Chapter 4: Blood Debt Truth

Aurora woke up screaming.

She sat bolt upright in her hotel bed, sweat pouring down her face. Her heart was racing so fast she thought it might explode. The nightmare had been so vivid, so real.

Just like it was every night for the past ten years.

Aurora looked around the dark hotel room, trying to ground herself in reality. She was safe. She was in New Orleans. The past was the past.

But her hands were shaking as she reached for the glass of water on her nightstand.

The nightmare was always the same. Always the night her world ended.

October 15th. Ten years ago. The night of the blood moon.

Aurora had been hiding in her bedroom closet when it started. She was supposed to be asleep, but the shouting downstairs had woken her up.

In the dream, she was ten years old again. Small. Helpless. Terrified.

She could still hear her father's voice, raised in anger.

"You can't be serious. After everything our families have been through together?"

"I'm sorry, James. But this is bigger than our friendship."

"My daughter is innocent. She's just a child."

"She's an abomination. Three bloodlines should never exist in one body. The prophecy says-"

"Damn the prophecy! She's my daughter!"

Ten-year-old Aurora had crept to the top of the stairs, trying to understand what was happening. She could smell strangers in her house. Werewolves she didn't recognize.

"Please. There has to be another way."

That was her mother's voice. Elena Ravenwood-Nightshade. Beautiful, powerful, terrified.

"There is no other way. The three-blood cannot be allowed to reach maturity. She'll be too powerful. Too dangerous."

"She's ten years old!"

"Today she's ten. Tomorrow she'll be twenty and strong enough to destroy us all."

Aurora had crept closer to the stairs, trying to see who was talking. Through the banister, she could make out shapes in the living room below.

Her parents stood together, holding hands. Facing down a group of wolves she didn't know.

But she recognized the voice of their leader. She had heard it before, at pack gatherings. At her birthday parties.

Vincent Blackwood. Marcus's uncle.

"Vincent, please. You've watched Aurora grow up. She's not a monster."

"Isn't she? When did she first show signs of her vampire heritage? Her witch blood? How long before she can't control it?"

Aurora's father stepped in front of her mother protectively.

"We'll train her. Teach her control. She doesn't have to be a threat to anyone."

"The prophecy is clear, James. The three-blood will either unite the supernatural world or destroy it. I won't risk my family's future on a child's self-control."

"Then you're declaring war on my pack."

Vincent's laugh was cold and bitter.

"Your pack? Look around, James. Half your wolves are already with me. They understand what needs to be done."

That's when Aurora saw the truth. Some of the shapes in the living room weren't strangers. They were wolves from her father's own pack. People she had known her whole life.

They had betrayed him.

"The Blackwood family must survive," Vincent continued. "Even if it means eliminating a threat to our bloodline."

"Aurora isn't a threat to you."

"Isn't she? My nephew Marcus is supposed to be the next Alpha King. But what happens when your daughter comes of age? What happens when the supernatural world sees a creature that combines all three bloodlines?"

Aurora's mother spoke up.

"You're afraid they'll choose her over him."

"I'm afraid she'll destroy everything our families have built. And I won't let that happen."

Vincent raised his hand. Aurora could see the other wolves tense, ready to attack.

"I'm sorry, old friend. But the Nightshade line ends tonight."

That's when the fighting started.

Aurora watched in horror as wolves who had been family friends turned on her parents. The living room became a battlefield.

Her father fought like a demon. Her mother used her vampire speed and witch magic to deadly effect.

But there were too many of them.

Aurora wanted to run downstairs and help. But she was frozen with terror at the top of the stairs.

She watched her father fall first. Three wolves brought him down together. Aurora could hear his bones breaking.

"Daddy!"

The word tore from her throat before she could stop it.

Every wolf in the living room looked up at the stairs.

"The girl," Vincent said. "Find her."

Aurora ran.

She made it to her parents' bedroom and slammed the door behind her. But it wouldn't hold them for long.

She could hear her mother screaming downstairs. Fighting. Dying.

Aurora crawled under her parents' bed and tried to make herself invisible.

The bedroom door exploded inward. Heavy footsteps walked into the room.

"I know you're in here, little wolf."

Vincent's voice was soft now. Almost gentle.

