Broken Queen

8. Insane Smile.

When the mating season was a day away, the Dyson Kingdom looked as beautiful as a new bride. The street was alive with joy and excitement, making it extremely crowded and noisy. It was the exact kind of place that Dragon Prince Aiden despised.

Aiden loved living alone in a peaceful environment. His emerald eyes swept the area as he stood on top of the city's tallest building before jumping down onto the first level of the building's large balcony. This caused the ground beneath him to tremble, frightening the werewolves who were out on the street shopping. Their bewildered gazes wandered to the first floor of the shop owned by the renowned hybrid, which emitted a powerful energy.

"Your Highness," hybrid Edger Cecil knelt as he lowered his head in respect.

"You can drop the act, Edger," Aiden muttered, disregarding the man as he headed further inside the building, closely followed by Garner. They passed through a few rooms before arriving in the VIP room.

"Ugh, I miss the Dragon Empire so much. You don't even want me to pretend? How cruel of you, Dragon Prince," Edger accused with a smirk.

"Who is stopping you? Just return to the Empire," Aiden responded flippantly while sitting on the sofa. He placed his Dragon Sword down beside the table.

“Wow, I wish I was our Father's first born son. I could’ve uttered those words just as easily," he grumbled, narrowing his gaze on his brother's expressionless face.

“But you’re the son of the Dragon Emperor's cherished concubine. If I’m not wrong you’re the most spoiled of Aiden’s half siblings but bear your mother’s surname,” Garner remarked, earning Edger’s frown.

“That doesn’t matter. Not everyone is blessed with the Dragon Sword like Aiden,” Edger commented, pretending to be envious of the Dragon Sword that belonged to the Dragon Prince. Aiden merely chuckled.

“Aiden, please help me speak with Father. I've been f*****g stuck here in the Dyson Kingdom as an ambassador for long enough.” Edger sent pitiful glances towards his brother, hoping to melt his heart.

“I seem to recall you being proud when you were chosen from among your brothers for this position,” Aiden pointed out. Edger's Mother was a powerful pure blood witch. While Edger was born a hybrid, half-dragon half-wizard. The Dragon Emperor needed a trustworthy individual to send as his ambassador in the Dyson Kingdom, only Edger had stood out among his siblings in the Emperor’s eyes.

“Yes, I know I was such f*****g i***t! I should’ve taken your advice. Father forgot about yet another of his precious sons. I mean he sent me to the Dyson Kingdom four years ago!” Edger lamented while Garner smiled. Aiden remained silent, while his fingers continued to play with his sword on the table.

“I heard that you were invited to the palace a few days ago. What was that about?” Garner asked. Edger raised his brow at Garner then returned his gaze to his brother.

“Whatever magic you've acquired, don't just hand it out blindly,” Aiden warned. He looked damn serious. Edger used to be enthusiastic about his latest accomplishments.

“I must admit that I can't hide anything from you,” he chuckled. “It was a meeting over the Maze Forest, but don't worry, I struck an agreement with them. I’ll gain renown and Father will be proud of me. I shall assume the identity of the one and only hybrid capable of performing that type of magic,” Edger explained proudly.

“It seems like you’ve accomplished something that has the potential to affect the lives of many people,” Garner pointed out.

“Yes,” Edger acknowledged triumphantly, but Aiden detected an anomaly.

“What kind of power did you master, Edger?” Aiden's gaze was riveted on his brother. Edger blinked frantically. A knock halted their conversation as Aiden's visit to Cecil's shop was a secret.

“Greetings masters,” a she-wolf entered the room with wine and refreshments. She knelt on the floor, stealing glances at Aiden. The black clad man was surely a womanizer! She was dressed seductively but he did not cast his gaze her way.

Aiden's face held no emotion. His dragon snarled in his mind in irritation. Unrequited attention from females annoyed the Dragon Prince. Edger observed Aiden's grim demeanor, which indicated that he was holding himself back.

“You may leave,” Edger ordered. The maid would have a heart attack if she learned the man she lusted after was the Dragon God, Aiden. The disappointed maid left with a sorrowful look.

“I was afraid that she-wolf would go into heat over longing for Aiden,” Garner cracked a joke, making Edger laugh. He got up from his seat and walked over to his tool box.

“When Dragon Prince Aiden arrives in the Dyson Kingdom, I’m afraid that every she-wolf will go into heat if he attends the mating ball,” Edger remarked, returning to Aiden, who had already slipped his shirt over his head. He rested back on the sofa. Edger took out his needles and began tattooing Aiden's arm.

