Elemental Heir | ✔️

Chapter 34

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Dristan made a point to sit as far from me as possible at the council meeting. He sat at the head of the table, while I sat on the other end. Andromeda sat to my right, beside Torryn, and Warrick sat beside Dristan. The seat beside me, where Ronan would've been, was vacant.

A fire crackled softly to the far left wall, while the candle lit chandelier above cast a soft glow among the room. With night upon us, and no light coming from the windows, the mood was rather dark and ominous as we all stared at each other in silence.

"There are several reasons why we are here tonight." Dristan said sternly, disturbing the silence at last. "But I feel as though we should cover the most obvious topic first."

His eyes slid to mine and I felt my throat bob. "As you all know, when Brenya came into her Fae form tonight, our mating bond snapped into place."

I glanced around the table, my chin high, as I watched my comrades faces shift into uneasiness.

Warrick spoke first. "At first, I thought you two might have made it up as a way to get Brenya out of her engagement..."

My eyes widened. "Why did you think I wanted out?" I whispered breathlessly.

Warrick turned his gaze to me, his expression amused. "Brenya... I do have eyes, you know. Every time Ronan touches you, you flinch away. You obviously did not want the union to happen."

I blushed, but held his stare. "I was doing what I had to do."

He rose his eyebrows and smiled before turning back to Dristan.

"As I said... That is what I thought at first. But when you reacted to me the way you did... When you couldn't control your anger... I knew you were serious."

Dristan nodded, his mouth a grim line. "Yes."

"But how is this possible?" Andromeda cut in. "I have never heard of a Dragon and a Fae sharing a mate bond..."

The others muttered their agreement.

Dristan lowered his eyes and shook his head slowly. "I do not know the answer to that. I have been asking myself the same question since it happened."

An idea occurred to me. "The mate bond acts on destiny... Correct?" I asked no one in particular.

"In a way, yes." Torryn answered, his deep blue eyes settling on my face. "The ancient magic of the mate bond is believed to be decided by the Gods. When two people are mated, it means that they are a perfect pair. But it so rare... To find the one person, out of the millions among our world, who is your perfect counterpart... The odds of finding that person is unlikely. That is why it is so sacred. Most people believe that when two people are lucky enough to find their mate, it is because the Gods have higher plans for them. Or, a destiny, as you put it."