Connection - Golden Lycans Sequel 3/3 [Complete]

The Tour

***Ares***

By the time dessert has come around, I am surprised at how much easier just sitting next to Ophelia has become.

I start to feel hopeful, that perhaps once we were back at Vale, I could find a way to apologise to her for acting the way I had since during that moment on the balcony.

But right now, I wasn't sure how I would begin to explain...this.

How we were now inexplicably talking so easily, as our real selves, for the first time.

“My father is a formidable force, and he does not need anyone to take over running our pack for a long, long time, yet. So, for now, I am following in my mother's footsteps and studying medicine, at Vale," she admits, cutting off more of her opera cake with her cake fork, "what about you? Are you working for one of your father's companies or...are you still in college?"

"Coincidentally, I also happen to be studying medicine," I reply, ensuring I don’t happen to mention where. She smiles and nods as she chews her mouthful.

"That’s interesting. It also explains your knowledge of the nasopharynx. Except...I don’t understand; how are you old enough? Even the eldest of natural-born vampires would still be a few months shy of turning eighteen. They are in the year below mine. You cannot study medicine unless you are over eighteen," she points out.

"Perhaps I will tell you why that is, later," I reply, eating some of my own dessert.

"I have to wait until later?" She asks, with a bit of a smirk. I feel a mental nudge within myself to be a little bold with my response, because at this point, it really couldn't hurt.

"Yes. Later. After you have agreed to dance with me," I say as casually as possible.

I immediately regret my words at the abrupt change in her expression, my heart sinking, just before her expression then changes into a shy smile.

"I am going to agree, am I?" she asks, her eyes looking strangely bright and playful, as I had seen many times in Madeleine’s.

"Well, there is little else to do at a Ball, aside from getting rather drunk, and you do not seem foolhardy enough to do that," I reply, knowing, of course, that Ophelia doesn't really drink alcohol. She laughs, taking another mouthful of dessert before she starts nodding.

"Okay," she says quietly, giving me a sly glance sideways before taking another mouthful.

"Okay?" I query.

"Okay...I will dance with you," she replies, smirking a little to herself as she picks up her wine glass. She feels nervous now, but underneath I can sense a slither of excitement.

This has taken a rather intriguing turn, and I cannot help but feel that same kind of nervous excitement myself.

"Steady on, I haven't even asked you yet," I tease, a line I’d heard on one of Madeleine’s awful yet addictive TV shows.

I am falling to pieces on the inside as I try to remember the steps my mother had taught me, but it had been so long ago, now. I wipe my now sweaty palms on my trousers under the table, feeling out of my depth.

Why did I not read a book on this?

Why had I been too embarrassed to ask Atticus, whom I knew many women fell at the feet of. All I can remember is examples I had watched on television, and I didn't think they were a good example at all.

...

***Ophelia***

"Right, come with me," Serena says in my ear, before she grips my arm, almost lifting me out of my seat after dinner and coffee has ended.

The band has gotten louder and a little more dramatic with their playing as people move into the main area of the ballroom.

"Where are we going?" I ask, glancing back at everyone on the table as she steers me out into a corridor.

"Toilet," she replies simply, dragging me through a small door into an opulent cloakroom, the floor actually carpeted.

"But I don't need to pee," I tell her. She rolls her eyes at me and folds her arms.

"Ophelia...you were flirting with Aurelius at dinner!" she says, almost in an accusatory tone, "it was subtle…but both of you totally were!”

I open my mouth in surprise at this comment, but I say nothing, because I…actually was.

"Exactly. So...tell me what you are thinking," Serena says, intrigued.

"Thinking?" I query.

"Yes. You are here only in name. Dance with him! Throw caution to the wind and have a little bit of FUN!" she replies excitedly. I sigh and shrug a little, because I really do not know what I have been doing.

Harmless flirting with a stranger was one thing, but dancing was something else. I was definitely more than intrigued about Aurelius than before dinner had started. He was stiff and awkward at first, but he soon relaxed and became a fair bit more interesting.

"Uh...maybe?" I answer tentatively, feeling so unsure.

My mind goes straight to Ares; but then simultaneously reminds itself that he'd spent two weeks ignoring and avoiding me. It was a little emboldening to have had a very nice-smelling, origami-making vampire, who also studies medicine, apparently flirting with me at dinner.

"Oh Lia, DO IT! You are young, you are beautiful, and lord alive...your figure in that dress..." Serena laughs before she looks me dead in the eye, "is it not time that Ophelia Landry lived a little? You are faceless here, tonight. You could do anything you wanted to. You can go home after midnight and never see him again…and even if you did, he may never know it was you."

