Chapter 7

Elenna's POV

As the guard collapsed, Dragon King Aurelian stood revealed behind him, pure rage burning in his eyes. Then came the accusation.

My mind reeled at his accusation about his "bloodline." The room seemed to spin around me as I struggled to comprehend what he was implying, until he reminded me of the night two years ago.

Now I remembered how I knew him—something I had never imagined!

It was that night I lost Solan, was detested and rejected by my family... and the man responsible for it all was this powerful Dragon King standing before me.

When he demanded to know where his child was—a child supposedly born from our night together—ice flooded my veins. A child? His child? The accusation was so unexpected, so impossible, that I could barely form a coherent denial.

I held firm to the truth—there had never been any child.

After dismissing my protests, Aurelian ordered Adrian to take me to an isolation chamber. As the half-dragon assistant gripped my arm and led me away, I couldn't help but notice how the Dragon King left scorching air in his wake, the heat lingering long after he'd gone.

"In the Dragon King's realm," Adrian warned, his eyes flashing gold, "there is one rule and one rule only—absolute obedience. The king tolerates neither refusal nor questioning. To defy his will is to choose death."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Adrian cut me off. "I don't want to hear you talk. The king will extract the truth from your lips himself."

Adrian led me up a winding stone staircase edged by flickering candlelight. We passed floor after floor, each guarded by soldiers in armor emblazoned with dragon insignias. I lost count of the steps we climbed.

Finally, we reached a corridor lined with stone doors, each carved with different dragon patterns. Adrian unlocked one and motioned me inside before securing it behind me.

The room was surprisingly spacious—much larger than my servant's attic at my father's house. It contained a small sitting area, a wardrobe, a large bed draped with silk sheets, and a table with two chairs. A small bathroom adjoined, complete with a crystal bathtub, toilet, and sink. High on the wall was a small window, though magical barriers outside prevented any thought of escape.

Along the wall beside the bed was an ornate hidden door bearing an intricate dragon design. It had no visible handle or lock.

I examined my surroundings with a mix of anxiety and grudging appreciation. Despite being a prisoner, my accommodations were far better than the servant's quarters I'd grown accustomed to.

The dragon pattern on the hidden door began to glow, sending a surge of fear through me. It slid open silently, and Aurelian stepped through, his massive frame nearly filling the doorway. I instinctively backed away until I hit the wall, feeling like a trapped rabbit.

"Now," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "you've had time to consider. Stop pretending."

The door closed and locked automatically behind him, leaving me alone with the Dragon King. The air grew warmer with his presence. He began recounting what had happened that night.

Fragments of memories flooded back—his burning touch, the intensity of our encounter.

My whispered admission seemed only to fuel his anger. He closed the distance between us. My body betrayed me with an involuntary response to his nearness.

Before I could blink, he seized my wrists in one powerful hand and slammed me against the wall. The physical display of his strength terrified me, but it was his roar that sent true fear coursing through me—the entire room shook as he demanded to know where his "dragonborn" was.

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" I trembled beneath his grip. "I never bore any child!"

His accusations grew more specific—that my family had deliberately drugged me to seduce him, that I'd hidden his offspring for some political advantage. Each charge was more outrageous than the last, yet the absolute conviction in his eyes showed he truly believed them.

My fear gave way to indignation. "You think I wanted to be drugged?" I challenged, angry tears forming. "I was engaged to Solan! Because of that night, I lost everything!"

Aurelian roughly grabbed my chin, lifting my face. "You still wish to marry that bear-man? You dared to consider having a lesser species raise dragon blood?"

"There was never a child," I maintained, frightened but unbroken.

Desperate to prove my innocence, I suggested someone examine me for signs of childbearing. His response sent a new wave of heat through the room.

"No one examines my woman but me," he growled, releasing my hands but keeping me trapped against the wall with his body. "Dragons do not share what's theirs."

The air between us crackled with tension, his body radiating a heat that seemed to penetrate my skin.

"Remove your clothes," he commanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous, seductive tone. "I will personally confirm that your body bears no marks of childbirth."