Page 15 of Bound by Fire and Scales (The Dragons of Earis #1)

I’d heard every word. Every soft murmur that passed between Sabrina and Enrik, every coy laugh, every touch she thought she could get away with. Sitting at the head of the table, I kept a neutral expression, nodding along as Anphyr recounted her one-on-one training sessions with Kislav. Despite being an omega who would never see a battlefield, I assigned Kislav to help my sister improve her fighting skills. There was no reason she shouldn’t learn how to fight in her human form too. However, I kept getting distracted by Sabrina.

All I could see was her leaning toward Enrik. I gripped my cup harder, watching the way she looked at him, touched him… My alpha’s instincts internally sc reaming at me to rip Enrik’s throat out right this second. He deserved even worse for daring being this close to what belonged to me!

I barely heard the rest of the conversation at the table, Anphyr, Kislav and the council voices fading into background noise. Sabrina was doing this on purpose. And it was working. I glared when I saw the way Enrik smirked at her, leaning in like he was more than open to whatever she was offering. I had to fight to keep my composure. I knew him too well. We had grown up together, after all. He was enjoying this. Enjoying her .

I knew why she was doing this. She’d made her move earlier, and I’d turned her down, trying to do what I thought was best for her. Since she’d come off the suppressants, I’d finally gotten the full force of her scent—sweet and powdery, like vanilla and honey, no longer muted by chemicals. It hit me like wildfire, intoxicating, and it was driving me crazy. But there was another side effect of the suppressants wearing off—her hypersensitivity. I could smell it every time I was near her, her want, her arousal, how dripping with slick she was, and it would be so easy to just bend her over and claim her. Give it to her hard, rough, and without holding back.

But I couldn’t. Not when her body was reacting this way because of the chemicals fading. She’d already been through too much. If I gave in, if I took her like this, how would I be any different from the alphas who’d hurt her before? I closed my eyes, struggling to hold myself together, but it was a losing battle. Seeing her with another alpha? Not now. Not when I knew how utterly intoxicating her slick smelled.

I scraped my chair back; the sound cutting through the room like a knife. Anphyr looked up at me, surprised. The council members stopped talking, all eyes turning to me. I didn’t care. My focus was locked on Enrik, and the smug look on his face. “Enrik,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “A word.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of the tension hanging in the air, but he played it cool. Always the smartass. “Looks like playtime’s over,” he said, giving Sabrina a quick wink before turning to follow me .

I walked away from the table, barely noticing the silence we left behind. Every muscle in my body was tense, ready to snap. The moment Enrik and I were out of earshot, I turned to him, growling at his face.

“What the hells do you think you’re doing?”

He crossed his arms, leaning against the stone wall as if we were just having a friendly chat. “What? Talking to the lady? She seems lonely.”

“You know damn well what I mean,” I snarled. “She’s not yours to toy with.”

Enrik’s smirk grew, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Doesn’t look like she’s yours either. At least, not in the way she wants.”

I bristled, stepping closer, my fists clenching. “Watch it, Enrik!”

“Or what?” he asked, still too calm for my liking. “You’ll finally make her yours? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve been keeping her at arm’s length, and she’s getting tired of waiting.”

His words hit harder than I wanted to admit. Was that what she was doing? Was this some sort of test? To see if I’d finally give in? I ran a hand through my hair, trying to push back the frustration that twisted inside me. Enrik wasn’t wrong, but I hated hearing it from him. He was the last person I wanted near Sabrina.

“Stay away from her,” I said, the command in my voice leaving no room for argument.

Enrik held up his hands in mock surrender, but his smirk never left. “Fine. But if you don’t do something soon, someone else will.”

I growled at him, turning on my heel and storming back toward the dining hall. When I returned to the table, Sabrina’s hazel eyes flicked up to mine. I sat down, my body tense, and she leaned back in her chair, her lips curving into that same infuriating smile she’d given Enrik. She knew. She knew exactly what she was doing to me. My dragon stirred within me, my skin burning with the need to claim her, to show her—show everyone —that she was mine .

But it wasn’t just the dragon that wanted her. It was me. The part of me that couldn’t stop thinking about her. Couldn’t stop craving the way she made me feel—like I wasn’t just the clan’s leader. Like, I wasn’t the last fire dragon alpha. Like I wasn’t alone.