A Pet for the Dragons

190.

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It was a particularly stormy night when I finally returned home. I had been away for weeks because I needed to find answers.

I didn't find all the answers, but for now, whatever I had was enough. I hoped it would be enough for Arika, too.

I'd been thinking about her a lot while I'd been away. I didn't want to leave in the first place, but I knew that if I didn't, then the things that happened to Arika would keep repeating, and I didn't want that to happen. I had to do this for the sake of her sanity, and ours too.

I forced my wings harder against the strong winds, nearing the Gallow castle that was almost half buried in snow, and the rest of it was frozen. Usually, it was my brother's duty primarily to patrol the area while I was away, but he was nowhere to be seen tonight because of the storm. I'd thought of checking on our mine on the way to the Castle, but I didn't feel like wasting any more time being away.

I was sure that all three of them were worried about me because I'd left without informing them where I was going and why I was leaving. That's why I ensured that I had enough answers before returning.

The sight of the Castle filled me with warmth, knowing that Arika was there. I wondered what condition she was in. I wondered if she had improved or gotten worse. This made me anxious. I hoped she was alright.

Even though most of the Castle was frozen, the entrance for us to fly in was still open. As I dived for it, a strong wind knocked me against the edge and I heard a crack. I groaned and uprighted myself before diving in through the opening and landing in the Castle's courtyard.

My shoulder throbbed with pain as I shifted in my two-legged form. I took my time to set my shoulder back and crack my neck to ease the pain. While I was doing this, something hit my head from behind, giving me even more pain.

I growled and looked above to find Arika with the other two. She looked pissed, almost murderous.

Good. It meant that she was alright then.

The sight of her filled me with great relief and at the same time with yearning.

"Why did you return? Just crawl back to wherever you'd been sulking till now," She hollered at me. Zorge cracked a smile while Ivret chuckled.

"Where have you been, brother? You could've told us where you were going. You know, we wouldn't have minded if you were sneaking off to see someone," Zorge teased, and Arika's eyes lit with jealousy immediately. It gave me a strange sense of satisfaction to see her jealous of me.

"Don't tell me that's true," Arika demanded, her tone and demeanour threatening.

"He seems to have journeyed far. Let him rest for a bit. Is your shoulder okay, or does it need healing?" Ivret asked with a tinge of concern. Arika looked even more pissed at it, and if anything, it made me even more relieved.

"I'm hungry. I want to eat first," I announced instead and headed to the kitchen. Arika let out a shriek before she followed me there with the other two.

"Calm down now. You'll have plenty of time to chew his head off. Let a man rest for a bit," I heard Zogre tease behind me, but I didn't care. I needed a drink first.

"I don't care. Just tell me already where you have been!" Arika demanded as I took a seat in the kitchen. Ivret got busy preparing something for me to eat while Zorge poured us all a drink, a mischievous look in his eyes. "And why couldn't you tell us first before leaving?" She kept demanding.

I eyed her for a moment, taking her in fully. She seemed to be doing a lot better than before. Her cheeks looked fuller, and her eyes were brighter. Her face seemed to have some colour, and overall, she seemed much more lively than when I had left.

"Speak," Arika demanded, and I let out a warning growl. She was pushing me too much for her good. I'll ensure to get back at her for it later.

"I didn't want to get your hopes high," I replied. "I didn't know if I'd find what I was looking for."

The look of anger dissipated from her face for a few moments, and she looked surprised and confused at my answer.

"What does it mean?" She asked, inching closer to me— close enough for me to get a whiff of her heady, intoxicating scent. However, it was heavily mixed with Zorge and Ivret's scent. It gave me an idea of what the three of them had been up to in my absence, and it irritated my dragon. He wanted to claim her already.

Not yet. I reminded him. We need to clear some things up first.

"Myra Woods, that's your sister's name, isn't it?" I asked, and her eyes widened in shock. For a moment, I saw a flash of that haunted look on her face that I had seen the day she was hysterical. It instantly made me question if I was doing the right thing by telling her all this.

However, she needed to know this; otherwise, all my hard work over the past weeks would have been in vain.

"Y-yes. What about her?" She asked, restlessness filled her features as she searched my face.

"She's mated to Mateo and Hunter King, who happened to be the Alphas of the Nightfall Pack. Myra is a hacker by profession. Morgan is her alias."

"Did you meet her?" Arika demanded, clutching the front of my cloak desperately while her face remained inches away from mine. Up this close, I could see how much she had recovered. She almost looked like her former self, and this excited my dragon while it brought me even more relief.

"No. But I saw her with her mates,"

"They're alive," Arika almost cried with relief. I could see the guilt in her features.

"I saw them from afar," I told her. For the past weeks, I'd spent as much time as I could hunting down Arika's sister. At first, I didn't have any luck, but surprisingly, one of the witches tipped me off. "Are you relieved now?" I asked her as her face reddened and her eyes grew glassy with unshed tears.

"I am... yes," Arika choked, wiping her tears. "I'm glad she's alive. I made a mistake. A huge one,"

"Do you want to meet her?" Zorge asked. I'd been wondering about this while on my way back.

"I... I don't think I can face her yet. I need some time. I still feel... guilty for what I did to her. And I don't think she'd be too happy to see me even if I went to see her today,"

"I could guess," I grunted, watching her and Zorge closely. She quietly wiped her tears as she sat beside me, processing what I just told her. Zorge looked pensive while reading her, but nothing seemed too alarming.

"What if she wanted to meet you?" I asked.

"I'd... I'd face her then." Arika nodded. "Yes, I definitely would. Though she'd probably want to meet me to kill me,"

"I wouldn't allow that to happen," I said.

"I know... I would rather deal with her myself when the time comes. It's my mess to clean up," She said, sniffing. I studied her for a moment longer, gauging the internal storm she was caught up in.

"There is something else," I started, and this made her stop crying for a second. "I found something and I need you to come with me to look at it."

"W-what is it?" Arika asked.

"You'll know when you see it."

~

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