Chapter 34: Avani

I didn’t like Merethyl saying she couldn’t be my mate. It felt like a rejection, something I’ve never experienced in my two centuries of life. No one has ever turned me down. No one has ever said no to me.

When I realize that she’s afraid of abusing the power that claiming me would give her, something in me settles. Not only is she not rejecting me because I’m her mate, but knowing that she doesn't want to be one of those people that abuses power means a lot to me.

While I’m surprised, I guess I shouldn’t be. Whatever or whoever in the universe creates mate bonds, they do it for a reason. We’re supposed to be two halves of a whole, or two beings that, once connected become whole. Or some bullshit like that. Tana spouted off about how great it was, but I wasn’t listening. I didn’t believe her, I didn’t understand. But I do now, much better than I did then.

The dragon in me needs to know that she understands that she’s mine. While I settled, the feeling of rejection is still there. An