Chapter 2

Lena woke up burning.

Not the kind of heat that came from fever. This was everywhere. Under her skin. In her blood. Deep in her bones. She jerked upright, breathing hard.

A strange ceiling stretched above her, carved with enormous dragons whose eyes seemed to follow her every movement. Dark red curtains surrounded the bed, and golden light spilled across a room far too beautiful to belong to any wolf pack.

Then she remembered.

Lucien. His voice. I reject you.

Her chest tightened. She pressed a hand against her heart, but that only made the memory worse. The humiliation. Everyone staring. Seraphina taking his hand. Then the forest. Kael. His mouth on hers. The burning mark.

She threw the blankets aside. Her stomach was bare. The mark was still there. It curled across her skin like a living flame, red and gold beneath the surface.

“What the hell…”

The door flew open. She grabbed the nearest thing she could find, which happened to be a heavy bronze vase. A man walked in. Kael. She raised it.

“Stay back.”

He stopped. His eyes dropped to the vase, then returned to her face. “You’re awake.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re in my palace. In Dravaryn.” His tone was even, careful, like he was talking to something that might bolt. “And I didn’t do anything to you. You collapsed after the mark appeared. I brought you somewhere safe.”

“Safe.” She laughed, sharp and disbelieving. “You kissed a stranger in the woods and now I’m waking up in a dragon’s palace. This isn’t safe, this is kidnapping.”

Something flickered across his face, there and gone. He crossed the room, slower than she expected, and stopped a full six feet from the bed.

His jaw flexed. “I brought you here because you collapsed.”

She climbed out of bed. Her legs nearly gave way. Kael moved instinctively. She pointed the vase at him.

“Don’t.”

He stopped immediately. That surprised her. Most powerful wolves would have laughed if someone like her threatened them. Kael simply stepped back.

“You can leave whenever you want. The door isn’t locked,” he said. “The gates aren’t guarded against you. If you want to leave right now, walk out, and no one will stop you.”

She didn’t lower the vase. “Then why am I here?”

“Because last night something awakened inside you.” His gaze dropped to her stomach. “The mark.”

She instinctively covered it. “What is it?”

Kael was silent for a moment. “Dragon blood.”

She laughed. It came out sharp and ugly. “I’m a wolf.”

“You thought you were.”

Her smile disappeared. He walked toward the door. “Come with me.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“You don’t have to.” He opened the door. “Just see the truth for yourself.”

She should have stayed in that room. Instead, she followed him.

The palace was enormous. Dragon statues lined the walls. Guards dressed in black armor bowed whenever Kael passed, but their eyes kept drifting toward her. Whispers followed them. The girl from the prophecy. She’s alive. The mark has awakened.

She looked at Kael. “What are they talking about?”

He didn’t answer. That irritated her more than anything.

They entered a circular chamber. At its center stood a massive stone dragon with its wings spread wide. Blue crystals covered its body, glowing beneath the dim light.

“What is this?”

“An ancient relic.” Kael stepped aside. “Touch it.”

She hesitated. “Why?”

“Because if I’m wrong, nothing happens.”

“And if you’re right?”

His eyes met hers. “You’ll know.”

She swallowed. Then she reached out. Her fingers touched the dragon’s stone claw.

The chamber exploded with blue fire. She screamed and stumbled backward. The flames rose toward the ceiling without burning anything. The guards outside dropped to their knees. Even Kael looked stunned.

The stone dragon’s eyes opened. Blue light flooded the room. Then a voice echoed through the chamber.

Blood of the First Flame.

She couldn’t breathe. Kael stared at her. “It’s you.”

Before she could ask what he meant, slow footsteps sounded behind them. An elderly woman entered the chamber. She carried a black cane and wore a long silver robe. Her eyes were completely white.

Kael immediately straightened. “Maerra.”

The old woman froze. Her face changed. She turned toward her. Though she couldn’t see, Lena somehow felt as if she were staring directly into her soul. Her hand began trembling.

“No…” She took another step. Then she whispered, “She’s alive.”

“Who?” she asked.

Maerra’s lips parted. “The last daughter of the First Flame.”

Her stomach twisted. Kael’s voice became hard. “Tell me what you see.”

“I see what your ancestors tried to destroy.” She reached toward her. Lena instinctively stepped back. Maerra stopped. “She has the blood of the first flame.”

Silence filled the chamber. Kael looked at her. “You were waiting for her.”

“For generations.”

She looked between them. “Someone please tell me what is happening.”

Maerra’s expression softened. “Child, you were never merely a wolf.”

