Chapter 118
Aurora’s POV
Grayson and Mrs. Ashford freeze after my father speaks, like it’s just now hitting them that they’re seeing me and Thorne in wolf form. I duck behind Thorne, just knowing my cheeks would be bright red with embarrassment if I was in human form.
“We’ll give you a moment,” Grayson says. He and Mrs. Ashford turn, whispering to each other, while Thorne turns to me.
“Seems like we’re done for now,” Thorne says through our bond. I nod and rub against him one more time before stepping back again. What could count as a grin pulls at his wolfy mouth, “We’re continuing this later, but for now, think about your human form and concentrate on shifting back. Let it come naturally.”
Nodding, I look inward and think about my human body; my face, my arms, my legs, my fingers, the things I love to do as a human. I feel something in me flicker.
“Our mate,” I hear my wolf whine, and I gently reach out to her.
“We’ll still be with him,” I tell her. “And we’ll go run later.”
It takes a moment, but she releases the hold she has on me, and I feel my body change. The pain from my earlier shift returns, but it doesn’t last as long. It fades quickly, and I soon find myself standing in my human form.
Turning, I smile at Thorne and throw my arms around him, “I did it!”
“You did, and I’m so proud of you.”
His words send a shot of warmth into me, so I lean in to kiss him, but someone clears their throat. I jump back and spin around to find our surprise guests watching us. However, Thorne doesn’t let me go far because the arm around my waist tightens and pulls me back to his chest.
“What was this about a lead?” He asks, directing his irritated yet curious attention to my father. I can’t stop the embarrassment from filling me as I notice Grayson’s gaze landing on my exposed mate mark. We weren’t doing anything wrong, but it’s still embarrassing for someone, who you just found out to be your father, to find you and your mate being intimate.
Grayson’s eyes move between the two of us before he and Mrs. Ashford walk closer. He motions for us to sit, right here in the forest, and we all sit like we’re having a pow-wow. I lean into Thorne’s side without really meaning to, but he doesn’t protest.
“While we were investigating how my late wife suppressed Aurora’s wolf, my sister,” he motions to Mrs. Ashford, who unclasps the necklace she wears. On the chain is the ring that led me to find her. “Reminded me that Elizabeth left this ring with Aurora. We thought it may have more significance than to point Aurora toward her origins.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused and curious at the same time. “Is there something strange about the ring or different?”
“This was your mother’s engagement ring. It’s an old family heirloom that has been passed down for generations, so I am very familiar with how it looks,” he says, taking the ring from Mrs. Ashford. “When she brought it to me for us to investigate, we found an inscription on the inside of it. One that I didn’t put there.”
Thorne’s arm tightens slightly around my waist as he speaks, “So Luna Elizabeth put it there later. Do you think she added the inscription as a message to you in case someone found it?”
Grayson nods then passes the ring over to Thorne. Thorne lowers it so I can see, and we look at the numbers inscribed on the inside of the ring’s band.
“A location,” Thorne mutters, then points. “These are longitude and latitude… Where does it lead?”
“We followed the points to a hidden location on my land. I remember it as somewhere Elizabeth liked to go for quiet,” Grayson says, accepting the ring back when I hold it out to him. He takes the rings, and I can’t miss the way his eyes soften as he looks at it. “I only went there with her a few times, but I’d forgotten about it. We found a small grave, and when we dug it up, there was a journal filled with writings. I tried to read it, because it was my wife’s handwriting, but the language was from her homeland, and I can’t understand it.”
“Her homeland?” I ask.
He nods, “My mating with your mother started as a peace negotiation with a Lycan pack in another country. It’s why we grew up getting to know each other, because our packs were discussing an arranged mating that would bring lasting peace to our two packs.”
I remember him talking about that, but it didn’t register that my mother might’ve been from far away.
“When we realized we couldn’t read the journal, I reached out to your mother’s former tutor. He moved to my pack when she came to live here, but since her death, and in his old age, he has moved away. He lives in neutral territory not far from here, actually, so we came to ask if you would like to go with us,” Grayson says, looking at me this time, instead of Thorne.
I glance up at Thorne. If he doesn’t go, I’m not sure if I’ll feel comfortable. When it comes, his answer is silent, more like a feeling that fills me.
He’ll be with me, whatever I choose.
The old man hums as he flips through my mother’s journal. His glasses sit perched on his nose as he squints, and I wonder if he can see. My father said this man is one hundred and is one of the oldest and wisest Lycans.
“I can translate the entire journal for you, but it will take a bit of time,” the man says, looking up. “However, there is an entry that may be of current interest for you. Would you like me to read it?”
“Yes,” I blurt, my words coming before I can stop them.
The old man turns to look at me, leans in, and squints hard. His head tilts to the side, like he’s thinking and then he nods slowly. He flips to the end of the journal and clears his throat.
“I know he’s found me again, and this time, Grayson isn’t scaring him. He’ll come. He’ll kill everyone just to get me back. Dean never wanted to let go of me, never wanted to concede to Grayson, even after he found out Grayson and I were mates. Now, I think he’s willing to kill Grayson to get me back.
Grayson says Dean won’t be a problem, but I’m worried about the pack and my family. Aurora is so young, but Dean won’t care. He’ll wipe every bit of my current life out to have me.
I can’t let that happen. I have to keep Dean from destroying everything I love. I think I’ll contact Azura Blackwood and have her help me.
Hiding Aurora and finding a way to stop Dean are the only way to keep everyone safe.”
“Who is Azura Blackwood?” I ask, looking around the room.
Grayson is the first to answer, “She’s a powerful witch who dabbles in all sorts of magic, and she’s definitely someone who would know a spell to suppress your wolf.”
“Okay,” I mutter before looking up again. “Who is Dean?”
The room goes quiet, and it sparks a memory:
“You look so much like her.”
Surprisingly, there’s almost a tenderness in his tone, and that scares me even more.
“Like who?” I ask quietly, my voice trembling.
“Elizabeth Ashford.”
I’m almost scared to ask, but my curiosity also pushes me to speak, “Who is Elizabeth Ashford?”
Suddenly, the man drops his hold on my chin and steps back. “It doesn’t matter. She chose to betray me, so I will never feel any tenderness toward her again.”
“The Dark Knight Pack’s Alpha,” I whisper, a chill skittering down my spine.