We exit the tiny cloakroom a short time after, and we return to the ballroom.

I feel like I have stepped into a movie scene.

There are many couples, who are all dancing exquisitely, and dressed so properly. Full skirts on many, fanning out as they moved gracefully through the ballroom, hand to hand with equally well-dressed men, all of them wearing exuberant masks in many colours and styles.

"That does look like a lot of fun," I find myself saying to Serena, much to my own surprise.

"It is. One of my fondest memories is of when James taught me how to waltz, when we were on Athena of all places. I am going to go find him and relive that a little. You…be bold. Go find that tall, dark and probably very handsome vampire," Serena smiles, turning her head in the exact direction my uncle is in, before wandering away.

I take a deep breath, as I suddenly feel rather awkward, standing here while everyone is moving around me.

I didn’t want to just make a bee-line for Aurelius, like some sort of desperate teenage girl. I had no idea where he was, anyway.

I decide to look around a little more, marveling at the gorgeous detail that had gone into decorating what was already a rather richly decorated ballroom. It was almost as fancy as the one I had seen at my uncle’s palace. I suppose Augustus Katz was extremely wealthy, having lived as long as he had, and wealth got you anything you wanted.

My curiosity gets the better of me, and I go back down the corridor into the main foyer, intent on exploring this grand place a little, my heels clacking a little on the marbled floor. There are a number of people milling around in small groups here and there, holding flutes of champagne, evidently not wanting to dance, or at least, not yet.

I have absolutely no idea who any of them are, what they do, nor how they came to be invited to this ridiculously fancy ball. Nor do I care, in all honesty.

"Perhaps, you might like a tour?" I hear a voice behind me.

The voice is comfortingly familiar, and I turn to see Aurelius standing behind me, a slight smile on his lips.

"Maybe?…this house looks incredible," I reply, immediately feeling a little overzealous, "but your home isn't for public viewing like my uncle's palace, so it's...really okay...if...not…" I trail off, wish I could just speak like a normal person. He utters a short laugh, and I nervously fiddle with a bracelet around my wrist.

"It is almost a palace; he is our king, after all. But, if it helps you to feel less intrusive, I can miss out his bedroom and bathroom along the way,” Aurelius jokes. I laugh in response and feel myself relax a little.

Not everything had to be so serious…

"But first..." he says, stiffly raising his arm up in front of me, as if he has never done whatever he is doing with his arm before. I am confused at this gesture, and he soon realises this, clearing his throat, "umm…this is me...asking you to dance."

"Ohh!" I reply nervously, pausing briefly before I slide my arm through his. He looks down to the side at me, his red eyes looking much darker through the contrasting colour of his ivory mask. His lips curve into a cheeky smile as he starts to lead us to the ballroom, quickly and deftly adjusting our arms so that his hand ends up locking into place around mine.

I look up at him in surprise, and he simply winks at me; oddly smooth...

My heart starts to race a little as I head into the unknown.

...

***Ares***

Where this other version of me had appeared from, I truly didn’t know.

At some point during dinner, I’d come to realise and embrace something; everyone here knew I was a vampire, which meant I was free to be exactly who I wanted to be, this evening. It was a liberating feeling, and I was letting it carry me into the unknown, like a sail catching the wind.

Ophelia knew I was a vampire too; she just didn’t know I was also her roommate, or the person she shared every single lecture with at Vale. How she hadn’t recognised me yet, I didn’t know, because I felt I could recognise her anywhere; but would I have realised it was her, if I couldn’t smell her? I wasn’t sure.

Unfortunately, I was also the one who had ignored her for two weeks, who had caused her a lot of pain. But I didn’t want to dwell on that, not tonight.

All I know for sure, in this moment, is that her warm hand is in mine, and I’m leading her towards our ballroom.

At the edge of the dancefloor, where a hundred guests are already dancing to a melodic orchestral piece played by the band, I turn to face her, adjusting the position of her hand in mine, nerves escalating rapidly.

I’m free to be me, free to act and speak more impulsively than I ever could at Vale. Always holding back on certain stories, certain things I could do or enjoyed... all the things that revealed what I truly was...

My heart pounds heavily as I try to remember how to do this. I stare at her in silence for a moment, before a nervous smile spreads across her face.

“It’s been a while for you, huh?” she teases. I nod, the confidence I’d built up on the way to the ballroom rapidly melting away. Strangely, she smiles at this instead of thinking any less of me.

