The Ivory Queen
Chapter 77

***Mia’s POV***

“I-I’m your mate, right?” I ask.

I’ve pondered on his question back in the woods for almost two weeks and it seemed I finally found the courage to ask him about it.

Evan’s eyes turn lime green and his wolf smiles at me. “Yes, you are.”

My heart starts to beat uncontrollably.

“How do you know?”

The wolf shrugs. “I’m 22 so I can sense my mate, even if my mate is too young to sense me. When I touched you, I felt our bond. It’s faint but unmistakable.”

“What’s your name?” I ask, suddenly very timid around Evan’s wolf.

“Bodhi,” he says, a little blush rising in his cheeks. “Can I know my mate’s name?”

I attempt to wipe my eyes, embarrassed I cried in front of him when suddenly Bodhi comes up to wipe them for me, his fingers gently gliding over my eyes. I unconsciously lean into his touch and he smiles at me.

“I-Ines,” I reply, my voice just about a whisper. “It’s Ines.”

“Ines,” He repeats the name. “Pretty.”

Before I can even react, he leans forward and his lips brush up against my own. I gasp and step back, releasing Chava from the illusion.

Evan seems to take over his body too and without another word, sprints down the road. I bring my fingers to my lips, touching the spot his lips kissed as I watch him disappear into the distance. Chava’s snarl brings me back to earth.

“What the f**k, Mia?” He snaps. “You know I don’t like when you do that s**t to me.”

“Calmate. It was just a little illusion,” I sigh, walking towards the car and climbing in.

He climbs in with me and grumbles about me using my powers against him. “What did you do to Evan that sent him running?” he chuckles.

I turn towards the window to hide my blush and shrug. “Nothing.”

Chava mumbles a whatever when he gets a text from Javier telling us to go home without him. He’ll be staying a little longer to wait for Celina. She must have stormed off after he told her what he did.

The drive home is silent for the most part, Chava and I processing the events at River Moon. For now, I shove Evan’s k**s to the back of my mind and focus on Aurora’s claim against my mom. I don’t know what to believe. Mom loved Aurora growing up, could she have really turned her over to a witch?

“Chava, are we going to talk about what Aurora and Celina said?” I sigh, frustrated with his silence.

“What’s there to talk about? They’re lying. Mom would never -“ he clenches his jaw. “She didn’t do it. Don’t let them fill your head with lies. Our mom is innocent!”

Of course he doesn’t believe her. He’s too angry to see the truth.

“Do you at least understand that Aurora is innocent?” I ask, afraid I already know the answer. “You blamed her…”

“Don’t act so high and mighty Mia. You did the same thing. I’m not the only monster in the car right now!” He growls at me.

Well at least he acknowledges he’s a monster.

“At least I’m trying to make things right with her! Aurora didn’t deserve-“

He slams on the breaks. “What do you want from me, Mia? An apology? What!?”

“I want you to acknowledge that you were wrong! That we were wrong to hurt her!”

He glares at me. “All I acknowledge is that our father is dead. It doesn’t matter who did it. Nothing will bring him back. Not the truth, not some illusions, nothing! He’s gone!”

“Is it so hard for you to accept that you hurt her unjustifiably?” I whisper, tears spilling from my eyes.

“We’re done talking,” he says, releasing the brakes.

It breaks my heart when he gets like this, stuck on the simple fact that father will never return. It’s pointless to try to speak to him. He’ll never listen.

I sit back in my seat and wipe away my tears. What do I do when I face mom? Chava is clearly no help. Should I go on and pretend I don’t know Aurora is innocent? Do I question her about this so called witch, Tais?

I grow anxious as we pull up to the drive way of the pack house. The dinning room is a symphony of chatter and life, several wolves filing in for their dinner. Salvador grabs a plate and storms off to him room.

“Is he ok?” Maira, the cook asks. After dad died, Mom became too messed up to really take care of us and Maira stepped in. She’s family now.

“I don’t know anymore, nana,” I reply.

“Y Javier? No estaba con ustedes? (And Javier? Wasn’t he with you guys)?”

“He stayed with some friends. He’ll be back later,” I say, peering into the dining room. “Where’s mom?”

Maira gives me an apologetic look and sighs. “Where do you think?”

My heart shatters. Mom has been spending more and more time at the bars with Manuel, Alpha Miguel’s little brother, and the other resident drunkard. I hated Manuel. He never got over the fact that he lost the chance at the gamma position to Dad and was always jealous of the respect with which he was regarded with. After Dad died, Manuel thought he would be given a chance at the position again, but he was too unreliable to be given the title and it went to someone else.

