2

VAELORA tried to breathe, struggling to come to terms with her new reality.

"No....."

The word slipped out of her lips. A tiny whisper.

"No!!" The words came out much more loudly this time.

The entire arena had gone silent, both races watching with deep curiosity and high level awareness of what had just happened.

Alpha king Draekon's beast had just claimed its second chance mate and soulbound.

Impossible!

The DragonBorns had offered the Werewolves the symbolical peace offering of a white horse, which Draekon had just slaughtered seconds before Vaelora showed up.

That was the most important part of the peace treaty rituals. It signified that both kingdoms had finally made 'peace'.

However, Draekon was also supposed to pick one of the seven noble DragonBorn females they were just about presenting to him, as his chosen soulbound, to finally seal the pact between both kingdoms.

Now, that wasn't going to happen, because a certain she-wolf had suddenly appeared as his mate.

"Vaelora."

Draekon opened his mouth to call her, but realized he wasn't really the one who said her name out loud. Looking ahead, he saw his brother running towards them.

"Vaelora!" Zayn called again, looking very worried as he approached them.

Draekon's eyebrows kissed each other in further confusion, as it suddenly occured to him that this second chance mate he had just been given, was actually his youngest brother's mate. Dione.

How did that important detail elude him for even a second?!

How was she also his mate?!

He was losing it.

"Lora! Are you okay?" Zayn held her shoulders from behind, as her cries increased.

In that moment, it also occured to Draekon that she had already been in tears before she appeared at the arena.

"What's going on, Zayn?!" Draekon demanded in a clipped tone, his eyes getting darker with the annoyance of being so confused in such a touchy situation. "Where is Dione?" He added.

Zayn looked up at him with reddened eyes, saying the words Draekon least expected.

"Busy dealing with the pain of rejection, after being caught in bed with another woman."

Zayn's words were supposed to make everything make sense, but it didn't.

"Come, Lora. Let's leave here."

Zayn whispered to Vaelora, still not having an idea of what had happened in the arena seconds before he arrived.

"Come, love." He encouraged, pulling her to his side as they both turned to walk away.

Draekon watched them leave, the many tiny whispers in the arena, having combined into one loud congregation around him.

Just as Vaelora took more steps away with Zayn, her head began to feel heavy. Her legs suddenly feeling too weak to carry her.

They eventually gave up on her, and she fell towards the tilting earth, lucky enough to have had Zayn's tight grip around her waist.

As she lost consciousness, the frightened voice of Zayn accompanied her into darkness.

*********FLASHBACK**********

NINE YEARS AGO - THE ROYAL INFIRMARY.

VAELORA’s head ached painfully as she opened her eyes. It felt as though, she had been knocked out for an entire century.

"Lora!"

That was Zayn's voice.

"Honey....."

And that was her dad's. Beta Hugo

"She's finally awake!" Beta Hugo said, sounding so relieved. "Zayn go get the doctor."

"Dad?" She whispered, turning to look at him.

"My child...." He teared up, his face becoming much clearer in her vision.

Just then, the memories of the previous night flooded her mind.

It was Draekon. He was the reason she had landed in this infirmary.

Yesterday was Vaelora’s birthday. Her sixteenth.

It was a very important milestone for her, seeing as she had finally come of age to be enrolled in the Vexley Keep Academy.

The glorified academy known for shaping noble born werewolves into worthy successors of their parent's positions and titles.

As the only child of her father, Vaelora had always longed to take after her father as the Royal Beta of the Iron-Vale province.

But sometimes, she felt like Beta Hugo wished for a son instead. Maybe a son would have carried on his legacy better.

Her father had always tried to make her feel like she was enough. But that was until yesterday.....

Excited that her most anticipated birthday had finally come, Vaelora stood at the living room with her bestfriend. Zayn Noir- Alpha King Noir's second son.

Her dad and Alpha Noir watched from a corner, smiles on their faces as they discussed and partly watched Zayn and Vaelora ecstatically welcome the guests who had started arriving in different groups for her birthday party.

Everything had been going quite smoothly, until they heard a loud crash from the kitchen.

She froze for a brief moment, before rushing to the kitchen.

And there it was. Her birthday cake on the floor. Squashed and destroyed.

Vaelora stared at the only two people who had been in the kitchen before she arrived.

Draekon and Dione. The first and last sons of Alpha Noir.

Tears clogged her eyes as she stared at the only person who could have perpetrated such wickedness.

Draekon.

"Calm down. It's just a cake." He said nonchalantly, no sign of remorse whatsoever.

Everyone knew how important this day was for her. And then, Draekon goes ahead to ruin it. Like he always did.

She currently had her right leg in a cast. Because of him!!

Just the other week, he had suddenly appeared as one of the coaches in the quarterly sword and fist fight training for noble borns.

What she just hadn't expected, was to be paired with him. He had always been an arrogant, rude, and unfeeling jerk, and she always tried to avoid him.

Of course, the training course hadn't ended without him making her dislocate her knee.

Being more experienced than she was, Draekon could have prevented her from taking that wrong step that had her sustaining the ugly injury.

But no. He simply watched Vaelora misstep into her doom, muttering the most unfeeling words as she cried in pains.

"Suck it up, Vaelora. It's just a sprain."

A 'sprain' that currently left her in a cast.

Now without thinking, she rushed at him in anger, not minding that her injury hurt as she jumped up to his ridiculously gigantic height.

Pouncing on him, her weak thighs tried to firmly hold onto his waist as she pulled his hair, hurling insults at him.

"Fight me, you monster!" She cried, angry at how composed he remained.

"Get her off of me." A cold mockful chuckle escaped his lips, making her tears even hotter.

Zayn pulled her by the waist immediately, and Beta Hugo appeared at the scene with Alpha Noir.

She tried lunging at Draekon once more, when her dad intervened.

"Behave yourself, Vaelora!"

"He smashed my cake, made me dislocate my knee!!" She lashed out angrily.

She was still trying to lunge at Draekon, when Beta Hugo's next words stopped her right in her tracks.

"He did nothing, you're just too weak!"

His words hit her. Cold as ice.

Vaelora paused for a moment, still in disbelief that her father could say that to her.

The entire place fell silent, and her eyes locked onto Beta Hugo's teary ones.

She knew he didn't mean those words, but he said it anyways. And it hurt so bad.

Taking slow steps, she walked out of the kitchen and made for her room. Her birthday had been officially ruined, and it was all thanks to Draekon.

Just as she got to the stairs, her head suddenly felt so hot and heavy. She felt her legs buckle beneath her and the next thing she knew, she was falling..... into darkness.

********END OF FLASHBACK**********

She woke up.

Her head was slightly aching, and her eyes were too heavy.

"Lora."

She looked by the side, to see him sitting next to her. Alpha Noir.

"I'm glad you're finally awake." He muttered.

Vaelora quickly looked around herself, confirming she was no longer dreaming about nine years ago.

She was surprised Alpha Noir was here, having been out of the province for the past few weeks.

"I came as soon as I heard." He whispered, locking eyes with her blue ones.

She wondered how long she had been unconscious.

His eyes held so much hope, which forced her to remember all that had taken place before she collapsed.

Dione and that woman....

Draekon....

Goddess! He was....

"You have to marry Draekon."

Alpha Noir's words sliced through her thoughts like a sharp blade, the invisible injury hurting even more as he continued.

"The impossible has happened, my dear. The council chiefs and high lords are already clamoring for a balance. Vaelora, you have to marry Draekon. That is your duty as the goddess appointed Luna."