the talk 25
993 Words
chapter 25
Ivory POV
He didn’t speak right away..That scared me more than if he had yelled…Axel just sat there, those gold eyes studying me like I was something rare instead of something difficult. His dragon brushed against my senses…warm, steady… amused…Amused?
Finally, he leaned back in the chair, crossing one ankle over his knee like we were discussing the weather instead of the fate of our lives.
“You’re done?” he asked softly…My jaw tightened. “For now.”
A slow smile tugged at his mouth. Not mocking. Not angry. Just… impressed.
“I came here,” he began, voice calm and deep, “because I was told you were planning to throw your life away for me.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“That you believed becoming my mate meant the end of your dreams.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “And I needed to see for myself if the female I scented months ago…the one who smelled like storms and ambition.. was truly afraid of a bond… or afraid of being caged.”
My heart skipped..Storms and ambition?
“I will never cage you,” he said, and this time, there was steel in his tone.
“Not you. Not any female under my protection.”..I crossed my arms.
“That’s easy to say.”
“You think I need a maid?” His brow lifted slightly. “Ivory, I have an entire kingdom. If I wanted someone to cook and clean, I would hire them.”..Kelly purred at that.
“Shut up,” I muttered under my breath.
He chuckled. “Your wolf is loud.”
My eyes widened. “You can hear her?”
“No. But I can feel when she approves of me.”
“Traitor.”..Axel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“You want to travel?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I have territories in seven countries. I’m required to visit them. I’d prefer not to attend diplomatic meetings alone.”
I blinked again.
“You want to climb the highest mountain?” he continued.
“Yes.”
“I’ve flown over the Himalayas more times than I can count. I’ll carry you to the summit myself if you wish to climb it the human way.”
My breath caught.
“You want to be a doctor?” he asked…I nodded, slower now.
“Then you’ll attend the best academy available. Dragon funding, not pack funding. And when you graduate, you will build the finest medical wing this realm has ever seen.”
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it.
“And as for being a warrior?” His eyes flashed molten gold. “My mate will never be weak. You will train with my elite guard. With me. No one will dare call you ‘just’ anything.”..Silence fell between us.
“You wouldn’t… stop me?” I whispered.
“Stop you?” He looked genuinely confused. “Ivory, I scented you because you are fire. Why would I extinguish the very thing that makes you mine?”..Mine…The word should have irritated me.
It didn’t.
“But the pups?” I asked quietly. “I don’t want to just… have them because you’re ready.”..His expression softened.
“Then we don’t. A mate is a partner, not breeding stock. When you are ready. Not before.”
Kelly was practically rolling over in my head.
I stared at him, searching for deception. Control. Arrogance.
I found none.
“Then why could you still scent me?” I demanded suddenly. “I did the spell exactly how the book said.”
He grinned now…full, devastating.
“You did it correctly.”
“What?”
“It would block any unmated dragon.”....My stomach dropped.
“But you are my mate,” he said quietly. “There is no spell strong enough to sever what the goddess herself tied together.”
The room felt too small…Too warm.
“You ran,” he said gently. “Not because you didn’t want me… but because you were afraid I’d take your sky.”..I swallowed.
“I would rather walk beside you while you conquer it.”..My eyes burned, and I hated that.
“I won’t kneel,” I said stubbornly.
“Good,” Axel replied instantly. “I don’t want a queen who kneels. I want one who stands.”..My breath left me in a shaky laugh.
“You’re not what I expected,” I admitted…His smile softened.
“Neither are you.”
He stood slowly, giving me space instead of crowding me.
“I am not here to reject you,” he said firmly. “And I will not force you to accept me today.”
That surprised me more than anything.
“You’re eighteen,” he continued. “You want to live. Then live. Travel. Study. Train.”..His golden eyes locked onto mine.
“I will wait.”..My wolf went still.
“You would?” I whispered.
“I searched centuries for my mate,” he said simply. “I can give her time.”
My heart did something dangerous….Hope.
“But understand this, Ivory,” his voice lowered slightly, heat flickering in his gaze, “when you are ready… I will court you properly. And you will not find it so easy to run.”
Heat rushed to my face….Kelly howled in approval.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at my lips.
“Don’t think this means I’m saying yes.”
“I wouldn’t dream of assuming,” he replied smoothly.
We stood there, the air between us no longer tense…just charged.
Maybe… "Just maybe… having a mate didn’t mean the end of my life…Maybe it meant having someone strong enough to run beside me..And for the first time since seeing his picture on that screen…
I wasn’t afraid.
- Writer
