Chapter Twleve

Aurora POV

I watch as my mother walks further into the room and takes her seat by the window. I can already see the judgement in her eyes. She doesn’t look at me right away, just smooths a wrinkle from her dress like that’s more important than whatever conversation we're about to have.

“Did Killian not tell you?” she asks, her voice is sharp.

I open my mouth to answer, but the words won’t come. My throat is tight, and all I can feel is the echo of his hands on my skin, the way his breath stuttered against my mouth, the heat that’s still low in my stomach. I glance around the room, searching for something to focus on, something safe, but there’s nothing here that doesn’t remind me of him.

“Aurora, he was supposed to come in and tell you the wedding, the mating, everything is canceled.”

I nod slowly, although I'm not sure if she sees. “He did,” I whisper.

“Then why haven’t you showered or left this room yet?” Her voice is full of irritation now. I look at her, and her gaze is sharp and cold.

“He knocked and said it through the door,” I answer quickly. “I just wanted some time to process it.”

Sighing heavily like I'm the inconvenience she stands. I watch her hand moves across her sleeve this time, like she's brushing something off her.

Me, I'm that something that she's trying to brush off her. “Well, move now. Your brothers room needs cleaning before he arrives. He’s back today.”

“He’s not my brother,” I snap, feeling annoyed.

She turns and narrows her eyes. “Killian is my husband. He claimed me. Cain is his son, which makes him my son and your brother.”

I let out a humorless laugh and shake my head. “But I’m not, right? I’m not really a daughter, not to him. Killian doesn’t see me as anything but another hand to scrub the floors. And Cain doesn’t see me as a sister. He treats me like a target, like something he can throw his anger at whenever it suits him.”

Her expression tightens. She doesn’t argue, not directly. She just straightens her shoulders and glares. “Are you really going to sulk like this? Get up.”

She waits until I stand, I wrap the sheet tighter around my body and begin walking to the door.

“I’ll be waiting in your room,” she says flatly. “Clearly, you’re in one of those moods where you don’t do as you’re told unless someone watches you.”

I don't bother answering her, arguing with her never leads anywhere good. Instead, I walk out with my head down and she follows. She doesn't stop at my room, she walks in with me and watches as I step into the bathroom.

My bathroom is quiet, but I can hear her footsteps pacing just outside the door as I turn the shower on. She’s really waiting. Just like she said. She honestly doesn't trust me to even shower alone?

Hot water pours over me, but it does nothing to help ease the need that's still burning low in my stomach. It's there, raw, insistent and unrelenting. It's like a hunger that was started by Killian and hasn't been able to settle. I was so sure I would get pleasure from killian, the bond was begging for it. He stopped though and walked away without a word. Now I'm here, shaking under the spray and trying to swallow back the need that is clawing inside of me.

By the time I’m dressed and dried, my mother's still outside the door, arms crossed and eyes narrowed like I’m the problem. She doesn’t say anything until I follow her down the hallway.

“His room needs doing properly. He’ll be back today, and it needs to be perfect.”

I’ve already cleaned it a dozen times while he was away. It’s spotless, always has been, but saying that would only earn me another lecture.

“As you’re no longer getting married, I’m going to speak with Killian. He’ll take you to work tomorrow. Cleaning around the house doesn’t amount to much. You need to earn your place in this pack. From now on, you’ll work for him. Every day.”

I don’t know how to feel about that. A part of me flares with something close to relief, but another part is already bracing for the tension it will bring. I don’t answer. I just step into Cain’s room and start cleaning, letting the sound of her footsteps fade behind me as she walks away.

I’m still here an hour later, not because the room needs it. It doesn’t. Everything is already clean, already in order. I’ve stayed because, to them, if I spend less than an hour in a room, then I’m not doing it properly. So I’ve sat on Cain’s floor for most of that time, cloth in hand, thinking.

I lean back against the bedframe, letting my head rest for a moment as my thoughts circle the same path again and again. Tomorrow I’m going to the offices. It’s not new. I’ve gone with Killian before, usually when he has important meetings and wants someone quiet to take coats, pour water, and stay out of the way. I don’t consider it work. It doesn’t feel any different than being here in the house, looking after things no one else wants to deal with.

The last time I went, the office had been a mess. Piles of paperwork. Scuffed floors. Half-empty glasses everywhere. But what I remember most is one man who wouldn’t stop pushing. He kept talking over people, leaning in too close, stepping where he wasn’t welcome. I saw Killian stiffen. His fingers twitched like he was holding something back. And when the man finally left, Killian told the room he wanted to rip his head off. The others laughed. They thought he meant it with his hands. But I knew better. I saw it in his eyes. He meant with his wolf, with his teeth.

I don’t know how he controls that side of himself the way he does. Most wolves lose their temper long before that point. Especially in human cities, where the rules are tighter and the consequences sharper. But I’ve barely been outside our borders. The city is a name, not a place I know.

A sound pulls me out of my thoughts. Footsteps, slow and approaching. I rise quickly, grabbing the cloth and pretending to clean just as the door swings open.

I don’t turn to look. I keep my eyes fixed on the dresser.

“Did you get it all clean for me?”

Cain’s voice slides in from behind, thick with amusement. I move quickly, gathering the cleaning supplies with the intention of slipping past him, but as I turn, he steps directly into my path, blocking the way.

“I heard the wedding was called off,” he says, too close. “You were left untouched, unclaimed…” He leans in and drags his nose along the side of my neck, breathing in. “And unfucked. I can solve that for you if you want.”

I jerk away from him, my voice sharp and disgusted. “No.”

He chuckles, clearly enjoying my reaction. “Why not? We’re not related. You’re just the maid around here. Caelan was your only chance at a real life, and now that’s gone. You may as well give me permission. At least then you won’t die a virgin.”

I move to step back, but he reaches for me anyway, grabbing at me without hesitation. His hand lands on my ass, squeezing like it belongs to him. I react before I can think. My hand flies and strikes him hard across the shoulder.

He moves fast. Too fast.

He shoves me against the wall, his forearm pressing hard enough across my chest that it knocks the air from my lungs.

“Hit me again and I’ll do whatever I want,” he growls. “You’re eighteen now, Aurora with no mate. That means I’m within my rights.”

My body trembles against the wall. I don’t say anything. I don’t move. I don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing more fear.

He watches me for a moment, breathing heavily, then lets out a short laugh and steps away like it was all a game to him.

I don’t wait or look back as I rush out the door, moving fast down the hallway, heart pounding in my chest. I don’t stop until I reach the cleaning room. When I shut the door behind me, I lean into it and force myself to breathe. He didn’t follow me. Not this time.