Chapter 04

"Aurora"

In a searing kiss, Lucian claimed Aurora's lips. Their bodies seemed to have a will of their own. Aurora threw herself into her destined mate's arms, returning the kiss with passion — and what a kiss it was! Then they pulled apart, gasping for air.

"That was..." Lucian tried to speak.

"Wonderful?"

"A mistake! I shouldn't have done that! We... This... can never happen again." Lucian's words hit Aurora like a bucket of ice water, and he walked out of the room.

Once again, an immense sadness engulfed the young woman and her wolf.

"He's fighting the bond because he doesn't want us," Kyra said, heartbroken.

Aurora spent the entire day working. She couldn't bring herself to eat, weighed down by the sorrow she felt. That had been her first kiss, and he... He had ruined it. As always.

She needed to get out, to run, to try to calm her thoughts. Her mind was spinning — all because of an arrogant, idiotic Alpha!

After letting Berta know she was going for a walk, the young woman headed into the forest. Everything seemed peaceful. Tears began to roll down her lovely face. During the walk, Aurora let the feelings she'd kept bottled up all day flow freely. She didn't want anyone to see her crying and then bombard her with questions.

When she spotted a massive tree by the river, she approached it, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and took off her clothes. Then she tried to reach her wolf.

"I don't know what to do."

"Just relax, Aurora. Think of me — I'll handle the rest."

Aurora tried to calm her mind, listening to the sound of the river, feeling her soul settle. She thought of Kyra, and how beautiful she must be.

Suddenly, she felt her bones cracking, as though they were breaking. A terrible pain seized her entire body.

"Aghh! I can't take this!" Aurora screamed in agony.

"You can do it — think of me!" Kyra encouraged her human half.

Aurora's nails began to lengthen, along with her nose — a snout, terrifyingly! She could see it all reflected in the river. Her vision turned red. She started hearing every kind of sound — insects, people talking in the distance, a baby crying.

"My head! I can't take it!"

"You're going to make it, Aurora. Almost there!" Kyra urged.

The young girl squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to lose her mind from the pain and the infernal noise. And then — the pain stopped. Aurora was able to control what she heard, filtering everything down to the sound of the water.

"Open your eyes, Aurora! This is me — your wolf!"

She opened her eyes slowly, seeing her reflection in the river. She now had paws, and...

"By the Goddess! You're magnificent, Kyra!" Aurora said in awe, gazing at her wolf.

Kyra's fur was white as snow, her eyes as blue as Aurora's. Their vision was no longer red — they could see colors vividly.

"What do you say we go for a run!"

"That's all I want right now! Be free, Kyra!"

Kyra burst into a sprint through the forest at incredible speed. A rush of joy, freedom, and relief washed over them both. All they wanted now was to be free!

After running to their hearts' content, they returned to the tree where Aurora had left her clothes. Shifting back to human form, the claws gave way to hands and feet, and the fur vanished. She dressed and headed back to her prison — the pack house.

Some distance away, Lucian was thinking about the kiss while watching his warriors at the training grounds...

"I couldn't control myself when I was close to Aurora. Those red lips, those blue eyes — they made me lose my head. She's incredibly beautiful! It would be so much easier if she were at least a Beta's daughter." Lucian thought, his gaze distant.

He tried to keep himself busy the entire week, training with his warriors, but it was useless.

"Lucian, is everything okay? You seem a bit tense. Is something wrong? Why are you being so hard on the warriors? Is there a threat near our pack?" Mason asked, noticing his Alpha's mind was elsewhere.

"Nothing's wrong, Mason. I'm just testing the warriors. We don't know what could happen — what if we were attacked right now? Everyone must be ready to defend the pack."

"Alpha, Alpha Deimon and his daughter Yasminy just passed through the gates," one of the guards reported through the mind-link.

"Copy that. Elder Wolf will handle everything. I'll be there to receive them shortly."

After an exhausting afternoon, the Alpha returned to the pack house. He entered his room, catching the scent of his destined mate. That kiss...

"I have to forget about that girl! She's not fit to be my Luna!" Lucian whispered to himself.

"Don't say that! Aurora is perfect to be our Luna! Can't you see how beautiful, kind, and—" His wolf tried to speak, but the Alpha silenced him.

"Quiet, Max! Everything you're feeling is because of the bond. Aurora Colton means nothing to me!"

"Can't you see you're hurting our mate? If you keep this up—"

"Quiet! I didn't ask for your opinion! The she-wolf who will be our Luna is waiting for us in the dining hall."

"Yasminy? No! She's nothing like our Aurora! Don't do something this insane, Lucian! I don't want her!"

"You're not in control, Max!"

Lucian showered, still replaying the kiss between him and Aurora. To make matters worse, Max wouldn't stop tormenting him. He needed to do something about it.

After discussing some pack matters over dinner, the Alpha invited Yasminy for a private conversation, and she had the brilliant idea of strolling through the garden.

"Alpha Lucian, to what do I owe the honor of this conversation?"

"Yasminy, you know that... I never found my mate, and the same has been true for you. My pack needs a Luna. What I'm trying to say is... Will you be my mate and Luna of the Stellar Pack?" Lucian said bluntly.

"By the Goddess! Of course! I accept!" Yasminy exclaimed, and then caught Lucian off guard with a kiss.

Meanwhile, nearby, Aurora was trying to calm her thoughts, sitting in the garden.

Rumors about Alpha Deimon and his daughter's arrival had spread everywhere. Still, Aurora couldn't stop thinking about the kiss Lucian had given her. He seemed to feel something, but he didn't want her as his mate. It was maddening.

The young woman was sitting beside a tree, gazing at the stars, when she heard two people approaching.

Lucian and Yasminy stopped near the tree. Kyra stirred, catching her mate's scent, and then... those words that left his mouth... She couldn't believe it! How could he say he hadn't found his mate and then ask another woman to be his Luna!

In a surge of emotion, Aurora leapt to her feet, placing herself directly in front of the couple. All she saw was red. She was burning for revenge. Her greatest desire in that moment was to rip the head off the she-wolf who was kissing her mate!

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