Chapter 4

The world must have gone crazy. 

The shock she got from the conversations with Cory was so immense, Elena didn’t even feel sad anymore. 

Now she knew the reason why Cory didn’t call her in advance. He wanted both her and that dragon girl, but he didn’t have the guts to talk about it with her. So he let her through that ordeal in public and then came down here to push her. Because he didn’t want to admit that he was such a greedy and stupid coward!!   

Rage consumed Elena’s brain. But deep inside, at the bottom of her heart, relief, even a slight gladness were immersing her. 

Cory had just proved he still loved her. Even though he was engaged with that dragon girl, still, he couldn’t live without her. Elena knew it was stupid and wrong to feel glad about it, but she couldn’t help it. He was her mate. Their mate bond was too tight. Even if she tried, she couldn’t resist it. She just couldn’t stop feeling happy about confirming his love.

But share her mate with Lennie? No. That’s the bottom line she would never cross. The idea alone disgusted her.

Lying on the stone bed of the dark, narrow cell, Elena started to communicate with her wolf, Nyla. 

Nyla was this quiet big wolf who didn’t like to talk much. She only spoke when Elena asked for her opinions.

And Elena asked, “Do you think Cory has gone crazy?” She frowned. “How could he ask us that?”

Nyla opened her eyes slowly. She liked to take naps while she wasn’t needed. 

“It’s just man, Alphas,” she said. “They are always like that, wanting to own everything in the world.”

“Did you know this before?” Elena was at a loss. “I'd never thought he would act like that. Does his wolf want this too?”

“He enjoys power and domination,” Nyla commented in a rather distant tone. Elena took that as a “Yes”. For some reason, Nyla had never gone crazy about Cory’s wolf, Gable. On the contrary, Gable was obsessed with Nyla. He always tried desperately to please her. 

Elena used to enjoy that. Now she had finally learned her lesson. When a man tries his very best towards a girl, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will devote himself to her alone. 

But why? Elena wanted to ask. Betrayals and cheats happen among humans and non-mates, which she could understand. But she and Cory, they were fated and so in love with each other. Though Cory had brought that dragon girl back home, Elena still had faith in him. They had a mate bond. She just knew. He was still in love with her. Then why? And what should she do next?

She would never agree to Cory’s request to be one of his mates. And she strongly doubted how Lennie would react to the same request. Lennie was the dragon princess, and Alpha’s Aubrey’s only daughter. How could she ever stand to share her mate with another woman?

Exhausted and devastated, slowly, Elena closed her eyes. When she woke up, it was already the next morning, and she heard Nyla calling in her head, “Wake up, L, quickly, she came!”

Elena frowned, “She? Who’s she?”

“The Dragon!”

Elena rolled up from her bed. She heard multiple footsteps coming from outside the iron door, which suggested there were many people. She quickly wiped her face with her hand and organized her hair. There was no mirror in the cell, but she hated to be lousy in front of that peacock dragon.

Right after she swept all the dust off her dress, a group of people stopped outside her cell. Up front was Cory in a brand-new outfit Elena had never seen before. On his right arm was Lennie smiling in her fabulous green dress. 

Elene bit her teeth, but she didn’t show her contempt. Behind Cory and Lennie, except for Lennie’s exaggerated dragon entourage, were also her parents, Orion and Eleanor. Elena knew if she made the wrong move, she would get her parents into more trouble. That’s how things work when you live under power. 

“Hi, L…Elena,” Cory was the first one to speak. He stopped calling her nickname, but he was smiling at her. In fact, his whole person was glowing with obvious pleasure.

Elena couldn’t understand. Last night when he was here, he was as desperate as her. And he showed guilt at least! What happened after he left? Did Lennie put some magic spell on him?

“I hope you slept well last night,” he went on.

Elena wanted to throw a pillow, even a stone on his stupid face, but there was nothing in the cell. She swallowed her anger. 

“I am doing great,” she said drily. “Thank you for asking, Alpha.”

Cory felt relieved. He was glad to see her cooperate. Though reluctance and hatred were written all over her face, Cory was convinced that someday she would come around. Because they were mates and she loved him. She would understand him eventually.

“Listen,” he said, “Princess Lennie has decided to forgive you, as long as you apologize to her.”

Elena clutched the fabric of her dress. She would rather burn in hell than apologize to that b/itch. But her parents were there staring at her worriedly. 

Elena knew if she said No, they would defend her in front of Cory, and then give that dragon princess another excuse to lock her whole family up. 

Lennie was the Dragon Alpha’s daughter, in a superior position to her. That’s just the fact she had to live with.

Sticking her nails into her palms until they drew blood, Elena squeezed that apology out of her teeth.

“I am sorry, Princess,” she said in a hateful voice.

Lennie rolled her eyes. Since she stepped into the prison, she hadn’t looked at Elena’s face even once.

Hearing Elena’s apology, she huffed a loud snort and then turned her head to whisper to Cory. 

Elena failed to hear her because she was a dragon, but Cory looked embarrassed. 

“No, Lennie,” he said, “That’s not what we’ve talked about.”

Lennie whispered to him again. This time it took a long time. Elena just wanted to shout at both of them, “What the fuck are you taking out?!”

But No. She couldn’t. Even though she was the Beta’s daughter, in front of Alpha and Princess, she was not much better than Omegas. She knew the rules of the wolf kingdom.

“Okay, that will do.”

After the Moon Goddess knew for how long, Cory and his dragon fiancée finally ended their whisper.

He agreed on something with Lennie, and Lennie curled her lips up into a satisfied smile. She stood up on her tiptoes and printed a kiss on Cory’s cheek, then turned and left the prison with her huge entourage. Before she left, she finally cast a cold and snooty glance at Elena.

Elena was in such a rage. She wasn’t a person who liked to throw a temper. But all of this was outrageous.

“You’re free to leave, L,” After Lennie’s figure disappeared at the exit, Cory let out a slight sigh, then stepped forward to unlock the cell by himself.

Elena watched him act. Lennie’s kiss left a showy lipstick mark on his cheek. Elena knew she did it on purpose.

Stepping out of the cell, Elena walked directly to her parents. She didn’t even look at Cory. But Cory followed her. 

“L,” he called at her back, “We need to talk.”

Throwing herself into her mother’s arms, Elena replied to him with a hateful voice.

“We have nothing to talk about,” she said. 

“But we have to,” Cory insisted. “It’s about our future.”

Elena pressed her lips. She was too angry and hurtful to find the right thing to say. She wasn’t even sure if there was a future between them anymore.

Her father, Orion, put his hand on her shoulder, “Let’s go back home first, dear.” He then bent his neck to Cory, “If you could excuse us, Alpha.”

Orion’s face was stern, and so did his voice. Cory knew it wasn’t the right time. He didn’t stop them. 

He watched Elena leave with her parents and let out a heavy sigh in the corridor.

His wolf Gable, couldn’t help but ask him, “Are you sure about this? Nyla would be furious.”

Cory lifted his brows. He looked miserable but not regretful. 

“That’s the right thing to do, Gable,” he said, “We must find a way to have Lennie and L accept each other.”

“I doubt if it could work,” Gable said. “Elena is a proud person and Nyla is a proud wolf.”

Cory pressed his lips, “Proud or not, as long as we love each other, we will have to make sacrifices for one another, especially as the Alpha’s mate. I am sure she will see that.”