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XENDAYA. More than three hours have passed and Iâm still down here, Iâm currently holding a little hatchling as they call their pups. Sheâs barely nine months old, and sheâs taken a liking to me as she now plays with my hair. Iâm clapping along as a few of the children are now singing and playing. My own throat feels sore from all the singing as they kept asking for more and with their little faces showing some excitement despite the dire situation, why would I refuse? âMy Queen, you must be tired, you should get up from the hard floor.â One of the women says gently. I shake my head. âIâm fine,â I reply quietly so as not to disturb those children performing. I smile up at her, reassuring her. Everyone is sitting on the floor and who knows how long theyâll be down here⌠What kind of life is this? Nefzaan was clearly a terror that everyone feared⌠such a person in a position of power⌠One other thing I noticed by spending time down here was the pride these people had in their king.
AGNARR. Heâs planned this, having me closed in with no backup, yet he has two of his strongest allies backing him. One who was a traitor pretending to be on my side for all these years - Aslanthaâs father. The supreme chief, or Earl, as he prefers, who is in charge of several of the tribes. They now close in on me, but I will not go down so easily. He suddenly stops, his attention snapping towards the castle. And my first concern is if someone is there. I turn quickly, ready to come to their aid, but who I see almost makes my heart stop. A chill fills me. There stands none other than Xendaya stuck in a stare-down with Nefzaan, unwavering against his immense aura as she glares directly in the eye, her own burning green. She raises her arm and shoots the sword through the air. I see it spin, becoming a blur as it flies towards Nefzaan. He doesnât move, confident it wonât reach, and it wonât. He can bend the air however he wants, a mere she-wolf's throw wonât touch him. I try to
XENDAYA. It shook me. The moment he swiftly said they would marry tonight⌠But I shouldnât care. I was prepared for everything when I decided to do my duty as queen. Iâm a queen, not his queen. Thatâs all that matters and right now, my people need me. He can marry a thousand times, fuck all the women he wants, but at that moment as I walk away from that broken tower room, I canât help but smile softly. How can you hurt over something or someone that you donât even care for? âWe do care. We just found out weâre mates.â Shayara murmurs softly. Sheâs more shaken than me, although I donât understand what she expected. âWe just found out, not him. He knew Shay. It doesnât matter.â I say quietly. As much as I want to question him over it, now is not the time. There are so many people who need tending to. Iâm sure the wounded would be brought in and that would mean we needed to make sure that the hospital wing could cope. What I saw as Nefzaan got away were many bodies lying on the gro
AGNARR. We suffered far more than I had originally predicted. Even knowing Nefzaan was coming, I did not think we would lose so many. He has far more chiefs on his side than I do. Older, stronger, and those who fought the ancient wars and had experience of years beneath their wings. Weâve lost many, and the death toll rises with every passing hour as we scour the battlefield searching for our people. âHow many?â Haizhar asks quietly as he wipes blood and ash from his face as he tosses another body of the enemy into the fire. âWe are counting one hundred and thirty losses so far,â I say, my face not giving anything away. âThat is steep indeed, and injured?â Haizhar murmurs as he lifts the body of one of our brothers and places it on one of the carts that we are loading with the dead. âCountless, more than double of those lost,â I say, closing the eyes of one of my men as I place him on the cart. He was one of my strongest men⌠and died, but he took four with him⌠I press my lip
AGNARR. I nod. The movement itself feels tedious. âThen by blood, you are bound in this unity,â Haizhar says as I hold out my hand, allowing him to make a small cut in my thumb. I raise my hand, brushing my thumb across her forehead, smearing my blood across it. Her eyes flicker with surprise and Iâm certain she expected me to rub it along her lips, but no one else besides her bats an eyelid. After all, they know I have never bound myself to anyone by blood and that I never will. Only they do not know that I have already given one woman my blood. âTo this union!â Haizhar says as everyone raises their tankards of ale and someone pushes one into my hands and I take a gulp, the strong liquid burning my parched throat. A reminder that I have not drank anything since last night. âTo many victories for King Agnarr the Ruthless!â Hazran says, making them cheer. It does not even feel like a celebration, and I place my cup unfinished on the table. âAs much as Iâd like to stay, I have ma
XENDAYA. His lips touch my forehead, and despite every resolution I have made, my entire body reacts to his intimate gesture. My heartâs pounding and my breath hitches as I find myself melting into his hold. Thereâs a deep sincerity in his voice that gives me a glimpse of the man who told me his story in those caverns. The man who I wanted to try my best for⌠The King I wanted to stand beside for his people⌠My eyes flutter shut as I listen to the rhythm of his heartbeat. He cares for his people. Itâs the one thing I get from his sincerity. I may not be a priority for him and perhaps I am a mate he does not want, but his people are important to him and that is enough for me. We might just have something in common. He slowly moves back and lets go of me and I realise I was completely leaning on him, feeling the exhaustion as Iâm back on my own two feet hit harder. I look into his eyes, his intense gaze burning into me, and I remember how angry he was earlier before he promised t
XENDAYA. He frowns slightly as he tries to move his arm but is unable to. The coppery taste of blood in my mouth is a cold warning I need to stop. I pull the sponge from his hand and smack it across his face before I let it go and he catches it, staring at it for a second. I gasp, trying to calm my thumping heart, as I almost topple face forward into the water. âI slowed Nefzaan down and lessened the impact of his element if you didnât notice,â I reply haughtily as I stare defiantly at him. Heâs frowning, an expression of understanding on his face, almost as if something now made sense to him, but it changes to surprise as he looks at me as if seeing me for the first time. âThatâs what you were doing⌠I did feel that he had slowedâŚâ he murmurs, more to himself. âI may not be as strong and tall as you dragons, but I am not weak, Agnarr,â I say, looking him square in the eyes as I grab the soap and begin to wash my body. âI have never called you weak⌠wolf princess. But I must adm
AGNARR. Pleasure slams through me, breaking the dams on my emotions and self-control. My mind is blank, save the carnal instinct that burns through my veins. I fucking want to ravage her, and I donât care that sheâs exhausted. I need another taste to satiate the hunger that consumes me. The moment she bit into my neck, my hand twisting into her hair as I roughly kiss her shoulder, I was in a fucking haze. I never knew having oneâs blood drunk could be so sexually arousing⌠She suddenly tenses, pulling away. Her heart is pounding, and thatâs when I realise with a damning clarity that the electrifying jolts of pleasure are still dancing between us where our skin is touching. What have I done? Has the spell broken fully? I let go of her, as if Iâve been burned and I can sense her panic within my mind? âIâve marked him!â her thought rings in my head. The words send a rush of cold through me and I touch my neck, feeling the light throbbing where she had bitten me, before I look acr