Chapter 197: Getting Her Wolf Back
Aurora’s POV
The next morning came very quickly. The air in the palace yard felt heavy and dark. From the window of Oliver’s bedroom, I watched the strong warriors stand in straight, quiet lines. In the middle of the stone yard was a big block of wood.
Oliver stood next to me. He wore his dark coat. His face looked hard like stone, but when he looked down at me, his blue eyes grew soft. He reached out and held my hand tightly.
"You don’t have to go out there, Aurora," he said softly. "You can stay inside."
I looked down at the yard, then back at him. "I need to see it end, Oliver. My nightmares started with him. It needs to finish with him."
When we walked out into the yard, everyone went quiet. The warriors bowed their heads as we took our place at the front. A minute later, the heavy iron doors opened with a loud noise. Two guards dragged Alex out.
He looked very weak. His feet dragged in the dirt, and his silver chains made a loud noise. But when they forced him to his knees in front of the wood block, he lifted his head. He looked straight at me. Even though he was about to die, a mean smile came across his bloody face.
"You think you won, Oliver?" Alex shouted so everyone could hear. "You think this human girl can be a real queen? She is broken! She has no wolf!"
Oliver stepped forward. His voice was loud and powerful. "Be quiet."
Alex choked and fell lower under Oliver’s heavy voice. Oliver looked at the executioner and nodded his head once. The big warrior stepped forward. He lifted a heavy silver sword that shone in the morning sun.
Alex got scared. He tried to fight the guards. He looked at my stomach with hate. "I curse that baby! I curse—"
The sword came down.
With a sharp chop, Alex’s head rolled onto the stones. The whole yard went completely silent. The bad man who had stayed in my nightmares for years was gone. The man who killed my mother, my father, and my home was finally dead. Just like that, the darkness was gone from the earth.
Suddenly, I felt a strange feeling deep inside my chest.
It started like a small, warm spark. For many years, since my fourteenth birthday, the memory of that scary night had locked my soul in a dark, quiet cage. But as I looked at Alex on the ground, the cage broke. The old fear cracked wide open.
Aurora... a voice called out in my mind. It was beautiful, wild, and very strong. I am awake.
I gasped as a wave of bright, hot power rushed through my body.
"Aurora?" Oliver’s voice sounded far away. He turned to me quickly, his eyes very wide with shock.
I could not speak. A bright, silver light began to shine from under my skin. The wind blew hard around my dress as my old power unlocked. The pain in my heart was completely gone. I felt so strong. My eyes opened wide, and I knew they were glowing a bright silver color.
A loud, beautiful wolf howl came out of my throat, echoing across the whole land.
The warriors in the yard gasped. They all fell to their knees to honor me. Oliver stared at me, his mouth open in surprise. His own wolf made a happy sound deep in his chest. He reached out and touched my glowing cheek with a shaking hand.
"Your wolf..." Oliver whispered, and his voice sounded happy. "She’s back."
I smiled, and a happy tear ran down my face. I placed my hand over my stomach. I could feel my wolf’s warm, safe power wrapping around our baby.
My wolf stepped forward in my mind, her beautiful silver fur shining. She looked through my eyes at Oliver, and for the first time, her voice boomed inside my head and echoed out into the quiet yard.
Mate, my wolf said, her voice full of pure love and power.
At the exact same time, a deep, heavy roar came from inside Oliver’s chest. His own wolf pushed forward, his eyes flashing a bright, burning blue as he stared at me.
"Mate," Oliver’s wolf growled out loud, making the very ground beneath our feet shake.
The bond between us suddenly snapped into place like a puzzle piece that had been missing for years. A gold and silver thread of light seemed to spark between our chests, burning away any last bit of doubt. The air around us smelled strongly of rain, forest, and sweet vanilla.
Oliver gasped, his hand dropping from my cheek as he took half a step back. His eyes darted from my glowing face down to my stomach, then back to my eyes. He looked completely frozen, his heart beating so fast I could hear it.
"You..." Oliver whispered, his voice shaking with so much emotion. "You are my mate? My true fated mate?"
I smiled through my tears, nodding my head as my wolf wagged her tail inside my mind. "It seems."
"No wonder..." Oliver murmured, a sudden laugh of pure joy breaking from his lips. He stepped back in close, wrapping his massive arms around me and lifting me slightly off the ground. He buried his face in my neck, breathing in my scent deeply. "No wonder I felt that crazy connection the moment I saw you. No wonder I loved you so much from the very start, even when I thought you were just a human girl."
He pulled back just enough to look into my silver eyes, his hands framing my face like I was the most precious thing in the world.
"I loved you without the bond, Aurora," he said, his blue eyes burning with a fierce, beautiful heat. "I chose you when I thought the universe hadn’t given me anyone. But the Moon Goddess knew. She hid you from me until we were both ready. My queen. My mate."
I leaned into his touch, my heart feeling lighter than it ever had in my entire life.
I leaned up on my tiptoes, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. Oliver didn’t wait another second. He bent down and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me with a deep, fierce hunger that made my knees go weak. The golden bond between us flared, sending waves of pure electricity crashing through my veins.
When he finally pulled away, his blue eyes were dark with desire. He slid one large hand under my knees and the other behind my back, trying to lift me up into his arms.
"Oliver, no!" I gasped, gently pushing against his broad shoulders. "Stop, you are not properly healed yet. Your stitches will rip."
"I don’t care about the stitches," Oliver growled softly, a stubborn look on his handsome face. He ignored my weak protests and lifted me up anyway, holding me tight against his chest. "My wolf is awake, my mate is finally whole, and I am carrying my queen back to our room."
I held onto him, my heart racing as he carried me out of the courtyard. The warriors watched in quiet respect as their Alpha King took his mate away. He walked up the stone steps with long, powerful strides, completely ignoring the tight white linens wrapped around his hurt chest.
He kicked his bedroom door open, walked straight over to the large bed, and laid me down gently on the soft mattress. Before I could even catch my breath, Oliver crawled over me, pinning me down under his large, heavy body.
He slammed his lips back onto mine. The kiss was hot, deep, and full of raw passion. His tongue slid into my mouth, claiming me completely, while his hands gripped my waist. My inner wolf roared with joy, demanding more of our mate’s touch. The scent of rain, forest, and my sweet vanilla filled the room, making us both go wild.
Oliver pulled back for a quick second, his hot breath brushing against my lips. "I can’t wait to mark you," he growled, his voice thick and rough. "I want to bite your neck and show the whole world you belong to me."
"I want that too," I whispered, my fingers digging into his thick hair.
"But not now," Oliver said, closing his eyes for a moment to fight for control. "I want it to be special. I want a real ceremony for my true queen. You deserve a perfect mating night."
I looked up at his dark blue eyes, a wicked smile touching my lips. My body was burning, aching for him, and the mate bond was screaming for satisfaction.
"If we can’t mark each other right now, at least we can do something else," I murmured.
I didn’t wait for him to answer. I reached down between our bodies, my fingers finding his zipper and pulling it down with a sharp tug.
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