Love

AURELIA

Aurelia woke up with a gasp, as if she’d been holding her breath for too long. She expected the chill of the wind to fill her lungs, but instead, she was met with warmth.

Her head felt heavy, like it was submerged underwater. Her neck was too weak to lift it. So, she just stared upwards.

Not at the sky, as she’d expected, but at a familiar ceiling. The ceiling of her old chambers with the king. She was back in the castle. The ache of the mate bond had lessened, confirming her location.

He had brought her back. After promising to let her go. He said he would let her go. He couldn’t just change his mind when it suited him. She thought he loved her enough to let her go.

“My queen,” Kenna’s voice echoed, pulling Aurelia’s attention. She didn’t feel like a queen if she wasn’t with the king or ruling the kingdom.

He could have it, for all she cared. She’d done enough damage already.

Turning onto her side, she propped her head up on the pile of pillows to see Kenna. She was glad she’d treated Kenna with kindness during her darkest time.

“How did I get here?” Aurelia asked.

“I’m not sure, my queen. I just saw the king carrying you through the castle halls and rushing you to the doctor,” Kenna answered honestly.

Kenna bowed her head, picked up the laundry, and left a plate of food for Aurelia before exiting the room.

Aurelia expected the king to be her next visitor, but she was relieved when he wasn’t. She wanted to be at full strength before confronting him. Their conversations always seemed to chip away at her heart.

“Cathan,” she greeted with a small smile. He returned it and sat on the edge of her bed.

“I heard you left,” he said.

“Who told you?” she shot back.

“That beta wolf. He seemed relieved when he was talking to the gamma.”

A pang of guilt hit her. They didn’t deserve the consequences of her actions. “Left without even a goodbye?”

“I’m back, so what does it matter?” She replied with a small smile. He gave her a pointed look, which made her sigh.

“I was in a hurry. I thought the king would change his mind about letting me leave, so I rushed away. Why do you care? After what I did?”

“None of that matters. Is that why you left?” She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “The king is the king. But he loves you. He proved that.”

“You love me. None of that matters. I...” she replied, her eyes flickering up to the ceiling and away from his serious gaze.

“The king cares about himself. Everything he did was for him. He finally decided to love his mate and everyone else just went along with it. I’m not a toy. I don’t want things to go back to the way they were.”

“He’s changing—”

“Why are you defending him? I forgot to ask you how you ended up allying with him,” she asked curiously.

“He did everything to get you back. He said it was to reclaim his kingdom—”

“Exactly,” she interrupted.

“Yes, but that was a lie. I’m good at spotting liars, Aurelia, you know that.

“Maybe he thought it was for his power, but deep down, the drive that made him go to such lengths to get you back, that was for you. I felt the same way.”

A wider smile spread across her face at her friend’s explanation. Her friend. He wanted more, but he knew that’s all they were. “You love him.”

“Maybe. But it’s probably the mate bond making me feel this way for him. He’s not changing. Maybe loving me is different, but he’s still the same.

“He’s still cold and possessive and domineering. He treats me like I’m beneath him. I think I’ve proven that I’m not.”

Cathan sighed and nodded. She sat up a bit more, feeling life returning to her.

Her eyes scanned her body, noticing cuts and bruises from the attack, healing at the fast rate of a wolf.

“Are you not going to ask about—”

“I saw the king carrying you in last night. I thought he had done it,” he said, eliciting a laugh from the battered fae wolf. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“I thought you were on better terms.”

“I agreed to help him for you. That’s not better terms, Aurelia. It was a convenient alliance that ended when we completed the spell and got you back,” he stated firmly.

Aurelia tried to slide out of the bed, but Cathan’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Don’t move from that bed. You need to rest,” he ordered, causing an eye roll from the hybrid. “I’ll check on you later. Sleep now.” He left quickly after that.

She had a bone to pick with the king that couldn’t wait. She couldn’t sleep due to the anticipation. The moment he walked in, she would give him a piece of her mind.

As if the gods were listening, the door opened and the king walked in. He probably thought she’d still be unconscious and he could just sit with her, but he wasn’t that lucky.

Her eyes bore into him as if he hadn’t just saved her from her attackers and the harsh weather.

“Aurelia,” he greeted flatly, moving closer to her. She slipped out of the bed, wrapping her robe around herself and hissing at the pain. “Get back in bed.”

“You can’t help but order me around,” she retorted in a frustrated tone.

“I’m not doing it to assert my dominance. I’m worried about you. Now get back in bed,” he repeated.