That sentence hit harder than it should have. Her whole life suddenly felt like a lie.

Maerra turned toward Kael. “If you love her, Your Majesty, do not make her your queen yet.”

Kael frowned. “Why?”

“Because the moment you place that crown on her head, every enemy of this kingdom will come for her.” Maerra’s grip tightened on nothing, on air, like she was holding onto the weight of what she was saying. “She is not ready. And neither, I think, are you.”

She stood frozen between them, feeling like a piece on a board she didn’t understand the rules of. A prophecy. A crown. Enemies she’d never met, coming for a life she didn’t choose.

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” she said quietly.

Maerra’s expression softened, just slightly. “No, child. You never do. That is usually how prophecies find people.”

By nightfall, she couldn’t sleep. She stood by the balcony, staring at the enormous dragon kingdom below. She should have been thinking about Lucien. Instead, she was thinking about Kael. That terrified her.

She found herself walking to his door before she’d decided to. He opened it before she got a chance to knock, like he’d known she was standing there.

“I won’t touch you unless you want it,” he said quietly. “I need you to know that. Whatever happens between us, it isn’t going to be like it was for you before.”

“I know.” Her voice cracked. “That’s why I’m here.”

She then walked toward him until the distance between them disappeared.

This kiss wasn’t like the one in the forest. There was no shock. No sudden magic. Her fingers curled into his shirt as the ache she’d carried since Lucien’s rejection finally broke open. Kael held her as if she were something precious, but he never once made her feel trapped.

His mouth was warm, slower this time, tasting her like he had all night to learn the shape of her lips. One of his hands slid up her back, steady and careful, while the other stayed at her waist, giving her every chance to pull away. She didn’t. She pressed closer, feeling the solid heat of him through the thin fabric of the nightgown someone had put her in. The mark on her stomach pulsed once, hotter, and a soft sound escaped her.

Kael broke the kiss just enough to look at her. His golden eyes were darker now, pupils blown wide. “Still sure?”

“Yes.”

That was all he needed. He lifted her like she weighed nothing and carried her back to the bed. The mattress dipped under their weight. He settled over her carefully, one knee between her thighs, and kissed her again while his hand slid the nightgown up her legs. Cool air touched her skin. Then his palm, hot and rough, stroked higher until his fingers brushed the edge of her underwear.

She arched into the touch without thinking. He made a low sound in his throat, almost a growl, and eased the fabric down. When his fingers found her, already wet and aching, he groaned against her mouth.

“Fuck, Lena…”

He stroked her slowly at first, learning what made her breath hitch, what made her hips lift. Two fingers slipped inside, curling just right, and she gasped. His thumb circled the sensitive spot above, patient and relentless, until she was gripping his shoulders and whispering his name like it was the only word she remembered.

He pulled his hand away only long enough to shove his own clothes off. When he settled between her thighs again, the hard length of him pressed against her, hot and heavy. He held still, forehead resting against hers.

“Tell me if you need me to stop.”

She answered by wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him closer. He pushed in slowly, inch by careful inch, giving her time to adjust to the stretch. The fullness made her eyes shut. When he was fully inside, he stayed still, breathing hard, waiting for her to move first.

She rolled her hips experimentally. The friction dragged a soft moan from both of them. Kael began to move then, deep and steady, one hand braced beside her head, the other sliding under her lower back to tilt her into each thrust. The mark on her stomach burned brighter with every stroke, heat spreading through her core until she was shaking.

He kissed her throat, her jaw, the corner of her mouth, never rushing, never taking more than she offered. When she came, it was with his name on her lips and her nails digging into his back. He followed a few thrusts later, burying himself deep and groaning against her shoulder as he spilled inside her.

That night, she chose him. Not because he was a king. Not because he had offered her a crown. Not because some strange mark had appeared on her body. She chose him because, for the first time since Lucien shattered her heart, she didn’t feel unwanted.

Later, she lay against Kael’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. The room was quiet. She traced one finger over the mark on her stomach.

“Why me?”

Kael looked down at her. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you.”

She lifted her head. “When was that?”

His expression changed. For the first time, she saw something almost like fear in his eyes. “The night you were born.”

She froze. “What?”

Before he could answer, the bedroom doors slammed open. Maerra stood there, breathing hard. Her face was pale.

“Your Majesty.”

Kael sat upright. “What happened?”

Maerra’s empty eyes turned toward him. “The future Alpha has crossed the border.”

Her blood ran cold. And then Maerra added, “He’s coming for Lena.”