Taming Her Beastly Mate
Chapter 20

The sound of a pin drop could be heard in the room. Leviathan’s surging aura was suffocating everyone around him. Its intensity was at a level that they had rarely seen before. The kings had to lower their gaze from him and look away. Alexis had never felt this much anger from her father before.

“My family won’t be intimidated to do Erebus’ bidding!” Levi roared out as he paced the room.

“Lee.” Rhea walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head on her chest and held onto him tightly. They were both feeling emotional and needed each other for support.

Alexis watched her parents in amazement. Instantly, her mother could calm her father’s rage. As if her touch was a sedative, he immediately calmed down. She watched as he leaned his head down into her mother’s neck, breathing in her scent. Her parents had an amazing connection. All her life growing up she only ever saw the adoration in each other’s eyes. This was what she wanted too. She wanted to have a connection like they have.

“It isn’t like I want to give in to Erebus. That isn’t who I am. But…” Alexis shook her head, pursing her lips together. “If something happens to one of them… How can I live with myself? I would never forgive myself if they were killed if it could have been prevented.” Erebus could be anywhere. It would be impossible to protect her whole family.

“But Alexis… being marked isn’t something you can ignore. That mark will form a connection with you and bind you.” Rhea was desperately trying to think of a solution. “Lee is there a way to undo a mark?”

“If it was something simple to get rid of, it wouldn’t be so sacred. I don’t know. And I don’t know what the cost would be if there is.” Lee shook his head and looked up at his daughter. “This is not the answer.”

“Brian and I have already discussed this fully. There isn’t another solution unless Erebus is dead.” Alexis felt Brian’s arm wrap around her shoulder.

“We are not here to seek anyone’s permission. We are both adults and have made up our own minds. We are here as a courtesy to inform you of our decision and the reasoning behind it. This is personal for me too. Lucy’s family is like family to me too. We protect our family no matter what the cost.” Brian squeezed Alexis’ shoulder and looked around the room. “We want you to trust us. Have faith in our decisions.”

“And if Aken shows up?” Levi asked, searching his daughter’s gaze.

“Unless he is here to tell me Erebus is dead, I must protect my family.” Alexis squeezed her fingers together, holding them in front of her.

“Lex.” Rhea whispered, biting her bottom l*p.

“If you don’t mind Brian and I would like to spend some time together alone before the marking.” Alexis looked up at Brian and he nodded down at her. With his arm around her, the two of them walked out of the room with Micah right behind them shutting the door.

They walked down the restricted hall until they reached Brian’s room. They came inside locking the door behind them. Alexis distanced herself from the men and leaned her head on the opposite wall. They made the announcement and now just had the public acceptance k**s left. She tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. She could feel her palms getting moist as they touched the cool wall.

“Alexis.” Micah walked up behind her stopping just before touching her. “I wish I could do something.”

“Help calm me down.” She whispered out in a breath. She felt Micah’s arms come around her, holding her firmly against him. She tried to control her breathing and stop her mind from racing. She hated to admit it but she felt terrified at this moment.

“Lex. It will all work out. I promise. We will get through this together. I would never keep you from Aken. I mean we already discussed all of that but I just wanted to make that part clear once more.”

“What if this is all for nothing? What if we go through all of this only for his demands to continue to increase? He knows my weakness. I will do anything to keep my family safe.” Alexis breathed in a shaky breath. Erebus knew her weakness and knew exactly where to replace her. Sure, they would catch Erebus eventually, but how long would that be? At the same time, she didn’t have a choice. Not one she was willing to gamble with.

She wasn’t afraid of this bastard. She clenched her teeth and inhaled sharply. How she would love to plunge an ice shard in his chest and freeze the b***d that flowed in his veins. It would be tricky but not impossible. The only chance she would have against Erebus would be to catch him off guard. And she wasn’t exactly willing to play along with his fantasies in order to achieve that moment.

Later that evening, Brian escorted Alexis out of the castle. They were both dressed to reflect the royalty that they were. Alexis had on a floor length light blue gown which caught the light on the sleeves. There was a thigh-high slit on the right side, allowing her gorgeous long slender legs to glide. Her blonde hair was tossed around by the slight breeze that swirled by. Micah was walking right behind Alexis making sure he didn’t travel far from her.

