Chapter 34 #2
"She was a traitor," my father says flatly. "Traitors get executed. That's how power is maintained."
"By fear?" I challenge. "By showing everyone that you'll kill anyone who crosses you, even family? That's not how you maintain power, Father. That's how you ensure everyone around you lives in constant terror, waiting for the moment you decide they're expendable too."
"I kept Valoria safe and prosperous for decades," he argues. "I made the hard decisions that others wouldn't make. That's what being king requires. You're too soft to understand that, too influenced by these beasts who've clearly been filling your head with lies."
"They haven't lied to me about anything," I shoot back.
"They told me the truth about my mother, about what you did to her.
They showed me what healthy bonds look like, what it means to be valued rather than controlled.
They gave me more honesty in a few days than you gave me in twenty-three years. "
My father's expression hardens. "You're confused. Clearly your heat has affected your judgment. Once you're home, once you're away from their influence, you'll see things clearly again."
"I want nothing to do with Valoria," I say, the words coming out stronger than I feel. "I get that this is complicated, that there are political implications. But I am not even sure I want to return. This place, Embrath, these people, they feel more like home than Valoria ever did."
Gasps ripple through the Valorian soldiers again. I can see shock on many faces, confusion on others. Some of them look almost sympathetic, like they're starting to understand that this isn't the simple rescue mission they thought they were on.
"You're my daughter," my father says, his voice dropping dangerously low. "My blood. My heir. You don't get to just decide you're done with Valoria. That's not how this works."
"That's exactly how this works," I counter. "I'm not your property, Father. I'm a person with my own will, my own choices. And I'm choosing to stay here with people who actually care about me rather than what I represent."
"Those marks on your skin," my father says, his eyes tracking over the visible claiming marks. "They forced you, didn't they? Took advantage of your heat, claimed you against your will. That's why you're defending them. Some kind of twisted bond magic making you think you want this."
"No one forced anything," I say firmly. "I consented to every moment. I wanted this bond, wanted these mates. They asked permission before every touch, gave me the choice to refuse at any point. That's more respect than any of the Alphas you tried to force on me ever showed."
"This isn't over," he says. "I came here for what's owed to me. My daughter, the riches I deserve, justice for the lies you've spread about my wife. And I'm not leaving until I get satisfaction."
"Then you're going to be waiting a very long time," I say. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
35 – Alessia
Everyone is on edge, weapons drawn, magic swirling through the clearing.
One wrong move and this entire situation will explode into violence that will leave bodies on both sides.
I need to de-escalate this before someone attacks, before the dragons get hurt, before someone tries to strike at Zara while she's focused on protecting Kaia and Solace.
But I will not allow this disrespect to continue.
King Frederik has violated every rule of diplomacy, every standard of decency.
He murdered his own cousin in front of witnesses, threatened my mates, and continues to demand things he has no right to claim.
Something needs to shift, needs to break this stalemate before blood is spilled.
I step forward, moving in front of my mates and placing a soft hand on Zara's scales.
She's still in dragon form, massive and threatening, but I can feel her restraint through our bond.
She wants to incinerate Frederik where he stands, wants to protect what's ours with fire and fury.
But she's holding back, waiting for my signal, trusting me to find another way.
I turn to face King Frederik, meeting his eyes directly.
"This ends now," I say, my voice carrying across the valley with magical amplification.
"We are a people of shifters, just like you.
Not monsters, not beasts, not mindless creatures hoarding treasure.
We're people with families and hopes and dreams, trying to live our lives in peace.
Your greed has thrown our people into chaos and fear, sent countless warriors to die at our borders, kept us from fulfilling our prophecy for far too long. "
"Your prophecy means nothing to me," Frederik snarls. "You stole my daughter and corrupted her with your lies. You owe me compensation for that alone, not to mention the wealth that should have been mine through marriage to Isolde."
"Kaia is now our mate, our Omega," I continue, refusing to be derailed by his accusations.
