19. Maple
NINETEEN
MAPLE
Maple stood before the full-length mirror in her guest suite that evening, her fingers trembling slightly as she smoothed the crimson silk down her hips.
The gown was a masterpiece—Italian silk that flowed like liquid fire, with a neckline that dipped just low enough to reveal the dragon mark over her heart.
The fabric whispered against her skin with each movement, a sound she'd never associated with herself until now.
This is what a billionaire dragon Alpha's mate wears, she thought, turning to examine her reflection from another angle.
The woman staring back at her looked like someone from a magazine—elegant, sophisticated, and worthy of standing beside a dragon Alpha. But it wasn't the designer price tag or the perfect tailoring that made her feel transformed. It was the mate mark itself.
The black dragon tattoo over her heart seemed to pulse with its own life, a permanent reminder of Rune's claim on her soul.
Through their completed bond, Maple could feel his presence even though he was in his private chambers getting ready.
His emotions flowed through their connection like warm honey—pride, anticipation, and an underlying possessiveness that made her blood heat.
You're so beautiful and so mine, his voice whispered through their newly discovered telepathic link, startling her.
She pressed her palm to her heart, feeling the mark warm beneath her touch. You can see me right now?
No, but I can feel what you're feeling. Your wonder, your nervousness, your happiness.
The intimacy of it stole her breath. After thirty-two years of fierce independence and of guarding her thoughts and feelings like state secrets, the idea that someone could simply know her, feel her, and share her very consciousness was still a surreal revelation about the mate bond she was adjusting to.
But instead of making her feel vulnerable and exposed, she felt whole and utterly seen.
"Wow, Maple." Jackie's voice cut through the internal conversation. "You look absolutely stunning."
Jackie emerged from the adjoining bathroom, smoothing her hands down her own black cocktail dress. Her blonde hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and she looked every inch the perfect girlfriend for her best friend Ben.
"I look different," Maple said, still staring at her reflection. "But good different."
"You look happy," Jackie corrected, moving to stand beside her. "Genuinely happy in a way I've never seen you before. It's like you're glowing from the inside out."
Maple touched the dragon mark again, feeling Rune's contentment pulse through their bond. "I feel happy. Like now..."
"Now you're exactly where you belong." Jackie's smile was soft with understanding.
"It's incredible, really. After five years of watching you drag Ben into increasingly dangerous situations, chasing rumors and legends that everyone said were impossible—you actually found them.
You found dragons, and more than that, you found your soulmate. "
The word soulmate sent a shiver down Maple's spine. Five days ago, she would have scoffed at the concept. Now, with Rune's emotions flowing through her like a second heartbeat, she couldn't imagine any other word that fit.
"It's surreal," Maple admitted, turning away from the mirror to face Jackie properly. "I keep expecting to wake up back in my Phoenix condo, with nothing but a red rock and a crazy story."
"But you're not going to wake up. This is real, Maple. The dragon world, the hidden town, the impossibly gorgeous Alpha who looks at you like you hung the moon—it's all real. And it's all yours."
All mine, Rune's voice whispered through their link, rough with possessive satisfaction.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, and she had to resist the urge to respond telepathically with Jackie watching.
"I'm nervous about tonight," Maple confessed, smoothing the silk again. "What if his clan doesn't accept me? What if they think their Alpha deserves someone... more? Someone who understands their world?"
"Then they'd be idiots," Jackie said firmly. "You're brilliant, brave, and you've already proven you'll fight for the people you love. Any clan would be lucky to have you as their Alpha female."
Before Maple could respond, the suite door opened and Ben walked in, looking more polished than she'd ever seen him.
The black tuxedo transformed her practical, sun-weathered best friend into someone who could have stepped off a red carpet.
His face was still showing the aftermath of yesterday's beating—a fading bruise along his jaw and eye, a small cut on his lip—but he carried himself with his usual easy confidence.
"The guests are starting to arrive," he announced, straightening his tie. "And I'd like to escort my beautiful girlfriend downstairs before all the good appetizers disappear."