“Then… perhaps we can just be bad at this together?” she says. I smile warmly at her—because it’s a very ‘Lia’ thing to say. She’d step into something unfamiliar just to make someone else feel better, even if we both ended up looking like complete idiots.

“I like that idea, a lot,” I admit, “but wait. I should probably do this moderately right.”

I release her hand while the couples continue waltzing around us, clear my throat, and perform a rather stiff bow before offering my hand back to her. She laughs heartily and takes it at once, and my confidence returns, just a little.

Not everything had to be so serious…

“Truly horrendous attempt at a formal bow. Really, at this point, our dancing can only be better,” she teases, smiling fully, then biting her lip slightly as she tentatively steps closer to me. I can feel her nerves creeping back in, but her mood is light—an improvement from earlier, when she’d felt both tense and deeply nervous.

She’s nervous because she’s stepping out of her comfort zone.

And I’m just glad she’s choosing to do it with me.

I glance briefly at our joined hands as I raise them up and out to the side of us, then gently place my hand on her waist, just above her hip bone.

Her beautiful eyes meet mine, and she makes a slight scrunch of her face, as though she’s battling with herself over something. I’m battling with myself too, using no small amount of mental energy to rein in my vampire instincts. I know we’re about to stand very close together—the thought is both exciting and terrifying to me.

“Ummm, so… your hand... it probably needs to be higher and further around,” she says softly, her eyes flicking briefly to my arm. “When my uncle taught me this last night, he said it allows for more structured movement. Similarly, I should do this—”

She places her other hand onto my shoulder, then gives a small nod towards me, almost like she’s granting permission. I shift my hand higher, to the side of her ribcage, then around to the upper part of her back. Her hand slides from my shoulder to the back of my neck, and I can feel my heartbeat climbing steadily with the contact. This kind of purposeful touching is still new to me, and I wonder—briefly, anxiously—if she can feel what I’m feeling. I hope my nerves mask the more obvious emotions beneath... the ones that might give me away entirely.

The adjustment draws her in much closer, and my eyes drop instinctively to her chest, now pressed against me. I’ve never really understood why breasts were so compelling to men. I knew women had them—Madeleine had certainly gone to great lengths to make hers known—but this might be the first time I’d truly registered that Ophelia had them. The dress did her no disservice, but I knew better than to stare. So I look somewhere worse: her neck.

My upper lip curls back involuntarily as I fixate on it—her pulse, the warmth of her blood flowing beneath. My mouth all but waters at the idea of dipping those final inches, closer to sweet oblivion... to promise.

“Aurelius?” she asks, eyes wide.

Oh god, no—she’s noticed.

I lean my head away and draw in a breath through my mouth, then shut it tight.

“I am so sorry,” I mutter, trying to step back, but she tightens her hold on me, keeping me close.

“Don’t. I know... about my blood. It’s different,” she says, to my surprise. I nod, wincing slightly, watching her, unsure what she’ll say next.

“My aunt warned me that I’d smell... more appetising. But... I don’t fear you.”

She lifts her chin boldly, meeting my eyes, clearly determined to show she means it.

“Perhaps you should,” I reply, quietly, regrettably.

She lets out a short, warm laugh, then starts moving her feet, pulling me along, shifting the moment once more.

“Aurelius, there are far more fearsome things in this world than a vampire medical student who does napkin origami,” she jokes lightly, guiding me into the lead, "besides, my father would tear you to absolute shreds.”

A very real threat, I think grimly.

“Well, under that threat, I’d better make sure I take excellent care of you this evening,” I reply, drawing her briefly away before twirling her back into me, the skirt of her dress blooming like a flower.

“Although... the natural-born don’t crave blood, or so I was told?” she comments, head tilting slightly. I sigh, nodding as we continue to move.

“I don’t... not usually. Yours is different, though,” I admit, the words tasting strange as I speak them. Her own mother’s had done nothing for me.

Just hers.

But I wasn’t going to tell her that much. Not while we dance together. She moves with ease, naturally—Fae grace, after all. We dance like this for a while, and the entire time I cannot believe this is real. Not just the scent of her blood drawing me in again and again, but that she knows what I am... and she’s still here.

I spin her—poorly.

She laughs, and I laugh too.

I’m terrible at this, but it doesn’t matter. It’s fun, because we’re doing it together. It reminds me of playing basketball with her—her grace on the court, the way she moved like poetry. I understand it now. It’s woven into her.

I notice she’s been keeping her eyes fixed on something to the side of the room, and I turn my head to follow her gaze.

