it was like to have a mom. It’s one luxury that even being a princess, now queen, I was not granted. My eyes drift to my children, and I smile at them, knowing that they are the future. Every day I strive to be the mother that I wish I had growing up with. I went to war to ensure that my children would never have to live in the hell that I have for over two hundred years.
Carefully, I bend down and pick up my daughter, Tiamat, holding her to my chest. Her tiny dragoness purrs happily, being reunited with me. I missed my babies. From this day forward, we will never be separated again. My son’s dragon sits at my feet, rubbing his scaled face against my leg. I understand his reasons for not wanting to shift to his human form. He wishes he could have been on the battlefield fighting next to me, cleansing my mother’s castle. One day my boy will be a formidable warrior. I will make sure that he and my daughter can defend themselves against anything.
Once my father and mate have rejoined us, we enter the house and sit for dinner. I must lead by example when it comes to my children, even though it scares me. Alaric looks at me then looks towards the door, questioning if I need him to hunt. Gently, I shake my head no; I must learn to trust. It’s beyond my comprehension that my father’s mate would dare cause me any harm, so she is the first one whose food I shall eat. Hesitantly, I reach out with the serving fork and take portions from several of the bowls in front of me.
Silence falls at the breakfast table as my mates watch me fill my plate. Anxiety rolls off each of them to different degrees. I fill two more plates, offering one to my daughter and then put the second on the floor for my son, who still refuses to shift. I take my first fork full of the sausage that Helle made fresh today. Out of habit, I give it a quick sniff before biting into it. I swear I’ve developed a form of anxiety when it comes to eating. My nerves are on edge as I chew the sausage.
Everyone watches me expectantly to see how I react. Through the bond, they sense my anxiety; they sense that I’m on edge and fearful that something still may happen. I finish off the sausage and take a sip of my wine; so far, so good. I smile at my new stepmom and lightly incline my head to her. ‘I can tell from the taste of this that the sausage was made fresh today. It’s still full of flavor.’ Hesitantly, I look down. ‘I’ll be frank with you; eating cooked food scares me.’ I lower my head slightly, having admitted to being afraid of something.
A few moments later, lithe hands rest upon my shoulders, and I hear Helle’s wolf whine. Turning my head, I face her and nuzzle her cheek, trying to settle her wolf. Honestly, I’m not sure which of us needs comfort more. Helle needs my acceptance because I’m Nicodeamus’s daughter. Me? I need to know I’m safe in her presence. Helle’s fingers thread through my hair, and my beast rumbles in response. Is this what having a mother is like? I freeze in my movements, unsure of what’s happening. ‘Shh, baby girl, you’re safe,’ Helle whispers to me.
Hearing her words, I start to cry, finally able to release all of the pain I’ve held within all these years. I am no longer alone. My father’s mate is acting like the mom I never truly had towards me. Gently, I nuzzle her throat and press my forehead to shoulder. Quickly, I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her tightly to me. Taking a leap of faith, I roll my head all the way back, offering my throat to Helle. Her breath hitches when she sees what I have done. Gently, I feel her place her lips over my vein before she nuzzles my neck. At this moment in time, I am assured that I can trust her with my life.
Carefully, I bring my head back down and press my lips to Helle’s cheek. Drawing in a deep breath, I inhale and memorize her scent. My eyes slowly drift around the room to each of my mates in turn. They have no idea what I’m contemplating doing. I need to forge a bond with this woman to be able to find her if need be. My eyes shift to that of my beast, and I pull back to look at her.
Carefully, I lock down my alpha powers so that eye contact with me doesn’t drive her to her knees. My beast calls to her wolf and brings her close to the surface. In the back of our minds, there’s an understanding that comes between the two of us. I observe Helle rolling her head to the opposite side of where my father’s mating mark is. She exposes her bare shoulder in full submission to me. Without hesitation, I take the bulk of her trapezius muscle in my mouth. Quickly, my canines descend, sinking into her flesh, sending the sharp tang of coppery blood into my mouth. I roll my neck to the side, hopefully exposing a bare spot to her. Tentatively Helle bites my neck in return but not as large of a bite as I did. We taste each other’s blood, and I feel a familial bond snap into place with her. From this day forward, she will have my protection without question.
Gently, I release her muscle making sure not to rip her tender flesh. Slowly, I cleanse the wound, licking it, making sure that it seals properly. Tenderly and lovingly, I press a kiss to her temple before standing up and walking away from her. My wound still sits wide open and bleeding, and I’m okay with that. I move over to my father and place the bridge of my nose under his chin seeking his approval. My father bands his strong arm around me, holding me tightly to his chest. His joy floods the familial bond making my heart swell with happiness.
For the first time, I hear my father’s voice tremble with emotion. ‘Thank you.’
Honestly, I don’t understand why he’s thanking me. Drawing back slowly, I look up into my father’s tear-filled eyes and raise a single brow. ‘Why, Daddy? I don’t understand.’ His gratitude absolutely puzzles me. My actions shouldn’t require thanks. I only did what I felt was the right thing to do in my heart. Inquisitively, I tilt my head left, then right, then straighten it back up again, trying to figure out what my father means.
