Chapter 134 - Fully Bonded

Chapter 134 - Fully Bonded
Chapter 32 - Fully Bonded

Nyxaria POV

The world looked different after mating.

Not in the poetic way bards describe it, all gilded moonlight and fluttery feelings.

More like… everything was sharper. Hungrier.
Too bright and too loud and somehow perfect.

I could still feel the bond with Lucen thrumming through my veins like molten starlight, and tugging deep in my chest. And every time his fingers brushed mine, the pull snapped tight, delicious and maddening, a reminder of what we’d done, and what we could do again if we weren't trying to behave like semi-normal people for five minutes.

Lyrielle sat curled beside Rhaen on the oversized velvet couch in the twins’ suite. Her hair, all shimmering silver and blue, was a tangled waterfall down her back. Rhaen kept staring at her neck like he wanted to mark her again.

He had already tried twice this morning.

It was embarrassing for everyone.

I sat cross-legged on the opposite couch with Lucen beside me, our legs touching, and his hand draped possessively across the back of mine like it belonged there.

Which, apparently, it did.

The suite smelled like sex and dragon pheromones and… happiness. And also bacon, because Rhaen had cooked breakfast for Lyrielle and burned half of it trying to flirt at the same time.

“So.” Lyrielle finally exhaled, her voice soft but steady. “We need to talk about it.”

I stiffened. Lucen groaned. Rhaen squeezed Lyrielle’s knee.

“About what, exactly?” Lucen muttered. “Because there were a lot of… ‘its’ last night.”

Lyrielle kicked him in the shin.

I snorted. “She means the future, smartass.”

“Oh.” Lucen scrubbed his hands over his face. “Right. That.”

Rhaen sat up straighter. “The other mates.”

Silence hit the room like a blade tip.

My breath tightened. Even knowing it, even having prepared my whole life for the reality of multiple mates, hearing it aloud made something low and raw twist in my chest.

Seiryn hummed in my mind from Lyrielle’s side of the bond, her presence calm and warm.

"The storm has more than one lightning strike, little sister. And your heart is big enough for all of them."

Vhalra, my dragon, snarled softly inside me. "I don’t like the idea of multiple mates. You know that, right?"

A beat of silence.

"But… the bond is the bond."

Lucen’s fingers threaded through mine. “If..when...you get more mates, we’ll deal with it. Together.”

His tone held a reluctant acceptance, not denial.

Rhaen nodded. “We’ve always known the royal bloodlines get multiple. And you two… you’re powerful. Too powerful to be limited to one bond.”

Lyrielle looked torn between guilt and hope. “We don’t want to hurt either of you.”

“You won’t.” Rhaen leaned forward, kissing her forehead. “We’re yours. That’s not changing.”

Lucen grumbled, “And if some future mate tries anything stupid, I’ll break his legs.”

I elbowed him. “That’s not how peace treaties work.”

“It’s how my patience works.”

Lyrielle snorted, and the tension cracked open like a shell.

But underneath it… something trembled.
Something darker.

“What about my mom?” I whispered before I could stop myself.

Lyrielle flinched. “Nyx...”

“No.” My voice cracked. “What if she doesn’t come back?”

The words hit like a slap of cold wind.

Lucen pulled me against his chest without hesitation. His wolf energy wrapped around me like warm shadows.

“She will,” he murmured into my hair. “Your parents don't lose. They never have. They never will.”

Rhaen’s voice was gentler than usual. “My mom said the gods needed to train Elowen, not that she was in danger.”

Lyrielle nodded, though fear swam behind her golden eyes. “She’s strong. You know she is.”

I did. But strength didn’t stop cosmic bullshit from happening.

Vhalra flared in my chest, her voice vibrating through my ribs. "Your mother is moon-forged and chaos-blessed. She will not fall. We will not allow it."

Lucen held me tighter, his lips ghosting the pulse at my neck. The mate bond pulsed back, soothing and electrifying all at once.

Rhaen shifted closer to Lyrielle. “We’ll protect you both while she’s gone. No matter what comes.”

Lyrielle smiled weakly… then froze, her eyes snapping toward the door.

Footsteps. Two pairs. Three. Four.

Then...A knock.

Lucen and Rhaen tensed so hard the couch groaned.

Lyrielle straightened beside Rhaen, her dragon energy pulsing faintly through the air.

I pushed up from Lucen’s chest reluctantly. “If that’s Katrina and Chelsea again, I swear to the moons I will burn the...”

The door swung open before I finished. And Noctara swept in like a storm.

“Hi, babies!”

She paused. Her eyes landed on me. Then Lyrielle. Then her sons.

Then the marks. Our necks. Our wrists. Our glowing aura bond. The sex everywhere smell.

Her smile turned vulpine.

“Well, well,” she purred. “Looks like someone finally pulled their heads out of their asses.”

Lucen groaned. “Mother!!”

Rhaen buried his face in his hands.

Noctara just leaned back against the doorframe and grinned like she’d been waiting 18 years for this moment.

She clapped her hands sharply.

“Congratulations, all of you. The mate bonds look strong. Healthy. A little messy. Excellent work.”

Lucen choked. “Mom!!”

“I’m proud of you. Really. You finally stopped acting like drunk idiots.”

Rhaen muttered, “We were drunk idiots.”

“Yes, darling, but now you’re sober idiots with mates.”

Lyrielle sputtered. “Um... thank you?”

Noctara winked. “You’re welcome. And I expect grandchildren eventually, but no rush.”

Lucen made a sound like death. But her smile dimmed as she straightened, and her gaze softened.

“We came to check on you.”

I blinked. “We?”

Noctara stepped aside just as Ravek and Kylion appeared behind her.

Ravek, massive, scarred, and all lycan menace, nodded to us. “You four okay?”

