The Ivory Queen
Chapter 21

***Oliver’s POV***

I hold Aurora in my arms as her family rushes to Mia’s side. She choking on her ventilator and the doctor quickly removes it from her mouth and begins examining her immediately. Mia looks around the room in confusion before her eyes finally settle on Aurora sleeping peaceful in my arms. They widen in shock and anger.

“What’s she doing here?” she says in disgust.

I feel my b***d boil. After everything Aurora did for her, she still has the audacity to be angry? f**k this family!

“She just saved your life. I would be thanking her if I were you,” I snap.

She looks at her family for confirmation and they say nothing.

Cowards I think to myself.

“What do you mean she saved me?” she asks.

“Aurora is a healer like your father,” I say with great irritation. “She came rushing to your aid despite everything you people did to her!”

Carter rests his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down. But I can’t calm down. I’m livid. This family beat her for years and when she comes running to their aid, what do they do? They hurt her again. And she still helps them!

“She killed our father!” Salvador shouts, shooting daggers at me.

“She didn’t do it and you know it!” I growl. Aurora shifts in my arms and I calm down. I gently shush her and place a k**s on her forehead. She relaxes and snuggles up to my chest.

“Get out!” Salvador snarls.

“Gladly,” I say turning towards the door. “She’s never coming back here. I’ll make sure of that.”

I feel Mia’s gaze as we exit the room.

—

When we reach the parking lot, I decide to ride with Evan. I need to have a few words with him. Rio greets me happily and tries to k**s Aurora’s face but Evan ties him to the back seat so he doesn’t wake her up. We drive in silence until we make it out of Lluvia Blanca’s territory. I play with Aurora’s hair, noticing the dried b***d near her temple before I erupt on Evan.

“What the hell were you thinking bringing Aurora back there?” I growl, looking at Aurora in my lap. “How did she even know Mia was hurt? She wasn’t supposed to replace out.”

Evan is silent, clearly thinking about the events that just unfolded. “Alpha, I told her because I felt -“

“Your job is not to feel anything for her, your job is to protect her! Bringing her to that place was everything but protecting her!”

“For the last time, I don’t have feelings for her! She is our Luna and my friend. That’s it,” he retorts. “And to be fair, I did give you a heads up that we were going there!”

Evan and Carter are the only people allowed to talk back to me. We promised to not let titles change our friendship but they know their place when we’re in important settings.

“Evan-“

“Keeping her in the dark is not protecting her, it’s hurting her. She won’t trust you if you keep trying to control her!” Evan exasperates. “Her family controlled her for 5 years, Oliver. She doesn’t need her mate controlling her too!

“I’m only trying to help her!”

“So you think keeping her by your side all the time is helping her? You think she’s any less afraid when you keep her in the dark? She needs her freedom. She needs to learn how to fight for herself. You can’t keep fighting her fights for her, she won’t grow!”

I look at Aurora sleeping peacefully in my arms. I wipe the b***d on her temple with my shirt and mind link Meghan to meet us at the house for a check-up. I would die if anything ever happened to her again.

Evan glances at me and his face softens. “I know you went through a lot when Aurora was in the hospital,” he says quietly. “I know it killed you watching her lay in that bed, all beaten and bruised. s**t, it hurt me like hell and I didn’t even know her!” he laughs coldly. “But you can’t -“

“I’m sorry,” I say, my voice soft.

Evan freezes. “What?”

“I’m sorry for attacking you at the library” I sigh, trying to come up with right words to say. “You and Carter were there for me through all the s**t that happened during those four months. And when my parents disowned me, you guys stood by my side and chose to defend Aurora. And when she woke up, you did everything you could to make her feel safe. And that’s what bothers me.” I look out the window to blink away the tears in my eyes. “She doesn’t feel safe with me.”

I hear Evan sigh. “I was so angry at you for thinking that I would be capable of taking Aurora from you. I was even more angry when you trusted someone as slimy as Adeline over me, your best friend,” he pauses. “Do you realize how much that hurt coming from you?

“I’m a shitty friend. I know that!”

“Yeah, you’re also a d**k,” he laughs. “But it’s ok. Brothers always fight over dumb things.”

I smile when he calls me brother. “So we’re cool?”

“I guess,” he smiles lazily and I reach over to smack him. “Ow! I take it back, I hate you again,” he scowls.

“Too late. You already forgave me!” I laugh and nod towards his shoulder. “How’s your shoulder by the way?”

