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Rowan knelt before his heir, tilting her head up to meet his steady gaze.

“Princess Rowan Dahl of the Eastern Elven Kingdom, before the Thunder, before the Dragon King Alessandro, before our ancestors, we are here to welcome you into our ranks, not only as an esteemed honorary member, but as our queen consort.” The stomps began small and slow from the bleachers. Stone beamed down at her as if pleased by the sound. “Will you accept the duties to support the Dragon King Alessandro’s role through a dedicated study of our laws and culture to shape a more successful future of dragon kind?” Stone’s voice thundered to every crook and cranny of the stadium as the stomps began gathering speed and more participation.

These moments made being their king worth it. Alessandro basked in the sound of his Thunder coming together.

“I will.” She answered, casting the same spell with what Alessandro could feel was a monumental effort.

She masked her pain, and he had to clench his fists to stop from reaching out towards her. He would never cut her power in front of his people. They needed to believe she was as strong as she’d shown herself to be on the mountainside of Barros’ hideout, even if their rule was to be short.

“In exchange, the Thunder pledges you our loyalty, our respect. I introduce you, from this day forth, as Rowan Dahl of the Draconian Thunder!” Stone roared, raising the crown high above his head as if to show it off to all those gathered.

Deafening roars ripped from his elemental generals. The roars of the Thunder topped the feverish tempo of the stomps joining in.

An unexpected wave of their faith washed over Alessandro, startling him.

Rowan Dahl had made an impression on his people. He wondered how much he had missed from the rumor millsas their prayers of gratitude passed through his ear. It was overwhelming.

Overhead, lightning ripped across the sky, bright and white with thunder that rattled his teeth.

Alessandro glanced at the direction the spell had emerged from and Lucifer discretely flipped him off.

His attention returned to Rowan, who bowed her head as Stone lowered the crown.

As it settled, through the continuing roars and cheers, Rowan unfurled to her full height, bearing the weight like a natural.

The generals each fell to one knee before her.

It surprised Alessandro as the entire stadium rose and silence reigned as the Thunder genuflected.

It wasn’t a requirement or a custom of coronation, but a gift.

He stood once more and tucked her into his side.

“Rise.”His command gonged through the coliseum.

He took a beat to examine the faces that rose. There was still disappointment sown in here and there, but overall, the acceptance of an elven-succubus as their queen was unequivocal.

“The last couple of weeks have tested us as a people.” He began, “But more than I could have ever hoped, I know you will be ready for the next test. Beginning today, I will begin taking a step away from my duties as your king.”

Hisses of shock and mumblings began immediately.

He raised his hand to bring back the silence. “As I step away, Stone of the Draconian Thunder will ease into the role he hasbeen preparing for over a decade. I was what you needed in the beginning days, but times have changed and to continue our prosperity, it is necessary that we change with them. I implore you to give him the support you’ve given me during my reign.”

Chapter 30

Rowan wasn’t sure what the consensus of the dragons had been after Alessandro’s announcement.

The unity that they’d shown in her crowning had crumbled into confusion.

She wasn’t sure how to react until the sight of a familiar woman caught her attention and made her back straighten with anxiety.

There was a certain built-in hazard of being any percentage of succubus that created friction between a succubus and a monogamous partner’s loved ones.

While Rowan had never faced it herself, she’d been part of Axel’s countless recoveries from the backlash when her truth came out. Her dedication to being her sister’s emotional support buddy in those cases was the true origin of her addiction to cheesecake and ice cream.

Terra and a couple of other Earth Dragons were finishing the touches on concrete slabs being floated out to make a makeshift dance floor, while Naseem and other air dragons floated tables and chairs to box in the space.

Rowan had been counting on the Earth General to be her second grounding point for this introduction, but it seemed she would have to rely solely on Alessandro.