Jackie laughed, the sound bright and musical. "Your priorities never change, do they?"
"Food is important," Ben said solemnly, then broke into a grin. "Besides, I want to see if dragon appetizers are as impressive as everything else in this place."
He offered Jackie his arm with exaggerated gallantry, and she took it with a theatrical curtsy that made them both laugh.
"Have fun," Maple called as they headed for the door. "Knowing Rune, there's probably enough food to feed an army."
"That's what I'm counting on," Ben called back, then paused at the threshold. "By the way, you look incredible, Maple. Like you were born to be a dragon's mate."
The words hit her square in the chest, carrying more weight than she'd expected.
Born to be a dragon's mate.
Maybe she had been. Maybe every childhood fantasy, every impossible dream, every reckless chase after mythical artifacts had been leading her here, to this moment, to this man.
As soon as they left, the air in the room shifted. Maple felt Rune's presence before she saw him, their bond singing with recognition. She turned, and her breath caught in her throat.
He stood in the doorway like something out of a fairy tale—all dark elegance and barely restrained power.
The black suit was perfectly tailored to his broad frame, the jacket emphasizing the width of his shoulders and the lean strength of his torso.
His dark hair was styled but still carried that slightly disheveled look that made her want to run her fingers through it.
But it was his eyes that made her knees weak—those blue depths that flashed with molten gold when his dragon stirred, currently fixed on her with a burning intensity that made the air crackle between them.
"You look absolutely breathtaking," Rune said, his voice roughened with emotion and desire.
The compliment sent heat spiraling through her, and she watched his nostrils flare slightly as he scented her arousal. The predatory way he moved into the room, closing the distance between them with fluid grace, made her pulse quicken.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she managed, her voice breathier than she'd intended.
He stopped just close enough that she felt the heat radiating from his body, his eyes drinking in every detail of her appearance. The red silk gown, the way it hugged her curves, the dragon mark visible above the neckline—she watched his pupils dilate as he took it all in.
"Mine," he said softly.
Instead of the flash of rebellion she might have felt a week ago, the declaration sent liquid fire through her veins. She was his, completely and irrevocably, and the certainty of it was intoxicating.
"Yours," she agreed, stepping closer until the silk of her gown brushed against his suit.
Then his control snapped. One moment they were standing apart, the next his hands were in her hair, and his mouth was on hers. She melted into him, her body molding against his as if they were two pieces of the same whole.
Through their completed bond, she felt his desire crash over her in waves—the need to skip the celebration entirely, to carry her to his bed and spend the night exploring every inch of her, to claim her again and again until there was no question who she belonged to.
The intensity of it made her dizzy, and she pulled back with a gasp, her lips tingling and her heart racing.
"If we don't head down to that party right now," Maple said, her voice unsteady, "we're never going to make it there."
His eyes blazed with golden fire, and his hands tightened possessively on her waist. For a moment she thought he might ignore her warning entirely, might sweep her into his arms and damn the consequences.
Then his mouth curved into a slow, predatory smile that made her toes curl in her designer heels.
"Fine," he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her bones. "But I plan on thoroughly exploring you after the celebration tonight. Every inch of you, Maple. Until you're crying my name and begging for more."
The promise in his words sent molten heat straight to her core, and she had to grip his arms to keep her knees from buckling.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" she managed to ask.
"Both," he said simply, then offered her his arm with devastating charm. "Shall we go show my clan their new Alpha female?"
The title sent a thrill through her that she couldn't quite suppress.
Alpha female.
The woman who'd spent her entire adult life avoiding emotional entanglements and commitment, now about to be presented to an entire dragon clan as their leader's mate. She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow, feeling the solid strength of him beneath the expensive fabric.
"Let's go," she said, lifting her chin with the confidence that had carried her through countless dangerous excavations. "I'm ready."
They moved together toward the door, their steps synchronized as if they'd been walking side by side for centuries instead of days.
Through their mate bond, she felt his pride in her courage, his anticipation for the night ahead, and beneath it all, his absolute certainty that she belonged by his side.