Destined Love

A Small Moment

*Jonah’s point of view* 

    The attempt against my father’s life was too suspicious. I understood that better than anyone and for the past few days Leon and I had dedicated our time to investigate the matter. There were many things that didn’t make any sense. The timing and even the location where it all happened were suspicious because no one could have guessed that we were going to be camping out that night. A spy would have had to be on our tracks since we left the estate to know our location, but if that was the case our men were more than capable of finding petty rogues so he would have been caught in an instant.

    That night we checked the area for rouges before everyone went to sleep and the pack members alternated to stand by and watch, so the assassin couldn’t have targeted my father directly while he was sleeping. The most absurd thing was that my father did not sleep in his tent that night, he slept in mine which meant that their original target was the heir to Arcada and not the Alpha. The poison was intended for me. If my father wouldn't have insisted to sleep in my tent that night, I would be in a coma. 

    When I came to this conclusion, I had my most trusted men inspect my tent for any traces of the poison. They found powder that contained the same properties as sleeping nightshade on the interior of the tent and that was what made my father lose consciousness. There had been many cases of pack members affected by sleeping nightshade and there were even existing cures. The only issue was that the properties of the powder found on my tent were different from the original liquid poison and when the doctors used the existing cures, they were not effective and my father was not able to wake from his coma.

    Based on the information Leon and I gathered I knew three things for certain. The first was that this attack was not the doing of one person, whoever did this were a cunning bunch and they had been playing this game for a very long time. The second was that this organization of rogues was targeting the heirs to all four packs and the third was that I had to protect Aurora no matter what. If these bastards figured out that my mate was the most important thing to me, she would become an even bigger target and they would use her to get to me. 

    Nothing had made sense before until now. Over the past twelve years there were accidents and kidnappings involving the heirs to the neighboring packs. The Corin pack lost the only son of the Alpha to a k********g that took place during one of their trips and the heir to the Argilis pack died suddenly of a cold when he was only fifteen years old. The only other heirs remaining were Aurora and myself, but since we married once I succeeded my father, our packs would become one. Something had to be done about these rogues and I had to find a way to bring them down for good before they began to attack the remaining sons and daughters of the Alphas. 

    When I finished discussing my plan with Leon, I left my office and headed towards the training grounds. I was thinking about how everything would play out and suddenly, I saw her petite figure walking in the garden. Her pink dress stood out against the green hedges and the white hydrangeas. Her hair was tied up neatly, allowing me to see the delicate nape of her neck. She looked stunning, but at the same time very frail. I wanted to get closer just to get a better glimpse of her, but I needed to resist. I couldn't bring her into this mess and I wanted to keep her safe. I closed my hands into tight fists to suppress the urge of holding her in my arms and then I continued to walk towards the training grounds. 

*Third person’s point of view*

    It had been a while since Aurora stepped outside of the castle to get some fresh air. She was enjoying the warmth of the sun against her skin and the smell of the grass. She was observing the beautiful flowers in full bloom, but looked up just in time to see Jonah walking past the garden. She began fidgeting with her fingers while the last moment they shared together replayed in her mind. She started to feel sick again and decided that it would be best for her to go back inside. 

    The Luna was in the main living room when Aurora went back inside, so she decided to join her and ask her about the Alpha’s condition. 

    “Good afternoon Luna, how are you feeling?”

    “Aurora please, call me Sofia. I’m your mother-in-law and you need to stop being so formal. I'm doing just fine. I was at my husband’s bedside a little while ago, but I decided to come down and have some tea. Join me please.” 

    “Of course thank you for inviting me Mrs. Sofia. Has the Alpha's condition improved?” 

    “I'm afraid my husband's state has remained the same since his arrival, but we must be patient."

    "I'm very sorry. I hope he can wake up soon so he can be present during Jonah's succession ceremony. The Alpha is the most important person to Jonah and I just want him to be happy on his special day."

    “Aurora, don't worry about such things. You’re going to become the Luna very soon and my role will be handed down to you. It won't be an easy transition and the role of the Luna is one that comes with many responsibilities. We all need to have faith in the Alpha's strength. My husband and I will be there.” 

    “I really hope so. If you ever need help looking after the Alpha please let me know. I don't know a lot about medicine, but I used to watch my mother care for the sick children of the pack members so I do know some things.” 

    “I will let you know, thank you for offering to help.”

    Aurora retired to her bedroom early that evening because she was very tired. She took a bath, changed into her comfortable chemise and then buried herself under the bed covers. As soon as her body touched the bed, she fell into a deep sleep. At the same time, Jonah was walking down the hall and he saw one of the maids leave his wife’s bedroom. 

    “Is my wife asleep?” 

    “Yes sir, Miss Aurora was tired and decided to go to bed earlier today.” 

    He said nothing else and then continued walking until he was at her door. He wanted to check on her, but he didn't want to wake her up so he opened the door very slowly and went inside. Her room was dark with only one lit candle, but it was filled with her sweet fragrance. He approached her bed and saw her sleeping very peacefully. When he kneeled to be right beside her, he was able to hear her breathing very slowly and he got close enough to feel her warm breath that escaped her slightly parted lips. Jonah tried his best to resist his mate, but he was dying to hold her tightly.

    “A few minutes won't bring her any harm and she’ll never know I was here.”

    Jonah climbed into the bed and laid beside her. He pulled her closer to him by wrapping his arms around her waist. He laid next to her taking in her sweet fragrance and caressing her soft skin. Before he realized it, he dozed off and didn't wake up until it was the middle of the night. He got up to leave her room, but gave her one last kiss on her lips and then went back to his room, carrying the scent of his mate on his clothes. 

    In the morning, Aurora woke up to Jonah’s scent. The pillow next to her smelled exactly like him, but she knew that she was just hallucinating. She was still unable to resist the temptation so she grabbed the pillow and brought it close to her face just so she could take in that wonderful scent more. While she laid in bed thinking about her ridiculous actions, there was a knock on her door. The maids never came this early so she knew it wasn't them. She get up quickly, put on her robe and opened the door. 

    To her surprise, it was the Luna who was at the door. She carried a sad expression and her eyes looked very tired. Aurora didn't want to believe it, but she knew exactly what had happened. She hugged the Luna tightly as tears began to spill from her eyes. 

    "Please tell me it's not what I think it is."

    “Aurora, you need to go to him right now.”

    Aurora looked at the Luna one last time, giving her deepest condolences and then went to find Jonah. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she kept running through the halls searching desperately for her mate. When she reached the north wing of the castle, she saw Jonah coming out of his father’s room. She ran towards him as fast as she could and without hesitation she embraced him with all her strength.

    “I'm so sorry about your father. You and your family did not deserve this! Im sorry. Please don’t push me away. Let me be by your side just for a moment.” 

    Jonah's throat felt dry. He had spoken to her with such cruel words not too long ago, but here she was crying for him. He didn't want to let go of her right now. He never wanted to let go. She was the only one giving him strength. His father was no longer going to be by his side and he was going to have to protect his family and his pack on his own. It was going to be difficult, but he knew that having Aurora by his side would give him all the strength he needed. 

    Jonah brought his arms around Aurora’s waist and pulled her in closer. He snuggled his head into her neck and let his eyes close for a bit while he let her sweet fragrance take over his senses. When he responded to her hug, Aurora began to cry harder and she was grateful for this strong being who was allowing her to ease his pain for just a small moment.