"She chose us freely, bonded with us willingly.
And she will either unite our kingdoms in peace or rip them apart through war.
The choice is yours, King Frederik. You can accept what's happened and work toward reconciliation, or you can continue this aggression and force both our peoples to suffer the consequences. "
Something shifts in Frederik's expression then.
The mask of righteous anger slips, showing the true cruelty underneath.
His lips curve into something that might be a smile but holds no warmth.
"You want the truth? Fine. I'll give you the truth.
A Valorian fortune teller promised me riches beyond compare if I took a golden Omega as my wife.
She said my prosperity depended on claiming her, possessing her completely.
So I did. I found Isolde, captured her, forced her into a bond she didn't want.
And I've been chasing the promised riches ever since because that lying fortune teller never specified they wouldn't come from Isolde herself but from her people. "
I can feel Kaia's horror through our bond, the realization crashing over her like a wave. Her mother wasn't just stolen. She was a means to an end, a tool to access wealth that her husband believed he deserved. Frederik never loved Isolde, never even cared about her beyond what she could provide.
"You..." Kaia's voice breaks. She's trembling now, Solace holding her upright. "You married my mother, made her bear your child, kept her prisoner for decades, all because of a fortune teller's promise? All for money you thought you were owed?"
"I was owed it," Frederik insists. "The fortune teller said prosperity would come from taking the golden Omega.
How was I supposed to know she meant I'd need to conquer you dragons to get it?
Isolde should have told me where the wealth was, should have helped me claim what was rightfully mine.
Instead she refused, kept her secrets, and died before giving me what I needed. "
Kaia collapses, her legs giving out beneath her.
Only Solace's quick reflexes keep her from hitting the ground.
"You're no father of mine," Kaia says, her voice raw with pain and disgust. "A father loves his child for who they are, not what they can provide.
You never wanted me. You never wanted her.
You just wanted the riches you thought we'd bring.
Well, you can rot with your greed because I will never, ever claim you as family again. "
Frederik's expression hardens. "You ungrateful little brat. After everything I've done for you, given you, this is how you repay me? Fine. If you won't come willingly, I'll take you by force."
He starts moving toward Kaia, his sword still drawn and dripping with Margot's blood. The Valorian soldiers shift, preparing to advance with their king. Several of them look uncertain, uncomfortable with what's happening, but they're following orders out of habit and fear.
The moment King Frederik's foot crosses an invisible line, getting too close to my Omega, Zara moves.
Fire explodes from her dragon form, torrents of flame that torch the ground around Frederik and his immediate guards.
The king screams in agony, dropping his sword to claw at his skin where the flames touch him.
His armor glows red-hot, and I can see steam rising from his body as sweat evaporates instantly.
But something's different about this fire.
It's not consuming, not destroying the way normal fire would.
The grass beneath their feet doesn't burn away.
The armor doesn't melt. The skin doesn't char and blacken.
Instead, the flames seem to sink into Frederik's body, burning from within rather than without.
Kaia is terrified, I can feel it through our bond. She's holding onto Solace like a lifeline, her eyes wide with horror as she watches her father writhe in apparent agony. "Stop!" she cries. "Please, stop! I don't want him dead!"
I move to kneel beside her, pulling her attention away from the scene.
"It's merely magical fire, sweetheart," I explain gently.
"Your father isn't actually being burned, not in the way you're thinking.
This is a punishment, a lesson. He will forever feel fire beneath his skin, a constant reminder of what he's done.
But it will never truly burn him, never consume him or kill him.
He'll live, but he'll never forget the pain he caused or the dragons he tried to destroy. "
"That's horrible," Kaia whispers, but she's not pulling away from me.
She's conflicted, I can feel it. Part of her is horrified by the violence, the casual wielding of power that causes such suffering.
But another part of her understands that this is justice, that her father deserves consequences for his crimes.