The Ivory Queen

4. Mates II

*** Oliver's POV***

I lay awake in bed all night, replaying the events in my head over and over again. I made several mistakes last night, starting with rejecting Aurora.

*FLASH BACK*

When I took the stage, the sweet smell of roses and cinnamon put me at ease.

Mate, whispered Michael, my wolf.

Finally, I'm going to meet my mate. I scanned the crowd and locked eyes with most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She smiled at me.

Mate! Mate! Michael called excitedly.

She's perfect, I thought. Her long black hair was braided and her deep olive skin glistened in the moon light. Those golden eyes were stunning. She wasn't wearing a dress, yet she was still the most beautiful girl in the crowd. I want her. Only her. I looked her over again, taking in her beauty.

Wait. Is she-

My eyes darkened with anger as I made the realization. Aurora Montenegro, the she-wolf who lost control and killed her father during her first shift. My mate was the most despicable wolf in the entire Lluvia Blanca pack.

This can’t be! She can’t be our mate!

She is our mate! Don't disrespect her! Michael snapped.

When the ceremony ended, I knew I had to reject her. No pack would ever want a murderer as their Luna and no sane wolf would accept her as a mate. I knew my parents would lose their minds if I even tried to make it work. I felt Michael growling at me.

Don't, he growled. He wanted her, but I knew it couldn't happen.

When I found Aurora, I dragged her to the woods nearby. She struggled at first, but relaxed when she realized it was me and I felt my heart shatter at the tenderness in her eyes. My wolf howled with happiness that I had her in my hands, but I knew wasn't going to accept her. When we were out of sight, I threw her against a tree.

Fuck. Why did I have do that to her?

When I spewed my harsh words, she pleaded with me. Her voice was so soft and beautiful. I loved it.

No, she's a murderer, I reminded myself. Reject her.

My wolf was furious with me, but I didn't care. I started to reject her when she interrupted me. That's when I did the most vile thing I could possibly do. I hit her. I hurt my mate and completed the rejection.

Michael cried out in pain, and a burning sensation began to build up in my chest. I turned around so she wouldn't see the tears streaming down my face.

I'm so sorry, I thought as I heard her sob behind me.

*END OF FLASH BACK*

Michael hasn't spoken to me since last night, especially after I let Erin kiss me. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of Erin's tongue down my throat.

How revolting.

What's worse, Aurora saw the whole thing. Tears fell from her honey eyes, and I felt a lump in my throat.

I’m a fucking idiot. How could I do that to her?

Luckily, kissing was all we did. Goddess knows how many diseases that slut carries. She didn't come back with our pack last night, so I think it's safe to assume she found another victim to fuck.

Unable to sleep, I get out of bed, shower and get dressed. I grab a quick bowl of oatmeal and head for my office to review some business contracts and files left on my desk by the company lawyer. As I work, my thoughts drift off to Aurora.

I need to take back my rejection. I’ll beg for forgiveness if I have to. I need her.

Suddenly, I feel a stinging sensation spread across my face. And just as it came, it disappears abruptly.

That was weird.

I continue working for about an hour, fully immersed in my files, when a deep anxiety starts overcoming me.

Something's not right.

My heart is racing and it's getting hard to breathe.

Michael, what's happening?

Mate, he whimpers. She's scared.

Of what?

Just as the anxiety becomes overwhelming, Carter, one of my best friends and beta, walks in, holding some files.

"Alpha, here's the report of the monthly expenses… Hey, what's wrong?" he asks placing the files on my desk.

"I don't… ah!" I gasp as a searing pain radiates from the side of my skull. I hunch over in agony, my breaths becoming shorter and shorter.

"Oliver, what's happening?" Carter rushes to my side. "Hey! Stop it! You’re freaking me out."

I inhale deeply, trying to calm down. Michael's fear turns to pure rage.

Mate needs us. We need to go!

What?

He's taking her by force! Go now! He roars, growling viciously.

