Chapter 53. An Inevitable Doom: pt. 1

Aric Hugged his long lost ally. A million questions were running in his mind.

The embrace was stiff, more out of necessity than affection. Aric’s beast shifted restlessly beneath his skin, claws scraping as if reminding him that trust was a luxury he couldn’t afford. Aidan’s frame was solid, his dragon heat seeping through the thin layer of clothing, radiating an aura that carried the weight of fire and sky. For a fleeting heartbeat, Aric wondered if this hug was a truce, a warning, or both. The air between them burned with unspoken memories and half-kept promises.

Aidan had claimed to be a royal messenger for this Queen Amber which made no sense.

The very word ‘messenger’ sounded wrong when attached to the Dragon King. Dragons didn’t bow, didn’t serve, didn’t chain themselves to another’s cause. The idea of Aidan standing in someone else’s shadow gnawed at Aric’s instincts. The courtroom, with its high stone arches and shadowed corners, seemed to lean closer, list