The Ivory Throne

9. The Will

f{A/N: For the sake of not translating everything, please note all conversations take place in Spanish.}

***Celina***

Celeste is a thin woman with silver hair and a face full of wrinkles, but a smile as warm as the sun. Her voice is strong and has a roughness to it as she asks for drinks to be brought to us, and invites us all to sit at the table outside on the patio. Valentina sits beside her aunt, resting her head on her shoulder like a child.

Only after we have all settled down and wiped away our tears do I allow myself to study the Orozco’s ranch and home. The mansion is constructed with red brick and stone walls and has dark wood furnishings, giving the home a rustic yet classy aesthetic. There is a pool and lounging area just beyond the patio and I can make out a training ground in the distance. The entire property is surrounded by wide open fields and pastures as far as the eye can see, and overall, it is very peaceful and quiet here.

Celeste introduces us to some of her family, most of whom live on the ranch or in the surrounding area. Her husband passed away a few years ago, but she has two sons, Arturo and Domingo, seven grandchildren, Ubaldo, Daniella, Andrés, Vicente, Ramona, Aarón, Clara, and two great-grandchildren, Manuelito and Araceli.

“I had given up hope you would ever come home,” Celeste murmurs as she strokes Valentina’s hair. “Forgive me for not believing you would all eventually make your way here.”

“You were never meant to find us,” Valentina sighs. “So there is nothing to forgive. Now, let me introduce you to the family.” Valentina gestures to us. “This is Mia; she is Emiliano’s daughter—”

“Oh yes, she’s definitely Emiliano’s daughter,” Celeste chuckles. “She has his eyes. He had very distinct eyes… very loving and compassionate.”

“Yes, she’s the younger of the two.”

“Oh yes, I remember he had another,” Celeste wonders aloud. “... A little boy, Chavita. Where is he?”

“He’s home with his own family,” Valentina says. “He has a little girl now, Susannita. She’s quite the handful, so he couldn’t make it on this trip.”

“I see,” Celeste hums, holding out her hand to Mia. “Well it’s very nice to meet you, mija.”

“And that one right there is Mia’s mate, Evan.” Valentina gestures to Evan who grins from ear to ear as he leans over and kisses his mate on the temple. “He’s Aurora’s Gamma.”

Celeste turns to look at Aurora and me, her eyes filling with tears.

“This is Aurora, the eldest of the two, and beside her is Oliver, her husband. Emiliano and Karina raised her in California as their own. And then we have Celina,” Valentina introduces us. “She’s the one Danny and I took to Colorado.”

Celeste pauses to take a breath, pursing her lips to hold back her tears.

“You look so much like your mother,” Celeste whispers— more to herself than to us. “I’m glad to see her sacrifice was not in vain. I’m sure you have a lot of questions for me, so I’ll do my best to answer. I quite frankly never thought I’d live to see the day of your return. I had lost hope you were all still alive. You were supposed to return shortly after your thirteenth birthday, and yet, over twenty years passed without a sign of your existence.”

“There were a lot of complications with their shift,” Valentina offers, a look of sorrow in her eyes. Celeste places her hand over hers and squeezes it. “Emiliano was killed trying to protect Aurora.”

Tears spill down Celeste’s cheeks and her lips quiver as she speaks, her voice small and just above a whisper, “I am so deeply sorry, Vale. He was a saint.”

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him,” Valentina sighs. “But I know he’s always with me, and I’m sure he’s happy the twins are reunited. We’ve just been bombarded with problem after problem since coming together again that we weren’t able to return here until now.”

“Reminds me of Mateo and Sofia,” Celeste says somberly. “They rarely had a moment of peace because of that bastard Julian and his obsession with our queen. And it seems his son is no different. He’s determined to conquer all of Sol de Oro like his father never could.”

“Oh, we’ve met him,” I mutter, “at the hotel.”

“I see.” Celeste takes a deep breath, the drinks finally arriving and being distributed among us. “So then it’s no mystery to you that Jadiel now owns the hacienda and the hotel,” she says. “Your mother, Goddess rest her soul, left the will in my care, detailing the distribution of her properties and wealth after her death.”

A sadness falls over us as Celeste takes a sip of water and coughs.