“I won’t be attending the mating ball,” Aiden replied. Garner stood up and exited the room to meet with one of his informants.

“I'm sure you're not here just to get a tattoo from the renowned hybrid Edger Cecil," Edger grinned, his gaze fixed on the needle as he worked. Edger gasped when he didn't get a response from his brother. “You found the Keeper!” He realized, tearing his eyes away from his work. “Who are they?” Edger panicked, using his magic to rapidly finish the tattoo on his brother's arm. "Are they a werewolf?" He asked. Aiden remained silent as his thoughts returned to the female's dark eyes. He licked his lips as a flood of heat flowed through his veins. He could feel c**k stirring between his legs.

“f**k!” Aiden cursed as he stirred on the couch. It happened again. That woman! His body grew heated like he'd taken a drug to amp up his lust.

“What’s wrong?” Edger was left stunned.

“Garner!” Aiden yelled, causing Edgar to pull away from his brother. His aura had darkened, becoming deadly, which worried Edger's dragon.

“Yes,” Garner ran into the room.

“Where is she right now?” Aiden asked, leaving Edger speechless. The Keeper was a female? It was confirmed that the Keeper was a werewolf!

“The informant said that Beta Princess Regina left the Dumas Moon Pack earlier this morning. She is here in the market,” Garner explained as his eyes flashed with eagerness at the prospect of capturing the she-wolf. They didn't have to do any extra work because she had come to them on her own. Aiden grabbed his shirt and exited through the door that would lead him to the balcony.

“Hybrid Edger, your customer has arrived,” one of the maids came to inform him. Edger looked between his departing brother and the maid. He had totally forgotten that he had an appointment today.

“Okay, let the customer in, and I'll be right there,” he answered, running after his brother, but Aiden was already gone. The balcony was deserted, as if the Dragon Prince was never there. Edger raised his eyes to the heavens. He needed to learn more about the Keeper, but it was too late.

“If they had identified the Keeper, my work in the Dyson Kingdom is done. I’ll be leaving soon,” Edger smoked for a few seconds until he noticed a feminine aroma in his shop. His eyes widened when he discovered the customer in the VIP room was a woman.

“Welcome to Cecil’s shop,” Edger entered the room greeting the female customer with a pleasant grin. He was taken aback when he noticed she wore a veil over her face and an Omega’s clothes.

“Thank you for making this appointment so quickly,” Regina returned his smile.

“Haha, the lady misunderstands. I’m not that kind. You obtained the appointment quickly because you paid a large sum of money. No one in their right mind would turn down the rare diamond that you offered as payment.” He chuckled and motioned for Regina to have a seat while he went to get a fresh set of tools. In order to obtain this appointment, she had to sacrifice her Mother's diamond ring.

“I had no idea that women in the Dyson Kingdom were so keen on tattoos,” he commented, pulling out his needles.

"I heard that hybrid Edger took an oath to never reveal his customers' privacy in jeopardy," Regina remarked, getting to the point of her visit.

“True, I took an oath that would make revealing anything result in the loss of my ability to tattoo. There's no need to be concerned. Even if you hadn't donned the clothes of an Omega to conceal your identity, your secret would still be protected.” Edger smiled.

Regina's smooth skin could only have come from a wealthy family, it had immediately caught his attention. She had also paid with a diamond ring. Even though she had concealed her aura and used a perfume that completely camouflaged her scent, he could tell that she was not an Omega.

“Then I’m in the right place,” Regina said. Regina refused to answer him. She had worn Olivia's clothes not to fool Edger but to confuse April, who had been dispatched to spy on Regina while they were at the market.

“Where does the lady want me to place the tattoo?” He asked.

“On my chest,” Regina replied.

“On the chest?” Edger's jaw dropped. No woman would dare expose her chest to an unknown male.

“Yes,” she replied. Edger just blinked.

“Then… I need to ask the lady to undress a little,” Edger explained before getting up to grab a glass of water for Regina. When he returned, he was pleased to discover that she had only torn the inner chemise of her dress away a little where she wanted the tattoo while the rest of her body remained covered.

“What kind of tattoo do you want?” He inquried, pulling a chair up so that he could sit closer to Regina.

“A mate tattoo,” she replied, stunning the hybrid again.

“What?”

“Yes,” Regina answered calmly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Regina confirmed. Edger hesitated a moment but then started working quickly and carefully.

The room fell into silence, Regina's silence was odd to Edger. He glanced at her from time to time and was surprised to find that she didn't have a single tear in her eyes. Regina's gaze was drawn to a magnificent sword that leaned against the table next to her. She couldn't stop herself from touching it. It was large and covered with multicolored diamonds.

