The Ivory Queen
Chapter 112

***Aurora’s POV***

“Carter’s awake!” Evan cries.

Oh goddess. I know he will be in a world of pain the second he finds out about Rosalie. How do I tell him?

“I’m sorry, Gwen. It’ll have to wait. Carter just woke up and I’m sure he’ll have many questions-“

“What I have to say pertains to him too,” she says. “I’ll come with you.”

We rush upstairs to find Evan pinning Carter down onto the bed, Carter demanding to see Rosalie.

“Easy, bro. You need to relax!” Evan cries.

“Get off of me man! Where is my wife? I need to see her. I need to see our baby!”

“Let him go, Evan,” I command, Evan sliding off the bed.

At the sound of my voice, Carter sits up and looks at Gwen and I.

“Where is she?” He asks with desperation. I shift my gaze to the ground, unable to look him in the eyes and when I don’t answer, his voice cracks. “No…” he says, shaking his head in disbelief as a few tears spill onto his cheeks. “No, No, No, No…” he sobs, gripping his hair with hands. “No! No!”

He grabs one of his pillows and starts raining punches at it in his despair, screaming in fury.

I knew his pain all too well and I did not wish it in anyone. I sit on his bedside and pull him to my chest. He sobs as I gently stoke his hair, pain pouring from the depths of his heart. I hold back my own tears as I focus on his energy and sooth his heart until he sighs and relaxes in my arms.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmur. “I’m so sorry I did this. I-“

“She said it was your fault but I don’t blame you,” he says, pulling away from my embrace.

“Who did?” I ask, completely confused.

“The owl. It was there along with Oliver and Karina.”

Right, I recall. Oliver and Karina had been everywhere that night.

“But how did it happen?” Carter inquires, sitting up straighter and wiping his tears. “I need to know everything.”

“It was shortly after you left,” Gwen says, stepping tentatively towards the bed.

Carter nods at her in acknowledgment and patiently waits for her response. She explains what she knew and I fill in the details Valentina had given me.

“Karina took her, Carter,” I sigh. “She and-“

I can’t bring myself to say it. It wasn’t him. His actions were not his.

“Oliver?” Carter interrupts. “That…. Thing wasn’t Oliver. The real Oliver would never hurt his sister. Not in a million years.”

I hold back tears as I think of the Oliver I saw that night. The one whose cold red eyes were filled with so much anger.

“He was under a spell of some sort,” the witch agrees. “Unfortunately, there’s no way of telling how long it’ll last and I can’t counteract it without knowing the precise ingredients they used. Different control spells require different antidotes.”

“I believe I owe you an apology,” Carter says to the witch who scrunches up her nose in confusion. “Thank you for trying to protect her.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I only wish I were stronger,” Gwen sighs. “I’m very sorry.”

Carter nods knowingly and we settle into silence, each processing the events of that night.

“I saw the sword in Karina’s hands,” Carter says to the witch. “You were right.”

Gwen closely her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I hate being right,” she mutters. “I’m afraid your witch problem just got a hundred times worse,” she says solemnly. “If they unlock the powers of the the Soul of Insanity… the Gods only know what kind of havoc they’ll reek.”

“Soul of Insanity?” I ask, looking around to see if I’m the only one lost.

Evan and Mia look equally as clueless so I turn to Gwen and Carter for an explanation.

“There is an ancient legend that tells of a sword with awesome power,” Carter says. “War God created it with the purpose of inciting wars and chaos and he’s succeeded. Several battles have been fought in the name of that blade. The Soul of Insanity is said to give its wielder the ability to control an army of Moon Goddess’ creations and make them unable to lose a battle.”

Oh Goddess.

“That’s not even the worst part,” Gwen says, shifting nervously on her feet.

What could possibly be worse?

“Luckily many who have heard of the sword’s existence and origins, don’t know how it actually works. Without awakening it’s power, the sword is just that, a sword,” Gwen adds, pacing back and forth. “Unfortunately for us, those witches know very well how it works.”

