Page 1 of Bound to the Dragon (Wild Fated Shifters #3)

MADISON

I ignore Jessup’s steadfast stare through the rearview mirror.

He’s been doing his best to catch my eye since we left my estate in Silver Glade, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of making eye contact.

I feel like the minute I do, I might burst into tears, and that’s the last thing I need right now.

“Oh, come on, Maddi. We’re almost there.” He slows the SUV just enough to encourage some conversation, but my arms fold tighter over my breasts.

I’m not saying a word, and there’s not a damn thing he can say that will make me.

The Alpha couldn’t even be bothered to make this trip.

He had to send the Beta in his place. I mean, I guess I should be grateful someone in power is there to make the handoff, but it still feels like a slap in the face, given the severity of the situation.

I’m about to be mated to the Alpha of Shadow Pine, after all.

It feels like a big deal to me, even if no one else seems to think so.

“You know this will secure our peace, Maddi. You’re exactly what Blaze needs.”

“I know.” I turn my head further toward the tinted window, my dark hair covering my face entirely so he can’t read my expression at all.

Not that he needs to.

My animus flows like molten lava throughout the entire car, suffocating even me. I’m trying really hard to hide it, but I’ve never been very good at hiding my emotions. I resent this union so much, like I’m some concubine for sale.

Being reduced to a walking fertility solution for Blaze’s cursed lineage is humiliating enough, but the sprawling territory he handed over to Granger? My Alpha gets paid handsomely for sacrificing me, while I get nothing but a lifetime sentence to a stranger’s bed.

“Then stop acting like a brat and accept your fate.”

My chin jerks back toward Jessup dubiously. I think I’m handling it pretty well considering the bubbling resentment beneath the surface.

“I’m here, aren’t I? I didn’t make a break for another territory or fight with Granger when he told me this was happening.”

I don’t add what I’m desperate to say, wisely keeping the secret of what Granger and my father had done close to my chest. Jessup is already in a mood, and I don’t want to make it any worse.

“I didn’t say anything,” I add. “Just leave me alone, Jessup.”

“If your bitterness is this obvious to me, your new mate will definitely notice it, too. Can you try to smile at least?”

I fold my arms tightly across my body. There’s no sense in telling Jessup or anyone else what’s really bugging me about this whole thing. It’s not even about the arranged mating. It’s the secrets that come with it.

Eventually, everyone will know the truth, no matter what I do to keep my mouth shut.

My mother knows. My closest friend knows.

It’s not just some secret I’m keeping. That’s the real reason Alpha Granger didn’t come today.

He doesn’t want his cover blown. He’s too busy using me as a sacrifice and hoping my fertility will solve all the problems. Typical Granger.

Shooting first and making the aftermath everyone else’s problem.

In this case, mine.

“Why couldn’t Granger be here today?”

I hate how pathetic I sound, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m walking into dangerous territory.

I’m scared, but I can’t tell Jessup that because there’s nothing he can do about it, nor would he if he could.

He’s under orders from Granger, just like the rest of my pack, just like me.

It’s not like the Alpha would make me feel any safer, anyway.

He might even make me feel worse, if I’m being honest. I don’t trust our Alpha as far as I can throw him.

But it’s better than facing the unknown alone.

“You know full well that Alpha Granger is busy dealing with all the shit back at the territory. Which is exactly why you have to make sure nothing goes wrong today.”

The scowl on my face deepens. “That Alpha brings on more problems than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Stop it,” Jessup bites out. “I don’t care if you are the future Luna of Shadow Pine; you will have respect for Silver Glade. You will remember your roots.”

I’m irritating Jessup, and I should know better. I need him on my side at least. Someone needs to be on my side through this. “If Granger cared about this going well, he would have sent an enforcer or two along.”

“Madison, would you give it a rest? It’s not like you’re in danger, and everyone will be here for the ceremony in a few days, anyway.”

Not if there isn’t a ceremony . The unbidden thought grows on me. It’s not the first time I’ve had it since the proposal was brought to me.

For a fleeting moment, I consider blowing up the whole affair. I can’t be the only fertile female in Silver Glade prepared to mate with an Alpha. In fact, I’m not even prepared to mate with him. There have to be more willing females than me.