"I hope the lady is aware of the consequences of a mate tattoo," Edger initiated the conversation once again to break the odd silence. Regina remained silent as she brushed her fingers over the sword, she knew that he would definitely describe them to her. "After getting this tattoo neither you nor your mate will be able to recognise each other as soulmates."

"That sounds like exactly what I want," Regina murmured, earning Edger's curious gaze.

"It seems like the young lady wants to tease her mate so she’s getting this tattoo before the mating ball," he chuckled. He thought that this young woman was daring. "However, it’s entirely dependent on the strength of the bond with your mate. In truth, this mate tattoo is akin to speculation. Your mate will find out right away if your bond with him is holy and bound by the Moon Goddess for the next seven lifetimes," he added.

Regina chuckled mentally when she thought about her mate bond with Grant being 'holy and pure.' It was filthy and repulsive to an unfathomable level. In her previous life, their bond was held together by a frail thread that quickly snapped under the slightest of touches. He used her just to gain the throne while he had loved Laila instead.

"But it doesn't end there," Edger continued as his hands worked with the needle like a machine.

"What more is there?" She asked.

"It’s true that the tattoo can never be removed. Your mate will be unable to recognize you as long as the tattoo remains on your skin, but the mate tattoo will begin to fade the moment someone sees it. A countdown of sorts will begin at that moment, but no one can predict when it will vanish completely," he stopped for a second and looked into Regina's calm eyes. He was well aware that she was not getting this tattoo for fun. "Make sure you hide it well," he advised with a smile but then realization hit him hard.

"Wait a minute. You already planned to hide it. That is why you’re getting this tattoo on your chest," Edger exclaimed. When she’d entered into his tattoo shop she already had a plan. She knew exactly what she was doing. Regina refused to answer and just looked down at the sword. "The lady is indeed intellegent,” he could not help but smirk playfully.

He wanted to know more about her but that was when his smile slowly disappeared, he felt Aiden on the balcony. He had returned already. Edger could not get up before finishing the tattoo.

"Aiden, why are we back at Cecil's shop?" Garner landed on the balcony following his master, who was taking large strides towards the VIP room from the balcony.

"My sword didn’t follow me," Aiden replied but there was a hint of irritation in his voice.

"That’s strange. That’s never happened," Garner exclaimed. Aiden clenched his fist. The Dragon Sword was a part of him. Even when he put it down, it followed him like a shadow. Yet today, his sword stayed where he had left it.

"The young lady is playing with fire," when Aiden heard Edger suddenly speaking louder, his hand stopped on the door knob.

“Edger isn’t alone,” Garner remarked. Aiden stopped. He needed to collect his sword, but he was fully aware of Edger's pledge. If he entered the room, his brother’s powers would be jeopardized.

"I’m nothing in comparison to hybrid Edger who’s going to perform incredible magic on the Maze Forest,” Regina stated. It was not just Edger but Aiden who was taken by surprise. Her voice alone lingered in Aiden's mind. Aiden's heart raced as he listened to the female's sweet and sexy voice.

“How do you know that I’m going to seal the Maze Forest with my magic?” Edger scowled and set the needle aside as the tattoo had already been completed. Regina straightened her clothes, her gaze fixed on the hybrid across from her. Grant and Miles had sealed the Maze using Edger's wizard powers in her previous life.

It had been a clever strategy to kill her Grandfather and brothers by trapping them in the Maze for all time. Edger had no clue that he'd been used then turned on by the wicked Princes, until the day he was falsely accused of using black magic in Dyson Kingdom. Grant did not hesitate to sacrifice his closest friend so that he could frame Edger.

Despite the fact that Edger was related to the Dragon Emperor, his crime had been proven true. The Dragon Emperor was unable to save his son, and Edger vanished the following day. The Dragon Emperor couldn't even start a war over it since the Dyson Princes had circulated the rumor that black magic had devoured Edger whole. In truth, the great hybrid Edger was dismembered then fed to feral animals in the woods.

The spell Edger cast over the Maze Forest was destroyed the moment he died. Regina's Grandfather and brothers returned, but they paid a high price. Jermaine and Stone's wolves became weaker than predicted, and Arnold nearly lost his sight. Edger's magic caused them to lose their most prized possessions.

“That meeting was secret so how does a lady such as yourself have knowledge of it?” Edger impatiently inquired. Aiden's face had become solemn after learning of his brother's deal with the Dyson’s.

“It isn’t important how I know about it,” Regina replied, getting up from her seat. Aiden’s hand reached for the knob as he fought his desire to catch a glimpse of the female on the other side of the door.

