Mag-log inMaya
There was something strangely comforting about broken things. Perhaps because they did not pretend to be whole.
Maya watched the grey wolf resting peacefully beneath the old pine outside Healer Cora's cottage. Only moments ago, it had been snarling, ready to tear through anything in its path. Now it lay quietly among the others, occasionally lifting its head whenever Cora c
GreyGrey was still laughing. Not because the situation was amusing. Not because an arrow had nearly pierced his heart. But because the furious little woman before him had completely forgotten she was standing on a battlefield."Are you crazy?" Maya demanded, her voice shaking.Her hands immediately returned to his shoulder despite her obvious anger. Tiny white flowers bloomed beneath her fingertips, weaving themselves through the torn flesh as soft moss spread around the wound."You could have died!"Grey winced as the flowers gently pulled torn muscles together. "I judged the angle.""You—""I knew it wouldn't hit anything vital.""You did not!" Her glare only deepened. "You don't throw yourself in front of arrows because you 'judged the angle'!"Grey couldn't stop smiling.His wolf, newly awakened after years of silence, rumbled warmly inside him.She cares.He didn't need the mate bond to know that. But the bond… The bond allowed him to feel every emotion blooming inside her like s
Grey couldn't explain it.The battle was over. Stormfang had survived. The dragons were free. The enemy king had surrendered.Yet every instinct inside him screamed… Wrong.Too easy. Too quiet.He scanned the retreating army. Soldiers hurried to help the terrified horses. Several abandoned their weapons entirely. The surviving dragons mourned beside their fallen kin.Even the wind seemed to have slowed.It should have felt peaceful.Instead... Grey's heartbeat grew louder.---Astar slowly pushed himself to his feet. His knees trembled violently. Gone was the proud king who had called werewolves pets. Gone was the man who had laughed at Maya.He looked... Broken.He didn't even dare meet her eyes anymore."We're leaving." His voice shook. "I swear upon my crown."Maya simply nodded. "Go."No triumph. No satisfaction. Only exhaustion.Grey had seen ki
Silence settled over the battlefield. The silence that came when thousands of people forgot how to breathe. Snow drifted lazily between the black blossoms. The flowers looked almost delicate. Their petals were smooth as velvet, catching what little light remained beneath the gathering storm. They were beautiful. So beautiful that Grey couldn't look away. Neither could anyone else. King Astar recovered first. Then— He laughed brazenly. His laugh echoed loudly across the frozen plain. "So..." He threw back his head. "You're a defect!" His laughter grew louder, joined by the soldiers behind him. "I wondered why Valir sold someone with such... unusual abilities." His eyes swept over Maya with open ridicule. "No wonder Grey Stormborn could actually afford you." More laughter. "Even your own king discarded you." He smirked. "And now you expect me to fear flowers?" He looked down at the blossoms curling around his chest. It was beginning to wilt. The petals darkened. Shrank. Coll
Grey had never known fear could have a sound. It wasn't the roar of dragons. It wasn't the clash of swords. It wasn't the screams of dying soldiers. It was one voice. "Maya!" His own. Raw. Desperate. It tore itself from his throat as he sprinted across Stormfang's ruined streets, but the young woman standing beyond the living walls never even turned around. She was alone. Standing before an army. His heart lurched so violently it almost hurt. "No..." Not again. Not someone else he couldn't save. "Your Majesty!" Marcus caught up beside him, panting. Grey barely looked at him. "Marcus." His voice came out clipped. Cold. The voice of a king forcing himself to think while panic threatened to consume him. "Take every civilian still trapped in the eastern district." Marcus nodded immediately. "The castle bunker?" "Yes." "What about her?" Marcus glanced toward the elderly woman Grey had just rescued. "Carry her if you must." Marcus gave a sharp salute
The laughter spread like wildfire. Thousands of soldiers. Hundreds of armored knights. Even the hooded mages allowed themselves faint smiles.One girl.One dragon.Against an army.To them… It was laughable.King Astar folded his hands behind his back as though he had already won. "You look tired."His sharp eyes swept over Maya.Her trembling fingers. Her uneven breathing. The slight sway of her body from exhaustion. "You've exhausted yourself protecting a kingdom that isn't even yours."He chuckled. "What a waste."Maya remained silent.The young dragon beside her lowered its head protectively, a low growl vibrating through its chest.Five enslaved dragons answered immediately. Their deafening roars shook the mountains.The freed dragon stiffened. Its muscles coiled.Ready to fight. Ready to die.For her.Something about that realization hurt Maya's heart.Even after everything… The dragon still chose to stand beside her.Just as Grey had.Just as Bina.Just as Lyon.Just as everyon
The dragon banked sharply through the air. Cold wind rushed against Maya's cheeks, carrying with it the smell of burning wood and smoke.Below her, Stormfang no longer resembled the kingdom she had entered only days ago. Ancient trees rose between streets. Massive vines wrapped around broken towers. The living dome she had summoned stretched over nearly the entire capital. Roots intertwined so tightly that dragon fire could no longer penetrate it.Only one opening remained. A circular gap high above the city.Just large enough… For Maya and the young black dragon to fly through.The dragon circled the opening once before landing atop one of the enormous branches forming the dome. Its wings folded carefully against its body.It remained alert. Watching. Waiting.Maya slowly climbed down.The moment both boots touched bark, her knees nearly gave way. She caught herself against one of the thick vines."..."She hadn't expected...This.Her entire body trembled. Her breathing came in shal







