—REN—
I'm sitting on the tallest cliff that overlooks Angel's Valley—the valley where the beasts are gathered for their festival. I run a hand through my long hair and heave an overwhelmed sigh. I'm at a complete fucking loss.
I was only planning on dropping in on the festival to try some new food and assess how the other tribes are fairing. Who knew I'd get a fated mate dropped in my lap and our connection would trigger her heat?! I didn't even know there were beastwomen left in the world at all! What the hell has Daeleon been hiding all this time? Is this some kind of sick joke?
I gave her a temporary rune that will abate her cycle for a time, but it isn't a permanent solution—and I have no idea how a half-breed's body takes to these things. What if I leave, and the rune breaks? Then she'll go into heat and I won't be there…
Even from this far I can hear and vaguely sense what Zoryn is doing; partially due to our bond, but mostly because I'm straining my senses just to keep track of her. Is it giving me a brutal headache? Yeah, a little. Will that stop me? No, absolutely not.
She's being flocked by a bunch of pathetic beasts and I'm supposed to just… leave? Mind my business? Ugh!
"What the hell are you doing, Zarenien?"
I nearly jump out of my skin when a deep voice echoes behind me. I turn around and suck in a breath—naturally, it's Daeleon. He's one of the only people powerful enough to sneak up on me like that.
"Um… about that," I start, but I have no clue where to begin, so I end up trailing off.
"You marked my daughter and ran," Daeleon growls, taking a step toward me. "Start explaining before I make you shift and tear off your wings, kid."
A chill runs down my spine, and just imagining the pain of having my wings torn off makes me nauseous. "No! Please, listen, you have to believe me—I don't have bad intentions. Why do you think I left after? I'm having a crisis up here!"
"What does that have to do with me? Why did you mark her?" The huge man pulls me to my feet and spins me around to look directly into his eyes. I swallow nervously when those piercing, golden slivers stare into my eyes.
Realistically, I could fight him. I think, with how old he is and how I'm currently in my prime, I'd have like, a 50% chance of winning—but he is my elder, and he did teach me a lot of things, so I'm not willing to risk it. Besides, Zoryn would probably hate me forever if I did anything to her dad.
The thought of Zoryn hating me makes my insides burn.
Yeah, fighting is out of the question.
"It isn't a binding mark," I explain, tearing his hand off my arm and taking a step back to put some space between us. "It was the only thing I could think of to help her without…" I don't finish the sentence because I think if I even said it out loud, he'd beat my ass, despite it not having happened. "Besides, I brought her back safely, and the mark should help her smell normal."
Daeleon's nose wrinkles with disgust, but he doesn't respond immediately. He folds his arms and takes a deep breath to calm himself. "Indeed. It doesn't solve the problem, though—her heat is only temporarily eased."
"Yeah, I know," I grumble. That's what I've been fretting about this entire time! I can't help but ask, "So why are you pissed at me? I saved her and didn't do anything I shouldn't have."
"Mostly because you didn't fucking say anything, insolent little brat," Daeleon hisses, his threatening aura nearly suffocating me. "You came, marked my child without so much as a 'hello', then left her. What are you, a common human manwhore? Have you no manners?"
"I…" I sigh, and avert my eyes in shame. "We have a fated mate bond and it's freaking me out! That's why I left."
Daeleon's lips part for a moment, then close. His usually stoic face flashes with several different emotions in the span of a few seconds before he echoes, "...Fated?"
"Yeah. Fated."
"To you?"
I frown, "What the hell? You don't have to sound so disgusted. If anything, you should be thanking your lucky stars that it's me and not some pathetic lesser beast! Or a human!"
My elder looks at me with a complicated expression, "Your fated bond won't mean anything if you leave her to her own devices; I'm sure you can sense what has already begun. You've left your mate alone, Zarenien," he pauses, "...Unclaimed, no less."
Rage instantly flares in my chest, but I swallow it. I know he's right, I know I'm pathetic for running from fate—but… I never even imagined having a lover before. It didn't seem like it was something meant for me. I'm not interested in other males, like many beasts have adapted to be, and the few women around have never caught my fancy. Besides, there's nothing better than having the freedom to roam and collect memories, knowledge, and treasures without anyone or anything holding you back.
"You're pathetic and immature," Daeleon says to me. His voice isn't angry or disdainful… it's just full of disappointment. "You can't have your cake and eat it, too. As you are, you don't deserve her."
"That's— that's why I ran! Why are you lecturing me right now? You're not the one who has a fated mate who didn't even know she was a woman until this morning—" I get cut off when my senses all start to go off. There are alarms in my head and a spark ripples down my entire body.
Zoryn's aura flares bright, and then I can feel… anger. Oh, shit—is she getting into a fight right now?!
"What? What's wrong, Zarenien?" Daeleon frowns at me.
A growl rumbles out of me before I can stop it. "I think… I think she's fighting?"
There's a protective, possessive part of me that suddenly explodes into existence. The thought of someone hurting her… fuck, it's pissing me off! But… the thought of her hurting someone else… that's kind of hot, actually.
"Why is she like this?" Daeleon grumbles, then heaves a defeated sigh. He gives me a knowing look, "...You're going to have to get used to that. Ryn gets into fights all the time."
"What?" I scoff. "Why?"
"I don't like it either, but… trying to stop her is impossible, trust me," he answers with a sad shake of his head. "Just don't worry about it."
I take a few breaths to calm my nerves, but then an idea strikes me. If she's in a fight, it wouldn't hurt to go watch, right? I doubt she needs help, so it'll probably just be some fun entertainment. But if, on the off-chance, she does need help, I will be there. Win-win!
I don't bother explaining where I'm going to Daeleon. He'll figure it out, anyway.
My body starts to shift, and the feeling of my body transitioning into dragon-form takes over. As soon as my wings finish sprouting from my back, I take off—time to watch my new girl rock someone's shit.