Page 39 of The Cursed Queen

The woman beamed at me as soon as I lifted my head to meet her eyes. "Good, now how are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" My voice raised in volumes as I gestured at my monstrous appearance. "I'm fucking mutating into some kind of horned freak. I'm scared and traumatized. That's how I'm feeling right now!"

I knew she had nothing to do with my transformation, not to my knowledge, anyhow. Therefore, she didn't deserve my ire, but I was in hysterics. Everything that happened within the last two weeks was swarming back to me, along with my sudden new look. It was too much to bear. Still, a part of me was worried that I offended the woman, but she seemed unphased by my outburst.

She regarded me with a sympathetic smile, her hand resting on my sheet-covered thigh as if offering me her comfort. "I know this may be a lot to take in, but I need to know if you're still feeling weak or in pain."

I gave myself a moment to assess my body before answering. Despite looking like a humanoid dragon, I felt fine. No sharp shooting pain in my stomach, no signs of fatigue. Quite the opposite, actually. I felt stronger, more than I'd felt in my entire life. I told the lady as such, wondering if she knew what the cause of it was.

Freya seemed puzzled as she stepped closer, examining the current condition of my body. With her hands inspecting me, I also learned why my back felt heavy. It was because therewere a pair of wings that were now attached to me, currently folded up and leaning back against the wall. When she ran her fingers along the ridge of my wings, they twitched with a tickling sensation that crawled down my spine.

At least I wouldn't have to fly on Andriel's back if I could learn how to use them first.

Freya continued checking me over, instructing me to turn my head this way and that, having me move my arms, legs, fingers, and toes. Nothing ached, thankfully. My legs and feet were in the same condition as my arms and hands, and I resisted the urge to cry again. I never considered myself vain before now, but I felt my reaction was well deserved, given the circumstances.

Once her examination was done, Freya let out a breath. "Okay, so you seem to be healthy and in good shape. That said, I know this change in your appearance is frightening."

"What caused it?" I asked before swallowing a lump of fear lodged in my throat. "My mother told me I was cursed when I was born. Could this be the cause of it?"

"You're not cursed," Andriel spoke up.

Freya pointed to my mate. "Andriel's correct. There's no curse that could cause this transformation, but this is a unique occurrence."

"Then, what is it? What's happening to me?" I asked, feeling more confused than ever before.

Andriel and Virgil looked to one another, the air around them shifting into discomfort.

Freya cleared her throat. "Well, Princess, there's no easy way to say this, but you're not a druid. At least not fully."

I reeled back in shock. "What?"

"It's true," Andriel said. "You're a hybrid, Princess."

My whole body stilled like a statue, the word hybrid kept repeating in my head, but it didn't coincide with what I knew. Like that was a new thing for me. Everything I knew aboutmyself and dragons until this point were fabrications told to me by my mother, so why not the revelation that I was a hybrid.

"A hybrid," I whispered, then looked up at Freya. "But what does that mean? I mean, I know what it means, but w-what—"

"You're a dragon shifter, Sera," Virgil revealed. "Half druid, half dragon shifter."

Virgil's words sent my heart plummeting down to the pit of my stomach. A dragon shifter. I was a dragon. But how? It didn't make any sense to me. How was it possible for me to be half dragon shifter? My mother was a druid, but what of my father? Did that mean he was a dragon shifter, too? Suddenly, some of what Vivienne revealed to me was making sense. She must've known I was a hybrid. But why did she never tell me? More questions began piling on, causing my head to spin.

I let my head drop and rest on my hands, as if fearing it would fall off my neck. "None of this is making any sense."

"Perhaps I could shed some light on the secrets of your birth," Lord Igneel spoke up.

I looked up right as Freya, Andriel, and even Virgil dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. The dragon lord entered through the mouth of the cave, hand on a large wood-carved scepter in hand, and an air of authority radiating off him. The scepter was beautifully detailed with ridges spiraling up to meet the head of a dragon with violet crystals for eyes, and wings extended outward. I also felt the urge to bow my head and did so. I was in his home, freaking out about all I was learning, but still wanted to respect him. Then I realized.

"Lord Igneel, does this mean you know of my father? He was a dragon shifter, right?" I asked, sounding hopeful.

Despite my newfound bloodline, I'd been dying to know anything about my father. It was something I'd been dreaming of since I was a little girl, desperate to know what he was like, if he loved me, and what took him from me. If he was truly adragon shifter, then Lord Igneel had to have known him, right? I waited with bated breath for what Lord Igneel would tell me.

He chuckled softly, his eyes flooding with emotions as he looked me up and down. "Yes. I do, and he is."

My hope grew further. "Then, who was he?"

Lord Igneel stepped closer, then reached out and took my clawed hand in his. The warmth of his tough flowed through me as he gripped me tighter, not to the point of hurting me, but almost as if he was afraid of letting me go. My pulse quickened as I waited for his answer. Nothing could've prepared me for when he finally spoke.

Lord Igneel cleared his throat before lifting my hand up and placing a soft kiss on my knuckles. "I'm your father, princess."

---