The Ivory Queen
Chapter 59

***Aurora’s POV***

“Why? Do I know him?” Oliver asks, raising his eyebrows.

I nod. “Unfortunately, you do…”

“Well tell me who he is so I can properly kick his a*s!” He jokes and I chuck the pillow at him. “I’m kidding, Aurora. But I am…. curious.”

“Fine!” I huff. “But you guys have to answer too!”

They both raise their hands in surrender and I sigh with annoyance. Stupid question!

“Ok, I used to, as in Past Tense, have a crush on my former Alpha’s son…” I say, heat rushing to my cheeks. I grab another pillow and bury my face into it.

“You liked Javier!?” Oliver asks with shock and I nod shyly into the pillow.

Celina laughs. “Wow Aurora, you sure have a thing for Alphas,” she grins. “That makes two of us.”

Oliver rolls his eyes and chucks the pillow I threw at him back to us. “So what was so great about Javier?”

We can hear the jealousy in his voice and laugh at him. I finally take my face out of the pillow and fidget with my hair, suddenly very conscious of how Oliver is looking at me.

“Chava and Javi have always been best friends and he was practically at our house all the time growing up. Javier and I very quickly discovered we loved to mess with Chava and we became really close,” I giggle as a frown tugs at Oliver’s lips. “I’ve always been a little shy but not when it comes to dancing. I love to dance. Dad taught me everything I knew and I used to dance with Javi all the time as kids. He was my partner at every quinceañera and every dance.”

I steal a glance Oliver and notice he’s clenching his jaw with annoyance.

I better wrap this up.

“Long story short, it was my first spring dance and I was just six grader. Middle school was not my shining moment. I was a little nervous because I didn’t have a lot of friends and didn’t think anyone would want to dance with me. All the other girls were on the dance floor with cute boys while I was on the sidelines… alone. No one had asked me to dance so I was just trying to be invisible.” I fidget with the pillow and a small smile tugs at my lips.

“Javi saw me, though, and he asked me to dance. I don’t know why he did it. He was an 8th grader at the time and very popular among the girls. He could’ve dance with any girl he wanted but he chose me. Perhaps he did it because I was his best friends little sister, but regardless, it was really special to me.”

“Javi?” Oliver says in a high pitched, mocking tone, making me laugh. “I’m going to kill him,” he huffs and I stick my tongue out at him.

“Shut up!” I giggle. “Celina, you’re next. Who was your crush and why?

“His name is, drum roll please….. Angel Guerrero,” she giggles. “Now there’s a fine piece of man. He’s also a future Alpha but from our neighboring pack,” she says wiggling her eyebrows. “We first met when we were kids at a pack Christmas party. I accidentally walked into him and spilled my drink all over him and he got mad for like a split second and then.. I don’t know, he just smiled at me. In like an instant I was head over heels for him. First guy to ever make me blush! Anyways, we snuck out of the house and had a snow ball fight until our parents came to find us.” She smiles happily. “He goes to the same college as me and we hang out all the time. It’s too bad he’s not my mate. I really like being around him.”

“I’m sure whoever your mate is will make you blush again,” I giggle and turn to Oliver. As if on cue, Oliver winks at me and I blush immediately.

“Thank you for rubbing your mate in my face,” Celina says, rolling her eyes. “Now Oliver, your turn.”

***Aurora’s POV***

“Why? Do I know him?” Oliver asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah, who was your crush?” I tease.

“I told you, I wasn’t allowed to look at another girl who wasn’t Adeline,” he shrugs, his voice laced with slight irritation.

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t like another girl. Tell us!” Celina insists.

After we berate him for a bit longer he finally snaps.

“Ok Keoni!” He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the chair. We both give him amused looks, waiting for him to elaborate. He sighs with annoyance. “She’s ummm… Kehlani’s older sister…”

Celina and I both roll over and place our faces in our palms and grin at him. I know I should be a little jealous, but I’m amused with how flustered he is. Oliver is always the one teasing me.

“Well don’t stop there! Tell us what you liked about her!” Celina squeals, urging him to continue.

“I hate this conversation…” he mutters. “Well… uh… she was the warrior trainer for Cerulean Sea. When I would go for training with Wesley, she was always there. Most people treat Alphas with a certain level of respect and maybe even a little fear, but not her. She didn’t give a rat’s a*s who I was. She was a total badass and completely fearless. I admired that and I felt the urge to impress her. When it came time for us to spar, however, she handed me my a*s. She never let me live it down,” he chuckles.

A badass, huh? Nothing like me. I’m the biggest chicken there is… I must have been a huge let down given how afraid I was when we first met.

I frown slightly but quickly cover it up before he notices. “Kehlani never mentioned she had a sister. How come I’ve never heard of her or even seen her around Cerulean Sea?” I ask him.

