Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1557 - 156 : Strength in Unity

*Lila*

“Mother, are you really crying?”

I was straightening the ceremonial gown I was wearing when my brother, Kael, spoke. I turned to look over at our mother, who was busy helping my other brother, Kreol, with his tie.

Mother just smiled, but I could see that her eyes were wet as well. She swiped at her cheek before patting Kael’s fondly. “You will understand one day when you have hatchlings of your own, and they grow up to be fine young dragons.”

My brothers and sisters and I glanced at one another, grinning amusedly.

We knew this was an emotional day for our mother for a lot of reasons. Not only were we finally entering the adult world, but this day also marked yet another decade we’d spent in the Light Realm, far away from our mother’s home in the Dragon Realm.

I had few memories of the Dragon Realm, although I told myself that I would be returning soon. Once I went through this coming-of-age ceremony and was deemed an official adult, I wanted to begin my studies to help unite wolf shifters and dragon shifters. I knew that it was my calling.

We weren’t done yet though. The coming-of-age ceremony consisted of a series of trials that were going to test our physical, mental, and magical abilities.

“You nervous?” Kael asked as we headed out to the ring where we would be showcasing everything we’d learned over the past couple of decades.

I scoffed. “Not at all,” I lied. I gave him a sidelong look. “Why? Are you?”

Kael shrugged. “We’ve been training our whole lives for this moment. I’m ready to prove myself and take my place in our community. Show them what dragon shifters can do.”

I grinned at him. Kael was the last of us to hatch, but he didn’t act like it at all. I could vaguely remember him being smaller than the rest of us when we were young hatchlings, but he shot up pretty quickly after that.

The six of us strode proudly through the tunnel and into the huge arena. The crowd cheered upon seeing us, and it warmed my heart to see dragons and wolves sitting together in the stands.

I squared my shoulders as we headed to the stage off to the side, where King Rhys and Queen Saoirse stood, along with Axureon and Saphira, leaders of the Dragon Realm. My siblings and I stood before them. Our backs were ramrod straight.

King Rhys stepped forward. “You have all proved from the beginning that you belong in Egoren,” he said warmly, smiling at each of us. “I am proud to be your king and look forward to seeing you all continue to grow into the roles you carve for yourselves.”

Axureon stepped forward. A couple of us shifted in anticipation. We all looked up to the dragon leader so much. He swept his hand out. “You are all about to step into adulthood, but before you can, you must prove yourselves in one more rigorous challenge, the Triad of Ascension. You will showcase your physical, mental, and magical strengths as well as your ability to work together to complete the obstacle. Do you accept the challenge?”

“Yes, sir,” we all chorused. The crowd cheered in response.

We stood where indicated. Once Axureon gave the signal, my siblings and I shifted into our dragon forms, spreading our wings out. We waited for a low horn to bellow before taking flight, making sure to stick together as we entered the obstacle course.

The course was a true test of our flight abilities. There were sudden gusts of wind, narrow passages, and magical shields. When we got to the first glowing forcefield, my sister, Nyssara, stopped us and used her mental ability to bypass it before we continued on.

I narrowed my eyes, keeping focus as we continued through the course. We flew almost as one, looking out for each other to ensure no one fell behind.

“Kael!” I yelled through our link.

A bunch of creatures materialized from the ground. From the way they glowed, it was obvious that they weren’t real enemies, but it was clear we still had to defeat them to complete the challenge.

My siblings and I landed and used our various magical abilities to defeat the enemies. Lights flashed, and glowing energy fields pierced the fake foes, causing them to disintegrate.

After a few more obstacles testing our flight techniques and our ability to work together, we were at the final one—riddle stones.

The ancient stones were inscribed with riddles and puzzles that were set in front of us, blocking the final gate.

“There are six of them,” my brother, Xylar, noted as he stared at the stones. “It looks like we have to arrange ourselves in a certain way to get it to open.”

It took several tries and much discussion, but we finally realized each stone was a symbol of our unique gifts. After arranging ourselves in the correct sequence, each of us in front of a different stone. The gate glowed before parting, allowing us entry.

Our audience roared as we made our way through the final gate.

“Congratulations, young ones,” Axureon said as we turned to face where he and the others were waiting for us. “That was quite the performance.”

The king and queen of Egoren gestured for us to take our places on the stage as the crowd continued to cheer boisterously.

We left to shift back and change into the ceremonial garb. All of us wore robes with golden embroidery and various symbols of the Dragon Realm, but it was the wolf-shifter king of Egoren who led the ceremony, signifying the unity between our realms.

