The Spare Dragon

1. Match

***Remus***

“You cannot force me to do this!” I snarl at the speaker of parliament, Duke Kuvro of Luceador. “I’m not a child you can order around. I am the King!”

“Not yet you’re not and you never shall be unless you take a wife,” Duke Kuvro retorts calmly.

“And if I don’t?” I ask, knowing the answer before he speaks.

“I think you and I both know what’s at stake here.”

I sit back in my seat in defeat, knowing he’s right but unwilling to accept it.

“Your Majesty,” Duke Kurvo sighs. “We understand your reluctance, but you know there are many reasons you need a wife to be King. For one, it is a long-standing tradition that all kings take the Oath with their Queen. For that, you must be a married man. I also need not remind you that, as the future King of Alderon, you will eventually need an heir and as you know, Miss Naomi-”

“Lady Naomi,” I snarl, the Duke scoffing in return and clearing his throat.

“Lady Naomi cannot take the crown on your behalf, adopted or not,” he says firmly. “It is against the law for a non-dragon to sit on the Alderon throne. The heir must be of Royal Alderon blood and a dragon. No exceptions.”

“I know the laws!” I snap bitterly. “There’s no need to remind me about them.”

“Well, it seems you forget them quite frequently,” the duke mutters under his breath. “Nevertheless, a wife, a Queen, is necessary for you to officially take your throne.”

“I have no interest in courting anyone, much less a pompous duchess,” I reply curtly, the duke sighing with annoyance.

“Well, luckily for you, there is no need for you to court anyone,” he retorts. “Your mother has made arrangements that I believe you will find quite agreeable.”

I raise an eyebrow at this and look over to my mother who avoids my eyes.

“And what exactly would that be?” I ask, never taking my eyes off my mother.

“Your mother has proposed Ludos Electia,” he sighs. “The Selection Game. We haven’t had to use the Games for over five generations of Kings but we find ourselves in a… unique position with you as King. We have arranged for ten highly eligible noble women to come stay here at the palace for a chance to win your hand in matrimony and become our noble Queen. The remaining nine women will form part of your harem, thus allowing you to make strategic alliances and strengthen the weakened state of our foreign affairs caused by your usurpation,” he replies calmly.

“What!?” I snarl, rising to my feet once more.

“Here are the ten women to be evaluated,” the duke replies without batting an eye as he hands me a file I have to fight the urge to not slap him with. “They were each carefully selected by our members of parliament. You will note that five are from our own kingdom; the daughters of some of the High Lords and nobles whom you managed to offend during your tour. They are included to appease the High Lords as their favorability is most important for our domestic affairs. A happy lord is a good lord to have in your alliance and you’ve single-handedly managed to annoy all of them,” the Duke smiles sarcastically. “Do you see now why manners are of most importance? You must treat your nobles with respect or bear the consequences. The nobility offer money, strong healthy men to fight, goods to trade. Are you understanding now, your Majesty?”

I glare at him in silence as he continues.

“Anyways, you are not expected to choose any of the nobleman's daughters to be our Queen. As I said before, they are merely an appeasement gift. We have given them all the illusion that they will have a fair chance to be our Queen, but of course, that is not how the selection process will go,” the Duke explains. “The remaining five women are the true contenders for the crown. They are all from the neighboring Kingdoms who have shown interest in supporting your reign. You would be wise to study up on your potential brides. They’re already on their way.”

I stare down at the files containing all the information I will ever need about the five women, but I cannot stand to be suffocated in my office any longer and make a move towards the door.

“Your Majesty, where are you going?” the Duke calls after me.

“To get some bloody air!” I snap, slamming the door behind me.

I run through the palace corridors, ignoring the many bows and curtseys aimed at me. I find my way to the flying platform and before I know it, I’m ten thousand feet in the air, feeling the wind pound against my scales as I cut through the sky.

Why can’t I ever find peace? I think to myself as I glide over the sea.

I fly until my lungs burn, the pain reminding me that I am still alive, even if it feels as though I’m slowly drowning in a sea of never-ending problems. Only when I look for a place to land do I realize that I’ve flown into the Earth Realm, somewhere deep in the Scottish countryside.

