Taming The Dragon King

Need a Change

Zelda

He called me beautiful! Hearing him say that felt so good. My lips slowly stretched into a tiny smile. So he did like me. I couldn't fathom why he was so rude to me last night, but the moment he showed signs of desiring me, I started to feel optimistic.

Perhaps there was hope for us.

"Don't worry about him. He's weird like that," Blake smiled at me.

"Yeah, but he's a good leader. I am sure that finding you will change his attitude. I mean, remember how he growled at me? I'm scarred for life!" Simon said, pretending to shudder.

I suppressed my chuckles and offered them a polite smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Blake and Simon. Why don't we exchange numbers so I can call if I need either of you."

"Sure!" Grinning from ear to ear, they agreed in unison.

We exchanged numbers and they left, promising to show me around the Dragon Palace after lunch.

There were some dragons in the Palace who were positively the opposite of Travis, who may be icy and unwelcoming, and the Elders, who may be difficult to deal with. The woman that brought me breakfast, Olive, was kind and considerate. When I learned that she was training to be a makeup artist, I consented to let her practise on me. I put on one of the dresses I had in the closet and let her go about her business.

I guess the timing was perfect. Though Travis' sudden arrival startled me at first, it ended well. He looked pleasantly surprised to see me dressed up. Blake and Simon too seemed like a good pair.

"We will make friends and then slowly find our way here," Mona uttered through our link.

"Yeah. Let's call mom. She will be waiting to hear from me," I told her.

She picked up the phone within a couple of rings.

"Hello, sweety. How are you?" My smile instantly widened. It was so good to hear her voice.

"Hey, mom. I'm good," I told her.

"Is Travis with you?"

I cringed. I wasn't ready to speak about him to my parents. In all honesty, the reason why I didn't want to facetime them was, I wanted to hide my expressions from them. They would know how to read me and I didn't want them to discern that I wasn't exactly happy here. "No. He had some urgent work. I just had breakfast, mom. Where's dad?"

I tried to change the topic as soon as I could. "Oh, he is with your granddad. But your brother is here."

"Hey, Smalls."

I rolled my eyes. He loved calling me that.

"How's it going there?"

"Great!" I lied. "I just miss you guys."

"We miss you too. Remember to tell me if he isn't treating you with respect. I will gather the whole lycan army…"

"Xander," I cut him off, "I don't think that will be necessary."

I was sure he was speaking out of love and that everything he had just said was genuine. However, I didn't want to start a conflict. In addition, I wanted to test if Travis would evolve. In any case, he wasn't abusing me.

"He's pretty cool."

I pursed my lips. I wasn't used to lying to them. But I needed time to understand my mate.

Last night he was gentle while we got intimate. He ensured that I was enjoying what he did to me. Though his reaction afterwards was startling and nasty, I believed that under the layers of his intimidating profile he was hiding his true self. Perhaps he was a softy who didn't know how to love. Or perhaps the mate bond was confusing him. I wanted to give him the chance to learn and experience affection. Perhaps kindness and patience would heal him and maybe, we would eventually be able to fall in love. We were mates and I wanted to make things work between us.

"If you say so," my brother sighed. "But I'm just a phone call away. Okay?"

Smiling, "okay," I replied.

I had a lengthy conversation with them before hanging up. They kept telling me to be cautious and safe. I simply concurred and didn't give it much thought because I knew they were only attempting to protect me. Anyway, I was confident that as long as I was inside the Palace, I was secure from any outside dangers. The Elders and their strange ceremonies were the only threat I should be worried about. I could tell from what I had observed in my new home that the Elders were highly respected in this kingdom. So, regrettably, they were here to stay.

I looked at the clock. I had plenty of time until lunch. Just a few minutes had passed after ten in the morning. I got up and headed out the door since I knew I would grow bored inside. I hadn't been informed that I couldn't go outside by anyone. Since I was new and could perhaps get lost in the Palace, I didn't want to venture too far from my chambers.

I opened the door and realised that the whole corridor was deserted. There was a balcony towards which I strolled. From where I stood, I saw the maids scurrying downstairs to attend to their duties. From a distance, I saw the warriors training in an open ground. A smile curled on my lips. I enjoyed watching their synchronised movements and to tell the truth, I yearned for my regular training sessions.

I used to have a great time training with my friends. Physical drills were what my friends and I enjoyed the most. We used to challenge each other and try to beat each other. Sometimes I won and sometimes Carolyn did. I remembered how she would celebrate each time she beat me. I snickered, thinking about her contagious laughter. It was a pity that I wouldn't be seeing her much anymore.

Whatever the case, she was only a phone call away thanks to the advancement of technology. It wouldn't be the same as seeing her daily, but it would still be something. In order to facetime her, I returned to my room.

"Girrrrlll!"

I cracked up when I heard her squeal as soon as she answered the call.

"How's being mated to a dragon like? Tell me everything!"

Her enthusiasm was contagious. I soon found myself laughing with her.

"He's good," I told her.

Rolling her eyes, "come on, girl. You know what I'm talking about. Is he good in bed?" she asserted.

I laughed. Carolyn was the perfect one to call if I wanted to kill boredom. No wonder why she quickly became my best friend.

"Yeah, he is great in bed"

That was the truth. I didn't have any experience with men unless it was a sloppy kiss, but I knew for sure that Travis was good at what he did last night.

