Chapter 3

Three

Enzo

I have found my True Mate, my Queen. That thought rolled through Enzo’s head repeatedly as he looked out the window inside his room. He had the perfect view of Dragaal from his tower, and he often gazed at it while he was caught up in his thoughts. Something about looking at his kingdom brought him a sense of peace. Even with his thoughts were a good thing, something was pulling at him… making him think that there was a chance that this wasn’t a good thing at all.

When he turned to announce to the room that Kaida was his mate, Enzo looked right at his parents. Instead of a smile or a look of joy, it was a look of disdain. Enzo thought the look was directed at them. He would have understood that if it had been directed at him. But it wasn’t. He followed their gaze. It was at Kaida.

Which makes no damn sense.

They were the ones who suggested that he looked amongst the five prodigal daughters of the seated Council members. It was all about power with them, and having the daughters of the five most powerful families in Dragaal would have the highest chance to bring more power to the thrones. Kaida was a Hilmir, the second most powerful family in the kingdom. No one would have been better for the Great Dragon to choose for him as a mate. Yet, his parents looked at her like she was the last option they wanted.

Why?

It remained a mystery. Neither of his parents had spoken to him since last night when Enzo told the Council members and their daughters and everyone else inside of that room that Kaida was his Fated Mate. They left the room without telling him why they were unhappy that he had found his mate. He tried to request a meeting with them to discuss it, but Enzo was denied.

And they wonder why I don’t get along with them anymore.

It didn’t really matter to Enzo whether his parents were happy with who his Fated Mate was or not. They would not have a say in the matter. The Great Dragon hand-picked Kaida and created her especially for him. She was perfect for him in every way. He already could feel that inside of their newly formed bond that rested inside his soul. Kaida was everything that he could have dreamed of and more. He always had a thing for darker brunette women and someone who dared to be different. It wasn’t natural for a dragon to have purple hair, especially someone who would sit on the Council someday. Yet there she stood with purple ends and a look of “I don’t give a shit what you think about it” on her face.

Maybe that is why they were ticked off that she was my mate… Enzo thought to himself as he pulled himself away from his window.

Technically he was to go to the tailor to begin his fittings for his tux, but the tugging inside of his chest to go to Kaida was so strong that he didn’t leave the room. Even though his parents didn’t seem to like who his mate was, it did not stop them from starting to plan the ceremony. The ceremony was still a tradition to be quickly planned after the prince chose who would be at his side on the throne. If he could say one thing about his parents, Enzo would say that they were sticklers for tradition. Another tradition was usually the two mates weren’t allowed to see each other again until the ceremony so they wouldn’t end up having sex. The pull toward the mate and the urge to complete the bond was extremely powerful. At the beginning of their existence, that was all it took for a mated bond to be complete. After several hundred years of evolution, the people chose to make the ceremony a thing instead of announcing to the realm that the fated pair were coming together. Some people still prefer not to allow the two mates to see each other until the ceremony. Enzo, however, didn’t plan on abiding by that.

Enzo tried to calm the need to go to Kaida only because the urge to complete the bond was too damn much to handle. Even his dragon was feeding into it and sending thoughts of bonding to Kaida so strong that he would forget all tradition and make her theirs for all eternity. One thing was certain, his dragon approved of who The Great Dragon chose for them, too. He laid his back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

I can go to her, spend time with her, and not mate with Kaida. I am not a barbarian. I can control myself.

Speak for yourself. Enzo’s dragon, Cirrus, answered his thoughts.

We cannot just mate with her against her will. That is morally wrong.

Who said it would be against her will? She feels the mate bond just as strongly as we do.

Okay, fine. We can’t use our bond to manipulate her into wanting to have sex.

No one said that either.

I am not going to her until this overwhelming urge goes away, and that is final Cirrus.

She is ours, and we must make it final so no one else takes her from us.

You make it sound like she would reject us. You saw it in her eyes. She wants this bond just as much as we do.

That doesn’t matter. She is special. We must finalize the bond before someone else notices just how special she is.

What are you talking about, Cirrus? His dragon went silent. Enzo growled at him and pushed through his mind to pull him back, only to be met by a wall. What the hell did that mean, Cirrus? Is it just her being special because she is our Fated? The dragon still did not answer him, no matter how many times Enzo attempted to push through the barrier.

Enzo was going to continue until his dragon relented and dropped the wall, but there was a knock at the door. The only people he thought it would be were the handmaiden to his mother, his father’s valet, or his own valet. None of which he was expecting at this moment. Enzo begrudgingly rolled off his bed and walked to the door. Through the door, Enzo could feel who was on the other side.

