I Belong To You Aurelius

Chapter 5: The Return

Thalia’s world tilted sideways at his words. Her legs gave out completely and she landed hard on her ass in the mud, staring up at him like he’d just announced the sky was falling.

He kept staring at her face with that same intense look, like he was trying to drag something from the depths of his memory. Then he groaned softly. His hand moved toward his head, fingers starting to press against his temple before he caught himself and forced his arm back down. He straightened up quickly, his expression smoothing back into that cold mask.

Everything happened so fast that Thalia was probably the only one who’d seen it.

“Come with me,” Aurelius said, his voice leaving no room for argument. He turned to Marcus. “I’ll be leaving at first light tomorrow.”

Marcus went pale, though whether from anger or something else Thalia couldn’t tell. He said nothing, just glared at her with a look that promised retribution if he ever got the chance. Celina looked absolutely furious, her hands clenched at her sides and her jaw so tight Thalia could see the muscle jumping, but she was clearly trying so hard to keep it together in front of Aurelius.

The whole scene was so ridiculous that Thalia felt laughter bubbling up in her chest. She tried to hold it in, tried to swallow it down, but a giggle escaped before she could stop it and she immediately disguised it as a cough when everyone turned to stare at her.

She could have sworn she saw the corner of Aurelius’s mouth twitch, the barest hint of a smile, but when she looked again he was just glowering at her with that same intense expression.

Someone was sniffling behind her and Thalia turned to see the blonde girl she’d beaten, the one whose face she’d pounded into the dirt with everything she had. Their eyes met and the girl flinched, actually flinched away from her, and that simple action made something warm and vicious curl in Thalia’s chest.

Good. Let her remember.

“Are you listening to me?” Aurelius’s voice cut through her thoughts, sounding irritated now. “Wash your face in the stream. I’m taking you back to the festival.”

The words hit her like cold water and Thalia felt her stomach drop straight through the ground.

Fuck f**k f**k f**k.

The festival meant they were there, the both of them. Her wolf immediately started pacing beneath her skin, agitated and wanting to bolt.

She opened her mouth to protest, to say anything that might get her out of this, but Aurelius must have read the panic on her face because he immediately cut her off.

“Go. Wash your face. Now.”

The command in his voice left no room for argument, carrying that weight of authority that made her wolf want to tuck its tail and obey even as everything else in her screamed to run. Thalia found herself moving toward the stream on shaking legs, her mind racing through every possible escape route and finding none that wouldn’t end with her dead.

The water was cold against her skin as she splashed it on her face, washing away the blood and dirt. Her cuts had already healed, the small wounds closing over like they’d never been there at all, and she was grateful for that at least.

She stood up slowly, water dripping down her neck and soaking into her already wet dress. Her mind was in overdrive, thoughts spinning so fast she couldn’t catch hold of any single one long enough to form a plan.

She could run. Right now, while his back was turned, she could bolt into the forest and disappear into the darkness.

But that was suicide. He’d catch her in seconds.

She didn’t want to die. Not now. Not like this.

She turned back and found Aurelius watching her, his grey eyes unreadable. Marcus stood beside him, still looking pale and angry.

“Come here,” Aurelius said.

Thalia’s legs carried her forward even though every instinct was screaming at her to run. When she reached him, he surprised her by kneeling slightly and gesturing to his back.

“Get on.”

She stared at him. “What?”

“I’m not repeating myself.” His voice was clipped and irritated. “You’re injured. Get on my back or I’ll carry you over my shoulder. Your choice.”

Thalia glanced at Marcus, who looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t dare. She looked back at Aurelius, at the strong line of his back, the way he was waiting with barely contained impatience.

She didn’t have a choice. Not really.

She climbed onto his back awkwardly, her arms wrapping around his shoulders to hold on. The moment her body pressed against his, that wild scent surrounded her completely, making her wolf stir despite everything. His hands came up to support her thighs, and then he straightened up like she weighed nothing at all.

“Let’s go,” he said to Marcus, and started walking.

Marcus fell into step beside them, shooting Thalia looks that promised retribution later, but she barely noticed. She was too focused on the fact that Aurelius was carrying her, that his warmth was seeping into her cold, wet body, that every step he took was steady and sure despite the uneven forest floor.

They moved through the trees faster than she expected when he started jogging, his enhanced speed making the journey back feel shorter than it should have been. She was so lost in her own spiraling thoughts that she didn’t even notice when the sounds of celebration started filtering through the trees. Music and laughter and the general noise of too many people in one place.

They emerged from the forest into the festival grounds and Thalia wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Every eye seemed to turn toward them, conversations pausing as people stopped to stare at the Alpha heir carrying a bedraggled, soaking wet girl on his back.

All her careful work at blending in, at being just another unremarkable face in the crowd, had just gone up in flames.

Aurelius didn’t stop, didn’t slow down, just kept walking through the crowd like he didn’t care who was staring. Thalia forced herself to look up, forced herself to scan the crowd even though everything in her wanted to keep her eyes down and hidden.

And then she finally saw them.

Rebecca, the elegant lady of House Morales with her honey-blonde hair and blue eyes, was staring at Thalia with an expression of pure shock. Next to her stood Jordan, Aurelius’s brother, his warm brown eyes locked on Thalia’s face with that same look of recognition that made her blood turn to ice.

They knew who she was. They f*****g remembered.

Thalia forced something onto her face, tried to shape her expression into a warning, a plea, a threat. If they said one f*****g word, if they made even the slightest move to reveal who she was, she would start talking and damn every consequence.

She’d burn it all down before she went quietly.