Page 64 of Fire and Fate
I step forward, moving in front of my mates and placing a soft hand on Zara's scales. She's still in dragon form, massive and threatening, but I can feel her restraint through our bond. She wants to incinerate Frederik where he stands, wants to protect what's ours with fire and fury. But she's holding back, waiting for my signal, trusting me to find another way.
I turn to face King Frederik, meeting his eyes directly. "This ends now," I say, my voice carrying across the valley with magical amplification. "We are a people of shifters, just like you. Not monsters, not beasts, not mindless creatures hoardingtreasure. We're people with families and hopes and dreams, trying to live our lives in peace. Your greed has thrown our people into chaos and fear, sent countless warriors to die at our borders, kept us from fulfilling our prophecy for far too long."
"Your prophecy means nothing to me," Frederik snarls. "You stole my daughter and corrupted her with your lies. You owe me compensation for that alone, not to mention the wealth that should have been mine through marriage to Isolde."
"Kaia is now our mate, our Omega," I continue, refusing to be derailed by his accusations. "She chose us freely, bonded with us willingly. And she will either unite our kingdoms in peace or rip them apart through war. The choice is yours, King Frederik. You can accept what's happened and work toward reconciliation, or you can continue this aggression and force both our peoples to suffer the consequences."
Something shifts in Frederik's expression then. The mask of righteous anger slips, showing the true cruelty underneath. His lips curve into something that might be a smile but holds no warmth. "You want the truth? Fine. I'll give you the truth. A Valorian fortune teller promised me riches beyond compare if I took a golden Omega as my wife. She said my prosperity depended on claiming her, possessing her completely. So I did. I found Isolde, captured her, forced her into a bond she didn't want. And I've been chasing the promised riches ever since because that lying fortune teller never specified they wouldn't come from Isolde herself but from her people."
I can feel Kaia's horror through our bond, the realization crashing over her like a wave. Her mother wasn't just stolen. She was a means to an end, a tool to access wealth that her husband believed he deserved. Frederik never loved Isolde, never even cared about her beyond what she could provide.
"You..." Kaia's voice breaks. She's trembling now, Solace holding her upright. "You married my mother, made her bearyour child, kept her prisoner for decades, all because of a fortune teller's promise? All for money you thought you were owed?"
"I was owed it," Frederik insists. "The fortune teller said prosperity would come from taking the golden Omega. How was I supposed to know she meant I'd need to conquer you dragons to get it? Isolde should have told me where the wealth was, should have helped me claim what was rightfully mine. Instead she refused, kept her secrets, and died before giving me what I needed."
Kaia collapses, her legs giving out beneath her. Only Solace's quick reflexes keep her from hitting the ground. "You're no father of mine," Kaia says, her voice raw with pain and disgust. "A father loves his child for who they are, not what they can provide. You never wanted me. You never wanted her. You just wanted the riches you thought we'd bring. Well, you can rot with your greed because I will never, ever claim you as family again."
Frederik's expression hardens. "You ungrateful little brat. After everything I've done for you, given you, this is how you repay me? Fine. If you won't come willingly, I'll take you by force."
He starts moving toward Kaia, his sword still drawn and dripping with Margot's blood. The Valorian soldiers shift, preparing to advance with their king. Several of them look uncertain, uncomfortable with what's happening, but they're following orders out of habit and fear.
The moment King Frederik's foot crosses an invisible line, getting too close to my Omega, Zara moves.
Fire explodes from her dragon form, torrents of flame that torch the ground around Frederik and his immediate guards. The king screams in agony, dropping his sword to claw at his skin where the flames touch him. His armor glows red-hot, and I can see steam rising from his body as sweat evaporates instantly.
But something's different about this fire. It's not consuming, not destroying the way normal fire would. The grass beneath their feet doesn't burn away. The armor doesn't melt. The skin doesn't char and blacken. Instead, the flames seem to sink into Frederik's body, burning from within rather than without.
