Chapter 7

DRAVEN

A dramatic sigh echoed behind me.

"Oh, come on!" The voiced whined from the shadows near the bookshelves.

“I have spent weeks improving my lightness skill,” Ariel said. "Weeks, Draven. Do you know how difficult it is sneaking around a palace filled with paranoid creatures?”

I heard his footsteps as he walked further into the study. "I didn't make a single sound! How do you always do that? You truly wound my confidence.”

Ignoring my silence as usual, Ariel strolled across the room with a carefree stride that belonged anywhere but a war fortress. He threw himself into one of the leather chairs across my desk, and placed his boots up on the edge of the wood.

Ariel was entirely immune to the terrifying reputation that kept the rest of the world at bay.

"Hey, anyone!" He called out, snapping his fingers toward the entrance.

The doors opened immediately and one of the warriors guarding the doors stepped inside. He bowed deeply to both of us.

"Commander. Advisor."

I finally pulled my gaze away from the window. The cold radiating from my skin had frosted the glass entirely. Walking over to my chair, I sat down.

"Get someone to bring me something to chew on," Ariel ordered, waving a dismissive hand. "Smoked meat, dried fruit...whatever you've got. I'm starving."

The warrior bowed and disappeared to fetch the food.

Ariel leaned back, a teasing grin spreading across his face as he placed his arms behind his head. "So... congratulations are in order, I suppose. How does it feel, latest groom of the realm? Is married life everything you dreamed of?"

"I heard you didn't even show up to the altar," Ariel continued, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Sent your sword instead? Brutal, Draven. Even for you. The gossip in the capital is going to be magnificent."

"You know why I didn't go," I said flatly.

Ariel scoffed, waving his hand. "Oh, please. Since when do you care about who dies around you? Especially a human girl who was forced on you."

A servant entered with food before quickly leaving again.

Ariel immediately grabbed the bread and tore a piece off.

"The King used the Royal Crest," I informed him.

Ariel paused, then laughed loudly. “Oh that old dragon is clever.”

My eyes darkened at the mention of the king. "If she dies by my hand, it will be classified as high treason. The throne would have the legal right to punish the entire army."

Ariel kept laughing anyway. “Damn. He is cunning, I'll give him that! He knew perfectly well you would eventually kill the poor human princess, so he forced obedience on you first to make sure you actually get married and stay married."

I didn't laugh. I just grunted, leaning my elbow on the armrest.

"That was brilliant." He said, nodding as he tore another piece of bread.

I haven't been able to think straight since she walked out of this room. Her scent was still trapped in the room, mocking me.

Karl was pacing frantically behind the walls of my mind, scratching to get out and roaring a demand I had never heard from him in my entire life.

Ariel’s laughter died down. He tilted his head, then lowered his boots from my desk.

"What's on your mind?" Ariel asked. "Your eyes flashed red just now. You only do that when Karl is trying to take the reins."

I stared at my childhood friend for a minute, trying to calm my beast. I clenched my jaw hard, then finally said the words I still couldn’t fully believe myself.

"She is my mate."

Ariel chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, yeah, obviously. That's how marriage works. She’s your wife now, she signed the treaty. Of course she's your mate by law."

I stared deep into his eyes, letting the gravity of my words sink in.

"She is my mate, Ariel."

Ariel’s smile slowly melted off his face. The confusion in his eyes lasted for some seconds, then his pupils dilated in shock.

He staggered back from the seat, tripping over as he stood up so fast the chair scraped violently against the floor.

"No," Ariel whispered, his voice trembling as he stared at me like I had just grown a second head. "No way. You mean... THE mate?"

I slowly stood up from my seat, towering over the table. The frost in me surged, crackling the surface of the wood and freezing the ink on the table.

"Yes."

"As in... a fated mate? The True Moon bond?"

"Yes," I breathed, my white eyes locking onto his. "The fated mate."

Ariel looked genuinely stunned for the first time in years.

“A human?” he whispered.

I said nothing because that part still confused me.

He ran a hand through his blond hair roughly before staring at me again. “That cannot happen. The dragon bloodline requires power to match power.”

“I know.”

“True mates are rare among royals. No other prince has one.” He muttered.

My jaw tightened harder. “I know that too.”

Ariel swallowed hard, trying to recover his composure, though his chest was still heaving from the sheer shock of the revelation. He rubbed a hand over his face, pacing before looking back at me.

“Does she know?” He asked.

"No."

“Did she fear you?” Ariel asked.

I looked away before answering honestly. “No.”

"What are you going to do?" Ariel asked, his voice entirely stripped of its usual humor.

"What else?" I replied coldly, leaning on my desk. "She will stay in her wing, completely away from me, just as I had originally planned before she arrived."

Ariel shook his head, taking a step closer to me. "Draven, you know that cannot be a permanent solution. This isn't a political marriage anymore. It's a fated bond. Karl isn't going to let you sit across the castle and ignore her. He is going to demand you claim her, mark her, and complete the mate bond. It's biological programming. It will drive you insane."

The gravity of the situation slammed into my head as I looked up at Ariel.

"And what happens if I don’t?” I demanded. “What if I give Karl exactly what he wants and I kill the girl?"

Ariel let out a sharp breath. He stared at me, his eyes wide as he realized the nightmare we were looking at. If I touched her, the sheer power of my aura and Karl's could destroy her fragile human body.

"Okay, but what if she goes on heat?" Ariel asked, his voice dropping to a tense whisper. "If the mate bond triggers her cycle early, her body will crave you just as much as Karl craves her. What will you do then?"