Not long after dinner, Mom and Manuel come stumbling in, reeking of alcohol and slurring pathetically. It’s sad to see all that remains of my mom is this drunken woman and I know Dad would be heartbroken to see we’re so lost without him.

I try to help Mom to her room, but she slaps me across the face and I crash onto the floor.

“No me toques, babosa!” she slurs. (Don’t touch me, stupid!)

Ever since Aurora left, Mom has been taking out her anger on Chava and I more frequently than before. She beat us even when Aurora was still here but we never got it as bad as her. No one really knew about the abuse we took from Mom except Maira and Javier, both of whom would help us conceal our wounds before anyone could see them.

I manage to pull her up the stairs to her bedroom and try to calm her down, but Mom is like a bull when she’s drunk. She claws and scratches at me, even drawing b***d.

Hearing the ruckus, Maira comes running in and helps me restrain Mom until she calms down. I get her in a cold shower and wash away the stench of the bar. I comb her hair and help her into her pjs before tucking her in. Looking at the shattered remnants of my mother, I cannot bring myself to question her. I know she is guilty, her culpability being the source of her insobriety. Much to my surprise, I don’t feel anger or hatred as I expected. Instead all I feel is pity.

With Mom knocked out in bed, I lock myself up in my room. I stare at my reflection in the mirror to examine my cheeks and arms where Mom hit and scratched me. My cheek is a little swollen and I press an ice pack to it. I know it’ll heal by morning. When I’m sure the swelling has gone down, I change into my night gown and sit on my bed in the dark.

I pull out my phone and stare at the number I want to dial for what seems like hours before I finally press send call. I hear the dial tone ring and as the seconds crawl by, I fear she won’t answer. Just as I’m about to give up, I hear Aurora’s voice come through.

“Hi Mia,” she says in her quiet little voice, devoid of any anger or hatred. “Did you and Chava make it home okay?”

She may not be Emiliano’s daughter but she is more like him than anyone I know. I don’t deserve her kindness nor her worries. Not after everything I’ve done to her.

“I believe you,” I whimper, a sob escaping my throat. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know if you can-“

“I forgive you, Mia,” she replies.

“I don’t deserve it…”

“What do you plan on doing with mom now that you know the truth?” She asks and her question confuses me.

“I don’t know. She’s already living in her own hell and she’s not even all there anymore,” I reply, wiping my tears. “She’s just a shell. A drunk shell. And while I don’t forgive her yet, I don’t think it’s right to punish a drunk. I think her guilt makes her suffer enough as it is,” I say truthfully.

She hangs up the phone and I burst into tears, curling up in a ball. Suddenly I feel a disturbance and I look up to see Aurora and Javier in the room.

“How did you…”

She smiles sheepishly at me and stares at the ground. “I can open vortexes and travel through them. It’s one of my gifts.”

“Umm…t-thanks for the ride,” Javier chuckles as he walks towards the door. “I-I’ll see ya.”

I shift nervously on my bed to make room for Aurora and she sits on the edge.

“You’re mother is a poor excuse of wolf,” she mutters. “But she is your mother… And you’re right. Punishing a drunk would mean nothing at this point. Karina’s not there anymore. She hasn’t been in years. I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees that,” Aurora says, tracing the patterns on my covers with her fingers. I nod my head in response. “So you gave me my nightmares….”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, closing my eyes to keep my tears from falling. “I-I have no excuses. I hated you so much and I couldn’t stand to see you alive and him gone. I thought… If I hurt you, I would avenge him and feel less empty inside.”

“So you hurt me to feel better?”

“Y-yes,” I whimper.

“Did you?”

Her question surprises me but I shake my head. She frowns.

“I’m tired Mia,” she sighs, closing her eyes. “I’m tired of being afraid. I’m so tired.”

“I-“

“Mia, I understand why you lied but that doesn’t make the situation any better,” she says, her voice strong but soft. “Dad would want me to move on. I can’t do that by holding onto my anger and fear. So I’m giving you one last opportunity but I warn you. Hurt me again and I’ll forget you exist.”

“One chance is all I need, Aurora. I’ll do everything in my power to show you that I want to be your sister.”

She nods a quietly.

Salvador pops into my head.

“I’m worried about Chava,” I g***n with frustration.

She hums but says nothing.

I take her hand. “Will you forgive him?”

Aurora sighs and shrugs her shoulders. “Chava is a different story. What he did… It’s not that simple with him.”

“What about Mom?”

She shakes her head. “I will always love Karina… Despite everything, she’s the only mother I ever knew. Even if it was all a lie and she traded me to a witch, she took care of me.”

