Page 21 of Knotted By the Triad

What if only my dragon had claimed her? Would that leave me stuck with her while my pack brothers were able to be with Mei Lin? That would ruin all of our plans. I twisted the jade ring on my finger, something I’d been doing ever since I’d left her courtyard.

It was helping me stay grounded, preventing me from returning to her. Zuri Bane could not be my mate. It had to be the drugs. I would investigate this. And if Orion’s clan had truly created a drug that could mimic the effects of mating, I’d have his entire clan destroyed.

My dragon roared, loathing me for my thoughts. Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my chair, trying to calm my pounding heart while ignoring the fire racing through my veins. Like my pack brothers, I’d been on suppressants for years.

Once we came off them before the wedding, I’d assumed my attraction to Mei Lin would change. I’d assumed I’d crave her fiercely and that it would be a struggle to resist touching her while we fulfilled the King’s decree and produced an heir with Zuri.

Yet, there hadn’t been one flicker of interest toward my Lin’er since the suppressants left my system. But the moment I saw Zuri, that changed. Why her? I ran a hand through my green hair, tugging at it, wishing I could rid my mind of images of Zuri.

Finally, I lowered my hand. I would not go to her. I would not give in to my dragon. I would not fail Mei Lin because of some drug. I sat like that, eyes closed, twisting my jade ring, trying not to think about Zuri for a long time.

Once my dragon had ceased raging, once I’d overcome the compulsion to go to her, I opened my eyes. As soon as I did, I realized none of us had checked on Mei Lin tonight. None of us had wanted to.

Fuck!

***

ZURI

I woke up the next morning feeling hungover.

Whatever Orion Bane had given me was still kicking my ass. My head felt heavy, my mouth was dry, and even opening my eyes required more effort than it should have. I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes as I tried to shake off the lingering brain fog.

For several seconds, I sat there, staring around the room, waiting for my mind to clear. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in... Well, I couldn’t remember the last time this body had eaten.

I was hungry. And I didn’t know about the old Zuri, but I became the queen of bitches when I went too long without food. Whenever one of my besties thought I was mad at them, they always sent food to my house as an apology.

It worked every time. Thinking of my besties sent a sharp pang through my chest. Please be okay, Bri, Kena, and CiCi. My stomach growled again, demanding I feed it. I tossed the covers back and stood, only to immediately regret moving so fast.

The room spun, forcing me to grab the bed railing before my knees gave out. I squeezed my eyes shut and held on, waiting for the dizziness to pass. My door suddenly burst open.

“Princess!”

I opened my eyes in time to see Allie rushing toward me. She grabbed my arm and wrapped the other around my waist before I could insist I was fine.

“Princess, why didn’t you call for me as soon as you woke up? I was just outside your door.”

Outside my door? Oh, right. The maids in this world were forced to rise early and wait outside their boss's door in case they were needed. Apparently, becoming a princess meant I now had someone sitting outside my bedroom waiting for me to wake up.

That was going to take some getting used to. Or some changing. Maybe I could have a small side room built for Allie to sleep in. That would be better than her sleeping in the servant’s quarters.

Better yet, she could just move into the guest room of my courtyard. It wasn’t like I planned to have guests anyway. I mentally added that to my to-do list as Allie slowly helped me sit back down.

Seated on the edge of the bed, I took several deep breaths as the room finally stopped spinning. Thankfully, that nauseous feeling that had come over me settled with it, leaving behind the far more pressing problem of my empty stomach.

“What’s for breakfast?” I asked.

Allie frowned. “Um... Princess.”

“What is it?”

Her expression told me I probably wouldn't like whatever she was about to say.

“The kitchen staff here are the worst,” she complained. “They know you’re not favored by the princes, so they’ve already started neglecting our courtyard. They only sent you some cold porridge for breakfast. Yet they sent a breakfast feast to Mei Lin’s courtyard.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, the petty side of me perking up.

“Yes! I got so angry that I told them not to worry about cooking for you anymore because I’d handle it myself.”