Page 2 of The Silent Mountain (Under the Werewolf Crown #2)

two

The New Order

*FAVIAN*

W hen we return and pass by the forest, I can see some of my fellow shifters running alongside my shadow reflected on the ground. Then, some of them shift too, following me in their dragon form. They see it as their sense of duty to follow their king and protect him. I fly an extra round for Alana, this time showing her more of the country, before I land safely close to the castle again.

I wait for Alana to climb down before shifting back to my human form. I notice how her cheeks are tinted in a warm red now, from being outside in the cold but also from excitement. She beams at me. “That was amazing,” she exclaims. “The ocean! This is nothing compared to what I have seen before. And the mountains too! I could have never reached them on foot.”

“That’s the perks of having a dragon mate,” I tease.

She looks flustered, and I almost think I have overstepped, until- “I think there are more perks to being mated to you than just the flying.” She smiles. “But flying is certainly a plus.”

“We can repeat it anytime.”

“It’s a bit unsafe, though,” she muses. “We need something better for the next time I fly on your back.”

“You want to put me on a leash?” I joke lamely.

She laughs at my stupid joke. “As long as I have something to hold onto, in case I drop off your back, I should be fine.”

“I wouldn’t allow that to happen,” I promise. “I will catch you before you hit the ground. Dragons have pretty good reflexes.”

“Yes, but I am still wary. In a way, you are just a really huge lizard,” she teases.

“Does this make you just a really huge puppy then?” I tease right back.

She narrows her eyes at me before grabbing some snow, forming it into a snowball and tossing it right at me. I dodge it before forming a snowball myself and throwing it back at her. Soon, we are engulfed in a silly little snowball fight. In comparison to me, though, Alana is used to running through the snow, while I recently woke up from my coma and am still adapting to everything.

“I give up,” I smile. “You win.”

I don’t remember the last time I had fun or played in the snow. It must have been forever.

“May I escort the princess back to the castle?” I ask.

Alana gracefully takes my arm. “You may,” she says seriously before bursting into laughter. “I hope you are aware I will probably never be that kind of dignified princess.”

“I am very aware,” I say. “And my kingdom doesn’t need a princess who is nothing more than an ornament. We need all the help we can get.”

She smiles at me. Something about my words must have made her happy.

*ALANA*

I was furious at first, for the goddess mating me to someone who wasn’t the person I loved. I was so deeply in love with my best friend, Ita, who fell in battle, but we never were fated mates, and then the goddess presented me with Favian and his deity counterpart, Favia.

I wanted nothing more than to run, but something about Favian just struck a chord within me. I knew who he was. His existence alone was a miracle, and in a way, my fate has always been tied to the dragons, from when I was just a child.

I know how much trauma he has faced.

I know he wasn’t ready for a mate, just like I wasn’t ready for one.

That’s the reason why I agreed to accompany him back to his kingdom. I am here to help and see where the mate bond takes me, but not to jump into a relationship immediately. And he respects that about me. He just respects me .

I steal a glance at him, noticing the perfectly chiseled face once more. His features are almost androgynous. He is lean and elegant, and everything about him is graceful. I never had a preference in gender. It just so happened that my first love was another woman.

Favian is really attractive, and so is Favia. It’s fascinating how she has her own human form too. When she takes over, it’s like Favian’s female twin wakes up, and he turns into a beautiful woman. Both of them are interesting, intriguing, and good people.

I’m just not sure if my heart is ready to love someone again.

“So,” Favian breaks the silence, “how are you going to train the horses?”

“First, I need to make sure that they can be ridden,” I explain, happy to talk about my favorite topic. “They range from ages 3-5 and need to be trained properly first. I will start slowly. Two of the five-year-olds have been ridden before, so I think I can work with them soon.”

“Dragon shifters don’t know much about horses,” he admits. “I’m counting fully on you.”