“But….?”

“But I don’t want her in my life anymore,” she murmurs. “She made her choice. I’m making mine. Like I said. I’m moving on and she doesn’t exist anymore.”

I nod. “I see.”

We settle into comfortable silence and my eyelids grow heavy. “Go to sleep,” she chuckles. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “I expect to see you at my ceremony tomorrow. 7pm sharp.”

Her words wake me up immediately and I sit up to give her a hopeful smile. She wants me at her ceremony?!

“I want you there,” she smiles, getting up from the bed and opening a portal. “Good night, Mia,” she smiles before disappearing into the portal.

I remain utterly speechless in bed, giggling like a maniac. She wants me there.

Evan’s k**s flashes in my mind and my heart sinks. Evan will be there and while I can’t feel our bond, it hurts knowing my future mate already loathes me.

Bodhi doesn’t hate us.. Ines chirps. He kissed us!

But his human hates us, Ines. Don’t get your hopes up. You know he’s going to reject us.

Ines whines, the thought of Evan rejecting us hurting her.

Maybe we can change his mind! She says, hope lacing every word.

No! If he doesn’t want me, than I don’t want him! He’s a big, stupid i***t, anyways. He’s ungrateful. He’s annoying… Good riddance! I’m better off without him!

I like him too… Ines says quietly.

***Oliver’s POV***

Carter informs me that he’s currently on his way back from the airport, all of Celina’s guests safely with him and the guards I sent for them.

Once I finish my call, I head over to the bedroom just as Aurora comes out from the closet dressed only in one of my t-shirts. I feel my c**k harden at the sight of her figure prancing around the room in just my shirt but I know s*x is the last thing on her mind. I tuck away my urges and get ready for bed.

When I finally climb into bed, Aurora is facing the wall, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her towards me, her body fitting perfectly against mine. She grabs my hand, interlocking our fingers and sighs contently.

I know dealing with those three assholes took a toll on her but I’m glad my presence offers her some comfort.

“Oliver?” she whispers.

I bury my face in the crook of her neck. “Yeah?”

“Do you think you could teach me some French?”

I burst into laughter. That’s what on her mind right now?

“Why?”

“Because,” she argues. “You speak Spanish perfectly but all I can say is ‘Je t’aime’. I want to know more!”

I roll my eyes but I’m secretly glad she wants to learn something for me. “Fine, what do you want to learn?”

She thinks for a minute before responding.

“How do you say ‘I promise’?”

“‘Je le promets’. What are you promising?”

“To be a good Luna,” she says quietly. “How do I say that?”

My minds drifts off to the ring hidden in my desk drawer.

“By answering this question,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Veux-tu m’epouser? {Will you marry me?}”

She turns to me and scrunches up her nose. “How can I answer if I don’t know what you said?” She pouts.

I lean forward and k**s her nose. “Just say ‘oui’.”

“But what am I agreeing to?” she protests, her lips curving into a smile.

“Say oui.”

I try to keep my face as expressionless as possible but it feels like my heart is about to burst out of my chest. It’s such a simple question but by far the most important to me.

Just say ‘oui’, baby. Please.

“Oui,” she giggles. “Oui, oui! Now tell me what I agreed to!”

If only she knew she just made me the happiest man on this planet.

Aurora Artaud… Michael whispers. It has a ring to it.

“I’ll tell you later! Go to sleep,” I say, desperately trying to contain my happiness.

“Oliver!”

“Good night!” I call out, rolling onto my side to turn off the lights and closing my eyes.

“Sometimes I can’t stand you,” she grumbles, settling it into my arms.

———

I wake up to the sound of crying and I immediately search for the source only to realize it’s Aurora.

The clock reads 3 am. I look down at the tiny angel in my arms, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes are tightly closed and her hands grip the sheets.

She must be having a nightmare, Michael growls.

I gently roll her over so she faces my chest and she naturally buries her nose in my neck. My fingers message her scalp and I start to hum my lullaby to her. Within minutes, her whimpering stops and she settles back into peaceful sleep.

Her nightmares are rare now a days but there was a time where she’d have them almost every night and multiple times throughout her sleep.

She may have forgiven them but the damage was done. The pain still haunts her.

I lay awake, trying to calm my anger when I hear Aurora’s soft voice break the silence.

“Oliver?” She whispers.

I freeze in place, unsure if she’s awake or asleep. She k****s my neck and I relax.

“I don’t know what you asked, but if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you…”

I can hear my heart pounding in my ears with her every word.

“Oui.”