“I thank the Moon Goddess for these young shifters,” he said loudly, gesturing to each of us. “May they continue to be a light to both of our realms.”

We were each handed talismans made of both dragon claws and wolf teeth. The image of a wolf and dragon was etched into it, their tails intertwining.

My siblings and I promised to continue to strive for unity no matter what path we chose for ourselves. Protecting our people was of the utmost importance, no matter what.

As soon as the ceremony ended, we were escorted to the palace of Egoren for a grand feast to celebrate our step into adulthood. It was an amazing experience. We were finally finished with our training. As I looked around at my siblings, I couldn’t help the sense of pride that swelled in my chest.

Our mother beamed the entire time, and it warmed my heart to see her so happy. She worked hard to make sure we had every opportunity. I was determined to make her proud.

My siblings and I were seated at a table of honor in the center of the room. It felt a little like we were on display, probably because we were.

The king and queen stood up from their head table, and everyone immediately quieted, ceasing in their friendly chatter.

“This is truly a beautiful moment,” the queen began, her green eyes practically glittering. “I have dreamed of this day for so long, to witness such a heartwarming spectacle of what it means to be united as we are now.”

King Rhys took her hand and gave her a gentle smile before looking at all of us. “Tonight, we celebrate the accomplishments of our young dragon shifters, the first to live here in the Light Realm for the entirety of their lives. May the Moon Goddess watch over them and continue to guide them forward.”

There were murmurs of agreement throughout the room.

Queen Saoirse looked a bit emotional, her eyes glistening with what I assumed were tears. “You young ones are the hope for our future,” she said earnestly. “You are the true symbol of what unbeatable, unrivaled strength comes with embracing diversity. I’ve no doubt we are being smiled down on by both wolf and dragon deities.”

The entire ballroom toasted to our continued success and striving toward unity between our realms before we began to eat, the friendly chatter starting up again.

I chatted happily with my siblings as people started to gather on the dance floor. I winced and tried not to grimace at the thought of dancing. My mother warned me that people might start to notice my siblings and me in a romantic way now that we were officially adults. She had meant it to be teasing, but I could tell she had been serious as well.

“Lila.”

I froze and looked up, grinning widely with relief to see Prince Aiden.

“Hey,” I said, beaming at him.

Aiden and I met one day when we were visiting the palace. He was a few years older than me, causing me to view him as an older brother.

“Congratulations,” he told me sincerely, grinning that princely smile of his. He looked up to nod to the rest of my siblings. “To all of you. Each of you should be very proud of yourselves.”

“Cut the pretenses, Prince,” Kael teased. “You act like we haven’t spent our entire lives sparring and getting into mischief.”

Aiden smirked and rolled his eyes with a wry chuckle. “You can’t let me do my princely duties even in a formal setting like this one?” he asked rhetorically.

“Nope,” Kael said cheerfully before continuing to stuff his face with strewed meats and fresh bread.

I giggled, but then my eyes widened when I saw that Aiden was holding his hand out to me. “Would you like to dance?” he asked, grinning casually.

I hesitated. Aiden and I weren’t romantically involved at all. The whole kingdom seemed to know that we were good friends, but it might still look odd for us to dance since romantic relations between a dragon shifter and a wolf shifter were unprecedented.

I shrugged it off as quickly as the thought came, however. No one would think anything of it since it was common knowledge that we were friends.

I smiled and took his hand. Aiden helped me up and led me to the dance floor, smirking before twirling me around like he used to do when we were kids. I squealed with laughter and slapped his shoulder playfully.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he set me down. “Has it hit you yet that you’re officially an adult?”

I considered that for a moment as we swayed back and forth to the music. “Not really,” I admitted. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, I guess. Did it hit you right away when you reached adulthood?” I smirked up at him. Because he was a few years older than me, I often teased him for being an old man, even though he was considered a young adult just like I was now.

Aiden pursed his lips in thought. “Not really,” he said at last. “I think because it’s assumed I will take over the throne after my father, I had to grow up a tad faster.”

I nodded in understanding. It was strange when I was reminded that Aiden’s life was kind of laid out for him. He knew what he was going to be doing for the rest of his life.

My path wasn’t like that at all. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

A part of me wished that I was just given a role at birth like Aiden was. The fact that I was going to have to decide for myself was kind of stressful.

After the song ended, Aiden announced he had to go greet some other guests. I watched him go for a moment before returning to my siblings.

Later, after the party was over and we were heading back home, we all glanced at one another meaningfully, knowing that we were about to take our first steps into adulthood and all the responsibilities that came with it.