I'm angry. I need to help her. I need to help my mate. A burning sensation grows in my chest.

"AURORA!" I cry out in anguish. I fall on the ground, writhing in pain. My head is pounding, my skin feels like it's being torn to shreds and my inner thighs are burning. I'm panting and gasping for air.

"Olivier, calm down!" Carter cries.

"My mate. I- I need to g-go to my mate! I need t-to go to Lluvia B-Blanca" I wheeze between waves of pain. The confused look on his face pisses me off. "Now" I demand using my alpha voice.

"Yes, Alpha,. I'll ask Evan to get the car." he responds obediently.

"No, it's faster if we shift," I say.

"But your pai-"

"I said we're shifting"

"Yes Alpha." Carter places my arm around his neck and helps me to my feet. I mind-link the pack doctor, Meghan to let her know to meet us a the Lluvia Blanca Border; I have a feeling we're going to need her. We walk quickly outside, hide behind some trees, remove our clothes, and shift. Once in our wolf forms, we sprint to the Lluvia Blanca territory.

---

Thanks to our 50 year alliance, the guards at the Lluvia Blanca border let us pass easily. Upon arriving up the driveway, my stomach drops. Her sweet scent of roses and cinnamon fills my nostrils, mixed with another familiar odor: the metallic smell of blood.

There is no time for formalities, so I mind-link Carter and we run around the back of the house to the amphitheater.

"So who are we looking for?" asks Carter via mind-link.

"Aurora Montenegro."

"The murder chick?"

I ignore Carter's stupid comment and focus on her scent.

"She's in the woods," I say as the feeling of dread settles in my gut. I run off into the forest, Carter close at my heels. I send a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess.

Please be okay, Aurora. I'm so sorry. My uneasiness grows stronger when suddenly a blood curdling scream makes us stop in our tracks.

"Somebody please help me!"

Aurora!

Carter and I run in the direction of the screams. We hear the sounds of a struggle and get to the clearing just in time to witness Erin kick Aurora in the head, knocking her out cold.

No!

I charge at Erin, sinking my teeth into her shoulder and throwing her into the creek. She cries out in pain as she comes crashing down. I shift, scrambling towards Aurora and search for a pulse. I'm relieved to feel the blood still pumping in her body. Her breathing is shallow, but steady.

"Aurora, wake up baby. Please wake up," I whimper, tapping her soft bruised cheeks.

"Alpha, there's a body," says Carter. "It's Andrew, he's dead."

I block out Carters words, caressing Aurora's hair and examining her wounds. Her nose and lips were bleeding and bruises covered the entirety of her face. I pull my hand back and discover blood is seeping from a wound on the side of her head.

What did they do to you?

A sob escapes my throat. I lean my forehead on hers. "Please wake up," I whisper, my wolf crying.

"Alpha, what do you want me to do with Erin and the body?" Carter asks snapping me out of my trance.

I lift my head and see Carter staring at me with a look of concern. Erin is now ashore, cradling her bleeding shoulder.

"She killed my brother! I saw her do it! She's a murderer!" she screams.

"Shut the fuck up!" I snap, causing Erin to flinch. I turn my attention back to Carter. "Call Evan and Eric to come pick up Andrew's body and have them take Erin back to the pack house. Make sure they lock her in her room and don't let her leave. I'll deal with her later. You go speak with Alpha Miguel and inform him that Aurora is my mate and that I will be taking her back to River Moon territory," I order.

Carter nods and hands me some basketball shorts, which I quickly put on. He then begins mind linking orders to Eric and Evan.

"Alpha, I came as quickly as I could. I'm at the Lluvia Blanca Border," says Meghan, the pack doctor, via mind-link.

"I'm on my way," I answer. I carefully lift Aurora in my arms and begin running towards the border. Aurora is so light in my arms. I run for what seemed like an eternity before I reach the border lands. Meghan is patiently waiting in the silver Range rover. When she catches sight of Aurora, she immediately jumps out of the car.

