Page 12

Best Behavior

Ozyn

D eep down, I knew I should have felt insulted that I was being coached on how to behave in the presence of government officials. I was, after all, a king. Or a former king. I was used to matters of diplomacy, though my last attempt had me married to a monster for a century, so perhaps I had things to learn. It could be argued that after my imprisonment I was rusty at communicating well. Things with Deke were effortless, others not so easy.

After the apparently necessary haircut, which matched Deke’s, making my heart happy, I received new, better-fitting clothes in richer fabrics.

As an omega, I had the slender build designed to entice an alpha to protect me. My current state was far beyond slim. I remained emaciated from my imprisonment and subsequent magic use. My magic reserves were still low enough that I would struggle to sustain a shift for any length of time.

Even my senses were limited. Almost at the level of an ordinary human. It grated at me. Made me feel useless. Defenseless. Pathetic.

Worse than that, it made me remember my days locked in the dark. I struggled to hold on to sense, to not become that feral creature who lived alone, trapped, mostly forgotten. I was here, in the light, with my mate by my side.

As if he could feel the brewing storm, Deke held tightly onto my hand after he helped me dress in the strange outfit he called a suit.

We were to meet the government people at the main house where most of the daily pack activities were held, though the Alpha and his family no longer lived there. They had one in a series of houses in a more defensible area of the compound they called home.

“What do you want me to say?” I asked Deke as we walked to the mansion together. The weather was sunny, the rays bouncing off Deke’s shiny hair in a way it almost gave him a halo. I found him incredibly distracting to look at. He had a strong, square jaw, with slightly thin lips and a pointed nose. His eyebrows were thick with an arch. His eyes were undoubtedly his best feature. He was my favorite thing to look at.

“Just answer their questions honestly. They’ll probably have someone with a lie detecting power like Chase’s.”

“Your cousin has this ability?”

“Yeah. Axel has never confirmed it, but in wolf form he sorta melts into shadows. I don’t think anyone has checked to see if it was an ability. Blake has an ability, too. He can sense attacks, predict a fight. Makes him dangerous. Not foolproof, though. We’ve learned that the hard way.”

Deke fell silent, probably pondering past instances where their abilities had been tricked. Relying on one sense was a fool’s game, so for that reason, I was glad they had learned that lesson.

“Do you have a gift?” I asked him.

“Me? No. If you asked my father, being an alpha was enough.”

I felt like he was lying to me. I decided not to push it for a moment, too curious about his father after the conversation I witnessed with Blake.

“How so?”

“I was born a couple of years before the twins. My dad was so pleased when they were born betas.” He glanced at me, judging my expression. “He was happy for his sister, their mom, when Blake came along, just because life was easier for her.”

“Why?” I thought I already knew the answer.

“My uncle was an abusive asshole. Still, my dad was disappointed I wouldn’t be named as my uncle’s heir. He was broken when he finally gained control of the pack. He’d lost his sister in the worst way: at the hands of the man he trusted to look after her.

“Your uncle killed his mate?” I heard the horror in my voice. I shook with it. How could anyone hurt their mate in such a way?

“They weren’t fated. There wasn’t anything to protect her.”

“Even so! Being bonded, fated or not, you should respect your partner. They are your world!”

Deke smiled sadly. “They’re supposed to be.” He paused, his steps close to a side door into the mansion. “Look, I know you don’t need to be told how to behave. You’re good. You wouldn’t have married—“

“Please don’t say his name.”

“Sorry.” Deke pulled me into his arms, holding me close.

For days, this was all he had allowed. Some forehead kisses, one to the tip of my nose. Nothing further. The pull of the bond urged me to take him to bed, allow him to bite me, mark me as his, put babies in me. He had to be feeling a similar insistence, yet he knew what my body did not: I was not ready. Physically or mentally.

“Just tell the truth in there. We’ll deal with whatever happens.”

We still clung to each other. The comfort of being so close to my mate made the thought of what was about to come easier to bear.

“What if they want me to leave?” I voiced my secret fear.

He answered without hesitation. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“What about your war?”

“We’ll find other allies. The elves will send more people. I don’t do that much. Besides, Larken is being trained to be my second with the pack getting so big. He can take over.”

“Would you not miss your job? You’re important here.”

“Not if it was at the expense of your safety. You are all that matters to me. Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side.”

