Dragon Fire & Wolf Blood

Chapter 11

Alexander tossed and turned all night. His wolf was pacing in his mind. Jaxon was keeping him awake, along with his own mind. Thinking about the riddle over and over again.

“When the life of a dragon and the strength of your bloodline align with one another, then the curse shall be broken.”

Those words were playing over and over again in his mind. How was one supposed to align a bloodline with a life? Maybe he was taking things too literally. He thought about it every way he could. Coming up with nothing.

It was late in the night when Alexander gave up on sleep. Stripping, he jumped from the window, then took off at a jog. The cool night air filled his lungs. It was quiet outside. The moon was high in the sky. Her beauty is on display for awake eyes to see. Wolves felt a closer connection to the Moon, while dragons felt a closer connection to the sun.

Ember and he were from two different worlds. One of the sun and one of the moon. Both royalty, but both helpless against this curse. Barely able to be around one another. Alexander was surprised that Ember was willing to push forward. She didn’t feel the mate bond the way he did. She could have pushed to just walk away and there were no words that could have stopped her. It would have surely destroyed Alexander. If he can’t feel the mate bond, can he still reject someone, or accept their rejection?

These thoughts caused Jaxon to growl at him.

“Calm down dude. I am just thinking.” Alexander retorted with irritation laced on his tongue.

“Don’t think that. We need our mate.” Jaxon barked.

“I know. I’m the one here who is working towards making things better. I could have said screw it all. It’s all so complicated.”

Jaxon hung his head. Knowing Alexander was right. He could have thrown his hands up in surrender, but he wasn’t. He was still pushing forward. Unknown to them how long this “new normal” would be. He was trying. That’s what mattered, but how long would he have to deal with this? Months? Years? The remainder of their lives? Ember surely wouldn’t wait that long. She would get tired of waiting and move on at some point.

“One day at a time, Jaxon,” Alexander reminded him. Trying to cheer him up.

As time continued on, Alexander kept himself busy. He would meet with Ember every few days for a single hour of time. It was infuriating, but he was learning to keep calm. One foot in front of the other. With each hour, they grew a step closer. Alexander was learning a lot about Ember and her kingdom. She pushed off her journey back to the island as long as she could, but a month later, she had to leave.

Her people were starting to worry she had abandoned them. Her absence raised concerns among their people. Alexander watched from afar when she lifted into the sky and flew away. His heart grew heavy.

With each day that passed, Alexander felt more and more manic. They had researched everything they could find. Sending out a request to the coven, he went back and started reading their own texts to see if the answer he desperately needed was held within its pages.

After weeks of searching, they found nothing. Nothing to point them in any direction. Alexander’s wolf was getting harder and harder to control. Feeling the pull from the mate bond. It’s teacher tightening each day. They needed to complete the mate bond or he surely would go mad.

When Alexander kissed Ember on the hand each time, he could feel the black magic tightening around his heart. Threatening him. He knew if they did anything more, the pendant wouldn’t save him. He continued to push carefully anyway.

Ember was slowly opening up to Alexander. Messages flew between them.

She told Alexander about her kingdom and the many creatures that lived among it. Her letters were Alexanders only comfort. She was giving him a real chance. Even though their predicament was hard on both of them.

Alexander was getting moody. Nothing was going the way he had hoped. Coming home a second time with nothing was a hard hit to his pride. Never has he ever had to face something so hard to get through. Life was full of hardship, but this was going to be too much if they didn’t find answers.

When he got back, he was once again in his fathers’ office, completing research. They had been trying to persevere.

Ember, too, was struggling slowly. She could feel her body wearing down faster as that line tugged on her heart. Defending Alexander was getting exhausting. Even though they had many werewolves and lycans that lived among them, none of them were royals. It didn’t matter how much she comforted them. Her words fell on deaf ears. They were focused on their fear.

The biggest problem with getting Alexander to the island was the travel. The living arrangement wouldn’t have been terribly difficult. There were 3 islands she could put him on. After a long conversation with Dante, they come up with a plan.

Alexander would go to live with them for a month. He would live on a different island. Several warriors would be placed with him, so they could keep the two of them apart, with the exception of the one hour they had to spend together. He would also bring several companions to keep him entertained. Dante, Vatra, and her best friend, Abellona, were going to fly Alexander and his companions to the island.

Saddles would have to be fashioned that would allow them to be securely held onto the dragons. They would surely need sleep. They could stop once on the way, but if they grew tired, they could nap on the way.

The only thing they needed before executing their mission was Alexander’s agreement.