“She was very generous with all of her wealth,” she continues. “She left behind a small fortune for the little family who helped her give birth to you. Vale, do you remember them?”

“Oh yes, I do,” Valentina chuckles. “I’ll never forget them. They were very kind to us on the night of the birth. They barely had enough to eat and yet gave us almost everything they had to feed the boys and ourselves, after our long journey. Sofia gave them a small portion of the money she already had on hand.”

“Yes, well, she left them another sum in her will. I had that money delivered immediately after her death, as I knew how important it was that they received it. Sofia also set aside a good portion of properties and money for the remaining packs. That was also distributed fairly quickly since most packs split up or merged with other packs to avoid attacks from rivals looking to take over the area— not to mention the cartels just starting to form. We had to scramble with things. The fall was very hard.” She takes a big breath and lets it out slowly as she tries to compose herself. “I did my best to fulfill all of your mother’s wishes. Sofia was cremated and as per her request, her ashes were mixed with Mateo’s, and they were both put to rest on the hacienda. A small portion of their ashes was taken to Madero and spread in a secret cave at the beach, while another portion was spread at El Nacimiento.”

“Thank you,” Valentina murmurs, squeezing her aunt’s hands as she fights back tears. “Teo loved that cave on the beach. It was his favorite place to be. And El Nacimiento was where they shared their first kiss,” she adds with a giggle.

Celeste smiles at this, but there’s a slight hesitation in her voice as she continues, “As for the hacienda and the hotel chain, Sofia was very clear they belonged to you two,” she says, gesturing to Aurora and me. “I managed the trust to the benefit of the Altamirano-Reyes family, and for a long time, it went well. Business was fine and all of your wealth continued to grow as expected, but it wasn’t long before Estrella del Monte had its sights set on the properties and the hotel.

You see, after the war ended, both Sol de Oro and Estrella del Monte suffered immensely. Packs deserted Estrella del Monte due to their association with witches and vampires— even former King Jose Antonio and his remaining family could not rally support for the kingdom. As for Lorena and her son, they disappeared off the face of the earth. No one knew where they went, but they eventually returned… Lorena having married Efrain Navarro. With the help of the Navarros, she was able to buy up the properties that once belonged to Estrella del Monte, and when Jadiel was old enough to shift, he was crowned king.”

“A thirteen-year-old king?” I gasp, unable to believe such a huge responsibility was left to a child.

“It was the only way to reestablish the kingdom,” Celeste explains. “Only a Gold Wolf can be a king, and Jadiel — being the poor orphaned boy Julian left behind — was able to find supporters instantly.”

“That’s insane.”

“It was more of a ceremonial title,” Celeste reassures me. “Everyone knew Lorena was the one in charge in those earlier years.”

“And what about now? Is she still running the show?” I ask.

“I’ll explain it like this,” Celeste sighs and continues, “Jadiel is the face of the kingdom, the hero of the story, the boy king who saved his kingdom from fading into oblivion. But Lorena? Lorena is his shadow, the darkness of the kingdom. She makes the boy look like a saint and hides all of the crime he allows under his nose.”

“Like father like son,” I mutter, utterly disgusted to be mated to him.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to compare Jadiel to his father,” Celeste says with a shake of her head. “Children don’t always follow in their parents footsteps. Your grandfather should have been a monster too, and yet he had more integrity than anyone I have known. You may not know your family history, but I do, and your great-grandfather Rafael was a tyrant far worse than anything Julian could have ever dreamed of becoming. Your grandfather, King Juan Carlos, was a good man despite his father being a demon in the flesh. I’m not saying Jadiel is a saint… not in the slightest. But while he may be the son of Julian Bolivar, he is still capable of doing the right thing. He’s just being misled by his mother.”

“So how did Jadiel end up owning the hotels and the hacienda?” Aurora asks.

