For what seemed like an eternity but was probably just a few seconds in reality, everything froze and Aurora was acutely aware of everything around her; Diego softening inside her, the wind rustling outside, the birds chirping annoyingly... But as suddenly as it had come, everything went into fast forward mode and suddenly a wave of shock crashed into her. It was not her own. She felt Diego's shock as sharply as if it were her own.
In answer to his shock, her thoughts went into turmoil. Was he shocked because it was too fast? Because he didn't feel the same way? Because it was just about the sex for him? Had she misread the signs? She was too afraid to look for an answer to anyone of those question so, as if it were a protective instinct, a wall slammed down, cutting off her connection with Diego. It wasn't gone, just blocked.
Aurora heard him gasp and felt him recoil as if he had been punched. When she finally gathered up the strength to turn around and look at him, all she saw was confusion and hurt in those flaming amber eyes.
She didn't try to make sense of it. She kicked open the back door to her Jeep Wrangler and let her wings take air...
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Aurora grunted and rubbed at her temples trying to ease the pounding migraine that had taken up permanent residence in her skull.
"You could just go to him." Aisling suggested for the umpteenth time making Aurora want to bash her head with something.
The demigoddess had flown for the rest of the day, wondering around aimlessly, her thoughts bouncing in her skull. Until she had decided she needed some comfort food and headed for the O'Callaghan Pack house hoping there would be some leftovers from the Barbecue.
She had noticed that Diego had "knocked" at the figurative door between them but when she refused to answer he started pounding, hence the infernal migraine. She could feel wisps of his emotions sliding out between the wall that was starting to crack. Hurt, panic and worry. She groaned.
"I told him I loved him and he was shocked, Ash, not ecstatic or happy or even smug for that matter! He was shocked! You get shocked when something you hadn't expected to happen happens and that isn't a good thing!" Aurora ranted.
"Aurora, that's what happens when you tell someone you love them, dearie. It takes a few seconds for it to register and you ran without even giving him that chance." Stephanie O'Callaghan's voice was a low staccato that resonated with power. The woman was five foot four with graying raven hair that added to her understated grace. Though Aurora was way older than her she always found it wise to heed the Alpha She-wolf's council. Her daughter Aisling was a good listener yet not very good with advice but Aurora loved her nonetheless.
Back to the here and now, all three women sat around the kitchen table as the men yelled profanities at the football game that was on in the living room flat screen.
Aurora slumped in her chair and buried her face in her hands.
"What if that's not it? What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Aurora whispered more to herself than to the two females. It was her biggest fear. She had never been rejected because she had never allowed herself to be put in that position but now that she had things were way complicated. It pissed her off to no end that this male had her falling head over heels for him and she could do nothing to stop him.
"My dear girl, I never thought you were a coward. Plus he's only a cat if the bastard dared to hurt you; you know we'd gut him." Stephanie said this with a warm smile. Aurora imagined this was the expression Hannibal Lecktar had as he talked about his victims but she was grateful to have the wolves behind her. It made her feel safe and cherished.
Aurora nodded. "How am I gonna find him?"
"Your mating bond. Duh." Aisling said.
She nodded again and just as she was about to get up a roar echoed around them. No wolf could have made that sound, wolves howl they don't growl. But she knew exactly from who that roar had come from.
"Guess like he found you instead." She heard Aisling say as her feet carried her out through the spacious living room and out front to the porch.
A sound in between a gasp and a choke escaped her lips at the sight of Diego. If that really was Diego.
"You best be getting outta here, lad. You're clearly outnumbered and me boys are achin' to sink their fangs in a tiger. Ya hear?" Mr. O'Callaghan was saying but she didn't pay the man any mind. Her eyes were glued onto her mate.
His amber eyes had gone completely feral. His fangs were fully extended and dug into his lower lip, making a trail of blood flood from the corners of his lips. His face was set in a grimace that had her glimpsing his cat. His clothes were ripped in some place and barely hanging on to his body. He was trembling so hard she thought he was going to fall from the force of the tremors.
Those wild eyes locked onto her and she knew it was Diego the tiger that was in charge. She took a hesitant step back and he leapt for her.
Faster than her eyes could track, five wolves had leapt to intercept him.
Snarls and growls ripped through the silence of the clearing as fur flew and flashes of fangs and claws came and went. The moment Diego roared, all the other sounds were rendered futile. The wall that was blocking their bond crumbled as she saw the four foot high tiger and she was assaulted by the wrath of his emotions. Wave after wave of potent emotions slammed into her, leaving her breathless.
"Enough!" she yelled, loosening the tight leash she usually had on her powers. Her voice echoed around them.
The wolves slowly leapt away from the tiger but not before they snarled warnings at him. In the next few seconds, the wolves cleared out and only her and her tiger remained in the clearing.
Aurora walked the few feet that remained between them and knelt infront of her mate. A sound of pure agony ripped out of the beautiful animal tearing into her very soul.
Hot tears pooled in her eyes and fell down her cheeks and she buried her face into the tiger's neck. Saying "sorry, sorry, sorry" as if it were a mantra that would make everything okay. She rocked back and forth using her arms that were locked around the tiger's neck like an anchor holding her to earth. By the time she finally managed to differentiate which feelings were hers and which were his and managed to deal with the miasma of emotions, it was a man's arms that held her to his warm naked body.
She still wouldn't pull away from his neck. She was too afraid to see the hurt or worse, contempt in his eyes. She had after all deserved it. Even when he tried to pry her away she refused, holding on for dear life. She. Would. Not. Let. Him. Go.
"Enough of this. You need to trust me." Although the words were hard, his voice was soft.
She yielded and reluctantly loosened her grip and sat back with her ass on her heels and her wings fanning out on the grass.
She only then realized as she looked at the blurry green of the grass that she was still crying.
"Look at me." He said softly. It was hard to paste together the feral man on the brink of losing it and this one who was all softness and compassion.
Aurora slowly raised her eyes to his, her heart beating hard against her ribcage. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, she wanted to beg her forgiveness but as she looked into her mate's eyes it seemed as if there was nothing to say. She felt his love for her, felt how strong it was. It shined with a golden pulsing light between their souls. She reveled in it. She wanted to sing, she wanted to rub herself all over him.
"You will never leave me again." though the words were that of an order, they came out as a plea.