“Then what is important?” Edger was curious.

“When I learned about the significant effort that you would be putting into sealing the Maze Forest. It reminded me of a tale my Grandfather used to tell me,” Regina remarked. Aiden raised his brows in interest.

“And that is?”

“A King was so obsessed with his Queen that he hired the best landscape artist in the world to create a garden that would give his Queen the feeling of being in heaven on earth. The artist spent years creating it to demonstrate his ability to the King. The King was overjoyed with the results because he could now offer his Queen her deepest desire. But the artist…” Regina paused and stared meaningfully at Edger. “Do you know what happened to the artist?” She asked.

“Umm, he gained wealth and fame?” He predicted.

“No, he was beheaded by the King the next day," she responded, overhearing the Omegas below gossiping about Alpha Prince Grant's surprise visit to Cecil's shop.

“Why?” Edger frowned at the injustice that befell the artist.

“Because the Queen fell in love with the artist instead of the garden. Instead of admiring the King that had made her dream a reality, she desired the artist who could create infinite heavens for her,” Regina smiled at Edger’s stunned face. “His talent killed him.”

“What?”

Aiden couldn't take it any longer and pushed the door open. His gaze searched for the female, then his emerald eyes were drawn to his sword.

“Someone touched it,” Aiden murmured. No one could touch it except for Aiden. His sword immediately returned to his hand, but his heart was in shambles. Had that woman touched his sword?! How? His gaze was drawn to the room's open door.

"Where is she?" Aiden demanded when she was nowhere to be found.

“She left a few moments ago,” Edger replied, still shocked by the truth that he just discovered behind the story. Aiden roared as he stormed out of the room.

“What clothes was she wearing?” Garner asked Edger.

“A light purple Omega's gown with a veil,”

Aiden overheard them. He dashed out of the shop only to be met by a crowd. His head swiveled to the left and right. There were far too many women dressed in purple, but just a few of them wore veils. Chasing her scent was out of the question because she had been wearing perfume.

“f**k!” Aiden's dragon raged, unwilling to accept defeat. His eyes were drawn to a purple garment laying on the right side of the street. He shoved people away. She’d removed the Omega's gown on the way and mixed in with thousands of other females at the market.

He raised his gaze to the crowd, but his attention was drawn to a woman dressed in green and wearing a veil. She was moving quickly. Aiden began to sprint, ignoring the hundreds of she-wolves who gasped when they saw an attractive man at the market. He pushed a man away from his past and let his gaze fall on her long black hair that brushed her hips. She abruptly turned down a street in the opposite direction, in an instant she vanished into the crowd. Aiden came to a halt, but the women on the street shrieked in terror when they watched Aiden spring up onto the roof top of a nearby shop.

‘Regina, April is searching for you. She’s on the left side of the street,’ Olivia mind-linked. The market felt like a trap no matter which way she turned.

‘Where are the Luna and the others?’ Regina asked, turning right.

“On the right side of the street,” Olivia replied but Regina’s eyes went cold when Grant came into her view some distance ahead of her. She saw him for the first time since she was reincarnated.

“The mate tattoo really worked,” she murmured. She had successfully hid her wolf and mate bond from him. But she needed to escape this market.

Regina took a step back and turned to go back the way she had come when the tall figure of a man landed in front of her from above. She gasped, but before she could glance up, she spotted April approaching her from the left.

Regina walked rapidly past the man. In the next moment she changed streets but the tall form of the man sprang in front of her again.

Aiden growled, desperate to see the woman who was concealing her face from him. Regina slowly raised her gaze, finding the black-clad green-eyed man who had once again blocked her path.

“Mate,” Aiden’s dragon roared in his mind as soon as his eyes locked with the veil wearing black eyed woman.

‘The same beautiful green eyes that I saw in my bathroom…’ Regina’s eyes widened as she thought to herself.

A handsome face with fair skin. She could not help but notice his sharp jaw and red lips. The man looked like a god sent from the heavens but his eyes held the same passion and obsession. Regina took a step back turning to leave but her hand was grabbed by Aiden who pulled her back into his chest as he snatched the veil off of her face. The wind brushed the hair back from her face, revealing her beauty to the man who admired her boldly with wide eyes.

“Mate,” Aiden’s dragon roared again. Regina’s heartbeat quickened with their close proximity. She felt like he would suck her soul out using only his eyes that did not leave her lips once.

Regina put her one hand over her face in shock while Aiden’s lips lifted into a crazed smile. Regina’s hand reached out to his hard chest to push him away before she turned and hastened down the street. Aiden stood there holding her veil with an insane grin.