The Devil's Cursed Witch

Chapter 441  Am I Not A Proper Mate?

Once Ember returned to the palace, she and Erlos both narrated to Draven what had happened on their way back from her training ground.

Draven's expression turned grave as he listened to Erlos. "Sire, we should increase the security of the borders and also search for any other intruders. We need to establish strict punishments for intruders so they won't dare to cross the border again."

Upon hearing this, Ember said, "Draven, I don't think they had any other motive. They crossed the border only to send me a message from the human clan leader. If they had ulterior motives, they would not have shown themselves to us and even surrendered after passing the message." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Erlos turned to her, "Lady Ember, trying to reach you is their main ulterior motive. They think you are human and, furthermore, powerful. They might try to manipulate you to gain power in this kingdom by using you. Their intention is to brainwash you and use you for their own benefit, thinking that as a human, you will side with your kind or do something to benefit them."

"I won't be manipulated," she said, understanding Erlos' words clearly. "I only listen to Draven and do what he says. No one else can tell me what to do."

"That we know, Lady Ember," Erlos responded, "All I want is for you to stay away from humans. They are manipulative and selfish."

Ember understood Erlos' strong reluctance towards humans. She was glad that despite what happened with his clan, he didn't show any hostility towards her at least and nodded, "I will keep that in mind, Erlos. Don't worry. Moreover, even if not Draven, you are always around me, so they won't be able to manipulate me."

Erlos finally calmed down, "Of Course, I will always be by your side, Lady Ember."

Draven was quietly listening to them, his expression serious. The crafty humans had tried to reach his mate, another worry to add to his list. He couldn't trust those humans and knew he needed to keep Ember away from them at all costs.

In Ember's presence, he suppressed his worry and spoke, "You must be tired after your training and traveling on horseback, Ember. You should go and rest."

Ember, sensing that Draven had work to do, agreed and left.

"Erlos, send a message to Logan and the chief of the Divine Eagle clan to visit me," Draven said once Ember was out of earshot.

"Sire, why not also ask for Aureus?" Erlos suggested. "He resolved the war between the Divine Eagle and Fox clans with just a few words. All the shapeshifter clans listen to him."

Draven, aware of this, replied, "He helped us in the absence of his uncle, but as he plans to return to the humans, we cannot expect more from him."

"I understand, sire," Erlos bowed. "I will pass the message to Vice Commander Logan and Chief Agraleus," and then he left.

Logan and Agraleus soon arrived at the palace and had a lengthy discussion with Draven on how to prevent humans from intruding into their territory. They devised a plan, hoping that after this, no human would successfully enter their domain.

-----

At night, Draven returned to his mate's side. Ember was sitting by the window, gazing at the starry sky, a routine she had maintained for a few weeks. Without a reminder, she could sit like this indefinitely.

Draven knew she was still waiting for the day when Morpheus would suddenly appear in the sky and come to her.

Noticing Draven's presence in her chamber, Ember turned to him and offered a light smile. "You seemed to be working late?"

He nodded and asked, "Aren't you tired sitting here? I expected you to be resting to help your body heal."

"I couldn't sleep alone," she admitted, standing up. "But now that you're here, I suddenly feel sleepy."

Draven saw in her eyes that she was trying to hide her wait for Morpheus, so he chose not to mention it either.

He lifted her in his arms and gently laid her in bed, then lay down beside her and pulled her into a comfortable embrace.

She looked at him. "Draven, do you think I'm not a proper mate?"

He met her gaze. "What made you think that?"

"I just sometimes feel that way," she confessed.

"You are the perfect mate for me. I want no one but you," he replied with an assuring gaze. "Are you doubting yourself because you keep waiting for Morpheus?"

Ember was speechless, realizing Draven had guessed her thoughts. "I wait for him as my friend. I don't have any other..."

"I know. I too am waiting for him to wake up. You don't need to explain," he assured her, caressing her hair gently.

"I read that males can be possessive and they don't like their mates thinking about another male, so I was worried."

"He is our friend who sacrificed his life for us. It's only natural to think about and wait for him," he said. "Today, I spoke with the Witch Clan. Although Cornelia is still in the Spirit Shrine, they've reported positive progress. We can hope for his soul to recover sooner or later."

Her eyes brightened. "I know he will come back to us. If he survived the divine weapon, he's meant to return," she said, hugging him happily. "Thank you for telling me this."

"You can thank me in another way," he commented. Ember raised her head to look into those intense looking red eyes. It's been a while since he had said something like this or looked at her in this way. Since that day of incident, everything between them seemed to have stopped as well. She moved her face closer and gently pecked on his lips, her eyes closely looking into his, that showed he was not content with just this much. The next moment she found the world had turned upside down and she was lying beneath him, his intense eyes gazing into her shocked ones. He was in the end a beast, how long he could he suppress his primal instinct when his beautiful mate was in his arms?

"I thought to let you rest for your lesson tomorrow, but it seems we'll have to cancel it."

She gulped. "Will that be alright?"

"Anything is alright when it's an order from the king," he said, sealing her lips with a passionate kiss. Ember reciprocated eagerly.

After many days, their chamber was once again filled with the sounds of intimacy, as the Dragon and his mate surrendered to their passion.