Kaia is terrified, I can feel it through our bond. She's holding onto Solace like a lifeline, her eyes wide with horror as she watches her father writhe in apparent agony. "Stop!" she cries. "Please, stop! I don't want him dead!"
I move to kneel beside her, pulling her attention away from the scene. "It's merely magical fire, sweetheart," I explain gently. "Your father isn't actually being burned, not in the way you're thinking. This is a punishment, a lesson. He will forever feel fire beneath his skin, a constant reminder of what he's done. But it will never truly burn him, never consume him or kill him. He'll live, but he'll never forget the pain he caused or the dragons he tried to destroy."
"That's horrible," Kaia whispers, but she's not pulling away from me. She's conflicted, I can feel it. Part of her is horrified by the violence, the casual wielding of power that causes such suffering. But another part of her understands that this is justice, that her father deserves consequences for his crimes.
"It's a fit punishment for a man who stole from Embrath," I say firmly. "For a man who kidnapped one of our own, forced her into servitude, sent countless warriors to kill us. Mercy would be undeserved, and death would be too kind. This way, he lives with the consequences of his actions. Every moment, every breath, he'll remember what he did and why he's suffering."
The Valorian soldiers are panicking now, their formation breaking as they scramble backward from Zara's fire. Some of them are trying to help their king, reaching for him only to pull back when the magical flames lick at their hands. Others arefleeing outright, running back toward the mountain pass they came through.
Frederik is still screaming, his voice hoarse with agony. He's on his knees now, hands clutched to his chest, his face twisted in pain. But I can see he's unharmed physically. His skin isn't blistered, his clothes aren't singed. The fire burns only in his nerves, in his mind, a magical punishment that leaves no visible wounds.
"I need to go inside," Kaia says suddenly. She's shaking, tears streaming down her face. "I can't watch this anymore. Please, Alessia, take me inside."
"Are you sure?" I ask gently. "Zara will finish what needs to be done. She'll make sure your father and his soldiers leave Embrath and never return. If you're truly willing to give up Valoria, to let go of your claim to that throne, then we will protect you. No one will force you to return if you don't want to."
Kaia nods, her movements jerky with suppressed emotion. "I'm sure. I don't want Valoria. I don't want anything to do with that kingdom or the man who calls himself my father. I just want to be here, with you and Zara and Solace. That's all I want."
I gather her into my arms, lifting her easily. She curls against my chest, burying her face in my shoulder as sobs shake her body. "I've got you," I murmur. "You're safe now. Let's go inside."
Solace follows us as we make our way back toward the castle. She's quiet, watchful, her hand resting on her sword hilt. I can see the conflict in her expression too. She served Valoria for years, protected its princess, dedicated her life to that kingdom. But she also sees what Frederik truly is now, understands that the place she called home was built on lies and cruelty.
We reach the castle doors and I pause, looking back. Zara is still in dragon form, advancing on the Valorian forces with measured steps. Fire continues to pour from her, not hot enoughto kill but threatening enough to drive them backward. The soldiers are retreating now, scrambling toward the mountain pass in a disorganized rout.
"What happens now?" Kaia asks, her voice muffled against my shoulder.
Solace speaks up from beside us. "That passageway will be magically blocked for good soon. Once the Valorian people are pushed back through to the Shadowlands, Zara and our mages will seal it permanently. No one from Valoria will be able to use that route to attack us again. They'll have to find another way if they want to approach Embrath, and by then we'll have reinforced all our borders."
I carry Kaia inside, moving through corridors that seem too quiet after the chaos outside. Servants peek out from doorways, their faces anxious, but I wave them back. We need privacy right now, space for Kaia to process everything that just happened.
We reach one of the sitting rooms that overlooks the valley and I settle into a chair with Kaia still in my arms. She shifts to look out the windows, watching as her people flee. Her father is still screaming obscenities, his voice carrying even from this distance. Zara pushes them back with steady determination, her dragon form magnificent and terrifying as she herds the Valorian forces like sheep.