Instantly, my fear evaporated. “Let’s go inside.”

The room was full of people. The Alpha pair, their assistants, Larken had come as Head Enforcer, Chase as Second. He had a shifter I did not know the name of with him as his assistant. The healer and his mate were there to speak of my physical and possibly my mental condition.

Ulrian and Laer arrived first.

“Hello little brother, are the shifters treating you well?” I had forgotten how smug my brother could be. I loved him as much as he irritated me.

“They are. Is your mate allowing you to sleep in the same building yet?” I sniped.

Did I imagine the little smile the mayor gave? “I have allowed Laer the use of a spare bedroom.”

“Progress!” Laer was cheerful.

“Apologies for intruding on your meeting,” Ulrian began. “However, I was given warning that the authorities were visiting and felt a more united front would be beneficial. I can attest to dragons being civilized and unwilling to harm humans.”

“That might be helpful,” Alpha Blake agreed.

“I am also giving them notice of my intent to leave Northarbor. My replacement is ready to take the reins after the recent debacle. Abrocaelum… it has not been my home for a long time, but I owe it to my people to return and take up the mantle of king.”

“Will you mate with my brother?”

Ulrian glanced at Laer before fixing his gaze on me. “I am undecided. Politically, it is the best move. Uniting our two peoples properly. Not the farce you were subjected to.”

I could feel the disdain Ulrian had for his brother. My respect grew for him at that moment.

“Is it wrong not to want a political marriage?” Ulrian said the words so quietly, I wondered if he even meant for the rest of us to hear them.

“No,” I answered automatically. Honestly, too. Even Ulrian, who had hurt my mate egregiously with his politics, deserved to feel loved by his mate.

“I would prefer you had at least some affection for me before we took that step. The fated mate pull is strong, but I will not take your choice from you.” Laer’s words were slightly teasing, yet completely honest.

My eyes did not deceive me that time. Ulrian had fallen under my brother’s spell. His cheeks colored with pleasure as Laer sat closer. He did not shift away from him, holding steady. He cared about Laer. Perhaps only a small amount, yet it was something.

“Alpha Blake,” Larken interrupted, “the delegation is here.”

Blake nodded at him to send them through. As they filled the room, the assistants arranged space and seating for several people.

Each of them were in uniforms befitting their station or suits. They had severe expressions which quickly cycled through a range of emotions as they looked over the scene.

No witches were present, since the pack feared having them close would suggest they planned to fight. The same went for the elves. They had tried to argue to have some presence. Prince Teárlach had made them see sense.

The gathered shifters, two dragons, and one fae were likely intimidating enough.

The strangers did not introduce themselves, nor ask for our names. They took their seats before a female wearing a sharply tailored outfit spoke.

“Which of you is the dragon seen flying above the pack territory?”

“Technically, I am one of the dragons,” Laer said easily. “I followed my brother through the portal.”

She shifted her gaze towards him. “Do you plan to stay on this side of the portal?”

“I do not.”

“Laeros is my fated mate,” Ulrian stepped into the conversation with his smooth, cultured voice. “He and I plan to return to Abrocaelum once the transition is complete for my mayoral duties.”

The woman looked at one of her companions. “Note that, please.” To Ulrian, not Laer, she asked, “Do you have a timeline?”

“Some time in the next month. There are things to wrap up with my estate. We will spend some time going back and forth to help stabilize the fae before my coronation.”

“Coronation?” one of the men in the group asked.

“I am to be king of the fae now that my brother is gone.”

“We were not aware there was a change in leadership. Though we did not know about dragons at all.”

I could tell the woman was suspicious in nature. Likely what made her good at her job. I felt a measure of respect for her despite how cold and dismissive she was towards the dragons in the room. That, I understood, we were an unknown quantity to her. By attempting to rile us, she could gain a sense of how we reacted.

“Neither were we.” Alpha Blake smiled genially. “Imagine our surprise when Ozyn came through the portal looking for his mate.”

“Which of you is Ozyn?” Her eyes scanned us all.

“I am.” My voice was clear and strong. She would not intimidate me. I meant the humans no harm. All I wanted was to get to know my mate and live in peace.

“You came to claim your mate? Have you done so?”

“Yes. I have felt his presence since the portal was opened between our worlds. Before the attack in which he was seriously hurt, I did not have the ability to get to him. I—“

“Why?” Her eyes narrowed on me.