“Well, as I said, when Lorena came into power, on behalf of her son, she started buying up all of the property that Estrella del Monte used to own, by whatever means necessary. And with the Navarro’s involved, it wasn’t long before their ambitions grew. Sol de Oro had a lot of territory near the ports in Tampico. Most of the packs, including my own, manage exports and shipping companies, as well as the hotels, ferries, and boats. You see, as individual packs we’ve done well, but as a kingdom, we were once a monopoly of money and power. Lorena liked that. Our businesses and locales make us excellent prospects for the growing cartel power of the Navarros. Imagine the type of money they could make if they controlled the boats, the shipping companies, the hotels, and all the clubs in the area. It’s a no-brainer for any cocaine distributor, and Lorena is not an i***t. She made offers to all of the Sol de Oro Kingdom packs and when most of us told her to f**k off, she retaliated.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, though I have a feeling I already know the answer.

“Let’s just say the Navarros are not afraid to get blood on their hands to get what they want,” she says solemnly. “Extortions, blackmail, kidnapping, killing… You name it, Lorena has done it. She’s done this for years, and with the Navarros’ power growing stronger by the year, she’s been virtually unstoppable.”

“Does Jadiel know this?”

“I can’t say for certain, but I’m sure he’s aware of who his parents are and what they do. He likely turns a blind eye because he’s not the one calling the shots.”

“That’s not an excuse,” I retort, Celeste nodding in agreement.

“It’s not, but you can’t control who your family is.” Celeste shrugs. “He’s probably used to the violence by now. He grew up surrounded by narcos and dangerous people, and he’s wise not to interfere.”

“No, he’s a coward,” I snap.

“It’s very easy to judge when you’ve lived a sheltered life in El Otro Lado (the US),” Celeste sighs. “But this is México… A country of good people, led and controlled by corruption. Here, you do what you can to survive. Most people don’t have the luxury to be righteous, and those of us who do try to, understand the faults of others. Jadiel is the adopted son of a powerful crime boss. Through no fault of his own, from infancy to adulthood, he has had a target on his back. So while I may despise him and his mother, I also understand that he acts solely on instincts. Besides, rebelling against his family would only start a civil war, and we’ve already lost too many innocent lives to the cartels.”

While I wholeheartedly disagree, I’m not about to argue about my mate and his morality with my great-aunt. Celeste settles back in her chair when she realizes I don’t plan on responding.

“Now back to the matters at hand. Lorena eventually made her way to me to make an offer for the hotel and the hacienda, and I of course declined as I wanted to honor your mother’s wishes and wait. Unfortunately, Lorena is not a patient woman and she ordered a kidnapping. My granddaughter, Daniella and her son, Manuelito, were taken and held for ransom, until I agreed to hand over the trust. I tried to hold out for as long as possible, but knowing Lorena would kill my family if I did not respond quickly, I gave in,” she says solemnly. “I had to do what was best for my family, and with no way of knowing if you were still alive, I made my decision and signed over the hacienda and the hotels. The money remains for you, if that’s any sort of consolation.”

“How is that even possible?” Aurora asks.

“There are many routes I could have taken to transfer power to myself. There are no records of your birth here in México since you were not registered before you were smuggled into the United States, and of course, no bodies were ever found, so it was as if you two never existed. Valentina and Emi went missing long enough that all I had to do was simply pay for a missing persons report to show a believable date and have them both declared dead. With no other heirs left to claim the trust, as executor, it was transferred over to me, and I became the new owner of all your assets, allowing me to sell the hotel and the hacienda to Jadiel, as his mother demanded.”

“So legally…”

“Jadiel Navarro is the legal owner of the hacienda and the hotel chain,” Celeste answers with regret. “I am so terribly sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Aurora says, holding out her hand to Celeste who takes it. “You did what you had to do to protect your family. What good is wealth without the people you love?”

My heart shatters hearing those words. The home that my mother grew up in — the place she left for us — now belongs to someone else… And not just anyone else; the most vile human to ever walk this earth: Jadiel Navarro.

I hate him, I mutter to myself. I hate him with every fiber in my body!

“I suppose so. But your money is still intact. I will be more than happy to transfer it all to you at your earliest convenience.”

“We didn’t come here for the money,” Aurora replies softly. “We came to get some answers and find out more about our family. It’s hard growing up not knowing who you truly are.”

I ask if there is any legal way to fight for our rights as heirs back, but we quickly realize there are a lot of legal issues regarding our birth certificates and our names. It would take years before we would even be able to start on the hotel and hacienda case. Still, I am not willing to let Jadiel win so easily. I will eventually find a way to get back what belongs to us.

