Shioban tried to open her eyes, but she quickly gave up when the bright light attacked her pupils. She perked through her almost shut eyelids, allowing herself to adjust to the brightness. She sniffed the air, her nostrils filled with the strong scent of medications. That could mean only one thing, she was in the hospital, but Luna could not think about the reason why she was here. In one moment, she was in her mate's office, excited by the fact that their uninvited guests were about to leave the second she was on the hospital bed. Shioban tried to pull herself up, but then the pain spread across her chest. - Please lay down, Luna. The wounds are not fully healed yet. - She heard the voice that belonged to the pack doctor, Crystal before she was gently pushed back. - Wounds? - Shioban tried to ask, but her voice came out barely a whisper. Luckily, it was enough for the doctor to hear. - You need to rest now. - The woman responded. Luna was finally able to open her eyes for good.
Demetria's lips parted slightly. That was quick. She expected her father to try to learn more about her beast, but not that fast. The girl fixed imaginary creases on her dress, looking him straight in the eyes. She trembled internally yet maintained to keep a calm expression. - My dragon? - Demetria asked as she was trying to confirm she heard him correctly. Her father leaned to the back of his chair and smirked at her. - Exactly. I am assuming your beast has been awakened for a while already. The girl felt nervousness rising in her body. What was the reason for this sudden interest? Weren't they supposed to have some father-daughter conversation first? - Her name is Elena, and she has been with me since my eighteen birthday. - Demetria decided to tell him the truth, hoping it would be enough information for her father. She quickly discovered how wrong she was. - Can you describe her? Is she beautiful? - Lucius asked with growing interest.Demetria almost shivered, hearing thos
Shioban and Felix stared at the newcomers, unable to gather their thoughts. Luna glanced at the woman standing in front of her. Even if they had never met, she had no doubts about who this persona was—passing years had no impact on her. Kaitlyn looked exactly like in the painting in the book. The witch was an older copy of her daughter. On the other hand, Felix was not taking his eyes off the man, who was scanning the whole surroundings, ready to attack at the slightest sign of danger. - I asked you a question. - Kaitlyn asked annoyedly, crossing her arms on her chest. Her patience was wearing thin. - We do not know.- Alpha replied quietly, still glaring at the Dragon King. - My people just told us she left. With him.- He finished, pointing to the man, who had a shocked expression. - With me?- He asked, and his lips lifted slightly. - You must be mistaken. Shioban was more and more confused with every passing minute. She tried to think about some rational explanation, but none wa
Demetria still tried to come around her last encounter with her father. There was no doubt all his friendly, fatherly questions aimed to find out more about her. And probably use this knowledge against the girl in the future. Since she arrived here, the Dragon King fed her with lies, hoping she was young and naive. But Demetria read through him straight away. Every person in this castle shivered with fear whenever he was close, not that Lucius paid attention to anyone. The girl had few chances to watch her father's behavior around others, and he treated them as if they were way below his level. In most situations, he did not even spare them a glance, which was a good thing in Demetria's opinion. She was not that lucky since Lucius tried to keep her close at any time, showing her off like a bright new toy. The girl met most of the important and influential people in the castle. All tall and proud, crawled before her father, hoping for a speck of his attention. They would agree with ev
Demetria could not sleep. The thoughts of her soon demise were invading her mind, and the girl was shifting in her bed. It was clear her father would kill her as soon as he discovered her dragon's actual color. He will kill her on the spot as she is a threat to him. ~ Maybe he doesn't know. ~ Elema tried to cheer her up, but the girl only shook her head and laughed coldly. - Cassius knew the moment he saw me. How could his brother be oblivious to such a fact? I am starting to think my uncle and mother were right, more than right, actually. What was I thinking? Without proper training, we are no match for the Dragon King. We can be white as snow, but he has years of experience. ~ That is a bit insulting. ~ Elena spoke dryly.- That is the truth. - Demetria replied, sitting on her bed. She had no chance for sleep, anyway. - I should apologize for bringing you into this. I acted recklessly, pushed by the visions, and it looks like we are going to pay for it soon. ~ Do not say that. We
A cold smile spread on Callista's face when she was looking at the girl. This little bit*ch was disrespectful, but today it will end. The which was buzzing with excitement. If that would not be inappropriate, she would do the happy dance right here, right now. The moment of her triumph was close. When Callista heard from Kylan that Demetria's dragon was white, she barely managed to hold on till the end of their meeting. She was ready to run straight to King's room and share this news with him. It has been decades since the last white dragon was born. Their existence became a legend or myth. And now they were all going to witness the return of legend. Of course, for the girl, it meant nothing good. - Are you sure? - Lucius asked her as soon as Callista told him the news. - The boy is pretty confident about what he saw. - The witch retorted, making herself comfy in one of the chairs.- He had no idea why it was so important. Nevertheless, he was willing to share everything he knew.