“That’s none of your—“ Deke began.

“The former king of the fae imprisoned me some time ago.”

“For what crime?” Her questions were causing alarm among her people.

“My crime?” My laugh was a bitter thing. “For not giving a monster a baby to poison and shape into a thing of cruelty. I went and formed a political marriage. He charmed me into believing he cared for me. When he thought he had gotten me subservient, pliant, he ripped the mask away.”

“Ozyn—“ Deke looked troubled.

“For a century, I lived at the mercy of a mercurial beast. He hunted my people when I denied him what he wanted. I could have given in. No one would have blamed me.”

“They wouldn’t,” Laer agreed. “You suffered so much. I’m glad he’s gone.”

“As am I,” Ulrian echoed. He shared a moment with my brother.

“Instead, I stuck firm, too afraid of what we would create together. My pain was better than what he would inflict on our world. Then I felt Deke’s pain. It brought me back to myself. I gained allies in the court, they allowed me to escape and get to Sweetwater via the portal.”

“You could not make one yourself?”

I did not like this woman. All respect was gone. Where was her humanity for what I suffered? Even Ulrian, the beast’s brother, felt pity for me, shame for what his kin had done.

“Dragon magic is great, however portal making is a skill best left to the fae and elves. I can extend an open one to allow for my greater size in dragon form. In my haste to get to my mate, I used a lot of magic to reopen the portal. Someone had already laid the spell work, otherwise I would not have managed it. Once through, I shifted and went to heal my mate, using the last of what I had saved for that purpose.”

“What is the status of your magic?”

“At present, it is too depleted to sustain a shift,” I answered honestly, as Deke had directed.

Aldrin, the healer, stood to come to my side. His healing light went over me. “It will be a few days yet before he has enough magic to shift. Even then, he might not hold it for long. His physical condition is improving with plenty of rest and a proper diet—“

“Alright. We’ve heard enough. As long as you stick to Sweetwater territory, you are permitted to stay on this side of the portal. You must keep us up to date about your plans. You have a mate, you say?”

“I’m his mate,” Deke confirmed.

“You are to inform us when you bond so we can assess any new threat resulting from the bond. If a pregnancy occurs—“

“Excuse me, you do not have jurisdiction over the pack. We consider dragons to be shifters; therefore, Ozyn will become pack when he takes the oath and mates with Deke.”

It surprised me to have Ulrian jump in to my defense.

“We will also consider any babies pack members. The Alpha will be responsible for controlling his pack members. Not any of the government agencies unless one commits a crime.”

His interference did not impress the woman. Her expression was close to a sneer.

“Know that we will be keeping a close eye on the Sweetwater pack and the dragons within it. We owe it to the humans in the area to ensure their safety.”

My heart sank. I was bringing trouble to the pack. Would it be better for me to leave?

“Ozyn has been here for days with no issues. He came to us under incredibly stressful circumstances, where he feared for the life of his mate, but he hasn’t harmed a soul. He just needs the time to heal from his ordeal at the hands of the fae. Here, surrounded by shifters is the best place for that. Somewhere where he can have a fresh start.”

I rose, understanding what I must do. Shifting a claw, I made a cut at my wrist. Blood trickled slowly, sparking with what little magic I had. “I Ozyn Drakonvar, former king of the dragons—“ I heard many of the uniformed people gasp. “Vow to do no harm to any civilian on this side of the portal.” My words needed to be careful. “I will only defend those under my protection and use my magic to help them. My promise is binding.”

Alpha Blake stood. “Ozyn, in front of these witnesses, I would like you to take the vow and become a member of the pack properly.”

Proudly, I went to my new Alpha to perform the rite. I swore again in front of these people, my new family, to protect them from whatever came next. They would not regret allowing me to claim my mate.

“Welcome to the Sweetwater pack.” Alpha Blake smiled as the pack bond, similar to the mental bond I shared with my brothers, snapped into place.

A similar call echoed through it as those nearby acknowledged and welcomed me.

“Alright,” the woman stood. “I will leave you to the supervision of your Alpha.” There was a wistfulness I hadn’t seen before in her eyes. “It might not seem like it, but we are glad the dragons have returned. People are naturally just cautious. Please prove us right to allow you to stay.”