Her aunt. And Atticus.

Watching us.

“Perhaps it’s time for a drink?” I suggest, slipping my hand from around her as I feel the weight of her aunt’s and my brother’s eyes still on us. The moment feels suddenly exposed—too visible. I feel oddly self-conscious now.

“A drink sounds good. I don’t usually drink, but I’m not about to say no to some fancy champagne,” she replies, cutting clean through my spiralling thoughts. She takes my hand—this time, she leads, guiding us toward the bar. Maybe her alpha tendencies, maybe just her being... her. Confident. Decisive.

We each take a pre-filled flute of champagne, and as I lean slightly towards her, I catch the continued gaze from across the room.

“Would you like that tour now?” I ask, my voice lowered.

She glances over again, then sips her champagne, nodding once.

“Please,” she says, flashing a quick smile in my direction.

I offer my arm once more, and this time, it’s her who mirrors the motion I’d made earlier, sliding her hand confidently into mine.

...

***Ophelia***

I wasn’t sure how I’d ended up here—this flirtier, bolder version of myself wandering down a corridor with a guy I’d only met a short time ago. Despite the immediate apprehension I’d felt when he first sat beside me, there’s now a strange comfort in his presence.

Dancing with him had been unexpectedly fun—right up until I’d noticed Serena and Atticus watching us from the edge of the ballroom. As much as I loved my aunt, I didn’t want an audience for... whatever this was. I’d abandoned all forethought or plan, just letting things unfold.

“Is this your first Ball?” Aurelius asks.

“Has it really been that obvious?” I joke, just as he stops outside a set of double doors.

“Very much so. But then... it’s also my first,” he replies, turning the handle. The door swings inward and he steps through. The room beyond is pitch black, save for the soft starlight glowing through the tall windows that wrap around all sides. Whatever this room is, it’s enormous—at least three floors high.

He flicks a switch just beside me, and the room lights up with a soft, golden glow.

I gasp, feeling like Belle in Beauty and the Beast catching her first glimpse of the Beast’s library. It’s vast—floor upon floor of towering bookcases stretching to the rafters. It reminds me of Vale’s library in scale, but it somehow feels... grander.

“Wow…” is all I manage, my eyes drinking in the sight, "I suppose if I’d lived for thousands of years... my book collection might look like this too.”

“This is only a small portion of what my father owns. He has other properties, each with their own libraries, but this is the largest. With books... knowledge becomes timeless. It travels. It endures. I prefer physical books to digital ones,” Aurelius says beside me. “I never went to school. As within this room are the words of some of the greatest teachers the world has ever known.”

I walk to the centre of the room, still gazing upwards at the sheer scale of it all. Compared to the rest of the house, the décor is simple—pale wood, soft light—allowing the colours and textures of the books to shine. It’s breathtaking.

“So… how are you old enough for university? Did your father pay someone to let in a seventeen-year-old?” I ask, turning to look at him. He hesitates a moment, then steps in front of me.

“I was born around ten years ago... but I’m roughly twenty-one,” he says at last, though it doesn’t quite answer the question.

“But that’s impossible,” I say, frowning. I don’t know of any way to age someone that quickly. He smiles faintly and nods.

“Here, yes. There... where time moves differently, it’s entirely possible.”

I narrow my eyes.

“Where is there?”

“Another place. A realm of vibrant colour and untouched nature. One only I can reach—through the trees. There’s an old one here on the grounds. I think your mother would find it fascinating. I could imagine it being the very first to exist. Time moves faster there. It’s the opposite of the Fae realm, where time slows. And the gravity...it’s heavier. It made my bones and muscles stronger. Denser.”

“Are there others there?” I ask, fascinated. He shakes his head, and for the first time he looks a little sad.

“No. It’s only ever been me. But it was a means to an end. I’ve taken many hundreds of books there over the years. I’ve spent eleven years of my life learning all I could. And when I fully returned…just two years had passed here.”

“You spent eleven years completely alone?” I ask, stunned. He nods, bowing his head slightly with a small, awkward shrug.

“It didn’t feel so bad, back then. I returned regularly—for food, to see my mother. I didn’t mind the solitude. Not at the time. But... after starting medical school, after being around others for the first time... I’ve realised how much I missed. I’m eager now. To catch up,” As he speaks, he spins a large antique globe idly.

“But why? Why would you do that?” I ask, still trying to grasp the full picture. Was it worth it—giving up years of connection for books?

“I wanted to learn everything I could because I want to cure my mother. Only my family, and one other, know this about me.”

