AURORE
I never meant to fall in love, not with him.
Not with Antoine.
He's healed over the past two months. Truthfully, he had healed within the first two weeks, but Maman was adamant that he needed more rest.
And so, he stayed.
As much has she likes him though, that hasn't erased her disdain for his kind. She just refers to him as one of the good ones.
The good natured man that he is, he takes it in stride.
He finds me in the meadow again. It's always the meadow. Maman must have gone to bed already.
The air smells like crushed mint and wild honey.
I turn just in time to see him step into the clearing, hair wind-tousled, eyes locked on mine.
"Antoine," I breathe.
"You shouldn't be here," I say, even though I don't mean it.
"I told you, i need some time alone!" Immediately, i feel bad for yelling at him.
He smirks, that slow, smirk that always manages to undo me.
"I know," he says, walking closer. "But when have I ever listened to reason?"
He stops a breath away. I tilt my head up to look at him, and for a heartbeat, the world holds still. His fingers graze mine, and the contact sends a jolt straight to my chest.
"We can't do this anymore,"I whisper.
"Let the world burn, Aurore. Who cares what people think?," he replies. "I don't care about anything anyone says, as long as you're beside me."
I want to tell him to stop. That this can't last. That he's the alpha of the most revered pack and I'm... just a girl. I'm just Aurore.
But when he touches me like this—gently, reverently—I forget the rules. The danger. The fact that this is taboo.
The fact that us being together would double the danger. Not just a witch but a werewolf too? If we were ever caught the humans would have a field day.
We barely have a chance of having a normal life just as we are. Together, the chance ceases to exist.
"I've dreamt of you," he says, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
"You always say that." I whisper, looking away.
"Because it's always true. You are my destined, mon etoilè"
I look down, swallowing hard. "You're betrothed to duty. You are the alpha. You can't afford to be away from your pack for this long.
"And yet, here I am," he says. "With a ring in my pocket."
I blink up at him.
"What?"
"I came prepared." He pulls out a small velvet pouch and unties the string.
Nestled inside is a ring—silver and gold, woven into a delicate braid. No jewels. Just warmth and promise.
"It's spelled," he says. "Bound with my blood. My vow."
My heart stutters.
"It's not safe, Antoine," I whisper. "If your father finds out—"
"I don't care about the old bastard," he says, voice roughening.
"All I care about is you. I'd never go back if it meant i got to have you. Say yes. Just us, before the sun rises."
I should say no. I should walk away and forget this moment ever happened.
But I've always been terrible at doing what I should do.
"Yes," I whisper.
****
The woods are quiet under a blanket of stars. We stand in a hidden grove surrounded by ancient trees, their bark glowing faintly under the moonlight.
A woman—small, cloaked, with moonlight eyes—stands before us, whispering in a language older than time.
It hadn't taken too much to find someone willing to perform the ceremony. With business declining for witches due to the prosecution, she was more than grateful for the opportunity to make some coin.
We join hands, he gently squeezes mine.
My fingers tremble in his, but his hold is steady.
I smile shakily. He winks at me.
"Aurore La voisine. Daughter of earth and fire, ice and frost, member of the sisterhood. Do you care to state your intentions?" the woman asks softly.
"With the moon high in the sky, If Hecate so blesses me, i intend to take a vow. To be bound, soul and body, to this man." I say strongly.
As much as i had my doubts, the moment the words leave my lips i know that no truer words have ever been spoken.
I want him to have my soul, my heart, my body- forever.
"And you, do you intend to take this same vow?" She asks Antoine.
He glances at me and smiles slowly, that beautiful smile. I would do dangerous things to see that smile.
He pretends to think about his answer carefully. Tapping his finger on his chin.
"I don't know...Aurore, can I handle your snoring for the rest of my life?" He says.
A burst of laughter escapes my lips.
This man.
I slap his chest, "Stop it, silly. I do not snore!"
His eyes soften as he takes me in. "I do, I do intend to make this same vow."
The woman hums, "Then it is so."
A wind rushes around us, not cold—but warm, crackling with energy. The leaves dance. The stars seem to pulse. And in that moment, something clicks into place inside me.
The ring slides onto my finger. My skin warms as it settles, like it recognizes me.
"Bound by soul, sealed in time," Antoine says.
"Forever," I echo.
The wind calms. The forest exhales.
And for one perfect moment, we are infinite.
****
We lie side by side in the grass, his coat wrapped around us, his arm slung lazily across my waist.
"Do you think we're cursed?" I ask quietly.
"No," he says. "I think we're blessed. Just… complicated."
I smile into his shoulder. "You always know the right thing to say."
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he shifts so he can look into my eyes.
"You know this won't be easy," I murmur.
"I know." he whispers.
"They'll come for us." I say.
"Let them."
He leans in and kisses me, soft and slow. It feels like a promise.
And somewhere, deep in my soul, I feel something awaken.
A pulse. A knowing.
Like the beginning of the end.