“Man, f**k that Lion and Salvador. I still can’t wrap my head around how powerful that family is! They’re no f*****g joke! I don’t even want to know what they did to Aurora with their gifts.”

We’re both quiet for a while, giving thought to the idea. Seeing Aurora’s family attack her so easily for trying to help infuriated me. These past 5 years for Aurora must have been hell for her and I can only imagine the things Salvador did. Aurora says Mia never hurt her but I imagine that’s a lie. Mia is a very powerful wolf and I can only assume she didn’t sit back and let Salvador and her mother torture her alone.

Evans voice interrupts my thoughts.

“You and Aurora need to be more honest with each other.”

“About what?”

“You’re both insecure about each other.”

I snap my head at him and give him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

He shrugs. “You’re afraid she won’t trust you. And she’s afraid she’s not good enough for you.”

“She told you that?”

“No,” he sighs. “But it’s not hard to tell. Why do you think she never looks Adeline in the eye?”

“Years of abuse,” I snort.

“Well, that’s part of it. But in reality, she just doesn’t think she measures up to her.”

I pull Aurora closer to me and she curls up her arm in my chest. I smile at her beauty. She’s absolutely perfect. “Aurora is a hundred times the woman Adeline will ever be.”

“Preaching to the choir, my dude.” Evan chuckles softly. “But that’s not what Aurora thinks. For starters, your parents hate her guts.”

I g***n. “f**k them.”

Evan laughs. “Yeah, I never liked your parents. You’re dad scares the crap out of me and he’s a manipulative a*****e.”

I laugh at his comment. He’s definitely not wrong there.

“But seriously, man. Your ex and your parents are a huge problem. Not to mention what you did,”

I turn to look at him accusingly. “What do you mean ‘what I did’?”

“If I remember correctly, you called Aurora ugly, among other things, the day you first met her and I know for a fact she believed ever single word you said, or am I wrong?”

My silence confirms his suspicions and he continues.

“I’ve seen her scars, man. Her family treated her like garbage and probably said the same s**t to her every day. It must have hurt like hell coming from you. First impressions count and you f****d up. It’s probably why she likes me so much. I’ve never hurt her.”

My face falls. I still haven’t forgiven myself for treating her the way I did and hearing Evan’s thoughts only validates my fears. She hates me.

“Hey, man cheer up. You’re kind of a brute, but she knows you mean well,” Evan says light heartedly.

I can’t bring myself to smile.

“Hey, I mean it. She doesn’t hate you.”

“But she doesn’t trust me.”

“Trust is earned. And you have to prove that you deserve her trust.”

“How?” I plead.

“Well for starters, that temper of yours has got to go. I know you’re an Alpha but you scare the crap out of her when you get angry. She won’t come to you if she knows you’ll just erupt. You gotta be cool, think before you act,” he says pointing to his temples. “Also, Adeline’s gotta go.”

“You know I can’t do that!”

“Can’t or won’t?” he asks. “You and I both know that partnership with Lune de Minuit is just a ploy from your Dad to gain power and prestige. I’m not saying end it for Aurora’s sake but there are ways to cut off your contact with Adeline. For example, whenever you’ve got a meeting with Adeline or something business thing, send Carter in your place. And if she ever tries anything, shoot her down immediately. Don’t give her a chance to f**k s**t up for you,” he pauses. “And don’t believe a word that comes out of her vile mouth.”

I nod. I’ll do anything to keep Aurora happy and earn her trust. We continue the drive when an idea pops into my head.

“Do you think she’d agree to go on a date with me? I think it would be nice to spend so time together without any interruptions. Maybe she’ll trust me more.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea. I have a feeling no one’s ever taken the time to actually make her feel wanted or special. I’m sure she’d love it,” he says. “But you gotta make it special. She deserves special.”

I smile at the thought of her getting all dressed up just to be with me. A date. It’s so simple, how could that have slipped my mind? We’ve been together almost a month and we haven’t properly gotten to know each other.

We pull up the drive way and I see Meghan is waiting in her car. I carry Aurora into our room while Evan unties Rio and brings him in. Meghan cleans Aurora’s wound and does a quick check up on Aurora before leaving with Evan. I sit on the bed and just watch Aurora sleep. I want to change her clothes but I know she’ll freak out if she wakes up in her PJ’s. She doesn’t want me to see her scars. I don’t need her thinking I invaded her privacy, so I opt to just remove her shoes and tuck her in. Rio curls up next to her. I get ready for bed and lay on the couch, coming up with a plan for our first date.