"Alpha, put her in the back seat. You drive, and I'll began treating her wounds," she orders.

I nod and set Aurora's limp body in the car while Meghan hops in the back seat. I wipe the tears from my eyes and get in the driver's seat.

I'm anxious the whole drive to the hospital. I watch Meghan work on Aurora from the rearview mirror, hearing her curse under breath as she examines Aurora's body and discovers wounds and old scars.

"They tortured this poor girl," she whispers, more to herself than to me. "I've never seen anything like this before."

I feel a lump form in my throat.

I hurt her too.

"The wounds on her head are the most concerning to me. Looks like she was hit over the head on at least two spots and she most likely has a concussion. I'll need to run some scans to see how bad the damage is. Given by the bruising on her abdomen, I'd say internal bleeding is a high possibility as well. We'll know more once we get to the pack hospital," she states.

"Thank you."

Finally, I drive up to the pack hospital. Two nurses are standing outside waiting for us with a gurney. I quickly carry Aurora onto the gurney and they wheel her inside, Meghan following closely behind. Aurora is taken to a trauma room and several medical staff begin working on her. I try to go in but Meghan stops me.

"Alpha, its best you wait outside while we work. You might get too emotiona-"

"But I'm her mate!" I snap.

"Alpha, please. We can't work to the best of our ability with you inside. I promise you will be the first to know of her condition once we finish examining her," Meghan says calmly.

I didn't want to leave her alone, but I knew the doctor was right. I nod and Meghan rushes back inside, barking orders and hooking Aurora up to several machines.

Not long after, Aurora is sent up to the labs. Meghan comes back and leads me into a private room. The look on her face puts an uneasiness in my heart.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Alpha, we did a quick CT scan and found that there was no brain swelling, which is good news. She has a few cracked ribs and her left wrist appears to be sprained. However, the ultra sound showed severe internal bleeding in her abdomen, so we've sent her up to surgery to stop the bleeding. We've given her several IV fluids and a blood transfusion to help maintain her blood pressure. She hasn't shifted in years, by the looks of it, so her healing time will be longer than usual. Dr. Robert is excellent, so I'm confident her surgery will go smoothly," she says.

I let a sigh of relief. She's ok!

"Alpha, there's a couple more things I need to discuss with you," she says, interrupting my happy thoughts. Meghan shifts her feet nervously. "While I was examining her, I removed her clothes and…" she stops abruptly and takes a few deep breaths.

My heart starts to race uncontrollably.

"… And I found v-vaginal trauma," she pauses, allowing the information to sink in.

Her words echo in my head as anger runs through ever fiber in my body. It was Andrew and she probably killed him in self-defense. I don’t realize I'm practically growling and about to shift until Meghan's voice interrupts my thoughts by placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Alpha, please calm down-"

"Calm down? Calm down? My mate was raped and you want me to calm down?" I'm practically screaming at her.

"Aurora has been through a seriously traumatic event. If she wakes up, she'll need you to-"

"What do you mean if?" I retort. "You said she was going to be okay."

"Alpha, let me explain. The CT scans showed no brain swelling, which is great, but by no means do they suggest she is out of danger yet. During the entire drive here and the initial trauma examination, Aurora was completely unresponsive. She was very much unconscious going into surgery and its very likely she's entered a comatose state. We have no way of knowing if and when she'll wake up. You must be prepared, Alpha, for the possibility that she may never wake up."

My head is reeling and I can feel the blood draining from my face. She may never wake up? Suddenly, the feeling of regret overcomes me. Why didn't I accept her last night? Why didn’t I just bring her home with me? I could have kept her safe. I can't stop the tears from falling, and I begin to panic at the thought of losing Aurora.

Meghan calls for a nurse to bring me something to calm my nerves before going off to get an update on Aurora. Carter soon arrives in the room.

"I'm here for you, buddy. I'm right here," he says pulling me into his arms.