He opens the heavy front door of the castle for me, letting me step in first. The interior of the castle still takes my breath away whenever I see it. It just never loses its novelty. I’m used to living in a beautiful castle, but the castle of the dragon kingdom, with its huge halls, broad corridors and many windows, lacks any comparison. It’s as if it was designed for the dragon shifters to shift anywhere and be able to leap out of a window to fly off.

I feel so tiny and small in these halls, but it’s not an intimidating feeling. It rather makes me feel free. Once inside, Elio greets us. He looks slightly anxious and a bit crestfallen.

“What’s wrong?” Favian asks him, apparently feeling his discomfort too. “Are you unwell?”

“No,” Elio says. “I… I finished my homework.”

“That’s good,” Favian says. “If you manage to take your studies seriously, I am sure Alana will let you help with the horses.”

I remember what he told me about Elio needing time to study because he missed so much growing up. It’s truly a tragedy that only these two brothers remained from the whole royal family. I can’t even imagine what kind of trauma they went through. It makes me feel selfish… Favian is so respectful and understanding towards my issues and my trauma, yet I never ask about his.

I want to, but I don’t know how to. How do you talk about a whole species that faced genocide? How do you ask someone how they are when they’ve lost everyone close to them?

“You are not going to hit me, are you?” Elio asks.

Favian looks surprised at first, before his eyes sadden. “Of course not, Elio.”

Silence stretches around us, as I try to wrap my mind around what just happened, and the conversation the two of them had. Was that why Elio was so nervous when he spotted us? I decide to steer the topic in another direction and continue what Favian suggested. “I am sure I could do with some help,” I muse. “I mean with the horses.”

“Really?” Elio asks hopefully.

“Yes, I just told your brother that two of them might be ready to be ridden soon.” I pause. “But that’s something you need to discuss with him first.”

Elio looks at Favian hopefully. “I promise you I will not neglect my studies!”

Favian smiles at him. “I don’t see why you can’t help Alana. Actually, I find it a very smart idea that one of the first dragon shifters to learn how to ride is Prince Elio.”

“I agree,” I say. “It certainly sets a good example for the others.”

Elio looks delighted, and I promise to set up a good schedule with him so that he can contribute as much as possible. Once he dashes off, I turn to Favian. “What did he mean?” I ask quietly. “With what he said before… about being hit.”

“He wasn’t talking about me,” Favian says evasively. “I never laid a finger on him.”

“I know that,” I say. “But what did he mean?”

“The royal dragons always had a bit of a hands-on approach when… teaching and educating their next generation.”

I don’t pry further, but once more it strikes me how little I know about him, or the dragons in general. They were always a very secluded species, and once they disappeared, everyone thought they went extinct. No one knew much about them in the first place. Favian himself was only a teen when he lost his entire family, was put into a coma, and locked into his mind for his powers. To break him. To take advantage of him and his rare gifts as a blessed dragon.

He didn’t break, though, and that alone is just mind-boggling. I don’t think I could have been that strong.

“I want Elio to feel safe,” Favian says all of a sudden. “I want him to know that he can be himself, and that he can make mistakes, and that I won’t ever hurt him even if I am angry.”

“I am sure he knows that,” I say. “Deep down, he does. I was severely wounded and still recovering when he came to my kingdom, but I remember how highly he spoke of you. All he wanted was for you to return.”

Favian smiles. “He fought well on his own and proved to be really resilient. He is the last sibling I have.” He looks sad, and for a moment, we are silent before he speaks up again. “Say, Alana, I know you are a warrior yourself, but would you mind if I add two of my guards to your… entourage?”

No one has ever used the word entourage in combination with me, and I have to fight hard not to laugh. Sometimes, Favian is so formal. My younger sister, Kilah, would absolutely love this, but I am not so sure if having an entourage really fits me. “To protect me?” I ask.

