The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 442

Chapter 442: Three Liars Walk Into A Corridor

SHADOWCLAW — TRAINING ARENA, EXTERIOR

Dexmon Drakenfell was leaning against the wall outside the training arena with his arms crossed. He had absolutely not been standing there for forty-seven minutes and counted every one of them.

Hyran was beside him, looking grumpy because he had been asked to stand outside an arena for the sole purpose of opening a portal when the session ended. His professional bandwidth was being allocated to the magical equivalent of calling a carriage.

Inside the arena, Serena shifted for the twenty-first time that day.

The pain tore through Dex’s matebond like a hot blade through his sternum. His jaw locked. His nose started bleeding. Again. Eleventh time for that symptom.

Six seconds. He counted every goddamn one.

In his study, Finnick Shadowclaw was receiving the same six seconds at the same intensity through the same matebond, and was bleeding on whatever documents were under his nose, and was hating every second of the distance with the same fury Dex was hating it from outside a wall.

Both Alphas had been removed from the arena by Tiberon. Again. Both Alphas had complied. Again. Both Alphas had spent the morning absorbing their mate’s shift pain from locations that were close enough to hear the shifts and far enough to be useless during them, and the combination of close and useless was the specific torture that Tiberon Drakenfell had designed when he told them to stay out and the design was working exactly as intended.

The arena doors opened.

Tiberon walked out first. He looked at his son leaning against the wall. He looked at Hyran reading a ward schematic that Hyran had already read four times and was reading a fifth because the alternative was making eye contact with an Alpha whose patience had dissolved three shifts ago.

"Excellent use of a Master Mage’s time," Tiberon observed. "Standing outside a wall. Holding a portal request. Truly, the pinnacle of arcane application."

"I serve at the Crown’s pleasure," Hyran replied without looking up, because looking up meant engaging, and engaging with Tiberon’s sarcasm was an activity that produced no winners.

Serena came through the doors behind Tiberon. Her hair was plastered to her forehead. Her training suit was damp with sweat. Her arms were shaking from exertion and her legs were doing the thing where they functioned but were filing complaints about the functioning.

Dex moved. "Shadowclaw had you. My turn."

Serena opened her mouth to tell him she was going to say goodbye to Fin, but Dexmon threw her over his shoulder before she could get the words out.

Hyran opened a portal and Dex stepped through without looking back.

✦✦✦

DRAKENFELL KEEP

"What are you thinking about?" Dex asked.

They’d been walking in silence through the Keep for a good five minutes. Serena hadn’t noticed, but he had.

Serena looked at him. Truthfully, she had a lot on her mind. But the biggest thing weighing on her was Gavriel.

"Is it alright if we check on Gav?"

Her voice was careful. She understood Dexmon and Fin had technically both banned her from being friends with him. Gav almost dying had shoved the rule under the rug, but the rug was still there, and the rule was still under it, and Serena was lifting the corner of the rug with two fingers and checking if the rule would bite.

"Sure, baby." Dex kissed the top of her head. "Let’s go see him."

She exhaled, tension releasing from her body.

Too bad.

Dex scooped her up again, throwing her over his shoulder for the second time.

"DEX. I can WALK."

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