Chapter 122

Aurora’s POV

I can’t stop my hands from shaking.

Curling my fingers in the hem of my shirt doesn’t work, so I reach for Thorne as he rounds the front of the car. I’m thankful that he doesn’t mind my clinging. In fact, I feel the ripple of appreciation down our bond that tells me he prefers when I seek comfort in him.

I never thought it would be this easy to trust someone, but with Thorne, it’s almost as easy as breathing. I find myself reaching for him, or turning to him, for almost everything now. Comfort, warmth, safety, and so many more things; if I need it, he provides it without hesitation or complaint.

“As it should be between mates,” Thorne says, making me look up.

“Reading my thoughts again?” I snip playfully.

Thorne chuckles and kisses me softly, “When you’re screaming them down the bond, yes. Do you mind?”

I think about it for a moment. I’m still not used to someone else having access to my mind, so I haven’t fully learned to close the metaphorical door between our minds.

“I don’t mind,” I tell him. “I have nothing to hide.”

He merely smiles and kisses my forehead before turning to face my father. And just like that, I remember why we’re here, and my nerves return. I miss the times when everything was calm and there were no rival Alphas, creepy doctors, or witches to consult. Then again, I’ve found my family and will be getting more answers, so I’m torn inside on how I should feel.

“Aurora,” Grayson says, pulling me into a brief hug. I feel a sense of calm when he touches me, but it’s different than when Thorne touches me. It’s like my body and wolf know he is family, and honestly, I want to sink into his arms.

But I don’t.

I let him release me before I move back to Thorne’s side. I’m not sure how long I should wait before letting myself connect with him. Grayson is kind of hard to read, so I’m not sure what he’s thinking or feeling about our new relationship.

He seemed happy at first, but now, I can’t tell if he’s holding back or if he’s not feeling the same way I am.

“I’m sure he wants to connect with you in the same way,” Thorne says in my mind. “Remember, he’s probably just as lost in this as you are. Maybe you should talk with him soon about your thoughts and feelings. Let him know you’re open to a father-daughter relationship.”

Worrying my bottom lip between my teeth, I nod. He’s probably right. Thorne, I’ve realized, is pretty intuitive about a lot of things.

It’s probably what makes him a good leader.

“Welcome to the Blackwood Coven. I am Azura Blackwood, the head of the Coven.”

We all turn to find a woman standing several feet away from us. I’m a bit surprised at her name, again, and wonder if she and Thorne have any connections. Her last name is the same as his, after all.

However, when I really look at her, I’m surprised again. I expected to see an older woman like Madame Maura, but this woman looks to be no older than her late-thirties or early forties… which can’t be right. If my mother came to her twenty years ago, she would’ve only been a teenager.

My father stops in front of the woman and bows in greeting, “I am Lycan King Grayson and this is my daughter, Aurora.” He points to me, and I lift my hand awkwardly. The woman’s eyes pierce me, and I freeze under her intense gaze.

“Have we met before?” The witch asks, moving closer to me. She touches my hair, then my face, studying me. She hums and walks around my body in a circle. I stay perfectly still, only moving my head to look at Thorne for clarification. Though, I don’t get any because he also shrugs.

“I contacted you about my wife,” my father speaks up, pulling the witch’s attention back to him. “Her name was Elizabeth Ashford, and she would have come to see you with a baby a little over twenty years ago.”

Azura Blackwood pauses and nods, “Yes. The beautiful woman running from a Lycan Alpha.”

I don’t miss how my father visibly tenses at her words, but he still answers, “Yes.”

“Follow me,” she beckons, walking toward the building. “I remember this wife of yours. Though, I never knew her name or where she came from, but even so, I helped her.”

“Did you do something to the baby?” I ask, and the woman looks back at me.

“I did.” She leads us further into the building as she continues speaking, “Am I to assume you were the baby in question?”

Nodding, I answer, “If we’re talking about the same circumstances, then yes.”

“When she came to me, the war between your packs was taking a turn for the worse,” Ms. Blackwood says. She looks back at me, then at my father who isn’t far behind me. “Your mate was very worried that the rival Alpha would take her and kill your daughter, but you were so busy with the war that she chose to handle this matter on her own.”

“Why did you never contact me?” Grayson asks.

The witch stops and turns, narrowing her eyes on my father, “As I said, I didn’t know her name or origins. All I had was a ring she left with the instructions to keep the ring with the baby. She wanted your daughter’s wolf hidden in case of discovery, but she wanted to leave a way for you to find her if you won the war.”

“We did reconnect because of the ring,” I mention. “But it was only recently. I had no idea I was even a Lycan because of the spell you used.”

“I had hoped your father would find you and bring you to me sooner but late is better than never. Isn’t it?”

I nod, “Sure, but were you the one who left me in the human settlement?”

“Not me specifically, but one of my women did. While I was taking care of your mother, I sent one of my sisters to leave you in a nearby town,” she answers as we begin walking again. I follow behind her, listening carefully and gripping Thorne’s hand for support.

“She’d been attacked while fleeing, and your mother was injured and weak when she arrived. After running so far to reach my Coven, she had lost too much blood for her own wolf to heal her,” Ms. Blackwood explains. “At the time, my coven did not practice healing magic, so we could only help her enough to make her comfortable before she passed out.”

“Passed out?” I question.

We stop in front of a door at the end of a quiet hallway, and Ms. Blackwood smiles.

“Yes, and if I didn’t put her under a sleeping spell, she would have—”

In the blink of an eye, my father is across the room and grabbing the woman by her shoulders. Thorne pulls me back so that I don’t get knocked over as my father shakes the witch.

“Is my mate still alive?”

“I did what little I could to heal her, her body was too damaged and needed time—”

“Is she alive?” He demands again.

“Yes.”

My father’s entire body language changes. He grows rigid, and his eyes begin to glow, telling all of us that his wolf is near the surface.

“I couldn’t let her die, and without giving away her location, I could not reach out to others,” the witch says. “Over the years, I’ve learned healing magic and have done my best to heal her while she was in stasis. I didn’t wake her because I was not sure if there was anyone alive for her to find, so I waited for someone to come for her.”

“Where. Is. She?” He growls.

Ms. Blackwood turns and pushes the door behind her open. A soft light pours from the room, and I follow my father in.

In the center of the room, on a bed lays a beautiful woman. She’s a real-life sleeping beauty, adorned with long golden hair and a flowing blue gown that covers her still body. I watch as my father runs to the woman’s side…

A woman who looks just like an older version of me.