“How do you awaken its power?”

“There’s an old poem my mum used to tell me. Let’s see…” she thinks for a minute, drumming her fingers on her chin. She mumbles for a minute before she remembers it. “Okay, I’ve got it:

Forged by b***d and Fed by souls,

the Moon and Sun awake it’s thirst.

First innocence must bleed.

With the Ivory it controls

All of the beings on this Earth.

But be weary of its greed

For those who wield it shall be cursed.”

Forged by b***d….the Moon and Sun…

“Children of the Moon and Sun…That’s why they want my b***d…”

“Bingo,” Gwen snaps her fingers and points at me. Her face darkens. “It’s why they want Rosalie too.”

“What do you mean?” Carter asks, his fear evident.

“‘First innocence must bleed.’ It means the sword cannot be activated without taking the life of a first born child, an innocent,” she says. “And If I’m not mistaken, Rosalie is pregnant with your first child, is she not?”

“Oh goddess,” I whimper.

An an ungodly cry escapes Carter’s mouth at the thought of losing his first child and he scrambles to his feet.

“We have to find them!” He cries, grabbing me by the shoulders. “We can’t let them take my baby! Aurora we have to- we have to find them!”

Evan comes up behind Carter, spinning him around and cupping his cheeks.

“Listen to me,” he says sternly. “There is no way in hell those witches are taking your baby. We’ll get Oliver, Ro and the baby back if it’s the last thing I do. Brothers remember? I’m not leaving you alone with this man.”

Carter nods as he wipes his tears and Evan pulls him into hug.

“There, there,” he murmurs, stroking his head lovingly. “Daddy Evan’s got you.”

Carter pulls away from his arms instantly and growls at him, much to Evan’s delight.

“i***t,” Carter mutters as we burst into laughter.

Oh Evan.

Mia smiles like a fool as Evan strolls over to her side and pulls her into him to k**s her cheeks and neck.

I didn’t need an explanation to know they had finally accepted each other and I’m glad in the midst of all this chaos, at least some good had come out.

“I will do my best to help too,” Gwen says, reminding me of our dire situation and pulling me from my thoughts. She takes out the letter from her pocket. “I’ve read this extensively and I think I understand their plan.”

Things getting serious again, we all gather around the bed.

“Tais and Ira are requesting your b***d by the winter solstice, when your powers will be at an all time high. I can only assume this means your bloods potency and strength will peak at this time too,” she starts. “So if that’s the case, they’ll need something to counteract your abilities.”

“They’ll need to know my weakness,” I mumble, following Gwen’s train of thought.

“Exactly, so if we can trick them into thinking you’re powerless whilst they collect your b***d-“

“Then we can use our powers to save Ro and Oliver and take the sword.”

“Bingo!” Gwen chirps.

I feel elated at the possibility of defeating them at their own game.

“There’s just one little problem,” Gwen chuckles sheepishly. “It’s going to take a while to figure out exactly what combination of ingredients they plan to use to weaken your abilities and figure out how to counteract them. Unfortunately, time is not exactly on our side here.”

“Well then there’s not time to waste,” I say before looking at the boys and Mia. “While Gwen and I work on this, I need you guys to finish the arrangements for tonight.”

“Tonight?” Carter asks.

“We’re holding a Moon Warrior ceremony,” I say solemnly. “We lost a few warriors that night… We must honor their sacrifice as Moon Goddess intended.”

Carter nods, likely eager to take his mind of Rosalie. “I’m on it.”

They head out to make the arrangements while I open a portal to the garden. I make my way to a flower bed with some space.

“My weakness,” I sigh, looking around the clearing for any intruders. I can feel Reyna growing uncomfortable with the situation. This was supposed to be a secret.

But I need to save Oliver and Rosalie…

“It’s Flame Lilies and Queen of the night flowers.”

From the corner of my eye, I see the witch nod nervously as she thinks.

