Chapter 7: The King's Grief

I closed my eyes. My body was weak. It still hurt from having the baby. I slept, but it was not good sleep.

I dreamed of falling. Again and again. The cliff. The wind. Caius's cold eyes watching me fall into the dark.

I woke up fast. My heart was beating hard. The room was bright. The two suns were high in the sky.

Eren was next to me. Her face was white, like ash.

"My Queen," Eren whispered. "You are awake... the Alpha... he is here. He is coming now."

My heart jumped. "Now? No, I am not ready—"

The big wooden door flew open. It hit the wall with a loud sound.

A man stood there. He was tall. He had wide shoulders. His black armor shone like stone. His eyes were red, like he did not sleep. But there was no sadness in them. Only fire.

This was the King. This was Thorne.

He walked in slowly. Each step was heavy and loud. His boots hit the floor like drums. He smelled of metal and old blood.

Eren bent low, her head down. "Your Majesty, welcome home. The Queen is still weak—"

"Get out," the King growled. His voice was low and scary.

Eren froze. She looked at me with big, scared eyes. Then she bowed and ran from the room. The door closed.

Silence.

The Alpha stood by the bed. He did not smile. He just looked down at me.

"So," he said at last. His voice was flat. "You lived."

I pulled the blanket tight around me. My hands shook. I could not speak.

"The doctor told me," the King said. "He said the fever burned your memories. Is this true?"

My lips shook. I made myself nod.

"You do not remember me?" His voice was sharp.

I shook my head. "No."

"You do not remember our marriage?"

"No."

His eyes got darker, like a storm. "You do not remember the baby you carried for nine months?"

My chest hurt. I whispered, "I remember... nothing."

The Alpha leaned down fast. His hands pressed the bed, one on each side of me. I was trapped. His face came close. His eyes burned.

"Then listen well," he said. "I will tell you what you forgot. I found you lost in the woods. A dragon girl with no family. No crown. No name. I saved you. The Moon Goddess chose you as my mate. I gave you a home. I gave you a crown. I made you my Luna"

My eyes got big. My voice was small. "Why?"

The Alpha's s jaw got tight. He shouted, and his voice shook the room. "Because they told me not to!"

I jumped back into the pillows.

"My men, my pack, my people, they said, 'No, Alpha! Do not take a dragon! She is not one of us!' So I did it anyway! I married you to show I am King! I do what I want!"

He stood tall again and turned his back to me. His shoulders moved up and down as he breathed.

"And you," he said. "You were sad. Quiet. Always obeying. Like a scared bird. Where was your dragon fire? Gone. You were empty."

Tears filled my eyes. His words hurt me. Empty. Weak. I had felt that all my life.

The Alpha turned back to me. His face was tight with pain. "Then you got pregnant. At last. A child. My son. A boy with wolf and dragon blood. The strongest son the world had ever seen. With him, the people would accept you! They would kneel before me!"

He came closer. He pointed his finger at my chest.

"And then you failed." His voice shook with anger. "You got sick. You grew weak. You lost him. You lost my son."

My throat closed. My whole body shook.

"I know the baby is dead," I whispered. "But it is not my fault—"

"It is your fault!" the King yelled. His voice was loud like thunder. "The doctor said he was too early. Too small. Too weak! You let my son die!"

The words hit me like knives. You lost my son.

My body bent as sobs came out of me. Tears fell heavy down my face. Liliana's heart was soft. My heart was still learning to accept.

The King only stared. His face did not get soft.

"Your tears are useless," he said coldly. "The one thing I asked. The one thing that mattered. You failed."

He turned to the door. His voice was hard like iron.

"The funeral is tomorrow. You will be there. You will stand next to me. You will not cry. You will be strong. You will be Queen. Do you understand?"

I tried to stop my tears, but they kept coming. I nodded through my sobs.

"Good," the Alpha said. His mouth twisted in disgust. "Your dragon blood may be weak. But you will not shame me again."

He opened the door. Another man stood waiting. Lord Cain, he was the one who had come to my room the last time. His eyes were bright and mean. He had been listening.

The King walked past him without a word.

Cain stepped inside. He looked at me, broken and shaking in the bed. A slow smile spread on his lips.

"Do not cry too much Luna," Cain said softly. His voice was like oil. "Some birds are not for cages. Not even gold ones."

He gave me a low, mean bow. "Maybe the moon goddess chose wrong."

Then he left. The door closed.

I was alone.

My sobs shook my body until no more tears came. I was empty. Hollow.

Not a queen. Not a wife. Not even a mother. Just a prisoner in soft sheets.

My first mate pushed me. My new husband hated me. My child was dead. The prince was dead.

I lifted my hands. They shook. I remembered the strange fire that had been on my skin.

The King wanted a dragon.

Maybe I would give him one.

My breath came deep and slow. A new feeling rose in my chest. It was not fear. It was not sadness.

It was fire.

It was anger.

Hot, red, dragon anger.