Shioban sat on the couch, squeezing gently her mate's hand. They were now in Cassiu's house. Kaitlyn offered them this shelter since they could not stay in their pack. If their plan was going to work, everyone must think the Alpha couple was no longer in the picture. Felix was not happy about this solution, as he wished to stay close to his people. Leaving them unprotected was beyond his imagination. - Is it necessary? - He asked again as if the truth was too hard to believe. - Demetria said it is. When she healed you, she advised you to keep you hidden until the right time comes. Your son may come back any time. It is too dangerous for you to be there, as he probably won't be coming alone, Kaitlyn tried to reason gently. - Don't call him that.- Felix retorted dryly, turning his face away, while Shiban's heart clenched. Their son's betrayal devastated him. - I didn't mean to...- The witch looked at him, but Alpha only waved his hand at her. - He could ask me to step down. I knew
The feeling of freedom was overwhelming. Demetria had a few chances to fly under her mother's barrier, but it could not be compared to what she was experiencing now. Only the sky was her limit. The girl felt sorry for the shifters who were bound to the earth. She was hitting the air with her enormous wings, getting higher and higher. It was freezing in here, but Demetria could not care less. - It is fantastic!- She almost screamed in her mind, breaking through another cloud. - Now I understand why you were missing it so much. ~ It would be better if we did not have this extra tail.~ Elena replied dryly. Demetria did a barrel in the air and noticed two dragons following her in the distance. The feeling of freedom shrunk instantly. Of course, her father would not allow her to fly without the spies. He would call it protection, but the girl knew better. They were here to observe and report on everything she did. Demetria tried to ignore them, but the joy of flying was gone. The freedo
Kaitlyn and Cassius watched Demetria with concern. It had been hours since the fight was over, and the girl was still shaken. The Dragon Prince joined both women as soon as the battle was over, and Luciu's warriors were defeated. Some of them sadly died, but those who surrounded themselves were spared. Rebels tried to avoid killing, but it was not always possible. The royals who lived in the castle were captured and locked. Their future depended on their decisions. Kaitlyn wished for them to make a Blood Promise to the new ruler. Prisoners from dungeons who disobeyed Luciu's will were now released and could reunite with their families. Messengers were sent to spread the information about the Dragon King's death. The days of his tyranny were over. - Demetria, child, say something.- Cassius came closer and put his hand on the girl's arm, but she only shook her head. Kaitlyn pulled herself a chair and sat in front of her daughter. - Tell us what is going on, and we will try to help
Demetria's body was shaking as her magic was flowing through her veins. Her wings were flapping gently behind her back. She checked on her shield, and the barrier was stable. That was a good thing, as she doubted she could defeat her father and Callista at the same time. ~Believe in yourself. We are strong, and we can finish it all.~ Elena spoke calmly in her mind. - There is no coming back anyway.- The girl replied, not taking her eyes off her father. Callista was shouting behind the barrier, but the sound was muffled. ~ No, there is no coming back. The rebels are here. They followed you, even without knowing you. We cannot disappoint them.~ Her dragon said with confidence. - They followed freedom. And I want to offer it to them. I want to give freedom to the whole land.- Demetria replied, balling her fists. The flames on them shone with a new power. - It looks like you fooled all of us.- The girl shivered when she heard Luciu's voice. - I did not listen to what Callista was sa
Lucius stood in the middle of a coronation room. For ages, kings and queens were officially presented to their people here at the beginning of their reign. He closed his eyes, remembering his celebration. People were cheering while his parents were beaming with pride. He was supposed to be a great king—the greatest of them all. And he fulfilled that. There was no one above him. His people loved him. The one who did not- learned to fear him instead. - What are you doing here?- Lucius asked, not taking his eyes off the massive throne under the wall. As children, he and Cassius loved to watch their father sitting there during his meetings. - I was worried about you.- Demetria said, coming closer. She was here, before him, but Lucius decided to ignore her presence. - Were you? Is there a reason to be worried about me?- The Dragon King finally looked at his daughter. She looked exactly like her mother. Kaitlyn was the only woman who managed to warm up his cold heart—a woman who betra