Huh, Mom and Dad came for a visit.

He was met with cold steel gray eyes when he opened his door. The power radiating from his father alone would have choked Enzo if it wasn’t for his dragon rising to simmer just under his skin. Cirrus was the only contender in the kingdom to his father, and Gemar hated it. Gemar couldn’t use his power to force Enzo to do anything due to his power matching his. Enzo stared into his father’s eyes, waiting for Gemar to make the move to ask to come in. When he felt his mother’s power sneaking up to add to Gemar’s, Enzo knew they were not in the mood for this power game.

“Would you two like to come in?” Enzo asked as he stepped aside to let them in.

They didn’t say a word. In a cold silence, they stepped into his room. Enzo already knew where they were headed. The small room inside his suite was like a dining area. It had a table with six chairs that could grow to seat eight. Every suite had one, but the master suite had a larger one with a kitchen. Gemar sat at the head of the table, which Enzo knew he would, and Nande sat to his right. Any other day, Enzo would have sat on his father’s left side. Today, Enzo decided to sit at the opposite side of the table so he could be looking at him directly. Gemar made a face of derision at Enzo but quickly adjusted it.

“We would like to discuss something with you.” Gemar’s voice had no emotion in it.

“Okay,” Enzo said with a matched tone.

“Your mate.”

Oh good. Here it comes. Enzo thought to himself while he mentally rolled his eyes.

“She is not a fitted match for you.”

Enzo stifled his growl. He wanted to see where this conversation was going before he lost his temper. “How so?”

“Well, we have received reports that she hasn’t emerged into her dragon, yet. A future queen needs to have their dragon, Enzo. There is no logical debate for that.” Nande said to him in a confused tone as if Enzo had already jumped up and screamed his argument about it.

“Yes, I have heard these rumors myself. Pretty sure a guard overheard an argument between Kaida and Malinda about this very thing.”

“And yet you want to announce to the world that she is your mate and bond yourself to her?” Nande continued.

Enzo said nothing.

“You want the future Queen of Dragaal?” Gemar snarled.

Enzo shook his head at his father. The fact that he was already starting to raise his voice was evidence enough that this conversation was not going to go well.

“The Great Dragon chose Kaida for me. She was created for me. No one else in this kingdom was chosen for me. She was. I am not someone who thought challenging a God was exactly a smart thing to do, but if you think you know better than me. By all means, explain to me why you think how the woman chosen for me is not the perfect mate for myself. Not to mention, her father is the second most powerful dragon in the kingdom aside from us.”

“It is quite simple. If she does not have a dragon, she cannot be queen. And before you start mouthing off some more, I have an offer to put an end to this.”

“Please, do tell.”

“Have her shift in front of us. That will end the question if she has a dragon or not.”

This time, it was Enzo who snarled. He rose to his feet as he stared down at his father. “I will not force my mate to shift in front of you for your entertainment. There is no questioning this matter. It is a known fact that some people do not experience their first shift right away when they come of age! Even if she doesn’t have her dragon, it doesn’t matter! Kaida is the mate that the Great Dragon themselves created to be my perfect mate. Who the hell am I to question that? If your Fated Mate showed up right now, would you destroy the bond with Mom for this person? I guarantee that you would! Because you know for a fact that your Fated Mate is not something that you question.”

Gemar rose to his feet, “You insolent child! You know nothing of the choices that I would make! How dare you insinuate that you do! I will tell you this right now, Enzo. If you do not have that child shift to show you her dragon, I will kill her before you can bond yourself to her. I will not have someone who does not have a dragon to sit on that throne. As King of Dragaal, it is my duty to ensure that the best person fit to rule the realm sits on the throne and governs our nation.”

“I will not force her to do shit, and you can’t make me.”

Gemar’s eyes flashed green. Enzo only remembered seeing his father’s eyes do that a few times in his life. It was never a good thing when this happened. Enzo was pushing it, but he didn’t care. Kaida was his mate, and he would die for her if it came down to it. That was what any dragon would do for their Fated Mate, and Enzo was not going to be any different.

Neither of his parents said anything else. They both stood up and walked out of Enzo’s suite. The tugging inside of his chest returned, this time stronger than ever. Enzo knew that he needed to go to Kaida now. He needed to get her out of her room. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow his father anywhere near her alone until after they were bonded. He was going to protect her at all costs from Gemar’s wrath. Enzo already knew that his father’s threat was binding. Gemar would kill her if Enzo didn’t take every measure he could to make sure that it didn’t happen.

I need to get her out of this castle right now for a bit. Let my father cool down before he does something drastic, and Cirrus chooses that this was the day that he snapped.