But Granger hand-picked me, and I can’t argue with the almighty Alpha. I know why he wants me specifically, too. Sure, my bloodline’s ancient fertility magic is supposedly the key to fixing Blaze’s family curse—something about crow shifters having the power to rebirth what dragons have lost.

But that’s not Granger’s only motivation. He doesn’t want a constant reminder of what he and my father did all those years ago in his face all the time. Having me around the territory has to be doing something to his mind.

And maybe it’s for the best, getting the hell out of Silver Glade and away from the memory of their betrayal. Their shame has been mine for far too long now. But is it really that easy to escape?

The cypress trees pass on either side of the road, casting elongated shadows over the highway. There aren’t many cars out at this time of the afternoon. We don’t even have an entourage following us by air or land.

I’m not that important. But at the same time, I’m important enough to be mated to the Alpha of Shadow Pine. I wish they would make up their minds about who I am in this game.

Everything about this sucks.

They have made it abundantly clear that I’m nothing more than the forgotten daughter of a dead Beta, a disgraced one at that.

It’s a little amazing that Alpha Blaze, my future mate, even wants anything to do with me.

It can’t just be that I’m of child-bearing age and of a good lineage.

I’m just a pawn in this whole stupid game of chess that I will never understand, anyway.

I gave up trying a long time ago. Pack politics is so beyond me.

All of my clothes are packed in the back of the SUV in trunks, and Granger—or at least one of his enforcers—made arrangements to deliver the rest of my stuff by moving van later in the week.

Every mile we drive along the Texas highway makes me antsy.

It isn’t far, only just over an hour, but it feels like we’ve been on the road forever already.

All the same, I’m not ready to get out of the car because I know what’s waiting for me once I do.

I’ve only met Blaze once, at a full moon party, and he did nothing to inspire any confidence in me then. His stoic, boring nature left me feeling vaguely uncomfortable and looking for an escape.

And now I’m going to be mated to him for life.

I hate everything about this.

Trying to look on the bright side, I remind myself that he is an Alpha, and women would kill to be a Luna.

This isn’t an opportunity that appears every day.

If not for the infertility in Blaze’s line, he wouldn’t even be looking outside of his pack for another mate.

I should be grateful for this chance. Why can’t I count my blessings? Why does it feel like a curse?

Jessup steers the vehicle down a shady side road and past a lovely crystalline lake. I find myself staring at the blue water wistfully. I wonder how far it is from the house. Maybe it can be a small escape for me if it’s not too far.

Then again, I am a crow. Flying to the lake is always an option.

And maybe I can fly away permanently, I muse.

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind.

I have to stop planning my escape and give this a real chance. I made a promise, and my pack deserves better from me than running away like a coward. If I flee now, it could spark a war between our territories. I couldn’t live with myself if people died because of my selfishness.

I draw in a sharp breath when a huge house appears before us, the beauty of it taking me aback for a moment.

Whitewashed with black trim, it boasts a cupola featuring a rooster weathervane that swirls in the wind. I count three stories and three wings as we pull closer. It’s a beautiful house. I could be happy here if I try.

No one greets us as Jessup stops the car.

“Where is everyone?” Jessup echoes my inner thoughts.

But I’m partially relieved that Blaze’s enforcers aren’t lined up at the door waiting to greet us. I’m under enough stress without them.

The moment the thought crosses my mind, the door swings open, and enforcers stream out in a line. I probably manifested them.

I don’t even need to open the door to feel the apprehension rolling off them in waves. It hadn’t occurred to me that they wouldn’t be happy to see me, either.

My shoulders stiffen, and I swallow the thickness forming in my throat.

I have to remind myself that I’m a guest here, that soon I’ll be their Luna, the Alpha’s mate, and regardless of how they feel about me or Silver Glade, this has been prearranged.

Or am I just imagining all of this because of all the guilt I’m carrying in the depths of my gut?

Why can’t I get this knot out of my stomach, then?

I honestly don’t know how they feel about us.

I don’t even know if they’re aware of the truth of what really happened all those years ago.

All I can say for sure is that the secret hangs over me like a lead block and hasn’t loosened since the day I learned the truth.

“Come on.” Jessup opens the driver’s side door.