“You want to cure her? Of being a vampire?” I ask. He nods, and there’s a deep sadness in his expression.

“I don’t think it’s the vampirism she hates, not exactly. But she misses who she once was—and everything that meant.”

His gaze shifts, curiosity flaring behind it, "I’d heard of you before tonight. I’ve been curious for a long time, wondering what you might be like. You’re a Lycan-Fae hybrid, aren’t you?”

I blink, caught off guard, that this quiet, solitary vampire had heard of me. Then again, Maddy had.

“I am,” I reply, boldly—choosing to own it, even if only for this short moment.

...

***Ares***

“Your siblings?” I ask, curious now about the truth behind her family. I knew there were problems with her brother, but she’d never gone into detail.

“I have one younger brother—full Lycan. He’s turning seventeen soon. And I’ve got non-identical triplet sisters. They’re twelve. Two are Fae. One’s fully Lycan.”

“Then you’re completely unique,” I say, intrigued, unable to mask how drawn in I am by her now. “Like me. A true hybrid. It must be a powerful combination—to carry the wisdom of the wolf, the strength of the Lycan, and the raw magic of the Fae. Power in every state.”

She lets out a nervous laugh, but then sighs—and her aura falters and dims.

“It could be. But honestly? I wouldn’t know. I can’t tell you.”

I tilt my head, watching her carefully. Her energy is slipping again—heavy with that familiar sense of sorrow I’ve come to recognise in her.

“What do you mean by that?” I ask softly. There’s a moment—a hesitation—and I wonder if she’s about to trust me with something real. Something she hasn’t said aloud to anyone. Her arms wrap around herself, and when she speaks again, her voice is tight, quiet.

“It’s not public knowledge. But… I’ve never blended with a wolf, even though I’ve been able to for almost six years. I have no Fae magic. No elemental magic. No wings.”

She breathes out.

“I have no supernatural traits that I should’ve developed by now. I’m... basically just human. But genetically, it’s all there. Just dormant. Completely out of reach.”

She lifts her gaze to meet mine—along with the weight of that loss is in her eyes. I study her aura, watching how its golden threads pulse faintly beneath the grey.

“You feel a great sense of loss because of this,” I say gently. I’ve known. For a while, I’ve known. And now she knows someone finally sees her.

She nods, her eyes shining wide.

“That’s exactly how it feels. Even though I’ve never had it... it still feels like I’ve lost something. And I keep hoping—trying—to find it. I just want to be what I’m meant to be. It’s like my body doesn’t even know what it is.”

Her words echo inside me—resonating deeper than I expect. I think suddenly of the tarantula at the safari park.

Without a word, I turn and move halfway up the staircase. The spider had been there the other evening—and it’s still there now, perched in the corner of the wide window. I reach for it, cupping it gently in my hands, then return to her side.

Ophelia watches in silence as I reveal the large spider sitting calmly in my palm. Slowly, it lifts its front legs toward us—just as the tarantula had done before.

Then, unmistakably, it bows.

A quiet laugh escapes me.

“I knew it,” I murmur, "even if your body doesn’t recognise it... nature does. Nature knows what you are. It’s reaching out to you, Ophelia.”

Her eyes shimmer as she stares at the spider, then lifts her gaze to mine—so open, so vulnerable. I return the spider to its place before stepping back beside her, drawn to the gold that’s flaring brighter within her aura now.

“I believe you’ll find yourself, Ophelia. Greatness is already written into you. You just haven’t reached the right chapter yet.”

The words feel right—and her aura seems to agree. That bright gold threads through her again like sunlight breaking through a storm. The gold makes sense now. She’s the heir to the Golden Alpha.

She narrows her eyes suddenly, stepping closer. Her expression shifts—suspicious, curious—as she peers at me through her mask.

My heart jolts.

She’s figured it out. She knows who I am!

“Oh my goddess... you can read auras, can’t you?” she whispers, her eyes filled with intrigue, locked to mine, "I can see you doing it..."

I blink—surprised by her precision. Of course, she’d notice it. She was raised around aura readers. Even if she doesn’t have the gift herself, she knows it when she sees it.

“I can,” I admit, “And no... it’s not a talent my people possess. As far as I know, it’s just me—and I’ve only had the skill a short while.” I pause, my lips curving into a faint smile. She’s opened herself to me, raw and unguarded, and I feel the pull to meet her there, to give something back.

“But perhaps it’s because you and I have something in common, Ophelia. For you see... both of us have a faerie mother.”