Soul Bonded

Aurora “Ha! Take that!” “Aww, come on!” Mark, my cousin, grumbles while jumping to his feet. We’d been sparring, as most of us do. With Mark recently returning after his trip away for eight months, I couldn’t wait for us to spar as we once did. Having so many cousins living in and around the castle means I have always had a lot of friends. There are twenty-three of us living in and around the castle. Mom and Dad have two children, me and Sebastian, my twin brother. Then we have Uncle Theo and Aunt Harmony, Dad’s brother, and Mom’s identical – apart from hair color – sister. Between them, they have Adam, Chris, and Katy. Uncle Tyler and Aunt Emori, Dad’s brother and Mom’s aunt, have Mason, Milo, Dominic, Clara, and Cora. Aunt Isla, Dad’s sister, and her mate Ivan have Ivy and Isildur. Uncles Thorin and Tane, identical twins, and Dad’s brothers share the same mate, Charlie. Now, their kids are a strange bunch. Viktor and Vincent came along first, identical twins just like their fathers. The situation is unique because Viktor is biologically Thorin’s son, and Vincent is biologically Tane’s son. It’s not unusual in our world when a female has two male mates to carry a child for each of them. What is remarkable is that the boys were born identical, but their fathers were identical, so it was bound to happen. Then came Laura and Lara, and the same thing happened with them. Identical twins with different biological fathers. Laura is Thorin’s, and Lara is Tane’s. But none of them care; they have two dads, and all four kids call both Thorin and Tane Dad. What always puzzled the rest of us was how Thorin and Tane knew who the kids were talking to, but they did! Then we have Blaze, Dad’s cousin, and his mate Rain, Princess of Dragons. They have Mark, Michael, Luke, and Matthew. Triplets Alivia, Ava, and Alice. Dean, Eric, David, Chace, Chance, twins Alan and Andrew, Emma, and baby Logan. Yes, they have sixteen kids! Crazy people. Blaze’s brother, Blaine, and his mate, Julie, have Kyle, Aaron, and Kamron. Their sister Bella and her mate Todd have Ryan, Julian, Sam, Kasady, and Libby. There’s also Taylen, half Lycan and half Fairy. Mom’s cousin and Emori’s half-sister. Taylen is mated to Bolton, and they have Parker, Slater, Cooper, Amelia – named after Taylen's mother – Jessica – named after Bolton’s mother – and Kali. Uncle Tristan is mated to the Bear King, Brody. Uncle Tristan lives with Brody in Nightshade City, home of the Bear shifters. Obviously, as two males, they can’t have children together. However, they did go through a surrogate, which is rare for shifters. A trusted friend of Brody’s did something unheard of – he took sperm samples from Brody and Tristan, mixed them, and then impregnated a friend of Brody and Tristan’s. Laurel managed to carry Barkley successfully, and he is literally Brody and Tristan’s son. A year later, they went through the process again and got Porter. Aunt Starr, Tristan’s twin, mated to the Wild Alpha Kai, has Kailus, Cree, Winter, and Kayson. Aunt Starr doesn’t live in Lykos; she lives in the wilderness with her family. Dad’s youngest sister, Esme, is mated to the Vampire King, but they don’t have children yet. It took Esme years to find her mate. Though she had known Aidan since childhood, she was unaware he was her mate until she was already in her early thirties! It’s not unheard of for Lycans to go a hundred years without finding the other half of them. Dad was over one hundred and fifty before he found Mom. I used to find it fascinating that my father is almost one hundred and forty years older than my mother. “Stop whining, Lygon!” I snap at Mark. “Why you...” “Nah, Bro, she totally burned you.” Michael laughs while falling into Sebastian. Lygon is something I began calling Mark when I was four. He was annoying me, and knowing Mark was half Lycan, half Dragon, I put the words together and came up with Lygon. It could have been worse; Sebastian calls Michael Dracon, which never made any sense to me because there is only one letter out, and it would still be Dragon. But whatever. “Shut up, Michael, or I’ll burn you!” Mark could do that, too, in his Dragon form. “I don’t know how Levi puts up with you.” Levi is Mark’s uncle. There’s only a year between them, and they are as close as brothers. Michael and Mark’s mother, Rain, is Levi’s niece, though she’s much older than he is. It might sound weird to some that my mate’s niece is mated to my father’s cousin. However, Levi and I are not blood-related in any way. We were destined to be together, and neither of us had a choice; it was determined before I was even born. But I wouldn’t change it for the world because I love Levi more than anything. People have asked me many times if I felt cheated. The biggest thrill for a Lycan is the day they meet their mate. But I smile and tell people that rush will still be mine once my Lycan recognizes Levi as her mate. That day should have been and gone by now. But I haven’t seen Levi for eighteen months. He was sent away by his father to a training academy. So, I wouldn’t feel the mate bond when I turned eighteen because Levi would not be there. I didn’t understand why Levi needed to go because he was already a fantastic warrior. I tried to