CHAPTER FIVE: HE WAS NOT MADE TO LOVE
1522 Words
The room felt smaller.
Not physically.
But in the way air tightens before a storm breaks.
Lina didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t even breathe properly.
Because the man standing in front of her—
Was not just a man.
Everything about him said it.
The way he stood, too still, too controlled.
The way the air seemed to shift around him, like it recognized something ancient and chose not to interfere.
And his eyes—
Those gold eyes—
They weren’t looking at her.
They were looking through her.
Measuring.
Weighing.
Deciding.
“So,” he said again, his voice low, almost thoughtful, “this is the one they chose for me.”
Lina’s jaw tightened.
Chosen.
Again.
Always chosen.
Never asked.
“I wasn’t aware I was applying for the position,” she replied.
Silence.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Seraphine closed her eyes briefly, like she already regretted everything about this interaction.
The man—
The Dragon King—
Just looked at her.
And then—
He smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
It was the kind of smile that belonged to someone who found something interesting.
That was worse.
Much worse.
“You speak boldly,” he said.
“I speak honestly,” Lina shot back.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“Those are not always the same thing.”
Lina shrugged.
“Still not my problem.”
Seraphine stepped forward.
“My king—”
He lifted a hand.
She stopped instantly.
Didn’t argue.
Didn’t insist.
Just… stopped.
Lina noticed that.
Of course she did.
Because power like that?
It didn’t need to shout.
He turned his attention back to Lina.
“You don’t fear me,” he said.
It wasn’t a question.
Lina met his gaze.
“I don’t know you.”
A pause.
Then she added, quieter—
“And I’m not in the habit of fearing people I just met.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not yet.
Something closer to curiosity.
“Careful,” he said softly. “That habit may not serve you well here.”
Lina crossed her arms.
“Then I’ll adjust when it becomes necessary.”
Seraphine looked like she wanted to intervene.
She didn’t.
Smart.
The Dragon King took another step forward.
Closer now.
Too close.
Lina felt it instantly.
That strange pull again.
Stronger this time.
Like something inside her was reacting to him whether she wanted it to or not.
Her chest tightened.
Her breath hitched slightly—
And she hated it.
Hated the lack of control.
Hated that her body was doing something her mind refused to accept.
His gaze dropped briefly.
To her chest.
Right where the mark had appeared.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
Lina stiffened.
“Can you not do that?” she snapped.
His gaze lifted again.
Slow.
Unbothered.
“Do what?”
“Look at me like I’m some kind of… object you’re inspecting.”
A pause.
Then—
“You are.”
The words landed without hesitation.
Without apology.
Lina stared at him.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“And you,” he replied calmly, “are unstable.”
That hit.
Harder than it should have.
Lina’s expression darkened.
“Excuse me?”
“You crossed worlds and survived,” he continued, as if listing facts. “You carry fire that does not belong to dragons. You formed a bond you do not understand.”
His gaze held hers.
Steady.
Unrelenting.
“You are, by definition, unstable.”
Lina’s hands clenched at her sides.
“I didn’t ask for any of this.”
“No,” he agreed. “You didn’t.”
And somehow—
That made it worse.
Silence stretched between them.
Tense.
Crackling.
Then Lina spoke again.
“Are you always like this?” she asked.
His brow lifted slightly.
“Like what?”
“Cold,” she said. “Detached. Like nothing matters unless it benefits you.”
Seraphine inhaled sharply.
Bad move, apparently.
But Lina didn’t stop.
Because of course she didn’t.
“You’ve been alive for what, thousands of years?” she continued. “And this is what you do with it? Walk around acting like everything and everyone is beneath you?”
The room went very still.
Even the air seemed to pause.
The Dragon King looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time—
There was something dangerous in his expression.
Not loud.
Not explosive.
Quiet.
Controlled.
The kind of danger that didn’t need to prove itself.
“You speak of things you do not understand,” he said.
Lina held her ground.
