MasukHe took a step toward her, slow and predatory. "There will never be another. Not while I breathe. Not while I exist."His voice dropped lower. "I would burn every kingdom to ash before I let another man look at you, Sera. Do you understand me?"Sera didn’t move. Her breath quickened. Not in fear, bu
She reached for his arm—He jerked away. "I left because the rut was coming. Because I knew if I stayed, I’d mark you with another child and destroy the last pieces of you I hadn't already taken.""Rhazien—""No." His eyes burned, voice rising like a storm ready to split the world. "You think I don’
The citadel had gone quiet for the night.Lioren had taken the last shift patrolling the outer hall, his boots silent against the stone. Even the flames in the sconces burned low, as if the mountain itself held its breath.Sera had watched him earlier from the nursery doorway, the way his small fram
“Then we find another way,” she said. “Mortals have ways to—”“No.”His voice was final, sharp as a blade. “We’re not talking about root teas or salves. I know what my body is capable of. I know what I’ll take from you if I lose control.”“You didn’t lose control. Not even once.”He shook his head s
It had been weeks since the birth, yet the mountain still felt like it held its breath—like every stone and shadow remembered the moment blood painted its halls. The air remained thick, not with smoke or heat, but with silence. A silence that pressed down, weighty and expectant, as though waiting fo
"So will I."Rhazien, watching from a short distance, didn’t speak. But he inclined his head once—slight, solemn. A gesture full of unspoken meaning.It was the closest thing to a blessing he’d ever given.And this time, Lioren didn't flinch from it.He straightened his spine.Sera watched him for a
“You have nothing,” the dragonkin said quietly, her voice like velvet over broken glass. “No allies. No strength. You’re a mistake he’s too proud to undo.”Sera stepped forward again. Her hands were trembling. Her jaw clenched tight. She could feel it now—something inside her unfurling, coiling, dem
She reached for the cool edge of a pillar as she passed it, steadying herself, breath hitching in her throat. A thousand eyes burned into her back. And still she walked.What just happened? she whispered in her mind. What am I becoming?Not a single soul dared follow her.And somewhere deep in her b
Eventually, she shifted. His breath rumbled in response, and she slid carefully down his front, furs dragging behind her as her bare feet touched the stone.He shifted before her, molten gold hardening into flesh and shadow, horns curling from his temples, dark hair damp with wind. His eyes burned—b
She smiled faintly. “Flying.”The silence that followed felt like a yes.And now? she wanted to ask, but the words curled up and faded.They coasted for a while, his wings stretched wide to catch the updraft. Below, the mountains glowed in the last light of day, every peak and shadow gilded like the







