Chapter 6 Kiss and Make It Better

“Luna, Luna, wake up,” a faint voice called timidly. 

Aurora’s eyes fluttered open. She was lying on her bed in Prince Philip’s chamber. She whimpered as she tried to move. Her body still felt like being run over by a truck, but it was better than the day she fainted. She wondered how Aurora Coleman, without a wolf, had survived the fall from the third floor in her childhood. She said the planned accident by her stepmother made her bedridden for half a year. 

“You should let me heal you,” her wolf insisted. 

“I’m almost healed. Remember the reagent Amber Black injected into me? I feel much better now,” Aurora comforted her wolf. 

Trying not to exert her left leg, Aurora took the hand her maid Alice offered to sit up. Just when Alice was about to release her hand, Aurora grabbed her arm. 

“What happened to your arm?” Aurora asked, horrified at the large patches of bruises and scars. Some of them were new. 

“I fell from the stairs.” Alice struggled to cover the bruises with her sleeves. 

“The Queen did this to you, didn’t she?” Aurora asked with anger rising in her chest. 

“No, not the Queen. It’s all my fault. I’m clumsy.” Alice lowered her head, dodging Aurora’s gaze. 

Releasing a sigh, Aurora said, “You can tell me anything, Alice. I won’t snitch. As your Luna, I’m supposed to protect you from harm.” 

Alice looked at Aurora with hesitation and uncertainty. Apparently, she was not used to protection and kindness. From the note in the secret compartment, Aurora came to know Alice’s tragic and miserable life–how she was sold to the palace as a slave maid by her original pack, how she was abused and bullied all the time, just because she was a wolfless omega and her younger brother was a rogue. Now the Luna Queen blackmailed her into spying on Aurora, threatening to kill her brother if she didn’t comply. 

After a long moment, Alice nodded timidly. “I’ll keep that in mind, Luna. Prince Nicholas wants to see you…”

 “He probably wants to investigate me,” Aurora scoffed. Her body felt heated when she thought of the way his golden eyes stared at her. It was as if he could see through her. 

“He is big trouble,” Aurora muttered under her breath and limped slightly to the living room, leaving Alice to make the bed.  

“Are you calling me trouble, Luna Aurora?” The sudden low baritone voice threw Aurora off her balance. She tripped over the plush carpet and was about to land face down. 

A strong arm grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against a muscular chest. The contact sent sparks flying all over Aurora’s body. Her wolf purred, wagging her tail in a happy mood. 

Aurora looked up at the handsome face of the man through her thick lashes. It was none other than the man she was cursing. She pushed her hands against his firm chest to create distance between them, but only tumbled into his warm embrace again because her left leg gave out and she had to loop her arms around his back for support. 

“Can’t get enough of me, huh?” Nicholas teased, his lips curling up into a mischievous smirk. 

Aurora’s cheeks flushed. This man knew how to push her buttons. “Stop flattering yourself. I don’t like men who have too much ego,” Aurora rolled her eyes.  

Aurora gave out a startled squeak when Nicholas carried her bridal style to the couch. It was when he put her down that she realized she wore nothing but a flimsy white nightgown. Her face turned red as a ripe tomato when Nicholas’ hooded gaze traveled over her body. In her 21 years of life, she had never been looked at by a man in this way since most of the time she was either on the run hiding from other wolves or lived secludedly as Aurora Coleman. 

She quickly grabbed a throw to cover herself and cleared her throat. “I presume you are here for the rogue attack.” 

Nicholas was amazed at how quickly she gained her composure and was ready to talk business. Her flushed cheeks looked adorable. Nicholas’ hands itched to peel the throw away from her curvy body. When did he start to lose control in front of a woman? He shook his head and contained himself. 

Taking a seat opposite her, Nicholas came straight to the point,  “Why did you and Andrew go to the border when you should be waiting for Alice at where you were when you found out you lost the earrings?” 

“We heard cries for help from the direction of the border. Andrew went there to check. He asked me to stay put but I couldn’t just wait there while someone was in need of help. We…we didn’t know it was a setup…”

Nicholas nodded. “How many rogues were there? Was there anything that indicated their origin?” 

