Page 28

TWENTY-THREE

ASHER

A sher and Caleb crouched in the shadows, the powerful force of his loyal clutch members—eighteen dragons strong—at their backs.

The abandoned sugar mill loomed before them, a decrepit monument to forgotten industry, its weathered exterior barely visible through the midnight fog rolling off the bayou.

"Three guards at the north entrance, two more patrolling the perimeter," Caleb whispered, his muscular form tensed beside Asher. "And those wolf shifters in the trees are making this complicated."

Asher barely heard him. The mate bond between him and Danica had ignited like wildfire in his chest, growing stronger with each step toward the mill. Her presence pulled at him, a desperate, yearning tug that made his dragon snarl and claw beneath his skin.

Thank you for seeing me... wish we had more time...

Her voice whispered across his consciousness, fragmented but unmistakable. Not afraid—something worse. Resigned. Heartbroken. Final.

"She believes she's going to die," Asher growled, his voice barely human. The thought of Danica suffering twisted his insides into knots of molten rage. "I'll tear apart anyone who made her feel that way."

His fingers lengthened into claws without conscious thought, scales rippling beneath his skin.

"Easy," Caleb cautioned, gripping his shoulder. "We need strategy, not a rampage."

"Strategy?" Asher's eyes flashed dragon-bright in the darkness. "My mate is in there. Strategy can go to hell."

Caleb didn't flinch. "And getting yourself killed helps her how exactly?"

Before Asher could protest, the night erupted with activity. Headlights cut through the fog as vehicles pulled up along the dirt road. Doors slammed. Voices called out in confusion and fear.

"What the—" Caleb started.

Asher narrowed his eyes as dozens and dozens of townspeople hurried toward the mill, their expressions panicked, many still in pajamas or hastily thrown-on clothes.

"Something's terribly wrong," Asher murmured, watching as elderly Mrs. Finch hustled past with her granddaughter in tow. "Why would over half the town come to an abandoned mill at midnight?"

A young man rushed past, phone clutched in his hand. "Emergency alert said to gather here! Wolf pack invasion coming—town's compromised!"

"Wolf pack?" Caleb scoffed. "There's no invasion."

Asher's tactical mind clicked into gear. "It's a setup. Joni's gathering witnesses."

"Shit. A coup?"

"Yes, a coup," Asher growled. "She needs the town to see her kill my mate."

Without another word, Asher melted into the stream of frightened citizens, his team following suit. They moved like shadows among their neighbors, their faces lowered, and their instincts heightened.

The closer they got to the entrance, the stronger Danica's presence burned in his chest. Her emotions washed over him—determination undercut by resignation, love snarled with regret, and beneath it all, a quiet, unwavering strength that made his heart ache.

"When we get in there," he whispered to Caleb without breaking stride, "I'll create a distraction. You get to Danica."

"And what kind of distraction did you have in mind?" Caleb's blue eyes glinted with dangerous humor.

Asher's smile was all teeth and predatory intent. "The kind that will ultimately involve me ripping Joni's throat out in front of her loyal followers."

"Subtle."

"I'm done with subtle."

The entrance loomed before them, a yawning maw in the dilapidated structure. Inside, lights flickered—not the warm glow of safety, but harsh, dramatic spotlights focused on some central spectacle.

Asher shouldered past a cluster of confused elders, every muscle coiled to spring. The mate bond blazed ever stronger, a beacon guiding him through the darkness.

Hold on just a bit longer, Danica. I'm here now.

Asher stepped through the doorway of the old mill, his all-black clothing helping him blend with the shadows as he moved alongside the crowd of townspeople. What he saw inside made his dragon roar for blood, clawing beneath his skin with murderous intent.

Joni stood center stage in a slinky red dress that clung to her body like liquid flame, the plunging neckline diving shamelessly to her navel, a long slit revealing an expanse of tanned leg.

