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“Aragon…” Felix’s voice echoes in the hallway.
So much for basking in going unnoticed…
“Yes, brother?” I respond flatly, turning on my heels. He stops abruptly when he notices my cynical smile, eyes flitting worriedly to my fists curled on my sides.
As he lifts his eyes to my face, his brows furrow. “Are you alright?”
“Me? Of course, I’m alright,” I sneer without bothering to mask the cold expression on my face.
“I know you’re not, Aragon. You haven’t been yourself since you got back.”
I gulp hard when Felix steps forward, tearing my gaze away and focusing my eyes on the vase in the corner. “... Just let me be, okay?”
“No,” Felix refuses as he shakes his head. “I don’t want any of this as much as you.”
“You don’t?” I scoff, lifting a glare at my brother. “You’ve been wallowing in self-satisfaction all day.”
Felix chuckles at my blank accusation. “Only for Draco’s sake, of course,” he reveals. “And father and mother. You know how much I wanted to start a family of my own. Now the roles have reversed and I just have to accept it.”
A moment of intense silence passes, so heavy that I swear I can cut through it with a knife. Staring at Felix for a long time, I see the honesty in his eyes.
He’d been the only brother to encourage Draco to be everything Lily needed when she was a prisoner here. Kidnapped from her parents’ home, she was locked in Draco’s quarters in the castle.
It’d been Felix who figured out they were fated mates. And he’d driven Draco to his senses.
“I refuse to accept a human as my mate,” I admit. “You know how I feel.”
Felix nods. “And you know how much I was looking forward to it. But we don’t always get what we want.”
His last statement cuts through me like a hot, molten blade. None of them know what I really want. Or that what I wanted had been stripped away from me.
It’s the only reason I came back to the island.
Felix sighs as he takes a step closer, staring intently into my eyes with all the ferocity of his blue depths. “We are dragon shifters, Aragon. Vulkans of the Aurora Dragons. We have to obey the council and the alpha. It doesn’t matter what we want.”
Lugging in a staggered breath, I hang my head in shame. “I know, Felix. But it’s unfair.”
“Our very existence is up for debate regarding fairness,” he says sternly. “But we serve a purpose here. And if our kind is on the brink of extinction, you’re doing us a favor by taking a human as your mate.”
I look up to meet Felix’s determined stare, realizing the weight his words carry. He’s right, after all. Being a dragon shifter comes with the burden of fulfilling our duties to the rest of the clan. Belonging to the leading family of that clan has its own implications. I can’t imagine the world without dragons, open to the threat of being wiped out by ogres and trolls coming out of hiding.
I just didn't expect him to… understand.
Frowning at my older brother, I feel my resolve strengthening. Neither of us has a choice in this. I'm compelled to fulfill my duties to the clan and nod my head. “You’re the beta now, Felix. Surely you can agree that the council has made a grave mistake…”
“I know, brother,” Feix nods. “But Draco doesn’t protest their newest method because of his personal feelings toward using force.”
Surprised by Felix’s acknowledgment and agreement of my sentiments, I lower my voice when I say, “Then you know that we cannot make our existence known.”
He sighs, lifting a hand to my shoulder. “The invitation they sent out is a mistake. If it falls in the wrong hands…” He shakes his head.
The fear of that outcome washes over me, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue. It’s at that moment when I decide, and finally feel like someone has my back.
“Leave it to me, Felix. I’ll take care of it.”
“I know you will, Aragon.”
As I turn to leave, I pause and throw over my shoulder, “Just promise me one thing.”