"Come out, Aurora. I promise I'll make it quick."

Aurora held her breath. Tried not to move. Tried not to exist.

But ten-year-old children weren't good at hiding from werewolves.

Vincent's hand reached under the bed and dragged her out by her ankle.

"There you are."

Aurora looked up at him. Vincent Blackwood had always been kind to her before. Had brought her presents on her birthday. Had told her stories about the old days.

Now his eyes were cold. Merciless.

"Please," Aurora whispered. "I'll be good. I won't hurt anyone."

"I know you won't, child. Because you won't live long enough to try."

Vincent raised his claws. Aurora closed her eyes and waited to die.

That's when she heard the front door explode.

Heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. A voice roared through the house.

"Vincent! What the hell is going on here?"

Marcus. Even in her terror, Aurora recognized his voice.

Vincent cursed under his breath.

"Marcus. You weren't supposed to be here."

"Obviously. Uncle, what have you done?"

Marcus appeared in the bedroom doorway. His golden eyes took in the scene instantly. Vincent standing over Aurora with his claws extended. The smell of blood and death from downstairs.

"This is necessary," Vincent said. "The prophecy-"

"Damn the prophecy! These are our allies!"

"This child is a threat to everything we've built."

"She's ten years old!"

Marcus stepped into the room. Aurora could see the fury on his face.

"Stand down, Uncle. That's an order."

"You're not Alpha King yet, boy. And when the Council hears about what I've done tonight, you never will be. They'll understand that I acted to protect our bloodline."

Vincent's claws moved toward Aurora's throat.

Marcus lunged.

Uncle and nephew crashed into the far wall. They fought with savage intensity. Claws and fangs and inhuman strength.

Aurora crawled away from them, toward the window.

The house was on fire now. She could smell smoke. Hear flames crackling downstairs.

Vincent and Marcus were still fighting. Blood splattered the walls.

Aurora managed to open the bedroom window. She looked down at the ground two stories below.

Behind her, Vincent screamed in pain. When she looked back, Marcus was standing over his uncle's motionless body.

"Aurora."

Marcus turned toward her. His face and clothes were covered in blood.

"Are you hurt?"

Aurora couldn't speak. Couldn't move.

Marcus walked slowly toward her, like she was a frightened animal.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

But Aurora wasn't safe. She could hear more wolves downstairs. Vincent's pack, searching for survivors.

"The others will come looking," she whispered.

Marcus nodded grimly.

"You have to run. Get out of the city. Don't come back until you're strong enough to protect yourself."

"What about my parents?"

Marcus's expression went soft with pain.

"I'm sorry, little wolf. They're gone."

Aurora felt something break inside her chest.

"But I'll find out who else was involved in this. I'll make sure they pay for what they did."

Marcus pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around Aurora's shoulders.

"Go. Now. Before more of them come."

Aurora climbed out the window and dropped to the ground below. She looked back once at her burning home.

Marcus was silhouetted in the bedroom window, watching her go.

"I promise," he called down to her. "I'll find them all."

That was the last time Aurora had seen Marcus Blackwood.

Until last night.

Aurora jerked awake from the memory. She was back in her hotel room, sweat cooling on her skin.

But something was different about the nightmare this time.

For ten years, she had remembered hearing Marcus's voice that night. Remembered him saying the Blackwood family must survive. Remembered him as the leader of the attack.

But that wasn't right.

It had been Vincent's voice saying those things. Vincent who had killed her parents. Vincent who had tried to kill her.

Marcus had saved her life.

Aurora sat up in bed and put her head in her hands.

How could I have been so wrong for so long?

But she knew how. Trauma did things to memory. Made you remember what you expected to remember instead of what really happened.

She had expected the Blackwoods to betray her family. Had expected Marcus, as the heir, to be the one who ordered the attack.

So that's what she had remembered.

Aurora got out of bed and walked to the window. Dawn was breaking over New Orleans. The blood moon had set, replaced by pale morning sunlight.

Her phone buzzed with a text message.

"Coffee? We need to talk. - M"

Marcus. Even seeing his initial made Aurora's heart race.

She typed back.

"Where?"

"Café du Monde. One hour."

Aurora showered and dressed carefully. Black jeans, white button-down shirt, leather jacket. She looked professional but approachable.