The spotlights caused her hair to glow, turning it into a halo of blood-red fire as she gestured dramatically to her audience.

Behind her stood a half-circle of his own clutch members—faces he recognized, dragons who'd broken bread at his table, and who'd sworn loyalty to him—now aligned against him.

Beside them stood Reginald, Alpha of the Delta wolf pack, with several of his wolf shifters flanking him, their eyes reflecting the harsh light like predators in the night.

But Asher barely registered any of them. His entire focus locked onto Danica. His mate hung suspended from an iron beam, wrapped in a sheer white gown that made her look like some ancient sacrifice.

The moment their gazes connected, the mate bond between them flared like a supernova. Relief washed across her beautiful face, followed quickly by fear—not for herself, but for him.

She's worried more about me when she's the one tied up like an offering. The thought made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

"—a weak Alpha who would throw away centuries of tradition for a human!" Joni's voice floated through the mill. "Who would choose this fragile, temporary creature over his own kind!"

Asher nodded imperceptibly to Caleb, who melted into the shadows, circling toward where Danica hung. Then he pushed through the crowd, striding into the open with the confidence that had made him Alpha in the first place.

"Is this what you've been reduced to, Joni?" His voice cut through the mill, silencing the murmurs. "Kidnapping? Drugs? Midnight theatrics?"

Joni whirled toward him, surprise flickering across her face before she recovered, her lips curling into a predatory smile.

"Perfect timing. The weak Alpha arrives to watch his human die."

Asher moved forward, commanding the space with each step. Every dragon instinct told him to shift and tear her apart, but strategy kept him human. For now.

"You're making a huge mistake." His eyes swept over the traitors from his clutch, then to the wolves. "Do you really think these disloyal dragons and Delta wolves will follow you after this? The woman I've known my whole life can't be that naive."

Doubt flickered in Joni's eyes, quickly masked.

"The only logical reason they'd back you," Asher continued, his voice lifting to every corner of the mill, "is to use you as a stepping stone. They'll let you do their dirty work, then take you down the moment I'm out of the way. You'll never even see your first sunrise as Alpha."

Reginald, the wolf Alpha, shifted uncomfortably, exchanging glances with two of his lieutenants.

"You can't manipulate me," Joni snarled, but her eyes darted to the wolf shifters behind her.

"I'm not manipulating you, Joni. I'm telling you the truth. Something I've always done. Something Danica has always done." He paused for a heartbeat. "And unlike you, Danica is a true mate. Loyal, selfless, and considerate."

He knew instantly that the insult hit its mark. Joni's face contorted with rage, her skin rippling as scales threatened to break through.

"Well, your precious human mate won't be alive much longer!"

She whirled toward Danica, stalking closer, her body beginning to shift, green scales gleaming through her skin as she prepared to breathe fire at point-blank range.

"I demand Trial by Flame!" Asher's voice thundered through the mill, freezing everyone in place.

The ancient words hung in the air like smoke. Murmurs rippled through the crowd as every dragon present recognized the sacred challenge—one-on-one combat for leadership, as old as dragon kind itself.

Joni slowly turned back to him, calculation warring with fury in her eyes.

"You'd risk everything on combat? When I could simply kill her now and show my strength?"

"If you were really fit to lead," Asher said, "you'd respect our traditions. Unless you're afraid to face me alone, without your borrowed wolves to hide behind."

The trap was perfect—refuse, and she'd lose all credibility with the dragons present. Accept, and she'd face him at his strongest, with nothing to hold him back.

A cruel smile spread across Joni's face as she stepped away from Danica.

"I accept your challenge, Asher Ectorius. And when I've broken you, I'll make you watch as I burn your human to ash."

The bloodlust in Joni's voice sent a wave of disgust through Asher's body.

Her eyes glinted with malice as her skin rippled, emerald scales pushing through her flesh.

The transformation was instant—bones cracking and reforming, limbs elongating into powerful forelegs as her elegant red dress split and fell away.