He tilts his head. “Protecting you is a nice side effect,” he admits. “But I would also like for you to evaluate them. I think they are capable. You know I don’t have any ranked members besides Elio, who is technically still too young. The only other one is my advisor, whom I still am not sure how to feel about.”

I look at him, surprised. “So, you want my opinion?”

“Yes, I would like to have an independent opinion,” he says. “If they spend time with you, I can see how they would do their job. I can see them in spontaneous situations. I can test their loyalty because you are my mate, and I want my mate to be treated with the utmost respect.” He pauses. “Is this weird? Am I obsessing too much over this?”

“Not at all,” I say. “Your kind was almost wiped out of existence. You have to be cautious and maybe even a little bit paranoid. But not too much.”

He smiles. “If I get too paranoid, feel free to tell me.”

“And cross the Dragon King?” I tease.

“Something tells me the Dragon King won’t mind,” he teases right back.

The way he looks at me makes my cheeks flush slightly. But he probably is just playing around or being nice. When we met for the first time and realized we were mates, I was still mourning my first love, who fell in battle, and he was still regaining his kingdom and trying to heal from the years of trauma. We both talked and instantly realized we weren’t ready yet to follow the mate bond blindly.

Taking things slowly was the plan.

But we probably should have set a plan beforehand, because we just keep circling each other without progressing. “If your schedule allows it,”—I take a deep breath—“we could maybe go out on one of the next couple of days.”

“I would love that!” A smirk curls his lips. “How about I take you up to the mountains. I have a favorite spot there with a glacial lake. That is, if you don't mind the cold.”

“Are you kidding me?” I snort. “I am a princess of the Kingdom of Eternal Ice, and a wolf. Snow and cold are my second nature.”

“Then we have a date,” he says, smiling at me, and for the first time since I met him, I can feel the hint of a butterfly in my stomach.

My attention soon shifts to two people entering the castle and approaching us. It’s a young woman with short, dark brown hair and a blond man, maybe a bit older than she is. “These were the two I was talking about,” Favian informs me.

“King Favian,” the two guards greet and bow to him. I’ve noticed that dragons, in general, are much more formal than we wolves are. My brother, who has taken over the werewolf throne, is very close friends with his higher-ranked members. And although everyone respects him highly, he is also very approachable. His subjects might be wary when he is angry, but they aren’t scared to ask him for help or talk about their issues with him.

Favian is different, but maybe that’s partly due to the fact that so many of the dragons were wiped off this world.

The playful look Favian had before when he talked to me is gone. He looks much more serious now that the two guards have arrived. “I called you here today to officially meet my mate. You have already seen her. She is the daughter of the former king, Gillean, and King Endellion’s sister, Princess Alana.”

They both eye me curiously and then bow in front of me too.

“From today on, I want you to accompany Princess Alana. She is a warrior herself, so respect her and her opinion.”

I’m stunned. I can’t believe he really introduced me as a warrior to them.

“It’s a great honor, my king,” the woman says, barely able to contain her joy.

The man nods, his eyes glinting with pride and joy. “We will not disappoint you.”

Favian turns to me now. “Alana, let me introduce these two warriors to you. They are promising members of my guards.” He gestures to the female warrior. “Barbara. During the years when I was locked away, she fought in the underground and assembled a lot of shifters around her who still wanted to fight. And Ludwig, he made sure that as many civilians as possible could disappear and safely hide and live somewhere else.”

Now I know why he plans on making them higher-ranked members. From Elio, and Favian himself, I know that dragon shifters are rather proud of their bloodlines. Usually, only royal dragons or those with a special lineage are considered worthy of a rank, but obviously, Favian’s perception of things shifted when he went through years of torment and imprisonment. He told me himself that he doesn’t care about the bloodline anymore; he doesn’t care if someone is of royal blood or not. Instead, he wants loyal and capable members in his ranks.

Favian excuses himself. He gazes at me when he leaves, signaling that he is going away on purpose so that I can get to know these two a bit. “Well,” I say, once we are alone. “I am happy to get to know you.”