A few hours earlier.Clara stood in front of Cassius, Kaitlyn, and Nickolas, looking at them in confusion. - Do not be scared, child. - The witch gave her a reassuring smile. - We would like to know how you got to the mountains unnoticed. This information may be essential and crucial for all of us. - We came through a tunnel, my lady. - The girl replied, shrugging her arms. - Your daughter told us what to do and where to go. I followed her directions. - Tunnel? What tunnel?- Nickolas gave Cassius a puzzled look, but the Dragon Prince only shook his head. He had no idea what this girl was talking about. If there was some sort of secret passage to the mountains, he was not aware of that. - Can you show us where exactly you came in here?- Kaitlyn glanced at Clara again, and the girl nodded. - It was in the cave where the warriors found us. I did not dare to move any further. The witch looked at her companions. They had only one choice. They needed to go back to this cave and invest
Callista entered Amanda's coven and rushed through the corridors, expecting to find its leader in her office. The witch was filled with a newfound energy. Her dream was about to come true. Lucius forgave her her past mistakes and was willing to make her his Queen. In fact, there was more than her dream. They shared a bed, but until now, she was nothing more than his mistress. But that was about to change, as Lucius promised to reject Kaitlyn once and for all. For many years, Callista wondered why he had not taken this step, but she did not dare question his actions. She tried to convince herself that he kept their bond to torment his mate through this. Kaitlyn had to be fully aware when they were intimate, which made Callista enjoy those moments even more. Since they were children, Callista envied Kaitlyn mainly because she could not be like her. There was always a gap between them, and no matter how much Callista tried, she could never be like her old friend. Finding that Kaitlyn w
Cynthia chuckled while Kylan watched her dumbfounded. Why was she after him? What was her problem? They barely knew each other, and she already seemed to despise him. - You are holding a grudge against me, and I cannot see a reason.- The young man spoke with confusion. - Is there anything that could make me dislike you?- The witch replied with her question, tilting her head. - I have no idea. Is there? Since we have met, you have treated me like your enemy, not openly, but your intentions are clear.- Kylan retorted in an offended tone. Of course, he knew people who were not his biggest fans, and recently, this list extended by a few more names, but they usually had a reason for that. But this girl just hated him for nothing. He indeed had a bit of bad luck with witches. Cynthia giggled to some joke only she knew, and Kylan shot her another puzzled look. There was something seriously wrong with her. - Don't get me wrong. It is not like I do not like you personally; I don't like yo
Kane was lying on the ground, panting, while blood dripped from his many wounds. His wings were tattered, his scales were ripped off in a few places, and his leg was severely burnt. The dragon's healing ability was not fast enough to help him regain strength. General's beast growled weakly, glaring at Cassiu's dragon hovering over him like a walking death. The black beast was watching him calmly, with smoke coming out of his nostrils. Kane understood he had lost this battle before it even began. In his ridiculous pride, he had forgotten who his opponent was. Cassius was the Dragon Prince, and royal blood ran in his veins. Even the years he spent in the dungeon did not break his spirit. They fought for an hour, and none of the general's attempts to harm the Prince were successful. Cassius was in total control during the battle, playing with Kane like a toy. What was worse was that the general knew that the Prince had at least a few chances to end his life, but for some unknown
Lucius was fuming. His generals were gone for a while, and there was no sign of them coming back from their successful mission. Dragon King ordered his warriors to keep an eye on the sky and inform him as soon as they would see anything. Their prolonged absence was unsettling, and Lucius could not shake the feeling that things had gone differently from what he had planned. The Dragon King summoned his daughter and Callista as if their presence could help him ease his stress.Not long later, both women entered his office, shooting him concerned looks. - Is everything okay, Father?- Demetria was the first to speak. She could already suspect what was the reason for Luciu's request. It was hard to miss all those warriors glancing at the sky with hope. Generals left the castle a few hours ago, and none of them returned by now. Demetria suspected they had met a strong resistance from rebels. She silently hoped they were all captured. - My King, how can I assist you? Is there anything I
Kylan reached the rogue's camp together with his captors. They did not tie him, which was odd. After all, he could try to attack the leader. He would probably be dead shortly after, but still, leaving him free was a bit risky. The young man turned around at the sound of the chuckle. It was the woman whom he had met not long before. She was a witch. Kylan wondered if the gods cursed him. Why did he always have to encounter women who possessed magical powers? First Callista, now this young woman. He glanced again at the girl who was walking nearby. She looked serious, but then another smirk escaped her lips. It was frustrating, and Kylan thought maybe she was mentally unstable since she was acting so weird. Luckily, he had no more time to think about that as they reached the camp. There was no better term to describe this place, as wherever he looked were tents. There was no single building here, and it was as if those people lived without staying anywhere longer. - How do you find