"Oooh," she squealed excitedly. "Are there any hot, single dragons around? I think I'm getting fed up with lycan dudes over here," She coughed, running her fingers through her auburn hair. "Maybe I should visit you and try to seduce one."

"Carol," I snickered. "First, you will have to learn how to seduce anyone."

She shrugged. "So what? I'll watch porn. Maybe I'll learn a thing or two from that."

I facepalmed, cackling at her silliness.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if I also could find a mate there? I will get to see you every day!"

"Yeah," I sighed, wishing that it could happen for real. "That actually would be great."

"Oooh, ooh, and do you know what's happening here?" She spoke with unrelenting excitement, even for a brief moment.

"What?" I leaned forward, knowing that I was about to hear the hottest gossip of the lycan kingdom.

"Hailey broke up with Raphael," she said and my jaw dropped open.

"What?" I whispered.

"Yeah. The graduates who wanted to join the army were gathered for our first official training early in the morning. Raphael and Hailey also were there. She broke up in front of everyone just a few minutes ago…"

She trailed off.

"He was cheating on you and her, wasn't he?"

My lips curved into a dejected smile. I hadn't told any of my pals what had transpired between us. Carol was my best friend, yet I still kept it a secret from her. I wanted to let them go so their reputations wouldn't be tarnished, but I suppose it was time to tell Carolyn what had happened.

I told her everything from the moment I overheard their conversation to the time he came to see me that night. Everything happened so fast but I knew what I should do. I belonged where my mate was.

"That asshole!" she hissed. "He deserved all of that. And he had the nerve to actually go and see you. Gosh! I'm glad you met your mate and he is the freaking dragon king!"

"It's fine. I'm okay," I told her.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that," she whispered after a little while. This explains everything. Why you unexpectedly broke things off with Ralph and why you decided to leave in haste. Perhaps we will be able to meet you sometime soon," she said.

A little smirk curled on her pink lips.

"You know what, I really should go and visit you soon. That way, I might run into a handsome and single dragon hunk who wouldn't mind mating with me," she winked and snickered.

I knew she was trying to lighten up my mood. I grinned."Don't ever change, girl," I told her.

She blew a kiss. "I'll call you later with the latest gossip, hun. Our little break is over and we have to go and fall-in now."

"Sure, later."

I hung up and heaved a breath.

"So they broke up, huh?" Mona muttered.

"I guess."

"So?"

"So what? I don't care," I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah, we shouldn't," she said and retracted to the back of my mind.

Time passed. I did random things in my chamber to kill time until Olive brought lunch for me.

Simon showed me around the Palace after lunch. The Lycan Palace and the Palace of the Dragons were very different from one another. The exterior was where there was the biggest contrast. While the dragon castle was constructed from enormous black stones, the lycan Palace was constructed from pure white marble and adorned in white and gold. Silver and gold were used in the decoration of certain areas, such as the conference room of the dragon Palace. The warriors practised in a gym and gathered in a different arena before performing their duties. The lack of women in the military stood out to me and struck me as strange.

"Where are the female warriors?" Bewildered, I asked Simon.

He heaved a deep sigh and informed me about the laws they were forced to follow.

"The Elders wouldn't let us change that," he shrugged. "Well, things are a lot better than they used to be. At least we have a voice after Travis ascended the throne."

I frowned and cast a glance at him. "What do you mean?"

"Blake and I came from families who supported Travis' father, who was about to formulate a proposal that included a lot of changes. His brother didn't reject his ideas openly, so everyone thought all was good. Unfortunately, he was found murdered the night before the proposal was supposed to be made. We were pretty young, but I remember Travis and his mother being forced to leave the realm. And after their departure, those who supported travis' father were hushed throughout Cadmus' reign. Nothing changed until Travis returned and accepted the Crown."

"Wow," I whispered as I slowly strolled beside him down the corridor. "That's a lot."

Losing a parent during childhood was bad, but being forcefully removed from his home would have added to his trauma. Perhaps that was the reason why he was so cold.

"The Elders keep inhibiting our efforts to bring about change, but we will keep trying," he added just as we reached my chamber.

"So the ritual was part of the old rules and traditions?" I asked him.

"Ugh! Those meaningless rituals!" He groaned. "The Elders forced Travis to agree to that. They said that they wouldn't allow you to step inside the castle unless you're purified."

I nodded my head. It was a little better that my mate had nothing to do with that tradition. If only that could change…

"I'd like to help," I told him and he raised an eyebrow. "You know, with bringing about change."

He offered a little smile. "That would be great, but before we could do that we must make sure that the Elders wouldn't punish you for speaking out."

"You gotta be kidding me," I mumbled.

He pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "Weird, I know. I'm sorry. We can't forcefully change anything," he sighed. "Most of the commoners are still inclined towards the Elders'. Some of them believe a sudden change could result in a great calamity. We are being careful because we don't want an uprising against Travis."

"That sucks," I mumbled.

"See you around. I'm off to check on the warriors. Don't go anywhere without me."

I tried to estimate how much work we needed to do to reconstruct the Dragon Kingdom as I watched him turn away. The archaic laws and rules urgently needed to be updated, and in the meanwhile, I had to make sure that women had access to the same opportunities as males. I knew what Simon had told me. If I speak up, the Elders might punish me.

But I shouldn't let that stop me, should I?