As the memory faded, Auriella kept her hands on her mate's face.

She could see those hazel eyes darken, becoming dangerous as he reminded himself of everything that she showed him. His body trembled beneath her touch, his hands gripping tight at the fabric of her nightgown.

Tears streamed down her face as she stared at him, feeling as if everything was crashing down all over again. She felt like a complete failure, wondering if she did deserve anything good in this life she was living. It was like she was on a trail of pain, her body battered and wounded from everything it had endured.

Auriella placed her forehead on his, closing her eyes, "Please, don't be angry with me," she breathed, "I don't know what to do. I feel as if I am losing control of everything."

"Ella..." Azriel trails off, too shocked to even say anything.

She sobs, "After everything my father had told me, I knew that I had to take action. I had to protect, not just the Night Court, but all of the others as well. My fathers assigned a number of the Peregryns to us. We were not able to carry out plans alone. Damian and I had to do whatever it took to protect everyone." She tells him.

The Spymaster shakes his head, "Auriella, what you showed me... is bigger than anything that I could have ever imagined. All of this time, we believed you and Damian were the Children of Day and Night. But in reality, you are their protectors who are Cauldron-made." He says.

Auriella stands up from the grass, turning away from him. She looks out to the gleaming sun, wanting the warmth of it to heat her rigid body. She lets out a breath, "It doesn't sound real, I know that. I have repeated it in my mind over a million times, wondering if I was delusional to ever think such a thing. But after my fathers explained everything, I knew that my guesses were correct." She says to him.

"Who are the real Children of Day and Night?" Azriel asks from behind her.

At that, Auriella stays silent.

Protect. Protect. Protect. Her shadows whispered to her, reminding her to not reveal any more than she already had.

"I cannot tell you. If I do, I risk your safety along with everyone else. I will not take any chances. If The Being gets ahold of you and digs into your mind, she will see that she was wrong about who my brother and I were. And if she finds out who the Child of Day and Night really are, then we are doomed." She explains.

The Spymaster takes her hand, gently turning her to him, "Auriella, if this information puts you at risk, I want to know every detail. You are not alone anymore. It's you and me now. I love you and I can't bear to lose you." He tells her.

Auriella purses her lips, "I cannot, my love. My duty is to protect the Child of Night. I have to shield their identity until the time is right. But when the time comes, you will know who they are. All of Prythian will." She says.

Azriel doesn't say anything to her after that. Instead, he pulls her into his arms, tightly embracing her. Auriella silently cries into his chest, knowing that they were slowly running out of time. Even though she was happy that their mating bond was sealed, she couldn't help but feel sadness racking her entire body.

In her three months back home, it had been exhausting. Her days were filled with endless planning, training, and making sure that every court was safe from The Being's attacks. She fought alongside the Peregryns to take down the creatures. She watched over half of Prythian, along with her brother, who watched the other half.

She craved for a moment of peace - to have a minute of silence where she could think of anything else other than fighting.

But there had been no time, even now. She was here with her mate, even though she should be at the Night Court border, protecting it. She should be gathering intel - finding out where the being is, along with the corrupted sisterhood.

Auriella pulled away from the embrace, "I have to leave soon," she tells him, making a low growl come out from him. It seemed that he was not too fond of those words.

She looked up at him, "I have priorities here in the Night Court, Spymaster. You are second on my list, but you are still very important to me. If you are able to keep yourself at bay, you are welcome to join me. I know that it's still too soon, but I need you to understand how fragile we are right now." She says to him.

The Spymaster sighs, "I explained to you the nature of what could happen if someone gets too close to you or even looks at you the wrong way. If I am too overprotective of you, Ella, it is because I know what other males would like to do with you. I can sense it or see it in their faces." He tells her.

Auriella smirks, "Ah, really? Honestly, I am not big on the whole "mate protection" thing, but it is very much attractive to watch play out. It makes me wonder what you would do if any male tried to get close to me at this moment." She says.

His eyes darken, "I don't think you'd enjoy watching me rip their limbs one by one." He tells her.

She bites her lip, "It sounds glorious," she jokes.

Azriel kisses her forehead, "I'm serious, my sunlight. I am frightened of what I might do, especially since we are barely through a day of accepting the bond. I feel that I am too..." he trails off, his eyes widening, and head snapping to the side.

Auriella looks around, "What is it? What happened?" She asks him, but he doesn't answer her.

Slowly, the Spymaster looks back at her, rage and adrenaline filling his body. Auriella could feel his emotions running rapidly through the bond like he was trying to maintain control of himself.

"I don't understand-" Auriella starts but stops when a howl echoes through the woods, making the birds scurry up from the trees.

Perseus.

Seconds later, the wolf comes running out into the clearing, running towards his owner. Auriella grins, moving away from her mate, and kneeling down onto the grass. Her companion goes into her arms without any hesitation. His black fur is soft and cool under her hands.