“Then explain it.”
A long pause.
Then—
“I was not made to be understood.”
That should have ended it.
That should have been the moment she backed down.
It wasn’t.
“Convenient excuse,” Lina said.
Seraphine closed her eyes again.
Probably reconsidering all her life choices.
The Dragon King tilted his head slightly.
Studying her.
“You think this is an act?” he asked.
“I think it’s a choice,” Lina replied.
“And you think I have the luxury of choice?”
That stopped her.
Just for a second.
Because his tone—
It didn’t change much.
But something underneath it shifted.
Barely.
But enough.
Lina frowned slightly.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he turned away from her.
Walking slowly toward the window.
Looking out over the city.
For a moment—
He looked almost… human.
Almost.
“I have ruled longer than your entire world has existed in memory,” he said quietly. “I have watched kingdoms rise and fall. Watched loyalty turn to betrayal. Watched bonds break.”
His voice didn’t rise.
Didn’t falter.
But there was weight in it.
Old.
Heavy.
“I learned early,” he continued, “that attachment is a liability.”
Lina’s chest tightened.
“And yet here we are,” she said softly.
He glanced back at her.
Gold eyes sharp again.
“Yes,” he said. “Here we are.”
The tension shifted.
Not gone.
Just… different.
More dangerous.
More personal.
Lina exhaled slowly.
“Let’s get one thing clear,” she said. “I’m not here to be your… whatever this is.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“No?”
“No,” she repeated. “I didn’t choose this. I don’t trust you. And I’m definitely not about to just fall into line because some prophecy says so.”
Silence.
Then—
“Good.”
Lina blinked.
“…What?”
He stepped away from the window.
Closer again.
Always closer.
“If you had,” he said, “you would be useless to me.”
That was not comforting.
At all.
He stopped in front of her.
Close enough now that she could feel the heat radiating off him.
Not imagined.
Real.
His gaze locked onto hers.
“And since we are being clear,” he continued, his voice dropping slightly,
“You are bound to me.”
Lina’s jaw tightened.
“I heard.”
“You do not understand,” he said.
“Then explain it better,” she shot back.
A pause.
Then—
“When you lose control,” he said quietly, “I will be the only thing that can stop you.”
Silence.
Cold.
Heavy.
“And if I don’t want that?” Lina asked.
His expression didn’t change.
“You won’t have a choice.”
Something inside her snapped.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
“Funny,” she said, her voice low now, steady in a way that surprised even her. “Because I’m getting really tired of hearing that.”
The air around her shifted.
Subtle.
But real.
Heat flickered faintly beneath her skin.
Her chest.
The mark.
It pulsed once.
Twice.
The Dragon King’s gaze dropped instantly.
Sharp.
Focused.
“Control it,” he said.
Lina laughed softly.
“I thought you said I couldn’t.”
“Not without me.”
“Then I guess we’re both in trouble.”
The light flared.
Not as violently as before.
But enough.
Enough to make the air tremble.
Enough to make Seraphine step back.
And for the first time—
The Dragon King moved first.
Fast.
Faster than human.
His hand caught her wrist.
Firm.
Unyielding.
And the moment he touched her—
Everything stopped.
The heat.
The light.
The chaos inside her—
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence.
Lina stared at him.
Her breath uneven.
Her heart racing.
“What… did you do?” she whispered.
His grip didn’t loosen.
“Balanced it.”
Their eyes locked.
Something passed between them.
Not soft.
Not gentle.
Something deeper.
Older.
More dangerous.
And for the first time—
Lina realized something that made her stomach drop.
This wasn’t just a bond.
It was a dependency.
He released her slowly.
Stepping back.
Control restored.
Distance reestablished.
But the air between them—
It had changed.
Irreversibly.
“You see now,” he said quietly.
Lina swallowed.
But didn’t look away.
“…I see the problem.”
His lips curved slightly.
Not quite a smile.
“Good.”
- Writer