“I’m so honored to be allowed to guard you,” Barbara beams. “Princess Alana-“

“Alana,” I tell her. “I don’t care much about formalities.”

“Alana, we know what you and your family did to help us dragons,” she says. To my surprise, she seems to be quite bubbly.

Ludwing pulls her away slightly. “I apologize,” he mutters, sounding flustered. “We don’t want to overstep.”

“You aren’t overstepping,” I say. “I’m glad that we get along well!” I eye them curiously. “Forgive my curiosity, but are you two mates?”

Ludwig turns red like an overripe tomato while Barbara squeals and laughs. “No, just friends,” she tells me.

“I lost my mate,” Ludwig tells me. “And Barbara hasn’t found hers yet.”

“Oh.” I am instantly hit with the reality of the dragon shifters once again. “I am so sorry this happened to you, Ludwig.”

“A lot of us lost our families and mates,” Ludwig says. “And we almost lost our lives too. But King Favian and Prince Elio never stopped fighting for us, so we will keep fighting too. For him and for our kingdom.”

“You are so brave,” I say. “All dragon shifters are. To imagine how much you lost and how hard you are working now. I’m so honored to be allowed here in your kingdom.”

For a few minutes, we keep up the polite talk until I have had enough. “Okay, that’s it,” I chuckle. “Now that we have praised each other, maybe we can relax a bit.”

Barbara seems to be on board. “What do you plan on doing tomorrow, Pri… Alana?”

“I would like to attend to the horses,” I say.

“I can help,” Ludwig offers.

“It seems Elio wants to help too, so I would like to make sure his schedule allows it,” I say. “Then I would like to take a trip down to the beach, and I want to get some training done.”

“If the king allows it, you can train with one of us,” Barbara offers.

That would actually be my favorite solution. Barbara was the one who kept the warriors underground and kept fighting. She must be pretty good. And Ludwig was responsible for helping as many of their fellow dragon shifters flee and hide.

We discuss my schedule for another half an hour and decide on Ludwig joining me for horse training, and Barbara for my actual training, with Ludwig taking over to give me some variety in learning how the dragon shifters fight. Both of them will accompany me to the seashore and show me a few safe paths leading down there. Favian is right. It’s definitely coming in handy to have someone show me around who knows the lands.

Once we are done, they bid their goodbyes, and it doesn’t take long for Favian to reappear. He offers me his arm to lead me to dinner.

“You didn’t need to leave us,” I tell him. “I don’t mind, in case you think I would.”

Favian tilts his head. “I thought they would be more relaxed and open without me there,” he admits. “It’s still a very new concept to them that I invited commoners to join the royal guards. For centuries, dragon shifters were very keen on keeping the hierarchy in their clans.”

“You are saying clans,” I say. “Were there more than one?”

“Well, there was the royal clan and then several smaller ones, very much like in the werewolf kingdom. Our clans separated into the elements of the dragon shifters. We had a fire clan, a water clan, etcetera. But after so many died, I decided to unite them all in the royal clan. It’s a challenge, because we have all kinds of dragon shifters living together now.”

“Elio’s element is water, right?”

“Yes.”

“And yours?” I ask.

“I am not bound by one element,” he tells me.

I tilt my head, eyeing his profile. Once again, I can’t help but notice how handsome he is. Both he and Favia are incredibly beautiful. “They look up to you,” I say.

“Hm?”

“Barbara and Ludwig, but also the others. They look up to you because you never stopped fighting for them. They admire you. I think they will go along with all the changes you have planned because it’s you who is doing them.”

He doesn’t say anything but reaches out his hand, squeezing my arm. I can feel tingles where he touched me, and my wolf, Ros, stirs in my mind. Ever since we almost fell in battle, she has been quieter and more distant. I feel my heart skip a beat in joy when I notice that she is slowly showing interest in her surroundings again.