The Ivory Queen
Chapter 62

***Oliver’s POV***

Aurora is sleeping blissfully in my arms as I carry her to our room.

“I’d like a moment to speak to both of you if that’s alright. I just need to put Aurora down,” I say as Valentina inserts our room key in for me.

“Sure, I guess. What’s this all about?” Celina asks, yawning.

“Nothing serious,” I reply, opening the door. “See you in five?”

They agree and I bring Aurora inside and set her down on the bed. I take her shoes and jeans off so she can sleep more comfortably and tuck her in. Even as she sleeps, I can feel the powerful aura around her.

Celina answers the door and I notice she and Valentina as now dressed in some warm, fluffy pj’s.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Celina asks.

“Well I know Aurora already invited you guys to come for her ceremony on Friday but I was hoping you guys would be willing to come a few days earlier, like Wednesday. I’m sure she’d love to be able to spend some quality time with you. She’ll be pretty busy Friday getting ready for the ceremony.”

We start to plan the surprise for Aurora and agree they’ll arrive Wednesday morning and stay for two weeks.

“There’s something else I wanted to ask you Valentina,” I say tentatively. “Aurora once told me that her biggest wish was to see the secret cave Emiliano used to play in as a kid…”

This brings a smile to her face. “La Cueva Altamirano,” she chuckles. “It’s what we called it when we found it. We used to swim in it all the time.”

“I want to know where it is. Aurora has no idea what part of Mexico she’s from and I’d like to give that to her. I’d like to take her to the place her father was happiest.”

“Tamaulipas. We’re from Tamaulipas. We grew up in Ciudad Madero where we lived pretty much our entire childhood. The sea was unlike any other, just gorgeous. Sofia was from Ciudad Mante. Now that I think about it, there were some caves there as well that Mateo and Emiliano loved in a place called El Nacimiento, ‘the birthplace’. The water was crystal blue and there lots of tunnels and caves. Mateo loved to explore those when he wasn’t busy being King.”

“How did mom and dad meet?,” Celina asks, intrigued by the information.

Valentina’s smile widens. “Sofia was a princess at the time and had come to visit the coastal packs of the kingdom when she was just 17. She had gone out to the beach for some alone time, probably overwhelmed by the responsibilities she had. Her mother, Queen Ana Lucia was not the easiest person to deal with and had a lot of high expectations. Anyways, Mateo happened to be swimming at that same beach and their paths crossed. It was hate at first sight, Sofia couldn’t stand him,” Valentina chuckles. “They were complete opposites. Mateo was a free spirit, charismatic, and a rule breaker while Sofia was careful and calculated, everything you’d expected from a soon to be Queen. But somehow, Mateo tore down her walls, he was stubborn like that, and she fell for him. I don’t think she ever opened herself up to anyone else like she did with Mateo. They had to overcome a lot of adversities but they somehow just knew they were meant for each other.”

“That’s an adorable love story,” Celina giggles. “Unlike yours!” She scoffs at me. “I can’t believe you actually rejected her!”

“I’ll always regret that for the rest of my life…” I whisper. “I’ll never forgive myself for what I did but I’m grateful she gave me a second chance.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m glad she forgave you. You make her happy. That’s obvious from a mile away,” Celina sighs. “But you’re still on my list though, so don’t push your luck with me. One more wrong move and I will personally kick your a*s. Got it?”

I nod, knowing she’s very serious and excuse myself to go check on Aurora. I find her awake sitting by the windowsill watching the snow fall.

“I couldn’t sleep without you,” she murmurs, turning to look at me with her big pools of honey. My heart skips a beat as she bats her eyelashes at me and tilts her head a little. “Are you going to bed?”

I nod, glancing at the clock. It’s only 7am and I’m exhausted. I slip off my shirt and jeans, leaving me just in my boxers and plop into bed. She climbs in with me and I turn on my side to face her, reaching out to caress her face gently. Scars or not, Aurora will always be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. Celina looked just like her but Aurora was the only one I saw.

A lock of hair falls on her face and I tuck it behind her ear, making her blush. I lean forward and k**s her nose before I find my way to her lips. At first I’m gentle, savoring the sweet taste of her lips but grow hungrier with every passing second. I deepen the k**s, suddenly needing her more than I need air and pull her into my lap.

