The Elemental Mate

Chapter 19

Aurora POV

I clutched onto Xander's hand tighter as we walked through the door. I could feel every moment of his life brush past me as we went farther back through his mind.

A bright light encased us as we moved into the first memory.

The sun shone high in the sky as I felt a light breeze against my skin. As my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I heard a soft laugh of a woman.

Looking around, I noticed we were standing in front of a beautiful Victorian style home, similar to the one Xander had built for us.

Squeezing onto Xander's hand, which hadn't let me go, "Xander, where are we?" I asked him, looking up into his face as he held a seldom look.

"It's the oldest memory I have," he tells me, "It was just a normal day. My mom had just brought Ellie home from the pack hospital. They had spent the entire day with us. I was only three, maybe four, at the time."

I could see a smaller Xander with his mom. The smile on his face was so bright. At such a young age, he didn't have a care in the world, "You were adorable."

"Thanks," he tells me before turning to notion to the building beside us, "This is the house I grew up in."

"It's beautiful," I tell him as I take in the house.

I hear another laugh from the woman before me. She was sitting in the grass, watching the smaller boy run around in front of her. She had soft caramel colored hair with bright green eyes, matching Xander's. The smile on her face showed off her small dimples as I took in the aura of strength around her.

"Your mother," I smiled. Xander nodded his head in confirmation as I saw tears fight to fall from his eyes, "She's beautiful," I tell him as we hear the front door of the house open behind us.

Looking back to see who was exiting the house, I saw a spitting image of Xander walk out of the house, carrying a small baby in his arms. He had a large build with a mess brown curls on his head.

I could feel the wave of power coming off him. He was the Alpha, which means this was definitely Xander's father.

"My dad was always a tough person, never showed any emotion and kept everything he felt guarded under a mask, except when he was around his family," Xander told me, "I never saw him unhappy when he was around us."

I watched as his father carried the small baby towards them both with a soft smile on his face. He had kept his eyes on his daughter. He was completely wrapped around her little finger.

He kissed his mate as he sat down and handed her the small baby Ellie before he wrapped his mate in his arms. I watched as Xander moved closer to them and watched his little sister, almost enamored by her.

"This is when I truly became an older brother," Xander said, his voice barely above a whisper, "Even at that age, I knew I would do anything to protect my sister."

"This is when your protective side first showed," I told him, seeing this is when his wolf and him gained one of their strongest traits.

I felt the shift as the bright light flooded my vision again. When it cleared, I looked around at the scene before me.

A smaller version of Xander sat at the head of a table in a backyard. The place was full of party decorations and other kids and families. His mom was walking around the table with a large cake in hand.

I smiled at the scene, "Which birthday is this?" I asked Xander.

I could feel happiness wash over him through our bond, "Tenth," he answered me, "This was the day me and Asher became best friends."