Chapter 74 Love And Respect Her
Aurora's POV
"You're... you're the Alpha heir of Nightshade Pack," Matilda whispered. "The future Alpha King?"
Kaelen inclined his head in a single, calm nod of confirmation, his ice-blue eyes never leaving the elderly woman's face. His hand remained wrapped around Elara's with casual possessiveness that made my stomach twist with violent jealousy.
No. No, this couldn't be happening. This wasn't possible.
I'd spent years planning, calculating every move, positioning myself to secure an alliance with powerful bloodlines. The Alpha King's heir was supposed to be my ultimate goal, the prize that would cement my position and give me the power I deserved.
And Elara—useless, weak, pathetic Elara who'd been nothing but a burden to this family—had somehow stumbled into the most valuable fated mate bond in the entire werewolf world without even trying.
"This isn't possible!" The words tore from my throat before I could stop them, sharp and desperate and completely wrong. The moment they left my lips, I knew I'd made a catastrophic mistake, but the shock was too overwhelming to control.
Every head in the room turned toward me with varying expressions of surprise and suspicion. Damian's dark eyes fixed on me with sudden sharp focus, and when he spoke, his voice carried a dangerous edge that made my wolf whimper with instinctive fear.
"Why wouldn't it be possible, Aurora?"
My mind raced frantically as I tried to salvage the situation, forcing my expression into something that might pass for confused concern rather than jealous rage. "I just... I mean, it's so unexpected. Elara never mentioned..." I trailed off, letting my voice shake slightly as I took a small step backward.
But Elara's silver-grey eyes were locked on me with cold fury that sent ice down my spine. She didn't say a word, but the warning in her gaze was unmistakable, and I found myself retreating another step despite my best efforts to hold my ground.
Then Silk's voice cut through my thoughts like a knife, cold and mechanical and utterly final, "Detecting target: Kaelen Thorne favorability assessment. Current favorability: -15 (Deep disgust)"
The number hit me like a physical blow, so shocking that I nearly stumbled. Negative fifteen. I'd never seen a negative rating before, had never even known they were possible. The system had always given me tools to work with, paths to follow, strategies to employ.
But Silk wasn't finished delivering her devastating assessment: "Warning: Target has developed instinctive rejection and wariness toward host. Fated mate mark protection status active. Any approach will trigger lethal backlash. Conclusion: Conquest target nullified. No possibility remains with this individual."
The words echoed in my mind with brutal finality. Nullified. No possibility. For the first time since I'd awakened this power, the system was telling me that a target was completely beyond my reach, that the fated mate bond was so strong it had created an impenetrable barrier around Kaelen's heart.
And it was all because of Elara.
Rage flooded through me, hot and vicious and impossible to completely suppress. My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I stared at her, this girl who'd done nothing to deserve the gifts she'd been given, who'd stumbled into power and privilege without any of the careful planning and manipulation I'd employed.
Matilda's voice broke through my spiraling thoughts, sharp with suspicion. "Aurora, dear, are you quite alright? You look rather pale."
I plastered on a trembling smile and pressed one hand to my chest in a gesture of shocked surprise. "I'm sorry, Grandmother. I'm just... overwhelmed by such unexpected news. It's wonderful, of course, but so surprising." I let my voice crack slightly on the last word, playing the role of the shocked but supportive family member.
But inside, all I could think was how much I hated Elara Sterling, and how I would make her pay for stealing my destiny.
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Kaelen's POV
I felt Elara's hand tremble slightly in mine as the family continued to stare at us with varying expressions of shock, curiosity.
But right now, my focus was on Elara and the way her silver-grey eyes kept darting between her family members with poorly concealed anxiety. She'd been standing here with her suitcase, clearly intending to flee back to the academy to escape whatever interrogation they'd been subjecting her to, and the protective instinct that roared through me at that realization was almost overwhelming.
She turned to me slightly, her voice low enough that only my enhanced hearing could catch it clearly. "How did you know to come here? Damian texted you?"
I squeezed her hand gently, letting my thumb brush across her knuckles in a gesture that was both reassuring and possessive. "Damian mentioned your family was giving you trouble, questioning things they had no right to question. When you were being interrogated, how could I not be here as your mate? I have responsibilities to you now."
The words came out more intense than I'd intended, but I meant every syllable. The thought of her standing here alone, facing hostile questions about our relationship while I remained ignorant at the academy, made my wolf growl with displeasure. She was mine to protect now, whether she fully accepted that yet or not.
James suddenly let out an excited whoop that made several people jump. "Kaelen's going to be my future brother-in-law!" He bounced on his heels with the kind of unrestrained enthusiasm only a child could manage, his eyes shining with genuine delight.
I felt my lips curve into a rare smile. I reached out and ruffled the boy's hair with my free hand, appreciating his uncomplicated acceptance in a way I hadn't expected. "That's the plan," I confirmed.
James beamed up at me like I'd just promised him the world.
"The bond was unmistakable from the first moment," I said, my eyes finding Elara's face as I spoke. "But she only accepted our relationship two days ago. She needed time to be certain, and I respected that."
Damian and Alpha Sebastian exchanged a look that suggested they already knew at least part of this story. Alpha Sebastian nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "We were aware of some of these circumstances," he acknowledged.
Then the former Alpha's voice cut through the room with the kind of authority that made it clear the discussion was over. "Any previous unfair questioning or judgment of Elara ends now. Immediately." His gaze swept across the assembled family members with particular emphasis on Matilda, whose face had gone through several rapid color changes during the conversation.
"You are her grandmother," he continued, his tone making it clear this wasn't a suggestion. "Your role is to love and support your granddaughter, not to interrogate her with outdated rules and unreasonable expectations."
Matilda's mouth opened and closed several times, but no words emerged. Aurora stood beside the elderly woman's chair, her teeth digging into her lower lip hard enough that I could see the white pressure marks.
Turning my attention back to Elara, I kept my voice gentle despite the protective aggression coursing through me. "I should take you back to the academy now. You have classes tomorrow, and you've dealt with enough stress for one day."
She nodded, relief flickering across her face so quickly I almost missed it. But as we moved toward the door, her family calling out various goodbyes and James shouting promises to visit soon, I felt the mate bond humming between us with an intensity that demanded acknowledgment.
We walked through the private garden, following the stone path that wound between ancient trees and carefully maintained flowerbeds. The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves overhead, casting dappled patterns across the ground that shifted with each breeze, and the air smelled of roses and freshly cut grass.
I'd been planning this conversation since the moment Damian's text had arrived, rehearsing different approaches and discarding them as inadequate. But now that we were alone, now that I could finally say what had been building inside me for days, the words felt impossibly heavy on my tongue.
We'd only taken a few steps down the garden path when I stopped abruptly, unable to continue without addressing what was burning through my chest. I turned to face her, pulling her to a halt with the hand I still held clasped in mine.
Elara looked up at me with those silver-grey eyes that had haunted my thoughts since the moment we'd met, confusion and curiosity mixing in her expression. "Kaelen? What's wrong?"