“I want to meet your wolf,” I pant when she pulls away. “What’s her name?”

“Reyna,” she replies, smiling like a fool. “She wants to meet you too.”

Reyna, huh? A name fit for a queen.

Her right eye begins to glow purple while the left glows bright pink. I’m mesmerized by her. Aurora and Reyna have the most incredible eyes.

“Hi beautiful,” I say, kissing her cheek.

“Mine!” She growls, grabbing my face and kissing me passionately. I move my lips against hers and she bites my lower l*p. She’s definitely more aggressive than Aurora. I feel her roll her h**s against the growing lump in my boxers and I know I need to stop this before it goes any further.

I pull away from her lips and hold her steady. “Slow down, baby,” I say, reaching up a hand to play with her hair. “I loved seeing your wolf form by the way. You’re so beautiful.”

Reyna blushes at the compliment.

“This is my true form,” she says, twirling her silky white hair around her fingers. “Do you like it?”

“The white suits you,” I smile at her. “But let me be perfectly clear. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, scars and all. Don’t forget that. I loved you before the changes just as much as I love you now.” I manage to steal a k**s from her and she giggles. ”Can I see your tattoos?” I whisper in her ear.

She shows me her palms and wrists and I trace my fingers along the black designs. She then lifts her hair up and turns around so I can see the tattoo between her shoulder blades. I k**s it, loving how it looks against her dark skin.

“I love you, Reyna and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life getting to know you and Aurora. I know I’m not as strong or as powerful as you are but I promise to protect and love you always,” I murmur.

She gives me one last k**s before her eyes turn to honey. Aurora rests her head on my chest and I wrap my arms around her to keep her warm. She sighs and before I know it, she slips into oblivion. Content, I let the darkness take me too.

———

I wake up to the sound of Aurora’s stomach growling.

This girl is always hungry!

I open my eyes and see Aurora scolding her stomach silently and I burst into laughter. She turns bright red when she realizes I’m watching and tries to get out of bed but I hold her tightly in my arms and refuse to let her go.

“You’re too adorable for your own good,” I chuckle into her ear. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

We shower and get dressed before packing up for check out. Celina and Valentina meet us in the lobby and we find a little diner nearby.

As we walk in, I sense at least 6 werewolves inside. They watch us as we get seated in the corner booth and I know they’re communicating our presence to their superiors. A waiter comes by to take our orders and I have to fight with Michael for control as the waiter makes googly eyes at Aurora and Celina. Aurora seems completely oblivious to the attention she’s getting from the waiter and several other males in the diner, including those stupid wolves.

She gives me a confused look and scolds me. “Why are you frowning?” She asks.

She can’t be this dense, can she?

I grunt an answer when the waiter leaves. “The waiter was practically drooling all over you and Celina and I had to fight back the urge to strangle him.”

Aurora’s cheeks heat up and she shakes her head in denial while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “N-no he wasn’t. He was just being polite,” she shrugs.

Does she actually not know how gorgeous she is?

“No mija, that’s called flirting,” her aunt chuckles and Celina bursts out laughing. Aurora effectively blushes harder.

When the waiter returns with our food, Aurora ignores him completely, her eyes glued to her plate. The waiter tries to hit on Celina and she puts him in place immediately.

“I ordered curly fries. Maybe instead of flirting with me, you should actually just do your job,” she snaps.

I almost choke on my coke as the waiter’s jaw drops. He forces a smile and apologizes for his mistake before quickly scurrying off to get her fries, probably wishing he could stop existing.

I hold back laughter as I watch Celina and Aurora eat. They have the same eating mannerisms. They both do a little dance in their seat before digging in. Since they both stand at no more than 5 feet tall, they swing their feet happily as they bite down on their food. When I try to steal a fry from Aurora, both of them glare at me. It’s adorable and terrifying.

As they eat, I’m still mindful of the wolves watching us from their table when suddenly three more wolves come walking into the diner. I can sense that one of them is an Alpha and a particularly strong one at that. He and his wolves walk right up to our booth and the alpha pulls out a chair and plops down right in front of us. He and his two minions bow before Celina and Aurora, looking completely entranced by them.