“Okay,” she mutters to herself, shaking her hands and cracking her neck. “I can do this.”

“You look like you might pass out,” I chuckle.

“Sorry… I’m just… there’s a lot riding on this,” she replies sheepishly.

“Gwen, I won’t get mad if you can’t do it,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’ll find another ready to get them back.”

She nods and I get to work, growing a few gorgeous flame lilies. If it weren’t for their effect on me, I’d actually pick a few and keep them in the house. The flowers have wavy vibrant pink petals with yellow that make them look like flames and their stamens stick out horizontally at the base of the flowers, making them look like fire wood.

Next I grow some Queen of the night flowers, their cute little white flowers closed as the sun is still out.

“These flowers need to bloom and they only bloom at night. You’ll need those petals and the root of the flame lilies.”

Gwen nods, the gears in her head working. “We’re going to need some more herbs…”

***Salvador’s POV***

I return to River Moon, showered and refreshed to find the pack house in a frenzy as wolves prepare for tonight’s ceremony. Running inside, I unfortunately run into Evan.

“Watch where you’re f*****g going, moron,” he snaps, pushing past my shoulder.

Now who the f**k does this a*****e think he is? Marco snaps

“f*****g mutt,” I mutter.

He stops in his tracks. “What did you say?” He growls.

“You heard me.”

“You think because Aurora forgives you, I won’t kick your a*s?” He snarls.

That’s it! This pricking is asking for it! Marcos snarls, begging for control.

He’s just trying to provoke you, you stupid wolf. Let it go…

“I don’t have time for your idiocy. Where’s Aurora?” I ask, rolling my eyes at him.

“You know, you’ve got some real nerve walking around here demanding s**t,” Evan laughs with no emotion. “Why don’t you do us all a favor and crawl back up Satan’s butthole where you belong. We don’t need you here.”

Gotta hand it to him, the i***t’s kinda funny.

“I don’t care if you like me. Aurora and I are family and no matter what you think, I will always be her brother.”

“You’re a f*****g monster, is what you are,” he spits back. “And once a monster always a monster.”

“So what does that make me?”

We both turn to see Mia standing in the doorway of the foyer, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. Evan stiffens, knowing he’s made a mistake and I can’t help but chuckle at the way he squirms under her gaze.

Boy did he f**k up.

“Mia, I-I didn’t mean that,” he tries to explain.

“Do you actually forgive me or will you always think I’m a monster?” She says, her voice quiet.

“No, of course not!” He says, rushing to her and taking her in his arms. She glares at him and when he tries to k**s her, she turns her cheek. “Babe, I’m sorry.”

“Can you forgive Chava?”

His face hardens and he sighs. “Mia-“

“Then how can you forgive me?” She asks..

He glares at her, clenching his jaw in anger before taking a deep breath and sighing.

“Fine, you win,” he mutters through gritted teeth. “I’ll give the a*s wipe a chance.”

She grants him a k**s, much to my disgust. I gag, making Mia blush and pull away while Evan glares at me.

Mia smiles and nods towards the door. “She’s in the garden.”

I walk out of the house after asking a few wolves for directions, before making my way to the garden. As I grow closer, Marcos starts going haywire.

What the hell is up with you? I ask him as he starts panting.

I don’t know, he says. It just feels like something important is about to happen.

As I approach the garden, I hear Aurora’s voice accompanied by the most melodic female voice I’d ever heard. The air fills with the scent of strawberries and sweet grass, a mix I never thought I’d find so intoxicating.

In the distance, I see Aurora’s white hair flowing in the wind but besides her stands a girl with fiery red curls, both of them with their backs towards me.

When they hear my footsteps, both of them spin around on their heels to look at me. Aurora offers a hello and a wave but I’m completely mesmerized by the girl standing next to her, her gorgeous green eyes hypnotizing me.

Mate.

The air fills with her sweet aroma, soothing me but it’s the words she’s chanting that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and bile burn my esophagus.

Witch.