Gently, he raises his hand and caresses my cheek before he presses his lips against my forehead. ‘I know trust is hard-earned with you.’ His eyes drift to his mate, then over to my mates, and back to me again. ‘Too many times your trust has been betrayed. If I am to be so bold as to speak frankly, you don’t exactly have the best track record with other females.’ His eyes drift, yet again, to his mate and then back to me. ‘To forge a familial bond without prompting speaks volumes to me.’ Again, my father kisses my forehead and then backs away.
His actions puzzle me even further as I watch him move around to each of my mates. He lightly touches each of their foreheads with his hand. Upon contact, a light sheen of frost coats their skin. Their eyes shift to that of their individual animals as they look up to my father. I’m not exactly sure what’s occurring right now, but it must be a big deal. Alaric smiles and bows his head deeply to my father. He’s the only one that my father presses his forehead to initially. Maybe it’s a dragon thing; perhaps it’s an alpha thing. I’m not one hundred percent sure as to why Alaric is receiving special treatment.
‘Father, why is Alaric different from my other mates?’ My beast shifts underneath my flesh. She’s uncomfortable with the thought that one of my mates is held to higher standards than the others.
A broad smile crosses over my father’s lips as he coats Alaric in frost. ‘Daughter, it is quite simple. I accepted them through Alaric into the swarm.’ One by one, I watch my father go and touch each of my mates, forehead to forehead before he returns to face me. ‘I needed an anchor, something or someone that they all had in common. Besides you, that anchor is Alaric.’ Casually, father motions back to my mates. ‘Goddess forbid anything ever happens to you; instead of perishing from grief, they are now bound together.’ He tilts his head slightly as he watches me, knowing that this is a touchy subject. ‘They will be able to survive after your passing with or without hatchlings.’
Softly I sigh, having the gravity of the situation finally hit me. I know personally, I wouldn’t want to survive if I lost my mates tomorrow. In reality, there are too many other lives that count on us and our survival to protect them. This has now become greater than just our little family. We have so many species that have aligned themselves with us that look to us for guidance and protection. As much as passing on when our loved ones leave us would ease our pain, it would cause far worse pain for those that we leave behind.
The wisdom I find and my father’s logic warms my heart that he can think that far into the future. There are so many fractured souls that have been damaged and or enslaved under Vladimir’s reign that it will take years for us to help heal them. That is if they can be treated and rehabilitated. ‘Thank you for your counsel, Father, your wisdom and forethought are much needed in the dark days ahead.’
Slowly, I approach Arnulf and reach to his right side and draw his sword from his scabbard. Gently, I place a kiss on his temple before walking back over to my father. ‘Please kneel before me.’ I observe my father lower himself to the floor to kneel in front of me. Gently, I tap each of his shoulders with the sword’s broadside, essentially knighting him.
‘Nicodeamus Tepish, old King of the Ice Dragon Court, I Aurora, Queen of the Ice Dragons and the Lycans, grant you sovereignty over the foundlings.’ The sword rests on his left shoulder as I speak. ‘I grant you the position of high council as an advisor to the crown of both the dragon and the wolven clans.’ Carefully, I move and rest the sword on his right shoulder. ‘I give you dominion over my people. To rule in my place in times where I am unable to, for whatever reason that may be,’ I state clearly with my full Alpha power behind my words.
The bonds between my dragons and my wolves are wide open. That way, everyone hears my words and sees through my eyes my actions on this day. I have secured my father’s place in power for the rest of his days for the generations to come. Goddess forbid anything should happen to myself or my mates, he will be able to take over and protect those who are weaker than ourselves. He will be the one to determine which of my children will be the rightful rulers of each of the clans and the swarm. My eyes lovingly gaze over each of my mates, knowing full well that they are with me on this decision.
‘Nicodeamus, rise and stand before me.’ Once he stands, I kiss both of my father’s cheeks, then I step back to admire him. ‘Rule well, Father, as I know you were meant to do.’
My eyes gaze back to my mates, and I smile sweetly at them. For now, we must retire and sleep for tomorrow; we all return to the castle of my origin. We will finish cleansing the land and heal it from the damage that Vladimir had done. From tomorrow forward, it will no longer be known as the Marelup Castle. It will be known as the Castle of Wolves. I will give it to whomever of my wolven children is deemed to be best suited to rule over both the Dire Wolves and the Lycan packs. I will not show favoritism when it comes to any of my children that are born. The rightful seat of power is stated as by blood. My Lycan daughter should be the one to preside over the Castle of Wolves according to the bloodline. Should I not birth a daughter, whichever of my Dire Wolf daughters, if I have any who are suited to rule, then they shall inherit the title. I pass this edict without hesitation. Everyone within the different pack links, and through my bond with my dragons hears my words clearly. There is an understanding that passes between all of us through me. My words are spoken without question, my authority is accepted without argument.
Tonight, we rest; tomorrow, we fly. Through the link with the rest of my people that are still at the castle, I give them a list of things that they need to accomplish tonight before bed. Nothing major, just enough to secure their safety throughout the night until I return tomorrow. I motion to my mates and then lightly bow my head to my father.
‘Good night, Father. Good night, Mother. Tomorrow is the dawning of a new era. Sleep well and go in peace,’ I say as gently as possible just before departing to retire for the night.
