The Alpha Princess And Her Dragon Mate

Coming Of Age

For the next few days, the palace was festive. Sabrina was unaware of this, of course. Leyla knew but found no reason to tell her mistress about it. She assumed this was some sort of bribery on the king’s part to get her mistress to forgive him. Leyla used to think positively of the king, but now she disliked him more than anyone.

When she was summoned by him, she didn't know what to expect. Despite her misgivings, she still had to show him the respect he was due.

"Your Majesty."

"Rise." The king didn't even look at her. He flipped through a few papers on his desk, but Leyla doubted they had anything to do with the reason she was standing in front of him today.

"Tonight is your mistress's Coming of Age Ceremony. She won't attend—not if I am the one to invite her. Which is why you will take on this task."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

It wasn’t as if she had a choice. She couldn't refuse, even though she wanted to so badly. Sabrina was still recovering—it was a slow, gradual process—but she was getting better, and Leyla feared that being around the Dragon King would only set her back. But alas, she had no choice.

Sabrina was reading when Leyla entered her chambers. She paused in her tracks, thinking of the best way to tell the Luna about the king’s request. If Sabrina refused to come, Leyla would be the one punished for it. The thought made her nervous, knowing how creative King Alaric could be with his punishments.

"Leyla?" Sabrina took notice of her and placed her book aside. "What's the matter?"

"My lady, there… is a banquet being held tonight in honor of your coming of age. You are required to attend."

Sabrina hadn't expected Alaric to actually remember her birthday. She hadn’t even mentioned a date for it. He must have been digging into her past, and she didn’t like that.

"I'm not going."

She didn't want to be around the king or his people, especially when the entire palace—and beyond—knew what had happened to her. They would support Rose, of course. Sabrina was, and always would be, an outsider compared to the princess.

Leyla shook her head. "That’s… not an option, my lady. The king personally planned this celebration, and a lot of important figures will be there. He intends to officially make you one of his main women. You have to attend, or else it would be a slap in his face."

"Leyla, you of all people should know I don't care what he thinks. The last thing I want is to face everyone—not like this!"

Sabrina was firm in her refusal, unwilling to budge. But when Leyla dropped to her knees, the Luna felt her heart break. She rose to her feet and hurried to the side of the only person who had ever stood by her.

"What are you doing? Get up."

"My lady, it's extremely hard…" Leyla didn’t rise, but she grabbed Sabrina’s hands and held them tightly. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. "Being a maid comes with a lot of dangers. One misstep, and we can find ourselves locked up or even killed. I never wanted to end up in the palace, but I had no choice. One day, I was living with my family, and the next, I was being taken to the palace—by my own father. I was handed over like a mere commodity. It’s really hard, and I understand why Ellen thought getting pregnant by a lord would save her from this miserable life.

"I know she hurt you. I… I won’t try to defend her. But… but she’s been hurt so much. She was looking forward to having her baby, and now…"

Leyla’s hands trembled as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Sabrina’s voice was shaky with emotion. "I never wanted her to get hurt. I don't want you getting hurt either. But I’m… I’m afraid, too. I…"

"I know. But the king genuinely likes you. He will never let you get hurt. You just… I’m begging you, my lady, please help Ellen. Please…"

"And you? You want to leave the palace too, don’t you?"

"My lady, that’s not for me to decide. I have you, and you have been so good to me. I couldn’t ask for a better mistress."

"I will get you both out," Sabrina said, her mind already made up. "I promise."

Even if it meant being trapped in this hellhole forever, she was willing to go down doing a good deed. Her father would be proud. That alone gave her some relief.

The banquet had not been a small one, and Alaric hadn’t held back in ensuring that all the prominent figures from the kingdoms were there.

Sabrina arrived, dressed in his favorite color. The golden gown and jewelry made her stand out among the other guests. It had been Leyla’s suggestion, and Sabrina was willing to comply if it meant putting Alaric in a good mood. That would make it easier to voice her demands to set Ellen free.

Their eyes met the moment she stepped into the lavishly decorated banquet hall. The way his gaze darkened with desire and satisfaction made it clear what he was thinking. But he couldn’t come to her just yet—he was still addressing a group of nobles from neighboring kingdoms who had graced the occasion to honor him.

The other women from the harem were there too. Sabrina could pick them out just by the hateful looks they sent her way.

She hadn’t even found a seat before an arm was placed around her waist, as if it belonged there.

"Hey there," Allen greeted, flashing her a delighted smile.

For his sake, Sabrina’s eyes darted toward Alaric’s direction. He was still occupied with his guests. She quickly tried to put some distance between herself and Allen.

"What are you doing?"

"Just wanted to have a chat. I couldn't come to see you before—he kept you locked up."

She saw his expression shift from cheerful to guilty. Guilty for what? She wasn’t sure.

"About what happened to you, I—"

"I don’t want to talk about it."

"That’s understandable. But my offer from last time still stands. I can get you out of the palace."

Sabrina hesitated. The fact that she was even considering the offer in the first place showed just how desperate she was.

"How?"

"I can—"

"Allen."

The dragon paused. He glanced over his shoulder to see his cousin sauntering toward them.

Rose smiled at him. "I didn't know you were coming. Why didn’t you join me?"

"I'm perfectly satisfied where I am, thank you."

Rose turned to Sabrina. Their eyes met, and in that brief moment, both women silently expressed their dislike for each other. But Rose believed she had the upper hand.

With just a few words, she could send Sabrina into a panicked state. That thought satisfied her greatly.

"Right, I forgot—you still fancy Ree here."

"Don't call me that," Sabrina growled.

Rose ignored her outburst. "You could ask Alaric to pass her to you. After all, she’s already used up. There’s not much value in her anymore."

"If you have nothing better to say, Rose, you can f**k off."

"Whatever."

Rose didn’t linger. She walked away in graceful strides.

Sabrina watched as she sauntered to Alaric’s side, greeting the people he was conversing with. Anyone could see the level of respect they had for her. She intruded on their conversation, and no one found it rude.

Alaric frowned, his gaze darting toward Sabrina, as if trying to gauge her reaction.

The Luna turned her gaze away.

"I’m listening," she said to Allen. "How can you help

me "

" You need to cooperate with me " She nods in understanding and Allen leans closer to whisper out his plans.

When Alaric looked over at the Luna's direction, this was the scene he was met with. His godson leaning intimately against his woman's side and whispering something only she seemed to hear, he didn't like the way her eyes brightened at Allen's words.

Hot Jealousy burned inside him.