“I wish there was more I could offer you, but unfortunately, my nightmare with the Navarros is not yet over,” Celeste explains, piquing our interest. “Lorena wants our home and to become a shareholder in our shipping company down in Tampico.” She shakes her head tiredly. “My grandson, Ubaldo, is the current Alpha of our clan, and he’s dealing as best as he can but he is young. And his father, Arturo, can only do so much to support him, but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. They’ll hurt our family again if we decline, and this time… I don’t think they’ll be as lenient.”

Why couldn’t this family leave us alone? How much more do they want?

“You don’t have to worry anymore,” I say, feeling my anger boiling over. “We can help you protect what’s left of Sol de Oro. If we can reunite the remaining packs again under one kingdom, then we’ll have enough strength to push back on Estrella del Monte, and they won’t bother you anymore.”

“Celina!” Aurora hisses through mind-link. “Rebuilding Sol de Oro? That was no part of the plan. We’re supposed to be on vacation!”

“Did you not hear what she said? They need us here! We can’t just walk away knowing they’re all in trouble.”

“But taking on more packs in México—”

“You’ve taken on packs for lesser reasons,” I retort. “This is family, not a group of strangers. How could you not want to help? Especially if it means protecting what remains of our family’s kingdom after we just lost the hotel and the hacienda!”

She hesitates, but blocks me out of her mind, unwilling to let me explore the thoughts swirling in her head.

“Our parents would want us to help,” I insist, a look of guilt appearing on Aurora’s face.

Perhaps I am being pushy, but I do not understand her hesitance at all. I’m usually the one begging her to slow down! Why have the roles reversed now?

She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly, finally nodding in agreement with me.

“We will help you in whatever way we can,” she says quietly, a small smile on her lips.

Evan holds his hand out to Oliver, Oliver rolling his eyes and groaning as he slaps a $100 bill on his hand. Aurora and I look at them both in confusion as Evan explains.

“Oliver and I made a bet to see how long it would take for Aurora to adopt another pack. I said less than three days. He said a week. I win, so he owes me monies.”

Evan’s cheeky grin lightens the mood as he tucks away his money in his pocket. Celeste offers us lunch and gives us some information on the four remaining packs and clans that Estrella del Monte has not managed to acquire, and I begin compiling a list of where we need to go… but Aurora’s reaction still lingers in the back of my mind. Just what exactly is she hiding?

“We can start in a few days.” Celeste smiles. “Ubaldo is away on business at the moment but he should be home soon. Where are you staying? We can meet you there.”

“At the Hotel Reyes in Madero,” Aurora replies, Celeste shaking her head.

“Absolutely not. You will stay here,” she protests. “I am not asking.”

She does not allow us to argue and quite frankly, I am more than eager to get away from Jadiel and his family, so we accept the offer, Aurora transporting Oliver and Evan back to the hotel to gather our things and check out of our rooms. I go outside to explore the outer rim of the ranch, Valentina joining me on a run. When we reach a small pond to rest, Valentina’s wolf lies down beside me.

“What are you thinking about?” She mind-links, resting her head on my paw.

“I would like to visit my parents’ grave…” I whisper back, “but it seems I’m not even allowed to set foot on the land where they were buried because of those stupid wolves!”

Valentina’s wolf whimpers, for she too would like to see her brother’s resting place.

“Perhaps we can visit El Nacimiento instead,” she replies with a heavy sigh. “It’s just outside of their land, so we would not be trespassing onto the hacienda. It’s not the same, but I could show you where your mom and dad shared their first kiss. They tried to be so sneaky about it, but we saw them,” she giggles.

“Tell me about my dad,” I reply, lying out in the sun to listen.

I’ve been told stories about him and my mother countless times, but I never grow tired of hearing them. Valentina rolls over and stretches out before settling in to tell her tales.

“Your father was a noble man…” she begins.

.

.

.

***Jadiel***

“Jadiel…” Alejandra whispers as I cup her cheeks, her smile full of pity. “I love someone else. You know this, so let’s not pretend to have feelings for each other in private. You promised this was just for show.”

“Why can’t we try again?” I ask, desperately needing her to help me forget all the thoughts running through my head about that insufferable woman.

