The Dragon King
Chapter 25 ~ The Most Beautiful Sound

Draco’s POV ~

Aurora fashioned her bombs with all the ingredients she needed.. mixed with a little gunpowder. The antidotes had been given to all our dragons for the past two weeks, every day.

Amber had been feeding false information to Michaelson’s men for the past two months. We know the attack will happen anytime within the next two days, and my beautiful mate agreed to remain in our underground bunkers with the other noncombatants. Much to my relief! Evander is due in ten days.. but Doc said due to his size, he could come any time. Apparently, I make big babies. Who knew!?

Aurora walked.. sort of.. into the office and crawled into my lap. I asked “Not feeling it today, baby?” She shook her head and said “My back aches, and Evander is doing jumping jacks on my bladder!” I laughed and rubbed her back for her. She isn’t hugely pregnant.. and Doc said she’s carrying well. She has maintained a strict regimen of exercise and eating healthy foods. We were blessed in as much as she’d never had morning sickness.

Adrian walked through the door and told us “Dragons in the air.. hundreds.. blocking out the sun and headed this way.” I asked “How long?” To which he responded “Four hours, at most. Maybe less.”

Aurora stood to her feet.. sending out a packwide mind link for all noncombatants to get to the bunkers immediately. She kissed me, long and hard “I have this! You get in position. And Draco? Come back to us!” I grinned and told her “I guarantee it!”

Adrian and I headed to the battlefield.. The ten mortar tubes were lined up.. and I ordered them prepared.. we would fire them at intervals.. five would fire.. then the alternating five would follow behind in ten seconds. Aurora had over two hundred bombs.. and we tested the sleeping drug on Culver, so we knew the effects lasted roughly six hours. He groused about being our guinea pig for three days.. but Pete got a good nap out of it.

The thunder of the dragon’s wings could be heard a hundred miles out.. and I couldn’t help but wonder what this fool was even thinking! Where’s the stealth? Had the maniac thought it through?

At first sight of their initial line of defense, I ordered my men to hold. I alerted my archers to ready their bows.. arrowheads dipped in Aurora’s poison. They stood at the ready and I watched Michaelson’s dragons approach.

His strategy confused me.. the first line of defense were his fire breathers.. Ignorant asshole! He is sacrificing his strongest by sending them in first! I alerted my men.. “As soon as they fall, engage! Hand to hand until the last man! Wolves! Ready your beasts!”

Adrian asked “Today’s a good day to die?” I growled “A great day to die! Archers! Choose your targets and FIRE!””

I turned to my armored division “Ready the mortars! Heading set at 8.2 x 4.7. And fire fire fire!” We had hundreds of naked men falling from the sky, as their dragons went to sleep. It gave a whole new meaning to that song the ladies like! It was definitely raining men!

Within minutes, we were in the thick of it. Adrian hadn’t shifted.. nor had I. He was standing, facing five men trying to make contact. His left hand held his sword, in his right swinging a mace. He looked like a medieval warrior and acted accordingly.

I waded through every combatant I came across.. snapping necks.. or ripping throats out. I was on the hunt. I wanted Michaelson! He would die by my hand, this day!

I saw about twenty men break our ranks and run towards the pack house.. I yelled “Culver, pull your unit! Insurgents headed to the house! Protect the Queen!” He ran like the hounds of hell were at his heels.. all ten of his elite guard keeping pace.

I finally spotted Michaelson. Hiding behind Jerry.. while he let his Beta take every hit aimed at himself! Coward! I stopped where I knew he could hear me “Michaelson, tell your men to lay down their weapons! They don’t have to die today. You! Only you deserve death for the pain and anguish you’ve caused your own people!”

He laughed.. and ordered them to attack. I linked my pack to incapacitate if they could.. spare as many as possible. I stormed toward Michaelson.. knocking out anyone who tried to stop me.. within minutes, I reached him.. punching Jerry in the temple, he dropped like a stone. I grabbed Michaelson by the throat and snapped his neck.. then severed his head. Holding it high enough to be seen across the battlefield, I roared “STAND DOWN! YOUR LEADER IS DEAD! IT IS OVER!”

Everyone of his men dropped to their knees. They were easy to spot! Naked as the day they were born. A few hundred laid dead or dying and I linked to my people “Sound Off!” We hadn’t lost one man! I ordered the clean up.. and Adrian started piling bodies to burn.

Culver timidly came through the mind link 🐺 Alpha, we need you at the bunker, immediately and I took off running, fighting my panic. Reaching the front of the bunker.. the door had been destroyed.. several of my pack were milling around, bloodied.. holding broken limbs.. I looked around and spotted my mate..

She stood with a broadsword in hand.. surrounded by a dozen dead men. They had attacked the bunker doors and rushed the people inside. She fought them back out the door, protecting our people. She looked like an avenging angel.. her hair wild around her face.. clothes bloodied.. a smear across her cheek.

I walked towards her and softly said “Baby?” She looked up at me and smiled so sweetly, my breath caught in my chest.. and told me “My water broke.”

I rushed to her and lifted her, but she said she needed a shower and Doc needed to treat the injured. Her contractions were still spaced far enough apart that she believed we had time. So that’s what I did.. I took her to our room, and showered with her.. even when a pain would hit and she squeezed whatever part of my anatomy she could grab. I made sure to turn my body to one side or another, just in case she decided to relieve me of the weapon responsible for her pain…

Once I had slipped a long nightgown over her head, I carried her to the infirmary. Doc had five more people to see and bandage.. so she pointed us to a room to get situated.

Evander Caleb Arconium came kicking and screaming into the world three hours later.. and it truly was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.