Chapter 19 Zara #2
I step closer, close enough that I can see the flecks of lighter color in her dark eyes and the way her pulse jumps in her throat. She doesn't back away but I can see the tension coiling through her body, ready to spring into action if needed.
"Tell me, Solace," I say softly, reaching up to gently caress her face.
Her skin is warm beneath my fingers, smooth except for a small scar along her jawline.
"What kind of wolf are you? Are you like all of the other ones that come from your little place of happiness to destroy our magic? Or are you different?"
She leans into my touch slightly before catching herself, her eyes widening. "I'm not here to destroy anything. I never was. I just wanted to keep Kaia safe."
"But you came prepared for violence," I point out, my thumb tracing along her cheekbone. "You wear a sword. You know how to fight. If we had been the monsters from your stories, you would have tried to kill us to protect her, wouldn't you?"
"Yes," she admits without hesitation. "Without question."
"That's what makes you different," I murmur, stepping closer still until there's barely any space between us. "You came prepared for war but hoping for peace. You believed the stories but were willing to see the truth. You love your Omega enough to give her freedom even if it costs you everything."
Her breath catches as I lean in, my lips hovering just above hers. "Zara—"
"Tell me to stop and I will," I say quietly. "But I think you feel this too. This pull between us. The magic recognizes you just as surely as it recognizes Kaia."
For a moment, she's frozen, caught between desire and duty, between what she wants and what she thinks she should want. Then something in her breaks, or perhaps settles, and she closes the distance between us.
The kiss is fierce and claiming, nothing gentle about it.
She kisses me like she's been starving for this, like she's been denying herself for so long that now that permission has been granted, she can't hold back.
I match her intensity, my hand sliding into her hair to hold her close as I pour centuries of waiting into this moment.
She tastes like desperation and hope, like someone who's finally allowing herself to have something she thought was forbidden.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard. Her eyes are dark with desire, her lips swollen from the kiss, and she looks beautifully undone in a way that makes my dragon purr with satisfaction.
"What are you doing to me?" she whispers, her forehead resting against mine.
"Claiming what's mine," I say simply. "What's ours. You belong here just as much as Kaia does. The magic doesn't make mistakes."
"I'm a Beta," she says, as if this explains everything. "I'm not supposed to be part of this. You say that your prophecy spoke of an Omega and Alphas."
"The prophecy spoke of what was needed to bring balance," I correct. "And balance includes you. Your strength, your loyalty, your fierce protection of what you love. We need that. Kaia needs that. And I find that I want it too."
She searches my eyes, looking for deception or manipulation.
But she won't find any. I want her. Not just because the magic says she's ours, though that's part of it.
But because of who she is, the strength and courage she's shown, the way she loves so completely that she's willing to sacrifice her own happiness.
"This is insane," she finally says, echoing Kaia's words from earlier.
"Yes," I agree with a slight smile. "But the best things usually are."
She laughs, the sound slightly unhinged but genuine. "I came here expecting to fight monsters and instead I'm being kissed by a dragon queen who claims I'm meant to be hers."
"Life rarely goes according to plan," I say, tracing my fingers along her jaw. "But sometimes the detours lead us exactly where we need to be."
She's quiet for a moment, processing everything. Then she says, "I still need to return to Valoria eventually. To explain what happened, to face whatever consequences there are for taking the princess and not bringing her back."
"Eventually," I agree. "But not today. Today, you rest. You recover from your journey. You let yourself accept that you're safe here, that we're not the enemy you were taught to fear."
"And Kaia?"
"Kaia is exactly where she needs to be," I assure her. "With her Alphas and her Beta. With people who will protect her, cherish her, and give her the freedom she's been seeking. We won't cage her the way her father tried to. We won't use her as a pawn or a prize."
"How can I trust that?" The question is vulnerable, exposing her deepest fear.
"You can't," I admit honestly. "Not yet. Trust is built over time, through actions not words. But I'm asking you to give us the chance to earn it. Stay. See for yourself what kind of people we are. Let us prove that we're worthy of you both."
She stares at me for a long moment, conflict clear in her expression. Then slowly, she nods. "I'll stay. For now. But if I see any sign that you're trying to manipulate or harm Kaia—"
"You'll kill us or die trying," I finish for her, grinning slightly. "I'd expect nothing less. Your fierce loyalty is one of the things I find most attractive about you."
She flushes slightly at that, clearly not used to being seen this way. "I should get back to Kaia. She doesn't like being separated from me for long."
"Soon," I say, pulling her back for another kiss. This one is slower, deeper, a promise of things to come. “Just let me taste my Beta for a little bit longer.”