Page 106 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
Ignis stepped beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “You honored our clan with your sacrifice, old friend.” He extended his other hand to Ember, who seized his hand with a fierce, trembling grip. “Both of you did. Without your courage, this victory would not have been possible.”
“We did our duty,” Ember replied, though her amber eyes softened at the recognition. “If we hadn’t, who knows what more damage they could’ve done.”
“And now your duty is to heal.” Ignis’s tone made it clear this was a command, not a suggestion. “I’ll have no need of either of your services for some time.”
Coal’s lips twitched toward a smile. “Are you dismissing us, my king?”
“I’m ordering you to rest,” Ignis corrected, squeezing Ember’s hand before releasing it. “Both of you. Our clan needs you at full strength for what comes next.”
“And what does come next?” Ember asked, her natural protectiveness surfacing even through her exhaustion.
Ignis extended a wing to curl partially around Sora as she rose to stand beside him. “A new era for our clan—and for all of Artania.”
When he looked down at Sora, the pride that filled his chest threatened to overwhelm him once again.
He caught the ripple of her response—softer than his fierce pride, but no less powerful, wrapping around him with quiet, undeniable strength.
Belonging. Purpose. Home.
She’d refused to allow others to harm her clan—once more.
Zalaya stepped forward, tilting her head as her ancient eyes studied Sora with open fascination. “I would examine the queen, with your permission.” Her gaze shifted to Ignis. “To ensure her health after such an... intense claim.”
Heat stirred between them, Sora’s embarrassment tangling with the vivid memory of their passionate days together. Ignis suppressed the growl building in his chest at the thought of anyone, even their healers, touching his mate so soon after claiming her.
“A brief examination,” he permitted, the possessiveness in his tone unmistakable. “We have a busy day ahead of us.”
Asher joined Zalaya, his healer’s hands already glowing with diagnostic magic as they approached Sora. She stood still as they circled her, their assessment respectful but thorough.
“Remarkable,” Asher murmured, fingers hovering over the ruby scales mixed with silver. “The integration is perfect. As though they’ve always been part of her.”
“Because they have,” Zalaya replied, her feathers rustling with quiet wonder. “Her soul accepted his essence completely.”
“What does it mean?” Sora asked, her scholar’s curiosity evident despite the formal setting.
“It means the Moon Goddess herself has blessed your union,” Zalaya explained, stepping back with a deep bow. “She has marked you as true mates—souls forged for each other across worlds and time, for a reason.”
Her words struck deep, and he felt the last of her doubts break apart, dissolving into a steady, undeniable certainty that anchored between them. The last vestiges of her resistance to prophecy and fate faded, replaced by quiet acceptance.
“And her health?” he demanded, impatience threading through his tone. “Has she suffered any harm?”
Asher bowed respectfully. “None whatsoever, my king. Her transformation is complete, her body has adapted perfectly to your claim.” His eyes held professional admiration. “You showed remarkable restraint, considering the intensity of a first heat.”
The relief that rushed through Ignis was so visceral it sent a visible shudder across his scales. The fear that had lurked beneath his consciousness—that he might have harmed her in their passion despite his care—finally released its grip on his hearts.
“Of course I did,” he growled, pulling her close. “She is my treasure.”
Zalaya stepped between them, her gaze locking onto his, ancient wisdom flickering in the depths of her jade eyes. “The clan has gathered, my king. They await your formal announcement.” She paused, head tilting in avian consideration. “And after, the sacred moonwell awaits. As tradition demands, newly mated pairs must bathe in its waters to cleanse body and spirit.”
“For any blessed eggs that may have been created during your union,” Asher added with clinical precision.
Heat flooded through their bond again—Sora’s surprise and sudden understanding coloring their connection with delicate embarrassment. Ignis sent back reassurance, though his own chest tightened at the thought of potential offspring from their mating.
It was too soon to know, but the possibility swelled within him like a secret flame.
His clan had always raised hatchlings communally, but something deeper stirred in him now—a fierce, undeniable need to breed her, to fill their clan with a legacy born of them both.
“I know what must be done,” he acknowledged, his gaze flicking to Sora before turning to his gathered council. "Lead the way to the hatching grounds. It's time our clan formally meets their queen. And tonight, as tradition demands, I will worship her beneath the twin moons, within the sacred waters of the moonwell."
