The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Academic Felonies

The first book she grabbed was on Aether Fabrication. She knew there were other volumes on it outside the restricted section, but she was not interested in advertising the fact that she suddenly needed it.

She’d done it unintentionally when she shielded Elara from Solara and Velkaris. She had a feeling learning it would help her control and channel her gold magic.

She glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

Her heart was pounding anyway, like she was committing a crime. Which was ridiculous, because she was not doing anything wrong.

Well. Except for the unauthorized access to restricted texts. Minor detail.

Absolutely not worth the panic response her body was having.

She opened the book and read at alpha speed. Her eyes glowed gold. Pages turned in a blur.

Thirty seconds.

She looked up.

Still nothing. No shuffling. No clearing of throats.

The librarians always watched her. She glowed gold nearly every time she stepped into this place. The fact that there were none hovering today, and that she was standing alone in the restricted section without Hyran anywhere in sight, meant only one thing.

They were all very deliberately not watching.

That was actually helpful.

She grinned at the realization and shook her head.

The next item she pulled free was a scroll written in Draken-Vorah. A language she technically only ever spoke while in trance. But she had heard it and spoken it enough lately that she knew she would be able to get what she needed from the text.

Draken-Vorah also heavily overlapped with her ancestors’ language, Glaciovox. The parallels between Drakenfell and where she originated from were uncanny.

She unrolled it carefully at first, re-rolling the bottom as she went, and then shifted into alpha speed.

About half way through, she found it. Sort of.

It was similar to the mark on her arm. A token-sized coin with a dragon on it and Draken-Vorah written around it in a circle. But where hers was lithe and coiled protectively inward, this one was broader through the chest, horns heavier, wings spread wide. The Draken-Vorah script curved in the opposite direction.

She stared at it for a long moment.

Two sides of the same coin. Literally.

She grinned.

Brotherhood of the Hidden Flame. It had been founded before the inception of Drakenfell. High blood dragon king descendants were born with the mark. If marked, you take a blood oath when you come of age and are sworn to secrecy. The mark will only reveal itself at certain times. There was no information on when or why.

She would find more later, but at least she had a name.

Yet again, she found another parallel between where she and Elara had originated and Drakenfell. Her curiosity on that subject was starting to gnaw at her, and she knew she would ask Hyran eventually.

She gently put the scroll back, far too pleased with her own detective skills.

Last book. Back to Aether Fabrication, but this time through the lens of fae magic.

She needed clarification on the differences between fae and mage magic. She suspected she lived somewhere inconveniently in between.

She climbed the ladder at alpha speed, grabbed the book, and climbed back down.

It was dusty.

This time she did not bother to look around. She knew the drill. She immediately started reading at alpha speed, pulling the information in like a download.

More things clicked in her mind. Epiphanies stacked. Threads connected.

Her brows furrowed as she finished.

She would need clarification on a few topics. But, the conclusion she’d drawn from this book was her magic was closer to fae than mage.

Hyran cleared his throat, cutting into her thoughts.

Serena screamed, jumped, and dropped the book.

Mage-librarians on every level shushed her in unison, like a possessed flock of offended geese.

Her hand flew to her chest, her heart pounding like she had just been caught trying to hide the body of an elder she murdered behind a tapestry.

Hyran stood there with a smirk already in place.

"First this," he said mildly, "and next thing you know you will be robbing a bank."

She let out a laugh despite herself, the sound a little breathless as her heart finally started to slow.

"Your alpha speed reading is terrifying the mage librarians," he added, entirely unbothered. "They are afraid you will damage the books."

"I was very careful," Serena said earnestly. "Nothing was damaged, so they need not worry."

"I see that," he said, glancing pointedly at the book she had just dropped.

She bent to pick it up. "Right then. It was good seeing you, Hyran."

She turned immediately. She needed to get to the underground chamber, and she needed to do it quickly.

The moment she was out of his sight, she moved at alpha speed, heading straight for it.

✦✦✦

She entered the underground chamber and walked quickly toward the lake.

"Fae and mage Aether Fabrication," she said to herself, grinning at her own boldness. "I have read the instructions. Mostly."

She held out her hand. Nothing happened at first.

Then, gold shot from her palm.

Born of the Moon Goddess, carved in flame,

You bear the Dragon Prince’s mark, his claim.

This token grants what you now seek.

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