The snow-covered land looks comforting, and I soon realize I’ve come back to the resting place of my own egg.

After Elena’s death, I knew Roman would try to find it and destroy it, so I hid it in a place he would never think to look; the Earth Realm. Deep within the frosted land, encased in a slab of ice, rests the dragon of my lost child. I try not to come here often for fear of its discovery, but every once in a while, I find myself here again.

I land in a clearing in the forest, creating an ice den with my icy breath for my dragon to rest for the night. Curling myself within the den, I let my exhaustion lull me to sleep.

***

The gentle yet strange sound of purring and footsteps approaching my den wakes me from my slumber, my dragon grumbling to himself for being disturbed this early.

As I slither out to the mouth of my den, I discover a small wolf sitting on her hind legs while her tail wags happily from side to side.

Ugh, not more wolves, I mutter, roaring at the wolf in hopes it goes away.

To my utter confusion, the wolf only pants with delight and prances proudly towards me to lick my snout, a tingling sensation that I can only describe as sparks rippling down my spine. My dragon’s wrath dissipates instantly and he is unwilling to part from the wolf ever again.

I eye the she-wolf for only a moment, noticing her brown fur is quite dull and unattractive. She is much smaller than the average werewolf and not nearly as beautiful as any of the other wolves I’ve ever met, but her eyes. I don’t know why, but the reddish brown hues bring me a comfort I haven’t felt in centuries and despite her wolf’s appearance, there is a beauty to her I can’t quite place.

My heart falls to the pit of my stomach when I realize what this means.

You’ve got to be kidding me, I groan, my dragon smiling giddily to himself as the she-wolf rubs herself against me and purrs.

She’s so soft, my dragon, Azos, says. Like a cloud.

Clouds aren’t soft, I snap. They’re wet and a storm just waiting to happen.

Azos ignores me, lowering himself and rolling over on his back in surrender to the tiny wolf.

You’re joking!? I groan. Get the f**k up!

The little she-wolf climbs on top of him, curling up to sleep over his heart and tucking in her tail as she closes her eyes to sleep. Those strange sparks tingle all over my body, a warm fuzzy feeling filling my belly.

Azos watches her silently, wanting to stroke her fur with his paw but is afraid to hurt her. He lies perfectly content for several minutes, unwilling to relinquish control to me. Sensing our fight, the she-wolf walks across my chest to my snout and licks it before jumping off and rolling on her back beside me. She looks up at me for a moment with innocent eyes before shifting into perhaps the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her skin is fair with the faintest hint of a tan and her face is almost angelic with a small button nose and large green eyes that appear blue when the light hits them right. Her lips are plump with a pronounced cupid’s bow and there’s a tiny birthmark on her chin.

I don’t let my eyes stray from her face too long but her body must have been sculpted by the Gods themselves. I avoid staring at her two perky round breasts, though I know I’ll see them again in my dreams.

Azos finally gives me back control of my body and as I move to get away, the woman reaches out to touch one of my scales, her hand holding me hostage with its sparks.

Perhaps if I reveal my human, she’ll turn away, I think to myself, knowing my scars would repulse her.

I shift into my human form, mentally preparing myself for her to turn away in disgust, but her breath only hitches in her throat when she sees me. Her eyes roam my chest and arms with all my scars and tattoos, and she reaches out to touch them, her warm fingers leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. I don’t understand why, but the more she touches me, the more I crave her.

“Mate,” She murmurs under her breath as she sits up and climbs into my lap to look me in the eyes.

Her fingers move up to my cheek, tracing the scar slashing across my eye and cheek and into my eyebrow. She leans in closer, her eyes lowering to my lips. I hold my breath as she traces every feature of my face as if to memorize it, until I can bear having her this close no longer.

Our lips meet in a passionate kiss as I lean forward, the woman’s eyes widening with shock before giving in to my touch and closing. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer, suddenly needing her like I need air. She falls back onto the ice, pulling me down with her as our tongues explore each other.