She looks back to Azriel but sees that his eyes are concentrated on something else. She follows his gaze, seeing four figures standing underneath the shade of the trees.

The General and the Third Commander.

Cassian leaned against a tree, arms crossed against his chest. His long hair was put into a bun, hazel eyes gleaming as he stared at his brother. He was dressed in his usual armor, red siphons shining in the spots of sunlight. His lips were curled into a smirk, with mischief clouding his face.

Once Auriella's eyes landed on Morrigan, she was already staring at her. A small smile had made its way to her lips, sincere. She was dressed in a red silk dress, her blonde hair cascading down past her shoulders. Her beauty was indescribable, glowing even in the shade that covered her.

The General takes one step forward, never breaking eye contact with his brother, "Ah, how was your night, brother? I know that things must have heated up inside that cabin of yours!" He exclaims.

"Cas, you really want to go through this again?" Mor tells him.

Cassian ignores her, looking over to Auriella. Her shadows immediately stilled as if they all knew what was about to occur if he taunted Azriel further. She looked at her mate once more, seeing his breathing quicken, eyes locked onto the male. It was as if Cassian was a stranger to him, crossing a line he could clearly see was there.

"Did my brother live up to your expectations, Daughter of Dawn?" The General asked.

Auriella scoffs, "Don't do this, General. I am unsure if I will be able to attend your funeral if your brother kills you for messing with me." She tells him.

He shrugs once, locking his eyes back with Azriel, "Hm, I'm sure it was great, wasn't it, Az? I wonder how she would feel if she rode me-" Cassian didn't even finish his sentence.

The Spymaster immediately dashed to the General, fist colliding with his face. Cassian returned the gesture, fighting his brother, his laughter echoing in the air.

Morrigan walked over to Auriella, petting the wolf once. "They might be at this for a while, especially Azriel. It's good that he lets off some steam." She tells her.

Auriella chuckles, "Oh, I know." She says, seeing her mate kick his brother to the ground. But it wasn't long until both of them were rolling through the grass, punching each other repeatedly in the face, blood staining the grass.

"I'm glad that you accepted him, Daughter of Dawn. I know that he has always wanted this. He is a beautiful soul who has experienced a lot of pain. The same can be said of you. He is finally out of his shell because of you. He deserves to be loved. He deserves the best. And I know that the best is you." Mor says to her.

Auriella smiles at her, "He came into my life in the most unexpected moment. In a way, he saved me from me. I had been going through so much during those three years we hadn't seen each other, but he was my constant thought. He was one of the reasons I kept fighting. Without him, I don't think I would have made it." She admits.

The Third Commander puts a hand on her shoulder, "Well now, you don't have to go through those things alone. He will always be at your side. And I know that you will always be by his." She says before walking away.

After spending a few moments watching Cassian and Azriel rip each other apart, Auriella decides to head back to the cabin with Perseus at her side. When she walks through the door, she immediately feels herself come alive, smelling the aroma of her mate. She clears her throat, ignoring the pounding feeling.

Her companion starts for the bed, but Auriella immediately stops him. The wolf stares at her, confused. Auriella points to the soft armchair in the corner of the cabin. Perseus understands, jumping onto the armchair and becoming comfortable.

Auriella cleaned up the cabin, seeing that she and her mate's late-night activities had been a bit messy. There were pillows on the floor and sheets hanging off the bed. Normally, she would try and fix the bed. But after everything that was done, she decided to throw everything back onto it, knowing that they needed to be washed.

She spent the rest of her time with her wolf outside, drinking some leftover black tea that was on the heater. She watched as he ran through the forest, chasing the butterflies in the air. He would jump into the air, trying his best to catch them, but to no avail.

Auriella wondered how she had got to this point in her life. A few months ago, this had all been a dream, something that she thought would never become real. She had believed that she wasn't worthy of this - of living a life filled with peace and happiness, something that everyone wanted.

She was a woman who went through so much pain, who didn't know if there was a way out of her chaotic mind that was eating her whole. She thought that she wouldn't make it, that her trauma was too much to handle. It had almost destroyed her.

Almost.

And now, she had never felt more alive. It was as if her worries had disappeared and gave her temporary freedom. She was able to witness what her life had in store; to experience what it felt like if she let go of everything that burdened her.

It was beautiful.

Behind her, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist.

She smiled, "You smell like grass, sweat, and blood." She tells him, still staring at Perseus.

"Nothing that a little water can't fix." He says in her ear, lips attaching to her neck.

Auriella bites her lip, feeling the pounding in between her legs. "You forget that I have a wolf to watch over." She tells him.

The Spymaster hums, "He can take care of himself. Let him be on his own for a while." He tells her, his tongue swirling on her skin.

She groans, wanting to refuse, but eventually succumbing to her body, "Oh, Spymaster, I can't even describe what you do to me." She tells him before they were underneath the waterfall once more.