Orion’s POV
The moment I burst back through the front door, the silence of the house hit me like a sea wave, and my brows immediately furrowed because everything smelled wrong. The air was thick with a nasty, agonizing fragrance that made my beast violently claw at my chest.
I wrinkled my nose as I strained my ears, listening for the steady, comforting rhythm of Aurora’s heartbeat, but there was nothing.
Panic flared through my veins. Where the hell was she?
She wouldn’t have left.
Fuck!
I stormed further into the house and ran straight into Josephine standing outside in the backyard. That was where the nasty scent was coming from.
What was she doing here?
“Alpha,” she purred, stepping toward me with a smug smile.
I stared at her, my vision narrowing as I caught the faint trace of Aurora’s sweet, milky scent lingering in the air around her. “Where is she?” I growled immediately.
Josephine’s eyes widened slightly, her composure fracturing for a second before she forced another smile. “Who?” she asked innocently.
“My mate. Where is she, Josephine?” I gritted out. My bear was clawing at the back of my mind to kill Josephine.
“I don’t know what you are—”
My arm shot out before she could play dumb, wrapping around her throat just enough to choke out her breath and pin her to the wall.
She coughed, her eyes rolling back in terror. “Alpha!”
“Don’t let me repeat myself. Where is Aurora?” I growled. These people were testing my patience. They wanted to see me snap from the little restraint I had on my animal.
“I-I don’t k-know,” she gasped as I tightened my grip mercilessly on her neck. “She ran away,” she squeaked out.
I dropped her on the ground with a loud thud as she started coughing violently while gasping for air.
“Next time I see you anywhere near my mate again, I’ll kill you,” I seethed, glaring down at her while she nodded frantically, touching her bruised neck. “Now scram.”
She scrambled to pick herself up but stumbled and fell on her ass before running away.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, wrinkling my nose in the process at her disgusting scent, then walked to the front door. I raised my chin to catch the direction of the wind, tracking the faint trail of my mate’s scent. God! I didn’t catch it earlier because all that was on my mind was getting back to her.
I followed the scent, and it led me into the dense woods toward the stream. I’d briefly mentioned the stream here, but I didn’t think she would actually get there through my vague direction.
I sprinted through the trees until I spotted her sitting right on the muddy bank, and a relieved sigh escaped my lips. She looked devastatingly beautiful, her long blonde hair falling over her shoulder, illuminated by the bright moonlight.
But the sight also shattered my heart because her expression was lost while her hands rubbed at her arms as she shivered in the cold night air. She was still wearing my oversized shirt, her feet bare and covered in dirt as she tried to soothe her blistered legs in the freezing water.
The heavy scent of her distress washed over me, nearly knocking me off my feet as a vicious urge spiked through my blood to go back and tear Josephine to pieces.
I gritted my teeth. This wasn’t the time to get angry. My mate needed me. I forced my heavy footsteps to slow down, purposely letting my boots crunch against the twigs so I wouldn’t startle her in the dark. I didn’t say a word when I got to her and simply stepped up to her, bent down, and scooped her into my arms.
Aurora gasped, her body instantly tensing as if she wanted to thrash or pull away from me.
“Let’s get you home first,” I murmured against her hair, keeping my voice as soft and unthreatening as possible.
She let out a reluctant, exhausted sigh, finally burying her face into my chest as I carried her back.
The moment we stepped into the house, I hoisted her up and sat her gently on the kitchen counter. I immediately turned on the stove to warm up a fresh kettle of water, adjusting the temperature of the room to stop her shivering. Her skin was cold.
I looked down at her dangling feet, and without a second thought, I dropped to my knees on the floor before her while Aurora clutched her glass of water tightly, staring down at me through her long lashes, her breath hitching in surprise.
I gently took her bruised foot into my large hands and pressed a soft kiss against her skin. Saliva could heal small wounds. She let out a tiny squeak, her leg jolting in a reflex to pull back, but I held her firmly, refusing to let go as I tenderly kissed each rising blister.
“I don’t know what Josephine told you,” I murmured, my voice deep and steady as I looked up at her. “But every single word out of her mouth was a lie.”
“I-I...” she stammered, swallowing hard as she looked down at me. “She said she was your betrothed.”
A furious growl rumbled in my chest at the sheer audacity of the lie, but I forced my bear down, reining in the anger so I wouldn’t terrify her. I gently set her feet down, stood up to my full height, and stepped into her space, hovering over her. I placed both of my hands on the counter on either side of her thighs, trapping her gently against me.
Aurora raised her head, her beautiful blue-gray eyes meeting mine.
“I have never been with anyone before, Aurora,” I said, looking deeply into her eyes. “I never had the time for it in the past. Josephine is an elder’s daughter; the council wanted us together to secure a political line, but I never approved of it. I never wanted her. Because I refused to give myself to anyone who wasn’t my true mate.”
“But—” she whispered, her voice wavering.
I offered her a soft smile, watching as the doubt slowly cleared from her expression. She nodded quietly, a tiny, relieved smile finally breaking across her lips.
“I believe you,” she said softly.
The words caused a rush of blood to surge through my veins, making my heart thump so loudly against my ribs that if she were a shifter, she would have easily heard it. My throat bobbed. My gaze dropped from her eyes down to her soft, parted lips, and I swallowed hard.
“Can I kiss you?” I asked, my voice barely a breathless whisper.
Aurora blinked repeatedly, a beautiful flush creeping up her neck before she gave a small nod.
Without wasting time, I leaned in and stole her lips with mine.