United

RORY

“What the fuck do we do now?” Everett hisses as he pulls me to the side.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have been so hasty making those human laws,” I joke, although upon seeing Everett’s expression, I quickly realize it’s not the best time.

I have no clue what we’re going to do. Who knows what they’ve seen, what they know. They’re passed out right now in our room.

Although, Everett cracks a little smile that disintegrates just as fast as it came.

“I’m being serious, Aurora. This is fucking crazy. We don’t just get humans walking onto our territory; it just doesn’t happen. And on top of that, they’re people we both know.”

“What do you normally do in this situation?”

“This doesn’t happen. Wolf packs have evolved from living in the woods, making their homes out of wood and branches and anything they found. Soon, these packs were integrated and we built homes.

“Humans don’t just happen upon our territories. I don’t know how these three found this place; they must have followed us home on Friday. How long have they been here?”

“This is my fault. I’m sorry. I wanted to go back to school, and they wouldn’t be here if it weren’t—”

“Stop, Aurora,” Everett commands, grabbing my cheeks in his large, warm hands and comforting me. “I led them here, this is all me. But it doesn’t matter right now. What matters is what we’re going to do now.”

“We just have to find out what they know and work from there,” I suggest, and he nods.

The three do look pretty beat-up at the moment, dried blood staining their faces. It must be due to the guard wolves’ violent ways. I’m sure they’ll survive though.

Why would they do this? Why would they follow us? I thought Jax was done with me, and what the hell is Oliver doing here? He doesn’t even like me.

The only reason he even says anything to me is because I’m friends with Bethany. That’s it. And he was my former bully also. Why is he here?

We leave them in our room for the night, locking them in whilst we sleep in a spare room next door. But the night feels dreadfully long as we stir, attempting to shake the anxiety from our minds.

“I’ve been sleeping a lot over the past few days anyway,” I mutter as Everett tries to lull me to sleep. I just crawl up him so that our faces are aligned, with me on top, and I peck his lips.

Before I can pull away, his hand drags my neck down and his lips attack mine with uncontrollable passion. He rolls on top of me now, pinning me to the bed.

“Everything is fucking chaos right now, but I’m so fucking glad you’re here with me to weather this storm.”

“It’s because of me that there is a storm,” I say as his hands roam my body.

“I needed to find you, and once we get past this and you’re safe, we can finally have peace, together. I just want to be with you, Alpha and Luna of Shadow Blood. My little Aurora.”

“I’m always called ~little~,” I mutter.

“It’s because you are. You don’t like it? I like that I can easily pick you up; it makes the keeping-you-from-being-clumsy thing easier. And you’re mine, my little goddess Luna.

“How does it feel to be a goddess quite literally? I always thought you were heavenly, but to be an actual goddess?”

“I don’t know. I don’t suddenly have powers, like lightning shooting out of my arms or the strength to lift a truck. It just…explains a few things.

“And makes me think more about my birth parents. What would my parents be like if they actually had a chance to parent me?”

“They would love you, Aurora. It’s hard not to. That’s probably why those three are in that room right now. You’re amazing and sweet, and it was very difficult for me to resist you.

“You’re just so pure that it draws people in. And I want to protect that, that innocence. It’s beautiful, you’re beautiful.”

I feel my cheeks heat up furiously as he dazzles me with his compliments and kisses.

He lies down next to me, pulling me onto him once again, and we just rest there, just breathing—just taking a break from all the chaos in our lives.

***

Morning rolls around, and we’re woken up by loud banging from the room next door, along with the yells of my human “friends.”

I used to think I was human, that I belonged around them rather than the wolves. But now, being of a different kind, I wholly believe that I belong with my mate and the pack. They’re my family.

But I do have a human form, a mortal form. I possess the characteristics of the humans. The only thing different is the fact that I can die and come back, even though it may not be for much longer.

“Let’s go deal with this, little one. Ace and Lucius are helping too,” Everett declares, picking me up out of bed and sliding his T-shirt over my cold body.

We prepare ourselves before entering our own bedroom, with Ace and Lucius following behind. All three faces drop as they stare at us in disbelief.

“What are you doing here?” Everett questions, leading the charge whilst holding my hand to ease the irritation he fears he’ll get.

“W-what the fuck is going on here?” Eddie queries, standing his ground, but the fear is evident in his tone and his eyes.

Jax and Oliver just stare at all of us, confusion and fear laced through their expressions. But what do they fear? The guard wolves did give them a beating, but maybe they know about wolves.

“Rory? Tell me what’s going on. We saw grown men turn into wolves.”

So they do know something. Everett and I glance at each other, and I squeeze his hand nervously.

“Then you’re hallucinating as well as trespassing,” Everett states with confidence and authority, attempting to make it seem like they’re just losing their minds.

To be honest, if I didn’t know about wolves and I saw what they saw, losing my mind would be more believable to me.

But I doubt myself a lot. Jax and Oliver and possibly even Eddie all appear sure of themselves usually.

“Trespassing? What? You own this place?” Jax questions, believing he doesn’t.

“Yes, I do. I own all these lands, and you three are trespassing. So, I’ll ask again, what the fuck are you doing here?” Everett demands more forcefully like the Alpha he is, which clearly intimidates all three, though Jax attempts to hide it.

“We’re here to save Rory—from you,” Eddie declares.

Everett scoffs and glances at me. “Do you need saving from me, little one?”

I need saving from everyone but him.

“No, I don’t,” I state firmly. “What are you actually doing here? I don’t need saving.”

“Yeah because he’s making you say that. We came here to help you and we got beat up, because of him,” Oliver states, pointing at my mate. “That’s the sort of man he is.”

“We weren’t even here for the past four days. We just got back, and we’ve basically just stayed here,” I say. “He didn’t tell those guys to do what they did, but you all ~were~ trespassing.”

“Are you serious, Rory?” Oliver questions.

“Why the fuck are you even here?” Everett grumbles to Oliver, clearly fed up already.

I think he’s getting sick of my human friends all believing that he’s some perverted manipulative guy who just wants to use me, especially when everyone here treats him with the respect he deserves and has earned.

“You don’t even fucking like my ma—girl.” He almost slipped up and called me his mate, but it probably wouldn’t mean anything to these three.

“I do like you, Rory. I don’t know why you think I don’t. I’m just as concerned as these two are. I mean, look at this fucking place.

“Your boyfriend acts like he’s the king here and you’re his little toy he can mess around with,” Oliver exclaims.

“You’re fucking insane,” Everett mutters.

“I’m insane? You don’t even let her touch anyone else. How fucked up is that? Rory’s your little toy you can control, and because she’s young and innocent, you think you can get away with it.

“You make her think she’s in love with you, and she’ll do what you want her to,” Jax says. “And you get all your friends here to make sure she stays under your control. The king and his fucking knights.”

“I am like the king here, and Aurora is not my toy, she’s my queen. She’s mine,” he states, his hand leaving mine to move his arm around my waist.

“Alpha!” a voice yells from down the hall, drawing our attention away.

~What’s going on now?~

“For fuck’s sake,” Everett growls, twisting me around. “Nickolas is here and not alone. I want you to stay here with Ace, Aurora.

“I’ll get Ophelia over here and a couple of others to protect you, but as long as you stay here, you’ll be safe. Don’t leave here, little one. I’ll be back.”

“Be safe,” I whisper, kissing him.

He kisses my forehead before hurrying out along with Lucius. I stare after him, praying to the goddess that she will protect him.

But I know Everett is strong—much stronger than Nick. Nick was never the enemy I was truly worried about.

It was always Nemesis.