The Dark Side of London

Chapter 8 Aurora

When I woke up that morning in Marcellus' arms. I thought, maybe even dreamed that this could be my life this way everyday. That we could be happy and get through anything together. That us united could bring an end to the fueding between my coven and his pack. Then my phone rang and everything changed That dream shattered like broken glass. My mum threatened Marcellus' life, threatened to rip his heart out with her own hands. Make me watch as she did so. That she knew that Marcellus had been with me in my hotel room last night. That if I even thought about allowing him to mark me that both he and my brother would suffer the consequences for it. I couldn't let anything happen to either of them. So I wrote the note to Marcellus and made my brother Antony check us out of the hotel and take us to our country estate out of London. Away from Marcellus, and away from my mum and her threats. I had hoped to feel the pain of Marcellus' rejection, that he had come to realize that we could never be together. Yet the pain of rejection never came, and as October bled into November, and then December. I realized that Marcellus was never going to reject me. That he was going to continue to keep our bond intact. That he was hoping foolishly that someday we could be together. He was more optimistic then I was. Or I was more of a realist, I didn't know. No doubt he was both angry and confused about me leaving him in the middle of the night... Again. But I really had no choice, mum would do everything in her power to stop me from accepting Marcellus as my mate. In these last two months, I had tried everything in my own power to convince mum to let Marina go. To send her away from London, to even banish her from the coven. As long as she lived and could live her life as a free woman and witch. That Marina wasn't the only witch that was mating with wolves. Along with Marina, mum had rounded up three other witches that had completed their mating rituals with wolves. Two were from the Yorkshire pack, the other was from the Buckinghamshire Pack. But my mother wouldn't be persuaded to grant any of them mercy. She had already sent their respective alphas their hearts as a warning not to cross the Londinium Coven. The same hearts that she had ripped out of their chests. The wolves' heads were kept as some gruesome trophies to be put on display in the Coven's house. These trophies were to remind the other witches what was to happen if they were caught with wolves as mates. It was clear to both my brother and I that our mum wouldn't see reason. That we were helpless to stop her continuing rampage on those that were once our allies.

A day before the winter solstice, our mum summoned both Antony and I back to London. She wanted us to witness the execution of our own best friend. She even sent two of her gruffest minions with the summons to make sure that we complied and returned to London. The night of the winter solstice, a fierce winter storm was raging outside as we all gathered in the main hall of the Coven house. She had summoned not just Antony and I, but the entire coven to witness this execution. She had her thugs surround the platform to make sure no one tried to stop her from carrying out this horrid miscarriage of justice. I was holding Marina's mum in my arms. She was quietly sobbing, both she and her husband had pleaded with my mum. They used every connection they had, even pleading to her as one mother to another. But my mum had become heartless in this matter. Julius Livingston was rigid as stone beside my brother. His eyes never leave my mum's eyes. All I could see was contempt and hatred in his eyes. He had been a loyal and faithful servant to both her and the coven. And this was how he was rewarded, by being forced to watch his daughter's own execution.

"We are all gathered here today on this winter solstice to punish those who have broken our most sacred rule," my mum began. Marina's mum began to sob harder. Julius made an attempt to walk toward the platform, but Antony held him back. We didn't want him trying to do anything foolish in front of his mate and wife. That it would only make things worse for him and his wife. He had to think about her now.

"Please mum, don't do this! You don't have to do this," I cried. Others in the crowd followed suit. Many disagreed with what my mum was doing. But my mum just glared down at me with anger and contempt in her eyes. She couldn't even look at me without seeing what disgrace I had become. She motioned for one of her thugs to stand beside me. I could feel his beady eyes on my face. But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking at him. Antony was still holding back Julius. Julius is still struggling to try to save his only daughter.