The Dragon King's Mate

The iron collar against my neck, a reminder that in the Silverclaw Pack, I was lesser than the dirt under their boots. For nineteen years, I was Seraphina Vance, the "muted" freak. The Lycan who couldn’t shift, couldn't channel elemental magic, and couldn’t fight back. My stepmother, Eleanor, made sure every day was a living hell, treating me like an unwanted maid while her biological daughter, Cynthia, lived like a princess. But tonight, all hell finally let loose. "Hold still, you useless witch," Eleanor hissed, dragging a heavy, diamond-encrusted veil over my head. The expensive fabric felt like a shroud. "Stepbrother told me he’d kill me if I didn’t comply, Eleanor," I whispered, my voice hoarse from hours of crying in the dark. "But this is madness. The Crimson Wing Syndicate asked for Cynthia. The Dragon King demanded a high-born Lycan bride to settle the territory debt!" "And do you really think I’d throw my beautiful, gifted daughter into the den of the Tyrant?" Eleanor slapped me, hard enough to c***k my lip. The metallic taste of blood burst across my tongue. "Zephyr Drago is a monster. They say he burns his enemies alive and feeds on the souls of his captives. Cynthia is destined for greatness. You? You are a waste of space. You will wear her dress, you will walk down that aisle, and you will take her place." "He will know," I gasped, trembling in the oversized satin gown. "He’s a Dragon Prince. He’ll smell the lack of royal blood on me the second I step outside there." "Then he’ll kill you," Eleanor said, a cruel, satisfied smirk stretching across her face. "And the debt will still be legally paid. It's a win-win." Before I could scream, two heavy-set pack guards grabbed my arms, dragging me out of the room and down into the grand courtyard. The night air was suffocatingly hot, but it wasn’t from the summer weather. The sky above the Silverclaw estate was stained a bruised violet. And there, hovering just above the cobblestones, was a sleek, black armored transport bearing the crest of a golden, roaring dragon. The pressure in the air was too much, a suffocating weight that made it hard to breathe. Dragon aura. My pack alpha, my biological father, who hadn’t looked me in the eye for a decade, stood by the transport door, bowing so low his nose nearly touched the ground. Beside him stood a man dressed in a tailored black military trench coat. Even from behind the thick veil, I could see him, Zephyr Drago. The Crown Prince of the Dragon Clan. He was devastatingly handsome, with sharp features, jawline carved from marble, and eyes the color of molten gold. But it was his energy that terrified me. He radiated an aura of pure, unchecked destruction. Rumors whispered that he was dying of a terminal curse called Core Decay, making him more volatile and ruthless by the day. Looking at him now, he looked like a god of war waiting to unleash a storm. "Is this the bride?" Zephyr’s voice was a deep baritone that vibrated right through the soles of my shoes, making my dormant Lycan blood shiver. "Yes, Your Highness," my father stuttered, shoving me forward. I stumbled, barely catching myself on the satin hem of the dress. "The pure blooded princess of the Silverclaw Pack. A perfect match to absorb your elemental friction." Zephyr didn’t look at me. He didn’t care. To him, this was a transaction. A political puppet to keep his failing body stabilized. "Get in," Zephyr commanded coldly, turning his back to me and stepping into the luxurious interior of the transport. The guards shoved me in after him, and the heavy, armored doors slammed shut, sealing out the night, my family, and any hope of rescue. The vehicle instantly took off into the sky, smooth and silent. The silence inside the transport was deafening. I sat on the leather perimeter seat as far away from him as possible, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. Zephyr sat across from me, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow. Suddenly, a low groan escaped his lips. A dark, chaotic purple veins pulsed visibly along his throat, glowing faintly through his collar. The air inside the cabin instantly spiked to a scorching, unbearable heat. The Core Decay,he was having an attack. He snapped his eyes open, his golden eyes wild, predatory, and completely out of control. "You," he growled, lunging across the space with terrifying, supernatural speed. Before I could even blink, his massive hand shot out, wrapping tightly around my bare wrist to pin me down. "I told your father I wanted a high born Lycan with active elemental magic to anchor my core," Zephyr snarled, his face inches from mine, his breath smelling of ozone and smoke. "But your scent, your blood, it’s completely hollow. You are a powerless human hybrid. A fake." His grip tightened, threatening to shatter my bones. "You dare play games with me? I will turn this transport around and reduce your entire pack to ash, right after I throw your worthless body" He stopped dead. The threat died in his throat. The moment his skin pressed hard against mine, a jolt of pure, blinding electricity shot up my arm. But it wasn't pain,inside my chest, a sparksomething that had been dead and dormant my entire life suddenly came to life. A wave of intense heat flooded my veins, colliding violently with the dark, chaotic purple energy radiating from his hand. Zephyr gasped, his chest heaving as the glowing purple veins on his neck instantly went out, his agonized expression melting into absolute shock. For the first time, he looked down at our connected hands, then ripped the veil off my face. His molten gold eyes locked onto mine, wide with a mixture of disbelief and dangerous possessiveness. "What, what are you?" he breathed, his grip shifting from a violent hold to a desperate, tight clutch. "The pain is gone. My core, it's completely stable." My heart stopped. The ancient legends my mother used to whisper to me before she disappeared flashed through my mind. A reaction this violent- It wasn't a transaction. It wasn't a mistake. I was looking into the eyes of the most ruthless tyrant in the realm, and my own awakening blood was screaming a terrifying truth. He was my fated soulmate.