Vorian stared blankly at the towering, terrifying teenage warlord standing before him. Looking into the boy’s wide, panicked green eyes, Vorian realized with dread that he was looking at an entirely clueless child.

Vorian’s jaw slacked. He mentally cursed his King with every foul draconic word in his vocabulary.

How in the name of the ancient ancestors did Zarek never give his son the talk? They had taught the boy how to disembowel a rogue beast with a single swipe, how to command an army, and how to track prey through a blizzard.

But they had completely neglected his biological education.

"I..." Vorian stammered, scratching his head. He cleared his throat violently, desperately trying to maintain his sanity. "Well, young Prince. It is... it is about mating. With your mate."

Drax’s dark brow furrowed into an intense, highly analytical scowl. He crossed his thick arms over his tunic, completely unsatisfied with the vague answer.

"They told me about having mates, Vorian," Drax stated, his tone shifting into the rigid, demanding cadence of a military interrogation. "I am fully aware of the structure of a harem and the lifelong bonding. But they absolutely did not tell me about how to mate with a mate. What does that actually entail? Why does it require a secluded ravine? And why does it sound like a battle?!"

A fresh, cold drop of sweat rolled directly down the side of Vorian’s face.

From the depths of the hidden sapphire ravine, a faint, deeply muffled, and entirely unmistakable groan echoed up the rock wall.

Vorian’s flat grey eyes blew wide open in sheer panic. He absolutely could not let the heir stand here and listen to the King and Queen of the Iron-Wood populate the continent.

It would ruin the boy’s psychological development forever.

"We are leaving," Vorian declared, his voice pitching slightly higher than usual.

Without waiting for permission, the massive guard reached out, clamped a heavy, iron-like grip directly onto Drax’s broad shoulder, and violently spun the teenager around. He began marching the heir directly up the snowy path, forcefully leading him as far away from the cave entrance as physically possible.

"Hey! Unhand me!" Drax protested, stumbling over a snowdrift as he was aggressively marched up the mountain. "I demand a proper explanation!"

"You will get one," Vorian grunted, practically shoving Drax over a ridge to put a solid wall of granite between them and the ravine. He finally released the teenager, taking a massive, deep breath of the freezing air to steady his racing heart.

He looked at the deeply confused, highly agitated drake. Vorian rubbed his temples, praying to the minor gods of the System for guidance.

"Listen closely, Drax," Vorian started, adopting the incredibly grave, solemn tone usually reserved for discussing enemy troop movements. "One day, when you are older, a pretty girl is going to walk into your life. She will smell like nothing you have ever encountered, and she will make your draconic heart race so fast you will think your core is failing."

Drax crossed his arms, his green eyes narrowing skeptically at the romantic nonsense.

"Impossible," Drax countered immediately, his teenage arrogance and deep-seated mama’s boy complex flaring to life. "There is absolutely no one like my mother. She is the Matriarch. She is fierce, she is brilliant, and she smells like vanilla and power. No other female could possibly compare."

Vorian let out a long, heavy sigh, nodding slowly in defeat.

"Your devotion to the Queen is incredibly honorable, young Prince," Vorian agreed dryly, crossing his own massive arms. "However, she is your mother. You cannot marry your mother. Furthermore, she is already mated to five of the most terrifying, bloodthirsty warlords in the known universe, including your father. Attempting to court her would lead to war."

Drax paused. He rubbed his chin, his mind completely absorbing the logic.

"You make a solid, undeniable point, Vorian," Drax conceded, nodding seriously. He dropped his arms and looked at the guard with intense, academic focus. "Alright. I cannot marry my mother. What happens after the heart racing?"

Vorian groaned, looking up at the crisp blue sky as if begging the heavens to strike him down where he stood.

Far below the freezing, awkward interrogation on the mountain path, the atmosphere inside the hidden cavern was peace.

The glowing blue luminous stones embedded in the rock walls cast a soft, ethereal sapphire light over the thick, dark fur cloaks spread across the stone floor. The heavy scent of ozone, damp moss, and the deep, musky aroma of satisfaction completely filled the warm air.

Roxy lay on her side, completely enveloped in the heat of the Dragon King.

She rested her head directly over his wildly beating heart, the rhythmic, powerful thump-thump serving as a grounding lullaby to her exhausted soul.

Her bare skin was flushed, dotted with faint, dark bruises and completely exhausted from the staggering, hours-long marathon of their physical reunion. She had never felt so entirely full.

Zarek lay flat on his back, one massive arm wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her flush against his side. His golden eyes were half-closed, radiating a deep, completely sated Alpha contentment.

With his free hand, Zarek was gently, methodically combing his thick fingers through her messy dark curls. His touch, usually capable of crushing solid steel, was unbelievably tender. He carefully untangled the damp strands, his blunt nails lightly scraping against her scalp in a soothing, hypnotic rhythm that made Roxy hum with absolute bliss.

She tilted her head up slightly, resting her chin on his broad, heavily scarred pectoral muscle. Her brilliant green eyes traced the sharp, rugged lines of his jaw and the relaxed curve of his lips.

"You look entirely entirely too pleased with yourself, Dragon," Roxy whispered, her voice incredibly husky and thick with sleep.

Zarek let out a low, vibrating chuckle that rumbled delightfully beneath her chin. He didn’t open his eyes, simply continuing to gently stroke her hair.

"I am the King of the continent, holding my breathtaking Queen in the exact cavern where she met me," Zarek murmured, his gravelly voice echoing softly in the quiet space. "I have every right to be pleased, Roxy. You completely overwrote the Architect’s poison. Every inch of my core knows that you chose me."

Roxy smiled softly, lifting her small hand to rest flat against his cheek. Her thumb gently brushed over the faint stubble along his jawline.

"I will always choose you, Zaza," Roxy promised quietly. "No matter what that unearthly devil throws at us. We are real. This is real."

Zarek finally opened his golden eyes. The feral, possessive heat of their earlier passion had completely burned out, leaving behind a vast, endless ocean of profound emotional depth. He looked down at her, studying her pale skin, her brilliant eyes, and the delicate features that completely defied the brutal evolution of the Beastworld.

He shifted slightly, turning his massive frame so he was lying on his side, completely mirroring her posture. He propped his head up on his hand, bringing his face level with hers. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He gently tucked a stray, dark curl behind her ear, his touch lingering on her warm skin.

Zarek leaned in closer, his breath ghosting over her lips.

"Tell me more about your world."