The Dragon's Mate

chapter three

The soft, golden flicker of a single candle danced across the ceiling, casting long shadows in the dim, unfamiliar room. Kai blinked through the haze, the heavy smell of medicinal herbs and ozone lingering in the air. He was wrapped tightly in a thick, warm blanket, resting on a small cot in what felt like a quiet basement corner.

He shifted, trying to push himself up, but a lightning bolt of sheer agony ripped through his side.

Kai gasped, collapsing back onto the pillow as a choked cry escaped his lips. Pain roared through his shattered ribs, his swollen face, and his bruised chest. And with the physical torture came the crushing tsunami of memories.

The cake. The lights. Cole's golden eyes. MATE.

Then the violent blur of fists, the sickening sound of cracking bone, and Cole's voice sneering down at him, severing the bond before it even had a chance to breathe.

Cole had always been cruel, but he had never laid a hand on Kai like that. He must truly abhor the very thought of Kai being his mate—abhor it enough to try to beat the soul right out of him.

As an omega, Kai's healing was painstakingly slow compared to a beta or an alpha. But it wasn't the broken ribs or the split lip that was killing him. It was the phantom agony pulsing deep in his chest—the raw, bleeding tear of a half-broken bond.

A one-sided rejection was a death sentence for a weak omega. The soul couldn't bleed out like this for long; if Kai didn't sever his end and reject Cole back, his wolf would wither away, and he wouldn't survive the week.

I have to reject him, Kai thought, tears burning behind his swollen eyelids as he stared at the ceiling. I have to let him go, or I'll die right here.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, breaking the silence.

Martha slipped into the room carrying a steaming basin of water and a stack of clean rags. The moment her tired eyes landed on Kai, her face softened with overwhelming relief and heartbreaking sorrow.

"Oh, sweet boy," Martha whispered, her voice trembling as she set the basin down on the small bedside stool. She rushed to his side, gently brushing a lock of hair from his bruised forehead with a trembling hand. "You're awake. Don't try to move, Kai. Please, just lie still."