She also strapped a silver knife to her thigh, hidden under her jeans.

Just because Marcus hadn't killed her parents didn't mean she could trust him completely.

Café du Monde was crowded with tourists and locals enjoying café au lait and beignets. Aurora found Marcus sitting at a small table in the corner, his back to the wall.

Smart positioning. He could see everyone coming and going.

"You look tired," he said when she sat down.

"Bad night."

"Nightmares?"

Aurora nodded. There was no point in lying.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

A waitress came over and Aurora ordered coffee. Black, no sugar.

"I've been thinking about what you said last night," Marcus said once they were alone again.

"Which part?"

"The part about not remembering clearly. About being ten years old and traumatized."

Aurora stared down at her coffee cup.

"I remember what I remember."

"Do you? Because I've been thinking about that night too. About what you might have seen. What you might have heard."

"And?"

Marcus leaned forward across the table.

"My uncle Vincent was there that night. He was the one leading the attack."

Aurora looked up at him sharply.

"How do you know?"

"Because I killed him for it."

The words hung in the air between them like a confession.

"You killed your own uncle?"

"He murdered your parents. He tried to murder you. What would you have done?"

Aurora thought about it. If she had been strong enough that night, what would she have done to Vincent Blackwood?

"The same thing."

Marcus nodded.

"Vincent believed in an old prophecy about three-blood children. He thought you were too dangerous to live."

"Maybe I am."

"Are you?"

Aurora looked around the café. Humans laughing over breakfast. Couples holding hands. Families with children.

"I don't know. Sometimes I feel like there's something dark inside me. Something that wants to hurt people."

"That's not darkness. That's power. And power without control is dangerous to everyone."

"So maybe Vincent was right."

"No." Marcus's voice was firm. "Vincent was a coward who killed innocents because he was afraid of what they might become. That's not justice. That's murder."

Aurora sipped her coffee. It was strong and bitter.

"Why didn't you tell me all this last night?"

"Would you have believed me? You came here convinced that I was your enemy. Sometimes people need to discover the truth for themselves."

"And what is the truth?"

Marcus was quiet for a long moment.

"The truth is that your parents were my father's best friends. The truth is that I grew up thinking of you as my little sister. The truth is that when I found out they were dead, I grieved for them like they were my own family."

Aurora felt tears prick her eyes.

"Then why didn't you come find me? Why didn't you make sure I was okay?"

"Because you disappeared. Vanished completely. I spent years looking for you. Hired private investigators. Used pack resources. But it was like you had never existed."

"I was careful."

"You were terrified. And you had every right to be."

Aurora wiped her eyes with a napkin.

"So what happens now?"

"Now we find out who else was involved. Vincent didn't act alone. Someone helped him plan the attack. Someone helped him turn your father's own pack against him."

"And then?"

Marcus's golden eyes went hard.

"And then we make them pay."

Aurora nodded. For the first time since arriving in New Orleans, she felt like she might actually get justice for her parents.

"There's something else," Marcus said.

"What?"

"The mate bond between us. We need to talk about it."

Aurora's heart started racing again.

"What about it?"

"It's not going away. And it's getting stronger."

Aurora could feel it too. Even sitting across the table from him, she was aware of Marcus's every movement. Every breath. Every heartbeat.

"I know."

"The question is, what are we going to do about it?"

Aurora looked at him. This man who had saved her life. Who had avenged her parents. Who was destined to be hers in every way that mattered.

"I don't know."

"We could ignore it."

"Could we?"

Marcus smiled grimly.

"Probably not."

"Or we could see where it leads."

"That's dangerous. Mate bonds aren't just about attraction. They're about souls recognizing each other. About two people becoming one."

Aurora thought about that. About sharing her soul with someone. About letting down all her walls.

It terrified her.

But it also excited her in a way she didn't want to examine too closely.

"One step at a time?" she suggested.

"One step at a time."

Marcus reached across the table and took her hand. The contact sent electricity racing up Aurora's arm.

"Partners?" he asked.

"Partners."

They shook hands like they were sealing a business deal.

But Aurora could see the heat in Marcus's golden eyes. Could feel the answering fire in her own chest.

This partnership was going to be anything but professional.

And maybe that was exactly what she needed.

End of Chapter 4