A hint of sadness flickers in his eyes so quickly I almost miss it. “Well, I suppose you wouldn’t see her. She passed away a few years ago,” he shrugs. “Rogue attack.”

“Rogues are the most vile creatures to plague this planet,” Celina growls, balling up her fists.

“Agreed,” Oliver sighs, looking over at me.

I get up from the bed and curl up in his lap. He reacts by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. After a few moments of silence, he starts to chuckle and look up at him in confusion.

“So Javi?” He mocks. “Really?” The jealousy is incredibly entertaining. “Just another reason not to like Lluvia Blanca,” he mutters.

His masculine stupidity manages to lighten the mood and I’m grateful for it. I narrow my eyes him but my lips betray me as they curve into a smile. “Shut up. You liked Kehlani’s sister.”

“Yeah but it was more admiration than a crush. You on the hand cannot say the same. Do you still like him?” He asks.

“Oh this is fun,” Celina interrupts and we both glare at her. “Oh no, please continue. I’m intrigued.”

“No, I do not still like him! It was just puppy love, you i***t! I’m in love with you!” I snap, smacking his chest. “Now leave me alone. You’re annoying.”

“You literally came to sit on my lap. I did not place you here,” he smirks. “You came to me!” I move to stand up but he tightens his grip on me and refuses to let go. “No I’m kidding, don’t go,” he retracts, resting his chin on my shoulder and kissing my cheek.

I roll my eyes but ultimately stay.

“You know, he’s kinda growing on me,” Celina shrugs. “Guess he’s not a total a*****e,” she mutters, rolling over on her back and staring at the ceiling.

“Excuse me?” Oliver snaps.

“You heard me.”

I almost choke on my laugh, earning me a glare from Oliver.

“Okay, next question!”

We spend the next two hours asking questions and sharing stories, learning more about each other with every passing minute. Tia Val comes in around 9 o’ clock and we order in some pizzas.

“So I think we need to go over your shifts and what you two need to expect,” Valentina says, taking the last bite of her slice. “I’ve explained some of the details to Celina but Aurora, are you familiar with any of the details of your shift?”

I nod my head. “I have a book that kind of explains what happens.”

“Excellent so then I’ll quickly explain so we’re all on the same page. The full moon will be at its peak just a few hours before sunrise, around 4:30 am. We’ll need to leave the hotel at 4 am.”

Celina and I g***n while Oliver slips out his phone and begins setting some alarms.

“I see you’re both wearing your medallions. This is great, you’ll need to be wearing them during your shift. You will take each other’s hands and activate your Earth and Air elements before being transported to meet with Moon Goddess. No one knows for sure what happens during your meeting with Her. I think it’s different for every set of Ivory twins. Now when your meeting is done, the shift takes place. Just relax, let your wolf take control and don’t fight it. The first shift is always painful but just breathe, the pain will pass on it’s own.”

“I’m so nervous,” Celina admits, pulling her knees to her chest. “I wonder what Moon Goddess will say…”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” my aunt reassures. Her face suddenly turns very serious. “There’s one more thing I have to mention.”

The tone of her voice makes me nervous and I feel my heart rate accelerate. Oliver notices and holds my hand to calm me down.

Valentina sighs. “I’ve already explained this to Celina but I need to tell you too. Since you are the first born daughter of Queen Sofia, you are technically heir to the throne and a future Queen. Your wolf will be extremely territorial compared to Celina’s. Once you complete the shift, you’ll need to establish a kingdom within the next three years.”

“A kingdom?” I ask, not fully understanding what this meant. “But, I’ll be a Luna soon. Does that count?”

Valentina shakes her head. “That’s not enough. Your instinct is to rule and lead. You will never be able to sit on the sidelines as just a Luna. You are a Queen by nature.”

I shake my head fervently. “No, you don’t understand. I can’t lead people. I barely manage to speak at Alpha meetings as it is.”

“Leading is in your b***d. Trust me. I would be left in awe at your mother’s ability to dominate a room full of Alphas. She’d turn them into puppies in an instant,” she chuckles. “Mija, there is nothing to fear. Your wolf will know what to do when the time comes. I just wanted to give you a heads up of what lies ahead.”

“What about Sol De Oro? Can she go back and rule that kingdom?” Celina asks, her eyes filled with hope at the thought of returning to the place our parents once called home.

Our aunt’s face falls at the mention of the old Kingdom. “No mija. You can’t go back there. There’s nothing left to rule. When your mami died, the kingdom fell with her. The surviving packs got absorbed by the neighboring Kingdom, Estrella del Monte.”

My heart shatters at the news. Tais truly took everything from me.

Valentina reaches for our hands and holds them tightly. “Do not be sad. You are Royals in your own right. Now everyone get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us.”