Lyrielle and I nodded together.

Kylion’s sky-blue eyes glowed faintly, thunder magic crackling around his shoulders. “Your mother is safe. Selene has her.”

Relief punched the air from my lungs.

“What’s happening?” Lyrielle asked.

Kylion hesitated, which he never did.

“The gods found something. Something old moving beneath Aetheros. Chaos choosing her was also a surprise. They have to show her how to use the magic properly.”

A cold shiver crawled up my spine. Lucen squeezed my hand.

Noctara continued, “We don’t have all the answers yet. But we want you all on guard. Stay together. No wandering alone. And...”

Her smile flickered back, wicked and knowing.

“There is an assembly at six this evening. Mandatory for all students. Wear something nice. And maybe try not to smell like sex by then?”

Nyx and Lyrielle turned the same shade of red. Lucen threw a pillow at his mother.

Rhaen muttered, “I hate everything.”

Noctara dodged easily. “Love you too!”

She flashed us one last grin and swept out dramatically, her mates following behind her.

The door shut. Silence. Lyrielle looked at me. I looked at her. Then we both burst out laughing so hard we fell into each other.

Lucen and Rhaen exchanged a long suffering look before sinking onto the couch beside us, pulling us into their arms.

Their warmth. Their scent. Their bond. Everything finally felt… right.

“Assembly later,” Rhaen murmured into Lyrielle’s hair. “Drama earlier.”

Lucen kissed my temple. “And tonight? We stay together.”

I curled closer to him, finally allowing myself to believe it. Whatever came next, shadow, rot, gods, or chaos, we would face it.

Mate bound. Dragon-fierce. United.

And maybe, just maybe…Happy.

For now.
____________________

Lucen POV

The girls disappeared down the hall toward their suite, laughing softly with Maeve and Seren, their long hair shimmering like moonlit waves.

Everything in me pulled me toward Nyx.. my mate... but Rhaen grabbed my arm.

“We need answers,” he muttered. “Now.”

He was right.

So we headed for the courtyard, where Noctara had last been, following the crisp bite of storm energy that always signaled that Kylion was nearby.

We found him by the training cliffs, leaning against a pillar of crackling blue lightning like it was a decorative vase.

Storm gods had zero fucking chill.

“Kylion,” Rhaen said sharply, skipping greetings. “We need the truth. All of it.”

Kylion lifted one white-gold eyebrow. “You’re direct. I like that.”

“Don’t flirt with us.” I crossed my arms. “Just answer.”

His expression turned… darker, and heavy.

“Very well,” he said. “You want honesty? Then hear it.”

The wind stilled.

“The gods didn’t just summon Elowen,” he said quietly. “They needed to contain her.”

My stomach dropped.

Rhaen croaked, “Contain..?”

“Elowen’s power has grown beyond mortal planes. Beyond even the divine realm’s predictions. Chaos resides inside her now. And if she can’t master it…”

His voice faded.

“What happens?” I demanded, my throat tight.

Kylion met my eyes with something like pity.

“She won’t be able to return.”

A cold wave crashed through me. Rhaen swayed where he stood. “But… Nyx and Lyri… they need her.”

“They may need you more,” Kylion said softly. “If Elowen does not return, the crown of Aetheros falls to Drayen and the dragon twins. That means you two will be bound to the next ruling line.”

I felt the ground tilt under me.

“You’re saying…” I rasped. “…we could end up ruling the realm with them?”

“Potentially,” Kylion said. “Your mates are next in line. And fate ties you to their future.”

Rhaen inhaled shakily. “Do we tell them?”

Kylion shook his head once. “Not yet. Give Elowen a chance to return. Let them hope.”

Hope. Yeah. Sure. We left him then, silent until we reached the academy steps.

My head was a storm. Future kings? Elowen gone? Chaos? What the hell were we supposed to do with that?

Rhaen scrubbed his hands over his face. “Let’s get back. The girls...”

Movement cut him off. Two figures stepped from the shadowed archway. Katrina. Chelsea.

Perfect hair. Perfect smiles. Perfect nightmares.

“Hey boys,” Katrina purred.

Chelsea licked her lips. “Miss us?”

Rhaen snarled instantly. “Back. Off.”

They stepped closer. I shoved Katrina so hard she hit the wall with a gasp. Rhaen did the same to Chelsea.

I grabbed my shirt collar, ripping the fabric down so my mating mark, glowing, fresh, and fucking unmistakable, was visible. Rhaen followed, baring his too.

“We’re mated,” I growled. “Fully. Permanently. You touch us again and I’ll rip your fucking hands off.”

Katrina giggled. Chelsea smirked.

“Relax, babe,” Chelsea cooed. “We just wanted to congratulate you...”

Rhaen lunged, his fangs elongating. “Try me.”

They backed away, still smiling, and melted into the hall.

“Fucking freaks,” I muttered. “Let’s go.”

But halfway to our rooms… something twisted in my gut. A hot, dizzy wave rushed up my throat.

I stumbled. Rhaen grabbed my arm, then faltered, swaying hard.

“Lucen…” he slurred. “…something’s… wrong.”

My vision doubled. The walls tilted. I gripped the doorknob to our suite, barely, and shoved us both inside. My knees buckled.

Rhaen crashed beside me, gasping.

“What… the hell…” I croaked.

A shadow fell across us. Two shadows. Katrina and Chelsea stepped into the room. Both smiling. Both holding tiny crystal vials dripping with purple residue.

“Boys,” Katrina said sweetly. “You really shouldn’t have pushed us.”

Chelsea crouched, tapping my cheek with one manicured nail.

“Nighty night, mate boys.”

My limbs went numb. My lungs seized. The world blurred out of shape. The last thing I heard was their laughter, sharp and cruel and victorious.....

......and then darkness swallowed me whole.