Chapter One

AURORA

Turning over, she squinted against the sunlight streaming in through the attic window. Smiling, enjoying the morning sun, she mutters "It's morning", suddenly she jerked up and gasped "it's morning, shit, shit, shit". She raced to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and ran her toothbrush over her teeth all the while dreading what punishment awaited her today.

As she flew down the stairs, she screamed her apology with her eyes closed. It took her a while to realize she was apologizing to a silent room. When she looked up, she realized there was no one there to punish her today. Regaining her composure, she thought to herself "perhaps today will be my lucky day and they won't come back".

Turning around to head to the kitchen to start her chores, she slammed into a wall headfirst. Holding her head, she yelled in obvious pain, the wall she slammed into pushed her off. Wondering when the wall developed hands, she looked up with a glare that vanished when she saw the identity of the wall. She muttered to herself "shit".

"Can't you look where you are going, lackey?" He grunted out, irritated even as he turned, looking around the open kitchen "where is breakfast?" he glared at her. She stammered her reply "almost ready sir, forgive me sir" as he made his way out of the kitchen and walked towards the gym.

She made her way to her chores, wondering if her day could get worse. She liked to work while singing to herself and since there was no one around to hear her today, she sang to her heart's content.

ILLIUM

"What was she doing, standing there talking to herself for God's sake, I don't know why we keep a maid if we are rarely home anyways" Illium muttered all the way to the gym with a frown on his face "What shit in your pants this morning?, "Colton, his best friend, wolf-shifter and business partner who had also spent the night at the Ambroses's mansion called out ."Shut up, douche, today is not the day". He had woken up with a trainwreck of a hangover, struggled out of bed, and made his way downstairs thinking food would help only for that clumsy maid to walk right into him, she couldn't even apologize without stammering her words, what an accident-prone thing, always getting herself in trouble. Now he knew why his mother complained about her all the time, he wanted to strangle her just after one night of crashing at his parents.

As a fade, he had had to move out of his parents' house when he reached adulthood to avoid the power tussle that could have occurred in dealing with an egoistic elder fade like his father. His mother already had her hands full trying to stop his father from revealing too much of their realities to the world. Sadly, being supernatural had not exempted him from this hangover as he had consumed a notorious brew known as the 'forbidden fruit' amongst the locals. It was a local brew whose recipe was guarded strictly by the brew-makers

It was all his own fault, he should have thought about the consequences of going to a party organized by Colton in the same town where his parents lived. Colton had always gotten him into trouble, the two were inseparable even as boys. He was going to kill Colton later when his headache wore off and the two pills of Aleve he had swallowed before coming down did their 'fucking' job.

"Ow" he yelled as Colton playfully jabbed him on his left side. That brought him back to the present though. "Get ready to get your ass whooped, Colt", he managed to get out while he was putting on his boxing kits. "I am surely going to win this time", Colton called out, "in your dreams, douche" Illium called back as they fell into formation. They sparred for some time before they each left to go to their offices.

Humming to himself, he walked into the office building later, his employees darted out of the way as was their doing every time he came in. "Good morning, Mr. Ambrose", his new secretary, Roxanne chimed. That turned his smile into a frown; she had been trying to attract his attention to her since her first day at work with him. He didn't mix business with pleasure, that was his unspoken rule. "Shit" he spat out as he remembered that he had no idea what had happened to his date to the party, he at least remembered her name, that was more than he could say for any of the others. Smiling to himself as he opened the door of his office, he made a mental note to ask his secretary to send flowers to Britney.

AURORA

As she was done with her chores and her employees weren't back yet, aurora decided to go for a run in her shifter form. As a shifter, she often felt the urge to run around in the woods at the back of the house. She stripped, folded her clothes, and shifted. She was half-wolf, half-chameleon but no one in the little town of warrior's peak knew that.

To them, she was just a clumsy maid in the Ambrose villa, prone to trouble, tripped every time even when there was nothing in her path. Sometimes, when she went into town, they would joke with her, asking her how she had lived to adulthood. She allowed them their jokes because that meant they didn't ask her questions that could have her running again. Yes, she was on the run from a rogue angel who wanted her for reasons only known to those back home.

She shuddered as she remembered how her parents had been killed because they had refused to give up their only child. The monster had come to her parents' home telling them how special their daughter was as if they didn't know it already then proceeded to ask them to give her to him for 'protection'.They had seen through his charade and refused with her father asking him, ever-politely to leave their home.

Ever polite, that was her father, Ethan would let everyone walk over him even if it meant he got to be polite. He was ever kind unlike her mother, Elena who had a feisty temper. Perhaps that was why they were mated, they would keep each other in check. Her father's kindness or her mother's temper couldn't save them though, the monster had carved them up and skinned them even while they were still alive. She had run as far and fast as her legs could carry her and never looked back.

She had been exhausted when she arrived at Warrior's Peak, had collapsed at the marketplace, and had been saved by the patrol officials. She had been taken to the Ambrose villa since it was there all council matters were discussed. They had taken her in as a maid when it became clear she had nowhere to go and no relatives in town.

Her memories ended abruptly when she heard a car door close. That meant Lord and Lady Ambrose were home, she quickly shifted back and was putting on her clothes when she heard the lady call out her name. "Aurora!, where is that girl," she said as she and her mate crossed the threshold "there you are", she said as she spotted her coming in through the kitchen door. "where were you, this morning?" she asked "my mate and I had to go to that awful council meeting without breakfast and you know how cranky I get without my morning dose of coffee".

Aurora knew how her lady got in the morning without her morning cup of coffee, she had once heard her threaten to kill her own mate who she loved more than anyone just because he tried to get her to face the day's duties without coffee. Aurora cringed at the memory.

"Were you struck with dumbness whilst we were gone? you know what? just get out of my sight". As Aurora turned to go, Brian who had stood in a corner watching the entire exchange asked in a soft tone "is Illium home?". She blushed furiously as she remembered that morning's incident but she managed to answer "no, sir". Brian waved his hand to dismiss her. He was the only member of the household who looked upon her with anything short of disdain as the rest did. Aurora left quickly as it seemed that luck was on her side today and she wouldn't be getting punished today. She headed to the kitchen to start lunch or so she thought she would.