Inside the Beta's office of KPG pack, Zara and I stand up to greet Beta Jeremiah. He grins widely at me. "You are Hayden's mate?"
Does he know me?
"You don't remember me?" he says, pointing at himself. "I came to your medicine shop. The old guy refused to sell, but you later brought me the medicine for my daughter."
"I remember! Oh my goodness."
"Well, I can say for sure now: Hayden is a very lucky guy."
"Thank you."
"No, thank you. You really helped me that day. So how can I repay that debt?"
After Jeremiah and I get acquainted, or should I say, reacquainted, Zarah leaves us to return to her work.
Over coffee I brief the predicament I'm in to Jeremiah.
"I've to say, you don't have to worry much with Hayden being your Alka. He is one of the strongest Alpha — highly influential and resourceful. The council won't dare touch his mate."
"I understand that, but—"
"On the other side is the wizard king," Jeremiah says, leaning back and crossing his arms. "It is a tough case. But I'm certain they won't rule it as treason. Once you both found out you are each other's mates, the decision to consummate the bond was not just yours to make. Hayden has the right to establish his bond with his mate, especially after he'd become the Alpha. The laws of Whitestone won't apply to him. And it's also not like you had a say in who could be your Alka or that you knew he was your Alka before you met him."
I freeze.
"What?" he says.
"I didn't know he went to that school, or that even if I saw him he would recognize me as his mate."
"What are you saying?"
"I knew Hayden was my Alka at least a week before I met him."
"How?"
I tell Jeremiah about that gloomy day, my poorly ventilated room, hot cauldron, the amore stone, Tressie passing out, and my session with Vittoria.
"So who all knows you knew about Hayden beforehand?"
"My friends. Vittoria didn't see his face on the cauldron. We caused it to topple."
"And your friends..."
"The secret is safe with them. And there's no way anyone else could've known. I don't think I even told Hayden."
"Then we don't have to worry about that. Is there anything else that could get us in trouble with the council?"
I think about it. "Shit."
"There's something?"
"Trick. A dragon. My cousin left me a dragon egg to care for. It has since hatched and the baby has grown now. Trick lives with me and Hayden."
"Who knows about the dragon besides your cousin?"
"My friends. And I'm sure everyone in the pack. And... My father knows, too, and one of his men, Dominic."
"Roman knows you have a dragon?"
"He had one day visited me in my last apartment. Trick was newly hatched then. My father nearly suffocated Trick to death. But luckily he let it go, and I helped Trick heal."
Jeremiah thinks over it.
I bite my lower lip. "Are we in trouble?"
"Not yet. Roman and his men won't testify as witnesses against that, since any dragon sighting should be reported under the council law, and they didn't. And I'm sure your friends and anyone in the pack won't testify either. But... How old is the dragon? Is it old enough to be released?"
My face falls.
"I'm sorry, Luna—"
"You can call me Riva, please."
"Riva, I get it. You want to keep the dragon, but it's not a good decision."
"I don't know if he's ready to be released. Hayden is training him."
"Good, then, I'll talk to Hayden and see what we can do. But if it's a good time for its release, you should cooperate."
I slowly nod.
"Anything else you want to add?"
I shake my head.
"I've everything I need then. Like I said before I'll talk to Hayden, too. You don't worry about anything. I'll make sure the council and your dad won't bother you again."
"Thank you."
Two days later, Jeremiah, Tressie, Jo and I go to my hearing. I didn't want anyone else to come.