Where the ambitious woman had stood now reared a dark green dragon with golden eyes burning with hatred.

Asher matched her shift with practiced precision, his human form dissolving into crimson scales and massive wings. His dragon form towered over hers, muscled and battle-scarred, his eyes the same fierce green they'd always been.

Keep Danica safe. Nothing else matters.

From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Joni's subtle head tilt—a signal.

Before he could react, chaos erupted. Her dragon followers roared and shifted while the wolf pack exploded into fur and fangs.

The orderly Trial by Flame dissolved into a full-scale brawl, exactly as she'd planned the whole time.

The conniving bitch never intended to honor the challenge.

His loyal clutch members surged forward to meet the attack, creating a battleground of flames, claws, and thunderous roars. The air thickened with smoke as dragon fire scorched the ancient wooden beams. Panicked townspeople scrambled toward the exits.

Joni charged, her jaws snapping for his throat. Asher twisted, slashing with his claws, catching her across the shoulder. She howled in pain but pressed her advantage, spewing emerald flames that he barely dodged.

Danica. Find Danica.

His gaze darted to the iron beam where his mate hung suspended. Relief flooded through him as he spotted Caleb's blue-scaled form perched on the metal structure, working to free her from her bonds. Joni was too consumed with their battle to notice.

Hurry up, Caleb.

Asher circled Joni deliberately, keeping her attention fixed on him and away from Danica. He fought with calculated precision—not aiming to kill yet, but to subdue. He needed her confession in front of witnesses to clear Danica's name completely.

"You're outmatched, Joni!" he snarled in dragon-speak. "Yield now and save what little dignity you have left."

She answered with a vicious tail-swipe that he anticipated, leaping over it with a powerful beat of his wings. Mid-leap, he saw Caleb finally cut through Danica's bonds, catching her as she fell free.

That split-second of distraction cost him. Joni's claws connected with his side, tearing through scales, sending him sprawling across the floor. Pain lanced through him as he struggled to regain his footing.

"Asher!"

Danica's voice sliced through the cacophony of battle. She stood beside Caleb near the edge of the fray, her face streaked with dirt and tears but eyes blazing with determination.

"I love you!" The words rang clear and true, washing over him like a healing balm.

Something completely shifted within Asher—not physical but profound. The mate bond between them surged with newfound strength, filling him with purpose and clarity. He rose to his full height, his dragon form seeming to expand with newfound power.

With a deafening roar, he launched himself at Joni, every movement precise and devastating.

This was no longer a battle of politics or pride—it was the wrath of a mate defending his beloved.

His jaws clamped around her wing, his muscles bunching as he slammed her into the ground, pinning her beneath his superior weight.

"Confess!" His dragon voice vibrated through the mill, silencing the fighting around them. "Tell them what you did to Garron."

Joni struggled, her golden eyes wide with fear as she realized her defeat was imminent. "I—I poisoned him! I planted it at the festival. The human had nothing to do with it!"

The confession echoed across the mill, council members exchanged shocked glances as the truth finally came to light.

Joni's eyes gleamed with desperate hope. "I've confessed. Now let me?—"

Her plea died as Asher's jaws closed around her throat, severing her windpipe with one decisive bite. He released her broken body, watching as her dragon form dissolved back into human, lifeless on the floor.

The fighting stopped instantly. One by one, the disloyal dragons lowered their heads in submission, recognizing his victory. The wolves retreated, their Alpha backing away with grudging respect.

Asher shifted back to human form, standing tall and unashamed of his nakedness. Blood streaked his muscular torso from the wound in his side, but he paid it no attention. His eyes sought only one person.

Danica broke free from Caleb's protective stance and ran to him. Asher swept her into his arms, holding her as if she were the most precious treasure in existence.

"I love you," she repeated against his chest, her tears flowing freely.

Asher tilted her chin up, meeting her gaze with fierce intensity. "I love you, my mate. My heart. My everything."