AuroraHe’s in pain and I hate to witness it.Of course I feel a small pang of guilt over him rejecting the royal pack. He is doing it because of me. I watch him hold his breath and try to remain still, my wolf wondering if this is how he felt when I decided to reject him as a mate. He shuts his eyes, scrunching them tightly closed and trying to steady his rapid breathing.His hands form into fists into his lap, the notion making me worried, and I pull back just a little. He whimpers. The royal prince of the king Alpha whimpers when I move away from him. It overshadows my fear an di press myself into his side, inhaling his scent and feeling his arm curl around my back, holding me to his side as she trembles.The moment flees as fast as it had arrived. He releases a deep breath, opening his eyes that are brewing with tears and almost collapses back into the sand, catching himself with his free hand while his other arm keeps me close.I bring my hand to his cheek, reaching slowly and ca

Aurora“Aurora,” Jaxson says, somewhere nearby.I cage my arms over my face, only hearing Xander as if he is in my head still, screaming at me and degrading me to no end. I try to not choke on the sand, curling into a small, nonthreatening ball, just hoping this nightmare passes.“It’s just me.”Jaxson pulls for me, despite my scream in fear, and pelts me into his chest, squeezing me so tight that I have no chance to escape further. I instead take to crying into shoulder, still damn from the ocean, and let my mind melt into a puddle of horrid memories I wish I could forget.“Shh, please.”I grab my arms, practically clawing into my skin, hoping the subtle pain pulls me out of my darkness and shoves me back into reality. I just had an amazing moment with Jaxson, experiencing the ocean for the first time ever and yet I had to ruin it, feeling Xander grab at my throat and pin me back against a wall until I black out.“Jax—Jaxson,” I pant, pushing into his chest, needing more of his affec

JaxsonWe run all day, then all night, and again into the next day. My wolf is pleased to be in control again. He needed this release and frankly, I needed to step back from control. My mind has been all over the place since I’ve gotten my mate back. Sometimes I think she feels the mating pull and wants me to be her fated, and other times I think she looks at me like a royal, her superior, here to ruin her life.All of that is diminished as we near the packhouse of my half-brother. I can smell his stench poured all over the woods out here. We pass through the North Woods pack, completely empty and ransacked in the process. Xander has been here. I slow, Paula and Row doing the same as we skid over to the wood home my mate had grown up in.We all shift mortal, throwing on some pants from the bag I had in my muzzle for the trip, and Paul sets to going into Aurora’s childhood home and sparking up a fire in the fireplace, Row busy looking for kindling while I aim to rest for a little while