AURORA POV
I finished dressing in ten seconds flat, which had to be a personal record, but I had no time to celebrate. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a wild drum, not just because of the ceremony about to unfold, but because I knew exactly what my father was doing. Or rather, what he could be doing. I was pretty sure he was going to go full caveman mode, and if I lingered here one more minute, Stan would be roasted alive in the backyard by my mother's dragon. The longer I waited, the harder my mate would be grilled. That was a fact of life, as predictable as the sunrise.
I grabbed my shoes, shoved them on without even fastening the straps, and bolted for the door. The wooden floor creaked under my feet as I swung it open and stepped into the hallway, already rehearsing my fa