“I had heard we had some visitors, but no one told me they were this beautiful,” he grins, eyeing Aurora and Celina. Aurora’s heart quickens and a warning growl ripples through my chest, making his grin widen. “Care to state your business here, Alpha?” He asks.

Before I can respond, Celina beats me to the punch.

“It’s none of your concern,” Celina snaps, causing one of the wolves to snarl at her.

“Don’t worry, Gregory. She doesn’t know who I am,” the alpha says, waving the wolf off. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Logan Moore, Alpha of the Dark Moon pack and King of Boise.” He gestures towards the table. “And you are?”

I sense something off about him and shoot Valentina and Celina a warning look to not reveal themselves.

“We were just passing through. Don’t worry too much about us. We’re not looking for trouble,” I reply, tightening my grip on Aurora’s waist.

“Well if you weren’t, Alpha, you would have had the decency to announce your visit to my territory, now wouldn’t you?”

“He’s not to blame, it was my fault. I thought this town was on neutral territory,” Aurora explains, her voice filled with false confidence. “I’m sorry if we offended you.”

“Well the town is neutral, my dear, but Boise is not and you did trespass. All is forgiven, though. It’s not often you’re in the presence of a mighty silver wolf and the legendary Ivory twins … your Majesties.”

Aurora and Celina tense up when he acknowledges their kind. He laughs at our shocked reactions and reaches out to touch Aurora’s hair. Aurora’s heart races with fear and I grab his wrist and stop him from laying a finger on her. Both of his wolves snarl at me but I could care less. They posed no threat to me.

“Don’t. f*****g. Touch. Her,” I warn. He chuckles lightly and lifts his hands in surrender.

“My apologies,” he grins. “So what brings members of a royal family to my kingdom.

I want to scoff when he’s says kingdom. He’s no King, just an ambitious Alpha.

“Like I said, it doesn’t concern you. Now leave us alone unless you want to witness what a real Royal can do,” Celina mocks him.

His smile falters a little but he quickly composes himself and turns to Celina. “Right, well I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’m sure wolves of your caliber are very busy. Please feel free to visit anytime you please, I’d be more than happy to host you at my estate. Have a lovely meal.”

There is a hint of bitterness and annoyance in his voice. He gets up to leave and I notice his fists are balled up at his side. Celina’s comment must have hit a nerve. As he and his minions exit the building, I call the waiter over and pay the bill.

“I don’t know about you guys but something felt off about Logan,” I say as we grab our things to leave.

“Yeah, no kidding. He called himself King of Boise. He’s not even a Gold wolf,” Celina scoffs.

“I’m more worried that he already knows what you guys are,” I say, still very uneasy about the whole thing. “I know his type. Power hungry Alphas are as delusional as they are dangerous. Something tells me this won’t be the last that we’ll hear of Logan Moore.”

I have Aurora and Celina put on their medallions to mask their scent and we discover that it masks some of their power as well. We hop in the car, keeping a look out for anyone possibly following us and finally arrive at the airport car rental to return the car. We make our way through the TSA agents and head for our terminal.

Our gates are at opposite ends of the terminal and my heart breaks a little when I see Aurora shed tears as she hugs Celina and Valentina goodbye. They’ll see each other soon enough, but the twins have already become quite attached and are reluctant to part ways. Valentina literally has to drag Celina away before they miss their flight, leaving a very teary eyed Aurora in my arms.

“It wasn’t enough time,” Aurora weeps. “I needed more time!”

“I know, nena. But you guys will be together soon enough” I say, rubbing circles on her back.

We wait another half hour before our plane starts boarding. Aurora takes the window seat and stares quietly at the landscape below us. It’s not until we’re 10,000 feet in the air that I realize Aurora never got her snowball fight. We were too busy or too tired to go out. I make a mental note to take her sometime in the near future. She deserves a good snow day.

I reach over and remove her medallion from her neck. She looks back at me with confusion.

“I miss my Queen’s scent,” I smile. She walks over to me and curls up in my lap. “I love you, Aurora.”