As they entered the tent, the crowd hushed, and all eyes were on them as Brian escorted her. Alexis’ eyes wandered over everyone. She could see her parents sitting near the front along with all the other royals. She caught sight of Raine and Ryker who she hadn’t seen since they discovered they were mates. She could see Raine’s eyes were on her curiously, but this wasn’t the place to discuss everything. She would have to explain everything that had happened later.

Brian walked her through the tables and made their way to the front. He looked at his father and nodded his head for him to continue.

Titus stood to his feet along with Levi and the two of them made their way to the center of the tent.

“Tonight, we will be kicking off the dragon party with several royal acceptance k****s. The first one of the night will be with my son, Brian, the future king of the West. He is taking Alexis, our deity’s daughter, as his chosen mate.” Titus listened to the quiet murmurs of the crowd. Brian had insisted on having their acceptance k**s done first now because of Erebus. He looked at his son and forced a proud smile for the kingdom. “All four kingdoms have agreed to this union, and all are supportive of it. We hope this will further strengthen dragons and create a brighter future for all of us.” The crowd clapped in approval and Titus nodded his head for his son to come to the front.

Brian looked down at Alexis and gave her a nervous smile. “I guess it’s time.”

Alexis nodded her head as she anxiously gnawed on her inner l*p. She could feel her heart racing rapidly and she had to remind herself to breathe. Brian led her to the center of the room and turned her so that the two of them were facing. Micah walked over to the side and leaned against the front table. He gripped onto the bottom of the table tightly, using it for his own support during this moment.

The dragons hushed in anticipation as they all watched for this historical event to unfold before their eyes. They watched as Brian leaned his head down to rest upon hers. To them, the gesture looked very loving and intimate. What they didn’t know was that the two of them were trying to give each other the strength needed to continue.

“Alexis…” Brian whispered and searched her eyes. He nodded his head slightly and kissed her forehead. He moved his head down slowly until he reached her neck. He closed his eyes as he breathed against her skin knowing what he needed to do now. Holding her body in place he slowly lowered his lips to her neck, bringing his dragon forward to place his mark upon her skin.

The moment Brian’s lips touched her neck, Levi closed his eyes, unable to watch the act. He had to bless many dragon unions. Too many to count. But this was not a joyous union. This was his daughter, and he couldn’t bear to watch it happen to her.

Alexis winced as she felt the heat against her neck. There was a volcanic intensity that burned her skin. She bit her inner l*p and slammed her eyes shut. Brian’s lips upon her skin was not erotic for her. It was wrong. It felt inappropriate. Her body screamed at her angrily lashing out against this unwanted invasion. She kept her eyes closed, concentrating and steadying her breathing. And though she didn’t mean to, a single tear trickled down her cheek.

Brian lifted away from her neck and looked down at her neck. A fresh bright red mark now appeared over her skin. He pulled Alexis into his arms holding her close as the crowd erupted with cheers of joy for the new dragon couple. Everyone seemed thrilled and overjoyed except for the few who knew better. He pulled back and rubbed his thumb over the wet streak on her face.

“Let’s get out of here. We don’t need to stay.” Brian whispered against her forehead as he kissed her gently.

Alexis nodded with her eyes closed. She just wanted to get out of there. She did what Erebus asked. He would know that Brian had marked her. She felt Micah’s presence right behind her as Brian led her away from the tent and back to the castle. It was when they were almost there that Alexis suddenly froze in place. She lifted her head up and turned to look out in the distance.

TUG TUG TUG

It felt like an invisible rope was wrapped around her and pulling her.

“Alexis, what is it?” Brian asked softly turning his head to look in the direction she was staring.

“It’s time to replace Bella.” In a way, Alexis was glad for this timing. It was a perfect distraction to get her mind off of what had just happened. She wondered if Terra had found Aken and if he would come to look for her. There was a lot for the two of them to discuss now. She shook her head slightly, trying to push everything from her mind. She couldn’t think about all of that right now. It was time to focus on the feeling inside of her that was leading her away from the dragon kingdom.

“Well, this is probably the best time to sneak away with everyone distracted from the acceptance k****s.” Micah shrugged slightly and looked at Alexis. “Let’s get a change of clothes and then get out of here.”