Chapter 8: Varianlir's POV
1732 Words
“So, was your mate the eccentric one with the blue and green hair or the beauty in olive skin?” I acted before my brain could process that it was Tristan who spoke.
I grabbed him by the throat and pushed him to the nearest wall.
One moment, I was standing there, looking at my mate disappear with a stranger; the next, my hand was around his throat, slamming him against the stone wall hard enough to crack it. Draco roared in my mind, his fury a wildfire scorching my senses.
“Kill him. He wants our mate.”
I’ve never had problems to control my dragon. He may be strong, but I always keep him in check.
Right now, I’m trying really hard not to do what he says.
“You think this is a joke?” I snarled, my voice guttural, scales rippling across my skin as Draco’s power surged. Tristan’s feet dangled above the floor, his hands gripping my wrist, but he didn’t struggle. His blue eyes were wide—not with fear, but with a mix of amusement and disbelief.
“Varian… breathe,” he choked out, still smirking. “It was just a question.”
“A question?” My grip tightened, claws pricking his skin. “You speak of her like she’s some tavern wench to gossip over. She is my mate.”
“Mine!” My voice and Draco’s mixed, something that only happened when we were ready to cause chaos.
Tristan rolled his eyes, though his face was turning red. “Yeah, and you’re doing a stellar job showing it. Choking your best friend. Real romantic.”
I froze, Draco’s growls faltering. Tristan’s words cut through the haze of rage, sharp and mocking.
Best friend. The reminder stung. He was the only one who’d stayed loyal after my mother’s death, apart from my cousin, the only one who dared call me out on my bullshit. And here I was, threatening him over a joke.
I dropped him abruptly. He coughed, rubbing his throat, but his smirk never faded. “There he is. Did Draco realize he was being a prick?”
Draco, of course, would never admit to his mistakes, and so he only huffed.
“Shut up,” I growled, pacing away before I could throttle him again. My claws retracted, but my hands still trembled. “Stop playing with my mate bond; you have no idea what it is doing to me.”
“It sure as hell doesn’t do the same it does with your pops; he doesn’t give a f**k when someone shags his mates,” Tristan chuckled.
“Exactly, so stop messing with me, or Draco might kill you next time.”
“Might,” he scoffed. “I will kill him.”
“No, you won’t. He is our friend and would never try anything with Arlen; he is just trying to… make me fall for the bond.”
“As you should.”
I rolled my eyes. Draco was not going to drop the subject.
“I’m just staring at the obvious, my friend. If you continue to behave like an asshole, she is going to leave you.”
“I know,” I replied sternly. “But if I love her, I have to make sure she is safe first.”
Tristan snorted. “What?” I seethed.
“That girl doesn’t look like she needs saving.”
I decided not to say anything else because nobody would understand.
“Let’s go back to the main castle; I’ll ask Vaelir to check on her,” I breathed out.
“But—“
“As you said, she doesn’t need protection.”
Tristan was going to say something, but I had to leave before I made something I regretted.
———————————————————————
I stayed in my room all day, pacing the length of the stone floor like a caged animal. The walls felt too close, the air too thick, and Draco’s constant growling in my mind only made it worse. He was restless and agitated, and so was I.
“You need to go and be by her side instead of sending our cousin!” Draco muttered angrily. It was giving me a headache. “She is our mate; we should take care of her instead of sending other people.”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “I know,” I snapped, more to myself than to him. “If you want her so badly, then help me so we can be with her sooner.”
Before Draco could reply, the other opened softly, and the blonde from before entered my room.
Fuck.
She looked around, and when her eyes met mine, she bowed slightly. “Your Majesty.”
I have to make her leave.
“How did you get in?” I asked because even if she was part of the castle’s employees, they knew they shouldn’t bother me in my chambers.
Even before Arlen, I didn’t bring anyone into this room. This is supposed to be the place I will share with my mate, and so I never wanted to bring
The blonde straightened, her lips curving into a sly smile as she stepped further into the room. “I thought you might need some… company,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “After all, you seemed so tense earlier.”
I stiffened, my jaw tightening as I fought to keep my temper in check. “Get out,” I said, my voice low and dangerous.
She pouted, taking another step closer. “Oh, come on, Your Majesty. Don’t be like that. I’m just here to help you relax.”
Draco snarled in my mind. “Get rid of her. Now.”
I didn’t need the reminder. My hands clenched into fists as I took a step toward her, my voice a growl. “I won’t ask again. Leave.”
For a moment, she hesitated, her smile faltering. But then she shrugged, her expression turning coy. “Fine. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“Finally!”
“You said as if I wanted her to stay,” I huffed because Draco knew how annoyed I was with this woman.
“It is your fault she is here.”
“Okay, fine,” I grumbled.
She turned to leave, her hips swaying exaggeratedly as she walked toward the door. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, my shoulders sagging with relief.
But before she could reach the door, it swung open—and there stood Arlen.
My heart stopped.
She was frozen in the doorway, her turquoise eyes wide as they darted between me and the blonde. In the span of a heartbeat, her expression shifted from surprise to hurt and then to anger.
I must have the worst luck ever.
The blonde turned to look at me, she blew a kiss and then look at Arlen. “I left him pretty satisfied; I don’t think you are needed.”
For f***s sake.
“Stop lying,” I ordered the she-dragon, who gave me a confused look. “I—“
“Then you must be the worse shag ever, considering he is still fully clothed and doesn’t reek of your scent,” Arlen interrupted.
“Huh?” The woman asked, confused. “Darling I’m an expert, you have no idea how dragons work.”
“Do they have a strange d**k or something?” Arlen asked, now confusing both of us. “Or perhaps they have two d***s, but if that is not the case, then s*x works the same way it does in my realm.”
So, Arlen isn’t a virgin.
“I am not following,” yeah, me neither.
Arlen rolled her eyes and then pointed her finger at the blonde and me. “If you two had s*x, then he would smell like you since you sweat during s*x, and you would smell like him, but you don’t,” Arlen stated. “Unless his d**k is made of rubber and you have s*x meters away, your scents don’t match. Even after heavy make-out, you are left with the other's scent.”
The blonde blinked, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. I only kept staring at my mate to figure her out.
I loved how sassy she was.
She crossed her arms over her chest as if waiting for an answer, but I was too mesmerized by her beauty to articulate any words.
“Well?” She raised an eyebrow. “Care to explain why you’re both fully clothed and not smelling like each other’s sweat if you supposedly just had a romp in the sheets?”
The blonde’s cheeks flushed, her earlier confidence crumbling under her scrutiny. “I—I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she stammered, her voice losing its earlier sultry edge.
“Actually, you do,” she raised her voice. “This man and I must get married. I could allow you to be his mistress, but not if you’re going to lie to my face, and if you still want to take the risk, you’d better be good at it. And clearly, you’re not.”
“That is not—“
“Leave,” I order again. “Leave this chamber and never come back; you and I have never had s*x and would never do.”
“But, Your Majesty—“
“I’m going to say this once, and you can spread the word around the castle if you want,” I took a deep breath, knowing that my words would probably alert my father. “I don’t want any she-dragon to come here ever again. If they do I will put them in a cell until the rest learn their lesson, is that clear?”
The blonde didn’t say anything else; she nodded and quickly left the room without waiting for me to dismiss her.
"At least now she got the hint," Draco grumbled.
And yes, I had to agree.
Finally.
Now I only have to deal with one angry, and cute as hell mate.
- Writer