Aurora had thought about all the questions she would be asked when she was hospitalized in the healer’s center. Knitting her brows, she pretended to think, “Four? Maybe it’s five. Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t have enough time to pay attention to the details.” 

“What did you see when you arrived at the border?”

“I couldn’t run fast enough to catch up with Andrew since I don’t have a wolf. When I arrived at the border, Andrew was already pushed down to the ground by the wolves,” Aurora shuddered. 

“Do you know why didn’t he shift?” Nicholas had been baffled by the suicidal act when he saw Andrew’s human body parts lying scattered on the ground. Any wolf would know they were the strongest in their bestial form, let alone an experienced warrior. What lowered his guard down? 

“I…I don’t know. He tried to shift during the fight but it was too late. I screamed for help. The wolves then targeted me.” Aurora clutched the throw tight in her hands to add to the effect. 

“Did any rogue shift into their human form? It would be great if you could provide a sketch to help us find them.” 

“No. They didn’t shift,” Aurora shook her head. She was sure her pack members had run out of sight when Nicholas and the patrol guards arrived. Nobody would have seen her Beta Lee in his human form. 

Nicholas blinked his eyes. She was lying and he caught her. Nicholas remembered clearly he saw her surrounded by a group of rogues and a man in the lookout tower. The man seemed to be on friendly terms with the rogues. If Aurora was covering for him, did it mean she was colluding with the rogues? If she was indeed with the rogues, why did they hurt her? She could have lost her life from blood loss if he hadn’t rescued her on time. 

Unless getting hurt was a part of her plan. Wheels turned quickly in his head. The warning letters dripping blood. William Baker. 

William Baker! What did she want from William Baker? She had set her eyes on the man connected to Anna’s death. Was she trying to protect him or did she have a totally different agenda? Things were getting more interesting. Just as his instincts told him when they first met, the girl with raven hair and coal black eyes wasn’t as simple as her appearance indicated. He felt thrills pumped into his blood. 

A smirk played on his lips. It would be fun to play cat and mouse with her. 

The change of expression on Nicholas’ face didn’t escape Aurora’s eyes. Aurora’s heart thumped loudly in her chest. Too loud she was afraid Nicholas was going to hear it. Had he already known what happened and was waiting to catch her in a lie? Sly!

“How did you find me the day I was attacked?” she asked carefully. 

“I was strolling in the forest. Then I heard your cry. When I rushed to the border, the rogues had gone and you were lying on the ground unconscious,” Nicholas said with a neutral face. 

Aurora relaxed at his words. She must have overreacted. Too stressful to misread his expression. His presence always made her nervous. 

Her imperceptible body gesture fell into Nicholas’ eyes, cementing the fact she was lying. 

“I will tell you if I think of anything,” she said, hoping this was the end of their conversation. 

“How is your wound?” Nicholas gestured to her leg. 

“Em, much better,” Aurora replied, surprised he would care. 

“You didn’t look like you were much better when you landed in my arms,” he smirked. 

“I tripped!” Aurora protested, her face flushed because of annoyance.

Nicholas sat up and went to kneel beside Aurora. He threw the throw covering Aurora to the side and pushed the hem of her nightgown up to expose her thigh. 

“What are you doing?” Aurora flustered, trying to slap his hand away. 

“Don’t move. Let me see your wound,” he ordered. His fingers traced from her calf to her thigh in a slow, seductive move, leaving a trail of sparks wherever they went. 

A moan escaped from Aurora’s lips. She clapped her mouth with her hands in trepidation, embarrassed by her reaction. 

Nicholas smirked, glad he was not the only one affected by the touch. He caressed the wound which was a patch of deep blue. “Still hurt?” he asked gently, his golden eyes staring at her with genuine concern. 

Breath hitched in Aurora’s throat. The touch ignited something deep in her heart. She nodded her head weakly.

“I can kiss and make it better,” he smirked. 

“What?” Before Aurora could react, Nicholas’ warm lips kissed and sucked her skin sensually while his hands held her waist in place. Aurora gripped the couch tightly. Tingles spread all over her body. Oddly, it felt so good. Too good. 

“Nicholas, will you attend the Queen’s party?” The door burst open with a man and a beautiful blond girl standing in the doorway, staring at them with their mouths hanging open. Aurora wished she could find a hole on the floor and crawl into it.