Page 21 of Gold Sector

He finally looks at me again. “You tried to fight.”

“No. The moment I arrived in Obsidian Sector with her, I knew a fight would end in my death. So I opted for a third plan—to defect to Obsidian Sector, play their game, and quietly try to convince Helena to run away with me.”

Despite everything, I find myself leaning forward. “And?”

“And that’s when it became clear that Helena would never mate me.” He pauses to refill his glass again.

Using a tablet on the table, I call for another bottle of ale, as well as some food, and wait for him to go on.

“Her scent was manufactured to attract the strongest compatible mate. She was put in that nest to lure me and trap me. And I wasn’t the first, nor was I the last.”

My jaw clenches. “Did your daughter inherit this trait?”

He stares at me. “You tell me. Is her scent alluring, Your Majesty?”

I don’t answer him.

He nods. “Then I suppose it is.” He sounds sad, not pleased. His scent doesn’t smell sour, either, suggesting he’s being truthful.

But I’ve met expert liars before.

And I don’t trust this Drakon.

Not yet.

“How long did you stay in Obsidian Sector?”

“For seventeen years,” he replies. “I traded my raiding expertise for the privilege of raising my daughter. It was that or let her grow up in a lab. But I knew they would come for her eventually. So I used my connections on the raids to gather as many suppressants as I could, then I made a decision no Alpha should ever have to make.”

That haunted shadow ghosts across his features once more.

“I chose my daughter’s fate over my mate.” His jaw flexes, his hand clenching into a fist against the table. “I don’t regret it. Taliana is an innocent in all this. And I kept her safe for as long as I could. But it’s time. She needs a safe haven.”

His gaze meets mine, a hint of a plea lurking in the multicolored depths.

“Please don’t punish my daughter for things she can’t control. If she smells alluring to you, it’s because you’re anideal mate. She doesn’t even know she possesses that talent. She also grew up hiding her wolf because she had to.”

My teeth grind together at the thought.

No one should be ashamed of their beast.

We’re shifters. Some more superior than others in terms of the food chain and magical abilities. But our animals are our spirits.

To suppress one’s soul…

I nearly shake my head. I don’t even want to think about the pain I would experience trying tohidemy dragon.

“I hope what Riordan told me about Gold Sector is true,” Keegan says. “I also hope that you’ll accept my daughter for who she is. But if you can’t do that, if you’re going to punish her for a fate she never had a say in, then tell me now so I can take her away.”

Possessive energy swirls around him, his dragon staring right at me through his eyes.

Well, one thing is very clear. This Alpha cares deeply about his daughter.

He may desire a payment for his trade, but I believe him when he says he wants a safe match for his daughter.

The other items will either be proved or disproved with Taliana’s exam.

“I’ll be in touch,” I tell him, standing just as someone knocks on the door. “Enjoy your dinner. I ordered some of my favorite dishes for you.”