“You know the answer to that,” Alejandra replies, pulling away and walking towards the balcony of my apartment in Tampico. She stares out at the city, avoiding my gaze as I follow her out. “We tried already and neither one of us was happy.”

“But what if we try harder?” I insist, Alejandra laughing and shaking her head.

“You always were a man for a bargain,” she chuckles. “...a true businessman. But I am not a business. You know that. You know I want things you could never give me, and you want things I could never give you.”

“If this is about the kid thing, I promise, I’m not interested,” I retort.

“You say that now, but what about five years from now?” she asks, finally turning to look at me. “You need an heir to take over your throne, and I can’t give you that. I will not. I have never wanted children, and I never will. You may think you’ll be okay with that, but when the day comes that you’re ready to start a family, you’ll resent me for not giving it to you, and if I do give it to you, I’ll resent you. We’re not compatible, Jadiel. I loved you, but my love was not enough for you— and neither was yours for me.”

A silence falls between us as we reminisce on a past long forgotten. I had loved her once before, but even then, I knew it would never last.

“There’s an entire world out there beyond México,” she murmurs, “and I’m going to discover it. I can’t do that by your side as your good little wife.”

“Sure you can.”

She raises an eyebrow at this and scoffs. “Right. I’ll travel the world while you handle business here with your family.”

“I could run away with you—”

“No you can’t,” she sighs. “You have too many responsibilities to leave. Besides, your sister still needs you. And me? Well… there’s just me and my dreams.”

“And me,” I shrug, Alejandra smiling as she leans her back against the balcony. “There’s always been me.”

“Yes,” she sighs. “But—”

“But nothing,” I whisper, taking her hand and kissing it. “I will always be here when you need me. We were friends before we were anything else, and that will always be the case.”

“Right.” She smiles. “Now tell me, who is this girl you’re trying to make jealous? Is she — what do you wolves call it — your mate?”

Alejandra might not be the love of my life, but she’s one of the few people I trust most in this world.

“She is… but I can’t love her.” I sigh.

“And why not?”

“Because she’s my enemy. Our kingdoms have been at war since before I was even born. Her father killed my father, and she’s determined to destroy everything my mother has worked so hard to rebuild.”

“Your mother is terrifying,” Alejandra jokes. “I can’t say I blame her.”

“Whose side are you on?” I snap, Alejandra giggling to herself.

“No one’s,” she laughs. “I’m just trying to understand.”

“Well understand that I refuse to be mated to her.”

“So, have you rejected her?”

“Well… no,” I say with a smirk. “I like… annoying her and giving her the satisfaction of rejecting me is not something I’m willing to do. I have to wait for the perfect time to do it.”

“Careful…” Alejandra laughs, walking up to me as I turn back to the apartment. “Del odio al amor, solo hay un paso {From hate to love, there’s just one step}.”

“Believe me, no man on this planet would ever fall for this woman,” I say with a shake of my head. “She’s aggravating and a walking headache.”

“And yet you called me to make her jealous,” Alejandra teases me, struggling to rest her elbow on my shoulder. I snarl at her and she bursts into laughter. “Don’t get mad at me. You’re the one avoiding your feelings.”

“Well enough about my feelings,” I grumble. “Tell me about the man you’re in love with?” I ask, a tinge of jealousy bubbling in my heart at her giddiness. Perhaps one day, I’ll meet someone who gets as giddy as she does, when she speaks about me.

“His name is Gustavo,” she giggles. “We met in an art class I was taking in Monterrey.”

“Is he an artist?”

“Yes, he—”

My phone interrupts, Alejandra gesturing at me to answer. I look at the phone number and groan. It’s my mother.

“Mande? {Yes, hello?}” I moan, my mother scolding me for my tone.

“The Altamiranos have checked out of the hotel,” she snaps, my full attention now on her, “and you’ll never guess where a group of American wolves were just sighted.”

I think for a moment before the answer becomes obvious.

“Mante,” I breathe, my mother humming in response.

“Get to Mante immediately! I want to know what they plan on doing near the hacienda.”

{A/N: I have three packs to name. Leave your suggestions in the comments! Also if you do not follow me already on my social media, I will be announcing the Earth Witch giveaway this week! Check out my IG and F.B group: stephanielight's book beans.}