The Dragon King's Breeder

Chapter 1: The Choosing Valestra sits at her desk, brushing her red hair until it falls smooth over her shoulders. Her emerald eyes stare back at her from the mirror, steady and unblinking, even though her stomach twists. Everything has to be perfect. Every strand, every breath, every thought. Later today, the dragon lord of their territory will choose a mate for his son, and she’s expected to stand there like a prize waiting to be claimed. Her parents have spent her entire life shaping her for this moment. As the eldest daughter, she carries the weight of their hopes. While her younger siblings ran wild along the cliffs and chased each other through the fields, she sat in endless lessons. How to speak. How to sit. How to smile without showing too much emotion. How to be the perfect mate. How to raise children. How to run a household with quiet efficiency. How to be exactly what a dragon lord wants. Their clan sits on the eastern border of the territory, where the sea crashes against black stone cliffs. The sound has always comforted her, even when nothing else did. She rises from her chair and walks to the window, letting the salty wind brush against her face. The waves roll and break below, steady and uncaring. She wishes she could be like them. Free. Untamed. Answering to no one. Instead, she’s preparing to be presented like livestock at auction. A future decided long before she was old enough to understand what it meant. A life chosen for her, not by her. She closes her eyes and breathes in the sea air, trying to steady herself. Today will change everything.