Chapter 36 36
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
AURORA'S P.O.V
The crack of the slap echoed in my ear like a huge thunder bolt. My face snapped to the side, my hair whipping across my cheek. I choked on my breath, my eyes going red with fury, fear totally gone. What had I done to deserve this? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I felt blood rushing to my veins and roaring in my ears, something was surviving in me. I could feel it, the palms of my hands were tingling.
I raised my head and glared at them. “Try that again,” I said in a low voice.. “I dare you.”
They didn’t care to listen. The fourth guy sneered and moved to grab me. I braced myself, my feet apart and arms at my side, ready to launch an attack. But before he could touch me, a growl ripped through the air. Low and deadly, filled with warning. The kind of sound that didn't just happen. As soon as they heard the growl, they all stiffened, their eyes going wide and frantic.
"What the hell was that?"
I felt a presence from beneath the woods in front of us, so I looked.
"Lucian." I whispered, my body immediately going into a more relaxed mode.
He stepped out of the woods, walking slowly and silently. His eyes red, glowing like lava. I could see the red, hot fury dancing in his eyes as he moved.
“Touch her again,” he growled, his shoulders high, muscles bunched. “and I’ll break every bone in your bodies.”
The men froze. One of them turned to look at me. Recognition and horror dawned on his face, he opened his mouth.
“Alpha…Lucian...?”
"They never said he cared about her or were we lied to?" One of them asked already moving back.
"I don't think we were lied to, they aren't even mated yet."
"Then how the hell did he find her? He looks ready to kill."
"Let's get out of here..."
But Lucian was already moving. In a blur, he slammed the first man into the wall of the bar, wood splintering under the force. People immediately rushed outside to see what was going on. The second barely had time to shift before Lucian’s fist met his jaw, sending him sprawling into the dirt. The third and fourth tried to run.
Big mistake. I'm not letting that happen.
"Lucian! They're trying to escape."
He nodded quickly and shifted mid-stride, not fully, just enough. Claws tore through clothes. His voice was still human, but barely.
“Get up,” he growled at the one who slapped me, dragging him towards me. “Apologize.”
The man scrambled, coughing blood. “I...I didn’t know...”
Lucian slammed a boot onto his chest. “You thought she was weak. You thought she was alone?" He leaned down, gritting his teeth, "That I didn't care about her?”
Then his gaze flicked to me, a silent but strong gaze. I stared back at him, standing with my fists clenched but my eyes steady on his face, then I smiled at him. He smiled back.
“She’s neither. I'm with her. Always."
He stepped back just enough for the man to scramble away, along with the rest of them, bruised, humiliated, broken. As silence returned, Lucian turned to me. His voice lowered.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded slowly, a smirk on my lips.
“I could’ve handled them you know.”
His lip curved, just a little.
“I know you could. But I wanted to. Hope you didn't mind.”
"Nah. I'm good, at least you saved me the stress of having to do it myself."
We both laughed.
I looked at the shattered wood, the blood in the dirt, and then at the man who’d leapt into battle for me without hesitation. I stared at him long enough for him to notice and stare back at me, his eyes having a warm light in it. A beat passed between us.
I broke it with a soft breath. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “Always. Let's go."
I nodded and followed him, we left the wreckage without a backwards glance. I was never coming back here again.
We got to the pack house and went to our various rooms, I totally forgot that I still had class to go to but that's okay. I can make up for that later. As I lay in my bed, my eyes up at the ceiling, I thought about Lucian. I felt that something has shifted between Lucian and I, at least I felt like he was a bit different from what I had been thinking all along. The guy had many layers, I just needed to peel them off, layer by layer and get to know him. A snort escaped me, I turned in the bed.
"Here I am thinking like I'm going to be here with him forever."
I was still thinking about Alpha Kieran's offer. By the way, where is he? Where does he always disappear to then appear suddenly from?
"Whatever. I need to sleep. I think better after a good nights sleep."
But as I closed my eyes, not less than five minutes later, I heard my name being called.
"Aurora."
Like a gentle whisper, it called out to me.
"Huh? Who's calling me?" I whispered as I raised my body up from the bed, pushing the blanket away.
"Aurora. Over here."
I stood up and headed to the window where the voice was getting louder from. I looked outside but I couldn't see anything. Determined to know who was calling my name, I opened my door and headed out. Despite the alarm bells ringing in my head, I was deaf to it. So insistent on fire ding out who could be calling me that I didn't care about anything else. I got outside, moved a few distance away from the pack house when the voice suddenly stopped.
"I could have sworn I was hearing that voice." I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled.
"Hello, anyone out there?"
Silence.
But then, something soft was suddenly pressed against my mouth and eyes. The last thing I felt was a brief pain to the back of my head and a stranger familiar voice.
"Where are you off to, Luna....?!"