Dracon (1st book of the Draconon Series)

Chapter 50

Frederick cleared his throat and shifted on his feet when everyone left the house and closed the door behind them. He set his jaw and looked between the two of us, pressing his lips into a thin line. He didn't say a word while he looked at us, and I couldn't help but start to feel nervous and worried about what he was thinking or wanting to do.

My mate cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, tucking his head closer to his chest while he fixed his gaze on me. "Are you ok, Clover?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he studied me with lips pressed into a thin line. "Have you shifted?"

I bit back a tired sigh and slowly nodded, pursing my lips in annoyance. "I am ok," I said and bit the inside of my lip before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "I have shifted, but I haven't flown yet because I had a rough shift..."

Frederick frowned and cocked his head while he looked between the two of us. "What?" he asked, and I nodded in confirmation. He looked at Targon, and his frown grew larger while he took a threatening step toward my guard with narrowed eyes. "I thought you said she wouldn't have a hard shift, Targon. Why did she have one?"

Anger and protectiveness filled his voice while he took another threatening step toward him, and Targon silently waved me off before I could say or do something to stop Frederick from acting like this and being mean to my guard.

Targon shook his head and pressed his lips into a thin line, standing his ground. "I do not know why she had a hard shift, Alpha," he said coldly. "Andromeda is going to look up on it, but unfortunately, I do not have an answer for you."

"But are you ok, now?" he asked and looked at me with a raised eyebrow in question, and I nodded and pressed my lips into a thin line. He bit back a small sigh of relief while he slowly nodded, but the anger didn't disappear as fast as I hoped it would while his eyes stayed dark. "Are you still in pain?" he asked and furrowed his brows while he took a hesitant step toward me, and I shook my head, no.

"I am not in pain," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "However, I am exhausted, and all I want to do is get some sleep. It has been a long day."

Frederick bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded, and the remaining anger seemed to leave as fast as it came. He bit back a tired sigh and moved a hand through his hair and across his face, and his shoulders started to sink in exhaustion. "It has been a long couple of days," he said, and I nodded while I set my jaw. "But I am glad that I have been able to finally meet you."

He took another step toward me and closed the space between the two of us, and I stayed put while I stared at him with a set jaw and narrowed eyes. His dark brown eyes were filled with something in his eyes that I didn't know and wasn't sure if I liked or not. "Even though I have been drawn to your scent for years."

I bit back a small snort and slowly nodded. "I know," I said and bit back a tired sigh. I moved a hand through my hair before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "I'm sorry. I-"

"Don't," Frederick said and shook his head, biting back a small smile while he interrupted me. "Don't apologize, Clove," he said. "I understand that you were protecting yourself and knew that I wouldn't accept you in the pack."

"But you do accept her now, right?" Targon asked. He took a step toward us but stopped when I hissed a small warning. His jaw was set, his whole body was tense, and I could tell that he was becoming very protective of me, even when he didn't need to be.

Frederick glanced at Targon in an almost annoyed manner before he looked at me with dark eyes. "I do accept you as my mate and as my Luna, Clove," he said and moved a hand through my hair, ignoring Targon, who was still watching me protectively. "I hope you do not doubt that for a second."

But a part of me did...

I set my jaw and pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word while I stared at him, making sure that my mate didn't know what I was thinking or feeling.

However, I knew that Targon had caught the way that I was thinking or feeling while he studied me with lips pressed into a thin line while he made sure that his face was blank and didn't give away what I was feeling to Fredeeick.

Frederick sighed and shook his head, moving a hand through his hair and across his face. "We have a lot to learn about each other and each other's species," he said as if he knew that I wouldn't respond to him. "You will have to learn how to be a Luna to this pack and what it means."

"And you will have to learn how to be a king to my people," I said with a shake of my head. "You will have to learn our language and our traditions as well as our history."

History that I needed to learn as well... I added silently, pressing my lips into a thin line and biting the inside of it.

"She will have to learn everything as well, so you might as well learn with her, Alpha," Targon said and tucked his head closer to his chest, and Frederick glanced at him with lips pressed into a thin line before he looked at me.

He didn't say a word, and I had a feeling that he didn't want to learn about my clan and how to act as their king.

I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes while I folded my arms across my chest while I stared at him. "And why do you not want to learn about my kingdom?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "I have to learn about being the Luna of this pack and then the Werewolf community as a whole, so shouldn't you do the same with me and my clan?"

My mate pressed his lips into a thin line while he looked at me. He didn't say a word and narrowed his eyes while he looked at me. His whole body was tense, and he set his jaw while he did so.

I bit back a tired sigh and shook my head while I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Very funny," I said coldly while I pursed my lips in annoyance. "I will still be learning about both, and I hope that you will be open to learning about my species and what we have been through."

"And what if I do not want to?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he cocked his head and studied me. "It's not like that you can force me."

I bit back a small chuckle and shook my head, ignoring the breaking of my heart. "I know that I can't, Frederick," I said coldly. "However, that doesn't mean you have to be a pain in the ass about it."

Frederick pressed his lips into a thin line. He didn't say a word and narrowed his eyes while he stared at me, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and bite back a tired sigh and shake my head.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and shook my head again, pursing my lips in annoyance. "You can stay here if you want, Frederick," I said coldly before I turned to look at Targon. "I am going to go take a shower and then have a nap, so excuse me. Targon, you are free to do whatever you want to do."

"Of course, Your Highness," Targon said and nodded and looked at Frederick before he looked at me. "Get some sleep. You need it."

I grunted and slowly nodded before I glanced at Frederick with narrowed eyes before I turned away and walked away from them with my whole body tense and shaking from pain and sadness because I had no idea why he didn't want to learn about my species and how to be the king that I was going to need him as while I was supposed to learn how to be his Luna and the leader of his pack.

Oh, Gods help me...