protest about Levi going, but he told me it was his duty as a Prince of Blue Fire. Mark and Michael are Prince’s of Lykos and Blue Fire, and I pointed out that they didn’t have to go. Levi smiled and said that Mark and Michael lived here in Lykos, and as such, it was down to my dad what happened with the two of them. I guess I was trying to think of anything to keep him with me. Even though Levi lived hundreds of miles away, I knew I could call his name, and he’d appear in front of me. I haven’t been able to do that for months because Levi can’t leave the training academy for any reason. We can’t call and speak, and not hearing his voice for this long hurts. We do write letters to each other once a month. I love reading about what he’s getting up to, and if I didn’t have some way of communicating with Levi, I’d go insane! I shrug. “He loves me, that’s how. You never know; one day, someone might be foolish enough to mate with you, and then you will know what it feels like.” “Wow, that was harsh.” Mark stares at me for a second before we both burst out laughing. It’s always like this with Mark and me; we insult each other, but it’s only done in jest. “I think that’s enough training for today.” “Why? Can’t keep up?” I wink at Michael. “Of course, but I’m starving!” “Man, you’re always hungry.” “Aww, come on, Seb. Don’t pretend you couldn’t eat a whole cow right now.” I shake my head and chuckle. Michael and Sebastian are always like this. There’s a year between them, Seb being the eldest, but they’re best friends. “I’ll see you guys later; there’s somewhere I have to be.” “Got a date?” Michael teases Mark, who flips him the bird and walks away. I wonder where he’s going? Mark has dated in the past, but he was never secretive about it. If he had found his mate, he would have told us. So, what the hell? ‘Follow him,’ My Lycan Rhea purrs. ‘Let’s see what he’s up to.’ ‘We can’t do that, Rhea. What if he is meeting someone, and they get all touchy-feely? I would die of embarrassment!’ ‘Or perhaps he’s up to something he shouldn't be?’ ‘Mark? Up to something he shouldn’t be? Really, Rhea?’ ‘Okay, fine, he’s a goodie two shoes. But pleeeese, can we follow him? I am so bored!’ ‘Fine.’ I grumble before running back to my room. I am not going to follow my cousin without showering first. I’m sure he’s doing the same because Mark is vain like his father and wouldn’t leave the house full of sweat. Once showered, I rush to dress in black jeans, a shirt, boots, and a black jacket. I brush my hair and tie it in a braid down my back. It’s easy to hide in the shadows when you’re wearing black. I cover myself in masking spray. I wouldn’t want Mark to pick up my scent and know I was following him. I look out of my window to make sure no one is around. Walking out the front door would be the best option, but that would cause questions. I’m not a prisoner, but Mom and Dad like to know where I’m going at all times. Safety reasons, so Dad says. So, I often sneak out through my bedroom window. I know how to take care of myself; I’m a good fighter. I’ve been training since I was old enough to walk. I climb over my balcony and shimmy down the Ivy bush. I’m glad the plant is strong, or I’d be falling to my death about now. I drop to the ground and take off running, following Mark’s scent. I see him on the edge of town, down an alley. I hide behind a dumpster and peek at Mark. He’s standing in front of a man much taller than himself, and that’s saying something when Mark is six foot seven. The man is dressed in a long black cloak with the hood pulled up, so I can’t see his face. Who is this guy? Why is Mark meeting him in secret? “This is weird. You know that, right?” Mark says while handing the other man a brown paper bag. “I’m aware. But I need this, Mark, I’m going crazy.” I know that voice, and my heart is pounding against my rib cage. “Why don’t you just go see her? Even if it’s just for a few minutes?” “You know why, Mark. A few minutes wouldn’t be enough. Besides, I’m close to finding what you need. All you need do is wait a while long, and I promise, she will be home.” How long have they been meeting secret? How did Levi get out of the academy? How long has Levi been making Mark keep this from me? Why would they do this to me? Mark knows how much I’ve struggled over the past eighteen months without Levi. We’re Soul Bonded; we’re supposed to be together. Levi lied to me when he said he couldn’t leave the training academy. Why would he do something like that? So many nights I’ve cried over missing my so-called mate, and all this time, he’s been meeting with Mark when he could have come to see me! I am so angry I could kill someone! I move away from the dumpster, not caring what the two of them are talking about. I’m hurt and need to transform and run the anger out of me. But tomorrow, Mark has a lot to answer for, and I won’t stop until he tells me what the hell is going on! AN: Guys, here's the first chapter of Aurora and Levi's story. There will be many twists and turns, and also a lot to learn about Mark. Now, this is just a placeholder until Winter's Beast is com.plete. Hopefully, this one starts at the end of November. Add it to your library!! I hope to see you on this new journey very soon :)