The Prince in the Shadows
971 Words
Ronan POV
It’s been thirty days since I caught her.
Since her body collapsed into mine mid-air, limp with panic, lungs too full of wind to scream.
She never saw my face.
But I haven’t stopped seeing hers.
I came to Blackridge as a scout. Quietly. Without title. Without ceremony. The Dragon King’s son, heir to the high seat of Flame and Scale, hiding behind a cloak of dust and shadow.
Officially, I was here to monitor border unrest.
Unofficially, I was tracking unauthorized magic use among the outer clans. Not illegal, but tightly regulated for a reason. Things slip through the cracks when power runs wild. Magic corrodes when left unchecked.
At first, Blackridge was just another name in a long string of names.
And then I saw her.
Lina.
The Luna.
The… mate of the Alpha.
She’s not what I expected.
She’s not what anyone expected.
They tell stories about Lunas. Fierce. Regal. Breathtaking in their dragon forms. Born to rule beside their mates.
Lina doesn’t shift.
She serves.
She smiles.
She breaks in private and stands in public, and the clan barely sees her anymore.
But I see her.
⸻
She’s changed since the fall.
Not just thinner—though she’s wasting away. At least twenty pounds gone since I first laid eyes on her.
Her aura’s dimmed too. Once a golden flicker at the edges, now it barely glows. Like something is draining her light from the inside out. She’s getting meaner with herself—harsher, more closed off. I don’t think she even realizes she’s fading.
And Dylan…
That bastard.
He hasn’t hit her. Not yet.
But I’ve seen him grab her wrist hard enough to leave finger-shaped bruises. I’ve seen the shoves, the cornered whispers, the way she flinches when his voice drops. He parades her when convenient and discards her like old armor when he’s done.
He’s growing bolder with Laura now.
They’re not even discreet anymore.
I’ve seen them.
Her mouth on his neck. His hands where they don’t belong. The glow of the mate bond between them—flickering, fractured. Wrong.
Infidelity between bonded mates isn’t just betrayal—it’s soul damage. It eats you from the inside out. Makes your dragon sick. Makes your spirit rot.
But Dylan? He doesn’t seem affected.
Lina is the one cracking.
And I don’t think it’s just the betrayal. Not anymore.
It feels deliberate. Like someone’s feeding on her despair. Weakening her. Stealing from her slowly.
And Laura—
She reeks of magic.
Not trained. Not refined.
Raw. Corrupted. Weaponized.
I’ve tracked enough rogue casters to recognize the stench of hidden power. Laura wears it like perfume—subtle but constant. And Dylan? He carries faint traces too. As if he’s either been touched by it… or is willingly letting it in.
It’s painting a picture I don’t like.
And Lina? She’s not a dragon.
That’s the part no one seems to notice. But I do. My senses are sharper than any Alpha’s. I can smell bloodlines, feel scale resonance in my bones.
There’s nothing dragon in her.
But there’s something else.
Something old.
Older than my father’s reign. Older than even the first flame.
I don’t know what she is yet.
But my dragon does.
He’s restless. Pacing inside me like a caged beast.
He wants her.
Mate-bonded or not.
And I can’t tell if it’s instinct or something worse—something destined. Something dangerous.
⸻
My cell phone buzzed in my jacket.
I swore under my breath and pulled it out, shielding the screen from the morning sun.
Father.
I knew before I answered our conversation was not going to be a suggestion.
“Ronan,” the Dragon King said. “It’s time.”
I swallowed. “There’s still movement in the borderlands. Rumors of enchantments being smuggled through your own ally territories. Blackridge is—”
“You’ve been there too long,” he said evenly. “You are heir, not a hunter. Report home. Let the High Watchers take over.”
I looked down at Lina through the scope of my sight. She had dropped to her knees in the dust again, catching her breath, hands shaking against the earth.
“I’ll be on the next flight,” I said, jaw tight.
He ended the call without saying goodbye.
I stood in silence for a long time.
This was not over.
Whatever was happening here—it ran deeper than the magic I was sent to investigate.
And no matter how I felt about the little Luna with the fading light and the burning eyes…
I knew I’d be back.
Because the truth was:
I don’t think she’s breaking.
I think she’s waking up.
I have seen her plans to submit an appeal to the Dragon King for help. She’s having a hard time focusing on her case, though, and can’t find the proof she needs. However, I know what my father looks for and the type of help he’ll offer for Luna’s looking to escape their mates.
There’s an old book detailing the kingdom rules and laws. While we are based in Colorado, hiding in plain sight among humans, we still follow some of ancient old laws, having amended a few to adapt to our modern day and age.
I decide to leave her the text that outlines everything she would need to appeal to reverse her mating bond. This information is highly classified and regulated, which is why despite her best efforts in searching, she wouldn’t find anything as it’s not been laying around.
My mind made up, I swiftly find the secret passage to her room and leave the book on her bed.
As I look around I decide to leave her a note, against my better judgment. “Stay strong Little Luna. I’m coming for you.”
- Writer