I’ll stop when she pushes me away, I tell myself as I climb on top of her and push her legs apart.

She never does push me away and before I know it, I’m buried deep inside her, thrusting into her to release this burning desire raging through me. She matches my tempo, rocking her body with mine and moaning softly in my ear as I suckle her n*****s, but I crave her screams.

Turning her onto her side and wrapping my arms around her leg as I jack hammer into her, growing mesmerized by the way her breasts and her ass bounce with every thrust. I reach over and slap her ass, the woman grinning with pleasure and moaning “mate” under her breath. I smack her ass every few strokes until her cheeks are bright red.

My chest tightens as I c*m inside her, the woman tightening her walls around me as she milks me for every last drop. She gyrates her hips clockwise as I slow down and when I pull out, a milky white stream of our c*m pours out of her slit. I pant breathlessly against her collarbone while she wraps her arms around my back, her touch leaving a trail of sparks on my bare flesh.

I could stay in her arms forever, I think to myself as the woman kisses my temple.

She can be our Queen, Azos says, a sinking feeling filling the pit of my stomach

“f**k,” I mutter under my breath as the severity of what we just did settles in my heart and I quickly scramble off of her. “Please tell me you’re on some form of birth control?” I ask, the content smile on her face fading away. “s**t,” I groan, stepping as far away from her as possible.

How could I have lost control? I chastise myself. She’s just a woman! A beautiful, incredible woman who’s touch I crave more than anything now. Damn it, Remus! Get it together!

I do my best to reign in my desires, reminding myself that I cannot be King without a wife. I am not a free man anymore; I cannot give in to such simple desires or love. There are people who need me to make changes and I cannot forget them.

But Gods! Why must she look at me as though I’ve just ripped out her heart from her chest and feasted on it.

There’s a tightness in my throat as she sits up to look at me, a saddened look in her eyes when she realizes what I’m about to say to her.

“I’m sorry,” I say, turning my back to her for fear I may change my mind and fall to my knees in front of her. “But this was a huge mistake. I can’t be with you. I’m getting married soon.”

No! What are you doing!? Why on earth would you lie to her? Azos snarls. Take it back!

Am I lying? I snap back. Or am I being merciful by ending this before it goes too far? The council will not accept a wolf as my bride! I have no choice!

You always had a choice!

I ignore my Dragon, turning back to face the woman only for my heart to shatter in a million pieces when I see her quickly force a smile on her lips despite the agonizing storm in her eyes.

“Of course you’re getting married,” she whispers, hugging her knees to her chest. “Why else would the Moon Goddess pair me with you?” she laughs dryly. “It was too good to be true, anyways.”

“I really am sorry,” I reply, doing my best to swallow the lump forming in my throat. “I never meant to let it go this far or hurt you.”

Her eyes grow misty with tears but she once again puts on a brave smile as she gets to her feet.

“Doesn’t matter,” she says quietly. “What’s done is done.”

She starts to walk away, but I panic and reach for her, not wanting her to leave just yet. The woman flinches and pulls her arm out of my grasp, the gesture making me loathe myself even more for doing this to her.

“There’s no need to worry. I won’t tell anyone,” she snaps, her voice breaking with her heart.

All of my earlier thoughts leave my head when I hear the agony in her voice. I just want to hold her, shield her, protect her from any more pain.

“W-What’s your name?” I ask, just wanting to keep her here a little longer to comfort her. “I can wire you some money if you need anything-”

The sadness in her eyes turns to rage in an instant and I realize that came out wrong.

“No,” I shake my head. “No, I didn’t mean it like that! I just-”

I’m not at all surprised when I feel the sting of her slap on my cheek, but the pain doesn’t compare to the torture that is knowing I’ve just shattered whatever possibilities I had with this woman.

“I hope you and your bride have a long and happy marriage,” she mutters under her breath before storming off and shifting into her wolf.

Go after her! My dragon snarls, but I remain frozen in place.

It’s probably for the best, I murmur, watching her silhouette disappear into the forest along with whatever chance of happiness I could have had with her.