Wolf Princess Sold to the Dragon King novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103: When Two Brothers Said Mine

Kael stepped between Maddox and the direction Guinevere and Blair were standing, positioning himself there for no tactical reason that Maddox could identify.

"I can explain, Maddox. She’s my mate."

Maddox heard ’my mate’ leave his brother’s mouth, and for one full second, the Dragon King had no thoughts. Just certainty that Kael was lying, and the equally primal certainty that if he wasn’t, he was going to lose his mind in front of five hundred people.

"She merged with my flame," Kael continued. "The Drakencrest flame, which is why you were able to call it from her."

All the whispering stopped. Jaws dropped in sequence like dominoes falling down both sides of the hall. Every brain was doing the same calculation and arriving at the same conclusion, which was that this evening had peaked three times already and was somehow still climbing.

Maddox’s dragon slammed against his ribs.

LIES. She is ours.

"Your mate." Maddox repeated the words slowly, forcing his voice steady. "Your mate merged with your flame. Something that hasn’t occurred in our bloodline specifically in three centuries. And you forgot to mention that to me."

"I did mention the person to you."

The sentence connected to a conversation Maddox remembered with perfect clarity. The reason Kael had walked into his tent and asked for a seat at his table.

"She’s the reason."

"Yes, because she’s my mate, Maddox."

The air left Maddox’s lungs like he’d been punched. His brother said ’my mate’ with the ease of a man who had been saying it privately for longer than tonight.

Maddox looked at Guinevere. "Is he telling the truth?"

Her. Not Ryker. Not Sterling. He asked her because he trusted her answer more than those of every officer he had combined.

She wiped her eyes. Took a breath. Then answered in a level voice. "Yes, he’s telling the truth."

She had pulled herself together to confirm the one thing that could destroy him. Her composure was impressive. The content was devastating.

The crowd lost its collective mind. A buzz erupted. Two brothers. One woman. A flame merge. The social event of the decade had just become the social event of the century, and the century was young.

Sterling pinched the bridge of his nose. Ryker ran his hand down his face.

Maddox ignored all of it, his focus entirely on her. She had wiped her eyes before she answered. The sequence mattered. A woman telling the truth wipes her eyes after because the emotion follows the honesty. A woman building herself up to a lie wipes first because she needs a clean face to sell it.

He watched for other tells. She didn’t give him any.

"Bullshit."

One word. His finest diplomatic contribution of the evening, delivered at full volume in front of an audience of lords who were going to quote it in council meetings for the next decade.

The whispering stopped. Every mouth in the crowd closed at the same time.

"It’s not bullshit," Blair said, her voice quiet. "I’m sorry, Maddox."

Instinct. Choice. Both. Neither. Every fiber in his body screamed for her, even if it was crazy. The romance of the evening died the second his brother said ’mate,’ and was replaced by the dragon king tackling and biting a woman on their first date.

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