“No,” she said simply. A low grumble escaped him, and he thanked the gods he managed to suppress the growl that wanted to break free because of her defiance.

“It looks different in here. I’ve only been gone a few weeks and you’ve redecorated.” She chuckled without humor and raised an eyebrow at the king.

“After you left, I trashed the room,” he admitted, his tone nonchalant. “If you were hoping to salvage any of your dresses, they’re now in shreds at the castle dump,” he added, a harsh edge to his voice.

“Not even a ‘thank you’? And here I thought I was the one lacking manners.”

“A ‘thank you’? Why am I here? Why were you there? Were you hoping I’d take you back?” she fired back.

Her eyebrows knitted together in anger, but it only made her more appealing in the king’s eyes.

She held his gaze, waiting for his response. He was so entranced by her that he couldn’t process her questions.

“You still didn’t let me go,” she murmured, her voice softer.

“I came to your aid when I sensed you were in trouble. I didn’t fight to win you back. I intended to let you go. You can still leave if you want. I won’t stop you.”

He dropped his gaze, bracing himself for the sound of her retreating footsteps. But they grew louder instead. She was standing before him.

“You’re letting me go?” she asked, uncertainty lacing her voice.

“Yes,” he exhaled, the word feeling like a self-inflicted wound.

But love was about sacrifice. She wanted to leave. She really did. He couldn’t keep her here if she was unhappy. That would be even worse. He had come to understand that. He was learning.

Not changing, but learning. Love was a territory he hadn’t ventured into for a long time.

Why was she still here? Why couldn’t she just end his torment?

His heart nearly stopped when her lips met his. The kiss was innocent. He couldn’t even deepen it. His shock wouldn’t let him. She pulled back, her eyes meeting his.

“Just when I think I’ve figured you out, you do something that changes everything,” she whispered, her eyebrows furrowing in a telling manner.

“When I left, you bitterly gave me the choice to leave. Now you say you saved me for my sake, you’re letting me go without a tantrum, and you’re showing concern.”

“What do you want from me?” he growled, frustrated that she still wasn’t satisfied. She reached out and cupped his cheek, calming his agitation.

“Help me understand what’s going on in your head. That’s all I want. That’s what sharing is. You share your thoughts, your feelings, even if you think you don’t have any, your goals, and your burdens.

“You don’t have to change. You don’t have to control your temper, or your dominance, or your darkest desires.

“I just want to truly be with you. The mate bond makes me feel so connected and yet so disconnected from you at the same time. The final step is you talking to me. That’s it.”

“And you’ll stay?” he asked.

He pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms.

“I’m old, little wolf. I’m very old. Understand, I’ve lived for centuries with no one whose life wasn’t fleeting compared to mine.

“I learned that they could never mean anything because I would watch them live and die, and that cycle would repeat forever. I never expected a mate.”

He shifted uncomfortably in their embrace. He wasn’t used to revealing his emotions, his inner thoughts, the vulnerabilities that made him feel weak.

“Honestly, I didn’t want one,” he confessed.

Her eyes met his and softened at his expression. Once, she would have thought it devoid of emotion, but she had since learned to read every subtle shift.

“The warrior wolves reject their mates so they can better protect the kingdom and avoid distractions. It became a requirement, although I never made it one.

“A general long ago did it to prove his loyalty to me, and others followed suit. As hard as it was for both wolves, it would never be as difficult as my mate’s duty.

“Because of the expectations for the queen, I couldn’t reject you. I needed an heir. And whoever my mate was, they would have been miserable. Then you came along.

“I couldn’t stand my attraction to you. I couldn’t stand your defiance because I knew it would make things so much harder for you. For me.

“I’m selfish, Aurelia. You should know that. I’m violent and quick-tempered. When things don’t go my way, I lash out. I’ve answered to no one for so long, not even the gods.

“I haven’t had to love or respect anyone.

“My treatment of you, I didn’t realize... I treat my subjects as if they’re beneath me, all of them. But you were my mate.

“I can’t be perfect for you. I can’t comfort you or coddle you. Even this embrace, I... I can’t be gentle.”

“I don’t want gentle,” she murmured, her eyes flicking to his lips. “I want you.”

She initiated another kiss; one he was ready for this time. He easily took control, something she actually liked. His tongue dominated hers as he pushed her body up against the wall.

Their moans echoed in the night as they made love with a raw, passionate intensity. And when it was over, she whispered the words that healed his heart.

“I love you.”

^The End^