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“Well, well, no wonder you have everyone groaning in disappointment. You make a handsome mate, son.” Phineas’ hazel eyes twinkled as he took in the splendor of Alessandro.

Decked out in soft green and cream silks that matched the silks of both his wife and daughter behind him, the man wasn’t half bad himself. There was a certain charm that the joyful man always seemed to exude, softening even the harshest of realities.

“I just need to work on being as charming as you and I’ll be quite the package.” Alessandro smirked as Naseem adjusted the final strap and stepped back.

Phineas let out a laugh from the belly and clapped a hand on his shoulder with affection, with his eyes on the mark on Alessandro’s forehead he whistled, “I half believed this was all a joke, but that’s a mate mark for sure. Where’s your other half? I’d hoped we could get a sneak peek at her as repayment for raising you all these years.”

Anya, who looked to be as regal as Terra, had her curls done up in intricate knots weaved with golden thread. She lightly slapped her husband’s chest with the back of her hand. “You’ve repaid us plenty, honey.” Her chestnut brown eyes traveled over his face and concern etched the slight crease of her brow.

Despite their many years on Alessandro, the couple had barely aged a day since she’d taken him in. Such was the gift of a long lifespan that the family now looked like a collection of brothers and sisters.

Anya didn’t voice her concern. She merely raised a hand and laid it gently on Alessandro’s cheek.

Tension released from his shoulders, and he nuzzled her palm in gratitude.

“The heirs of the houses have their people gathered and accounted for in the coliseum.” Terra said with the slightest smile on her face. “Are you ready, my king?”

Stone raised the crown, and Alessandro knelt.

Like always, it felt heavy as it settled upon his brow. He despised the thing, but when all those in the room gazed at him with it on, it reminded him of its necessity.

He was their pride and hope with it on. Their protector, whether it be from the outside world or from themselves.

The stadium was full of as many dragons that could make it to the ceremony. The roar from the sheer size of the crowd was deafening as he made his way to the pair of matching thrones set on the raised stage at the center of the stadium.

Terra had outdone herself with the decorations. Where there was usually dirt and training equipment, she’d raised a garden of blooms that peppered the air with the sweet smell of nectar. Therows of bone white seating had never been brighter, each section draped with cotton linens. The crests of every family hung from each box, thousands of them reminding him how far a small village had come through the years.

From his first footstep into their view, a hush fell over the crowd. Terra stayed back to await Rowan and her family. His parents tore from his side as they approached their own family branch.

Aqua and Blaise stood at the base of the steps, joining Stone and Naseem behind him as they ascended.

His generals lined up next to his throne. Stone diverted to stand next to where Rowan would take her place. When he sat, Alessandro took in the faces of those looking down at him.

Some were eager, but he could sense the disappointment of many.

Facing the entrance again, he felt his dragon settle into the familiar cadence of Rowan’s name. Though the marking had settled the more territorial aspects of his dragon, Rowan had not yet given him everything that a bond like mates required. She hadn’t so much as grazed their connection with a curious tug, or given memories to it. She remained as distant as the day she told him to fuck off.

Yes. She desired him, perhaps more than she’d ever desired anyone. She enjoyed their time together. But that wasn’t enough. He needed her trust, her devotion, her fucking heart on a platter.

When he felt her magic, as slight as it had become after her injury, his dragon relented in the chants. He relaxed into his throne, but it was a momentary condition.

His breath left him as he took in her visage.

Underneath an intricate golden wired corset, the woman wore black and blue swaths of thin fabrics that hugged every curve. His colors. How had she known? Had she seen it in a vision? They had never appealed so much to him.

Tendrils of white hair curled along her shoulders. Golden cuffs hugged the base of her black horns. They glinted underneath the flames of the surrounding torches. Her black wings acted like a cape as she kept them carefully tucked away.

For a moment he thought she’d found some way to heal her missing eye, but as his attention zeroed in on the new appendage, he recognized the starry iris as Odin’s Eye.

His favorite part of her ensemble was the golden scale mail that made up shoulder and neck pieces. They framed her creamy breasts, showcasing their mating mark for the entire kingdom to see.

Without realizing it, he was on his feet and a wide grin that warmed everything inside of him took residence on her face. How could she look at him like that and yet keep what he needed most from her just out of reach?

Her full attention was on him and even the weight of the crown couldn’t stop him from taking the untraditional action of leaving his chair to meet her at the bottom of the steps.

Before her, he hadn’t known it would be possible for anyone to look at him the way she did every single time he met her. As if their separation was too long, as if he was the sun coming out after weeks of night.

It cemented his resolve.