Page 64 of The Cursed Queen

Maybe he felt like he had to. Maybe fate forced him into coming to my and Ryu's aid.

"This is a private matter, Ladon. You don't belong here," Drayce snarled through gritted teeth.

Ladon didn't bother to acknowledge Drayce. His icy demeanor landed on me for several seconds before addressing Lord Igneel.

"He's planning on officially challenging you for leadership," he announced.

The tension grew as his words sank in. My mates were all stiff as statues. Lord Igneel didn't seem bothered, but I could see a faint glint of worry in his eyes. I reached down for Andriel's hand, needing his comfort. I didn't know much about Baxus, but I knew enough to know if he was made dragon lord of the den, our futures would be in jeopardy. Not just mine and Virgil, but potentially my men as well.

"You're certain of this?" Lord Igneel asked.

Ladon nodded. "He told me himself."

"Of course he would, considering you choose to follow behind him," Andriel scoffed. "Did you also tell him who Sera is?"

"Of course not. That's not my secret to reveal. Despite what you may think of me, Andriel, I always put the den first before my personal vendettas."

"Then why tell us about Baxus' plan?" Ryu asked.

"Because while I may not agree with what you guys are doing, harboring enemies into our home, even I know Baxus isn't dragon lord material. At least now you guys can plan accordingly before he makes his motives known."

"When does he plan to make his challenge known?" Lord Igneel asked.

"At our next den meeting. The Summer Solstice."

"A week from now," Drayce grumbled. "That doesn't leave us much time to think of a plan."

"What can we do?" I asked, worried what this challenge would entail, and if Lord Igneel would be okay. If it was something like a fight to the death or something worse, he could get hurt. Or he could die. Lord Igneel had power and experience going for him, but it didn't change the fact that he was old.

"My lord, with all due respect, your retirement is long overdue. You should've appointed someone new as dragon lord years ago," Andriel said.

Lord Igneel frowned as he leaned his scepter over his lap. His free hand began rubbing the head of the wooden dragon carved into it. "You're right, Andriel. If I appoint someone new as dragon lord during the den meeting, then Baxus would have no choice but to challenge them rather than me."

That seemed simple enough to me. "But who will you appoint as dragon lord?"

My mates, including Ladon, all shifted their eyes to me. At first, I wasn't sure why, but the silent answer dawned on me, and suddenly I forgot to breathe. They couldn't possibly suggest what I thought they were, could they?

I yanked my hand out of Andriel's hold and held them both up in front of me, taking a few steps back until my back hit the bookshelf. "No way. Absolutely not!"

"It's the logical answer," Andriel said. "If Lord Igneel had no heir to pass the torch to, then he would, by law, have to appoint the title to another member of the den. But since you're his heir, you're automatically in line to assume the role of dragon lord. Or rather, dragon queen."

Dragon Queen. Me. The idea sounded preposterous to my ears. I couldn't possibly lead an entire den of dragon shifters. Not when most of the den weren't happy with my presence here, and not when I didn't even know dragon shifters existed until over a month ago. I wasn't even cut out to become queen of a region of druids, so how was I supposed to lead the Dragon's Peak Den?

"I-I can't," I protested, feeling petrified. My voice sounded breathy and weak.

"Princess." Andriel rushed to my side, cupping my face in his large, calloused hand, and lightly shushing me to calm my anguish. "I know this seems like a lot, but you can do this. I believe in you.Webelieve in you." He gestured to the rest of my mates.

Except for Ladon, the others dipped their heads in a show of encouragement.

My head wouldn't stop shaking. "No, I can't. I'm not Dragon Queen material. I barely know your customs. Father, why can't you crown one of these guys as dragon lord? I feel they more than deserve the title."

"Technically, they would already be dragon lords if I appoint you as dragon queen," Lord Igneel replied.

I frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

Ryu stepped forward to pipe in. "We're your mates, darling. If you take on the role as Dragon Queen and have officially sealed the mate bond with us, by our dragon laws, we'd automatically become Dragon Lords ourselves."

"You wouldn't have to go through this alone, my love," Andriel added. "We would be right there with you every step of the way."