Chapter 15
The sky above the mountain darkened, not because of clouds, but because of wings.
Something enormous tore through the sky above the hidden city, its shadow swallowing the last of the light across the battlefield. The air itself seemed to shake as the creature descended through the clouds.
Even the dragons already circling the palace froze. The golden dragon standing protectively beside Ariana stiffened and lowered its massive body. The hunter dragon that had been stalking toward the chamber stopped mid-step, its wings folding halfway. For the first time since the attack began, the predators looked afraid.
Ariana felt the change immediately. The strange power inside her chest tightened again, pulsing like a second heartbeat that did not fully belong to her. Something ancient was coming. Something the world had not seen for centuries.
Across the shattered terrace, Kael slowly pushed himself up from the cracked marble floor where the hunter dragon had thrown him. His shoulder burned where the claws had torn through flesh, and blood ran down his arm, but he barely noticed the pain. His eyes lifted toward the sky, and for the first time since becoming Alpha, Kael Vaughn felt something dangerously close to dread.
The creature descending from the clouds was larger than anything he had imagined. Its wings stretched across half the sky, and each slow beat pushed waves of wind through the ruined city, rattling broken towers and sending loose stones tumbling down the mountainside. Black scales gleamed like polished obsidian beneath the fading light, and its eyes burned with ancient gold.
The golden dragon beside Ariana bowed its head even lower. The hunter dragon crouched lower to the ground, its wings partially folded in submission. Kael felt his wolf react uneasily inside him. Every instinct told him the same thing. This was a predator, but not one that could be challenged.
The Dragon King had arrived.
The enormous creature landed on the broken palace terrace with an impact that shook the entire mountain. Stone cracked beneath its weight, dust burst into the air, and fragments of marble skidded across the floor. For several seconds, no one moved.
The Dragon King slowly folded its wings. Every movement was deliberate and controlled. Its massive head lowered toward the open chamber, and silence settled across the battlefield.
Ariana's heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears. Beside her, the man dressed in black and gold stared at the dragon with something close to disbelief.
"This should not be possible," he whispered.
Kael stepped forward, placing himself closer to Ariana despite the creature towering above them. "Why?" he demanded.
The man swallowed. "The Dragon King vanished when the last Sovereign died."
Ariana blinked. "So he's been asleep this whole time?"
The man shook his head slowly, his eyes still fixed on the enormous creature. "No. He's been waiting."
The Dragon King's golden gaze moved across the chamber, first to Kael, then to the shattered palace walls, and finally to Ariana. The moment their eyes met, the power inside Ariana's chest surged violently, and heat rushed through her veins.
The dragon lowered its massive head further. Ariana felt something shift inside her mind. A presence filled her thoughts, ancient and immense, and then a voice echoed there. It was not loud or threatening, but it was powerful enough to make her knees weaken.
"So… you have returned."
Ariana's breath caught. "You can talk?"
The dragon's voice rolled through her mind like distant thunder. I always could. Kael looked between Ariana and the dragon. "What's happening?"
Ariana swallowed. "He's talking to me."
The man beside them nodded grimly. "That's the Sovereign bond."
Kael frowned immediately. "I don't like it."
The Dragon King's gaze flickered briefly toward him, then returned to Ariana.
"The wolf Alpha. Interesting."
Kael's wolf reacted at once. "I don't care if you're a king," Kael said coldly, stepping protectively in front of Ariana. "Or a mountain with wings. You're not taking her anywhere."
The dragon's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
The golden dragon beside Ariana lifted its head proudly. "She is the Sovereign."
The Dragon King remained still, studying Ariana as if weighing something unseen. "Perhaps."
Ariana frowned. "Perhaps?"
The throne has been empty for centuries. Many have claimed it. Ariana felt her stomach drop. "You think I'm lying?"
"I think you are untested."
Behind them, the hunter dragon suddenly roared again. It had recovered from the earlier attack and now crept closer across the broken terrace, its red eyes burning with hatred. The Dragon King did not even glance at it. Its golden gaze remained fixed on Ariana. "The Sovereign commands dragons. Prove it."
Ariana blinked. "What?"
The dragon's voice hardened. "Command me."
The entire chamber went still. Even the wind seemed to pause. Kael looked at her immediately. "You don't have to do that."
But the man in black and gold shook his head. "Yes," he said quietly. "She does."
Ariana's pulse raced. "What happens if I can't?"
The man answered without hesitation. "Then the Dragon King will decide you are not the true Sovereign."
Kael's eyes darkened. "And?"
The man's voice turned grim. "And he will burn this entire city to the ground."
Ariana stared up at the enormous dragon. Its golden eyes remained fixed on her, calm, patient, and judging. Her chest tightened.
"I don't know how," she whispered.
The voice returned inside her mind. You do. Your blood remembers. Ariana's golden eyes flickered brighter. She could feel it again, that strange instinct pulling at her, the same force that had answered her call earlier. Behind them, the hunter dragon lunged. Fire exploded toward the chamber.
Kael shifted instantly and launched himself toward the creature. "Now would be a good time!" he shouted.
Ariana took a breath, then stepped forward. The golden dragon beside her spread its wings slightly, while the Dragon King remained perfectly still, watching. Ariana slowly raised her hand. The power inside her surged. Her golden eyes burned brighter than ever, and she spoke the first command that rose from the deepest part of her blood.
"Bow to me."
For one terrifying second, nothing happened. The hunter dragon roared, the city shook, and Kael braced himself against the incoming fire. Then the impossible happened.
The Dragon King lowered its massive head. Slowly. Deliberately. The mountain itself seemed to tremble as the ancient ruler of dragons bowed.The entire chamber fell silent.
The man beside Ariana whispered in shock, "She did it."
Kael stared. But Ariana barely noticed, because the moment the Dragon King bowed, something else answered from the sky. A roar. Far louder than the others. Far more furious. Everyone looked up. Ariana's heart stopped.
Emerging from the clouds above the mountains was an army of dragons. Hundreds of them. Their wings darkened the sky like a storm, and every single one of them had glowing red eyes.