Chapter 8 THE WEDDING PACT

The afternoon at Emberlight Castle was full of life and bursting with energy.

Servants hurried through the grand halls, their arms piled high with silks, gold-trimmed banners, and crystal goblets that shimmered under the afternoon sun. The scent of roasted meats and sweet nectar filled the air, mingling with the faint trace of dragonfire that always lingered in the stones of the castle.

From the tallest balcony, one could see the entire valley below — rivers of molten gold winding between the black peaks, and wyverns soaring lazily above the glowing cliffs. It was beautiful, otherworldly, and a little terrifying.

The castle, the entire kingdom was preparing for one thing, the King’s wedding.

Every corridor hummed with whispered rumors about the mortal bride who had been chosen for this season's ritual. She was not the first, but something about her had the people talking.

And though Haven didn’t know it yet, her name was on everyone’s lips.

Draven walked through the great hall, his armor catching the light as he barked quiet orders to the guards. “The courtyard must be cleared by sundown. The King returns at dusk.”

He paused, gaze flicking to a young maid rushing past with a basket of golden petals. “And someone, fetch Amelyn,” he added, voice sharp but calm. “Tell her the bride must be made ready.”

~~~

Haven sat in front of a tall mirror in her chambers, her reflection barely recognizable. The dress she wore earlier that morning had been taken , replaced by a gown of pale silver that shimmered like starlight. The fabric hugged her frame softly, delicate and impossibly light, as if woven from moonlight itself.

“Hold still, my lady,” said one of the attendants as she pinned Haven’s curls into an intricate braid. “The King prefers elegance.”

The King.

The word alone made Haven’s stomach tighten. She had not seen him since he left her at the table. He hadn't made it his mission to disrupt her peaceful thinking either, though she could still feel him, faintly, as if a shadow of his presence lingered in the back of her thoughts.

She was grateful for the peace of mind though.

Gosh! She couldn't believe she was getting married to a man who forcefully took from her home, and was forming her into marriage the very next day.

The door opened and a tall, graceful woman with dark hair that gleamed like onyx and eyes the color of amber. Power clung to her like perfume. She was no ordinary servant. Her blue dress screamed elegance in capital letters.

“So this is the mortal bride,” she murmured, her tone laced with curiosity. “You’re smaller than I imagined.”

Haven blinked, unsure how to respond. “I didn’t exactly plan to be here,” she said softly.

A faint smirk touched Amelyn’s lips. “No one ever does.” She stepped forward, examining Haven’s dress, the pendant around her neck, the faint mark near her collarbone that glowed softly beneath the skin, the mark that hadn’t been there before the Dragon King’s fire touched her.

“It’s already begun,” Amelyn whispered, almost to herself. “The bond.”

“What bond?” Haven asked, voice barely a whisper.

Amelyn only smiled , a secret, knowing smile. “You’ll find out soon enough, my lady. Now, rise. It’s time.”

Two attendants came forward with a thin silver crown adorned with dragon-shaped sigils. As they placed it upon her head, Haven caught her reflection again.

She didn’t look like the baker’s niece from Edenvale anymore. She looked like someone out of a story, a sacrifice dressed as a queen.

And as the horns echoed from the great courtyard, announcing the King’s return, Haven’s heart began to race.

Her fate was waiting for her, wrapped in fire and crowned in gold. One she didn't choose

~~~

Auren stood at the front in the ceremonial room of the castle. The grand hall was filled with people, all who came to witness the king's marriage.

This was not the first nor the second. They had witnessed so many marriages, and they all knew what awaited the bride after their wedding.

Auren stood before the altar, waiting for his bride with practiced patience. His hair, dark as a moonless sky, fell over his shoulders, and his eyes — burning molten gold — scanned the room with quiet authority. The very air seemed to bend around him, heavy with restrained power.

He looked every inch a king, untouchable, unyielding, and inhumanly beautiful.

But there was something in his expression tonight, a faint shadow, a tension that even the courtiers dared not name.

He wasn’t supposed to feel anything for the mortal. Especially since she hated his guts. And yet… he could still hear her thoughts from the other end of the castle.

‘Is this real? Or am I still dreaming?’ The soft whisper of her doubt brushed his mind like a feather, and his jaw tightened. The bond was forming faster than expected. The fire had chosen her, and now it was binding them whether he wished it or not.

But that was the issue. The fire wasn't supposed to bind them. It was supposed to be the same like the other brides.

The horns sounded again. The great doors of the hall swung open, revealing Haven.

The crowd murmured as she entered, flanked by two attendants. Her silver gown caught every glimmer of light, trailing behind her like a stream of starlight. The faint glow beneath her collarbone pulsed softly with each step in rhythm with his own heartbeat.

Auren’s hand twitched at his side. He had seen hundreds of brides stand before him, terrified, trembling, desperate. But none had looked at him the way she did now.

Haven’s eyes, wide and uncertain, met his across the hall — and held.

The world around them blurred for a moment. The noise, the guests, the flicker of flames — everything melted away.

All she could see was him.

The stories hadn’t done him justice. He was terrifying, yes — his power filled the entire space like a storm waiting to break — but he was also breathtakingly beautiful. Too beautiful for something that wasn’t entirely human.

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Crap! She hates him.

Why was she affected by his dashing appearance.

“This way, my lady,” whispered Amelyn beside her, but Haven barely heard. Her feet carried her forward as though drawn by something unseen.

She stopped at the base of the dais. Auren extended his hand.

“Your Majesty,” she said softly, dipping into a curtsy the attendants had taught her just an hour ago.

His voice, deep and smooth as tempered steel, rolled over her. “Rise, Haven Thorne.”

When she looked up, his gaze was already on her. Intense. Searching.

And though he said nothing more, she heard it, that faint echo in her mind again.

‘Do you fear me, little flame?’

Her breath caught. She wanted to answer aloud, but something told her that wasn’t how this worked. So she thought it instead, heart hammering.

‘Of course not?’

He almost smiled , a flicker at the corner of his lips, gone before anyone could notice.

He liked them fiesty.

The High priestess stepped forward, draped in robes of gold, holding a bowl carved from dark stones. The sacred fire of Emberlight burned within it — white-hot, alive, ancient. Its light painted both of their faces in hues of gold and amber.

“We gather under the gaze of the Flame Eternal,” the priestess intoned. “To bind the King of Dragons, Auren of House Drakar, to his chosen bride. May fire witness their union and forge it everlasting.”

Haven’s fingers trembled as she placed her hand atop Auren’s. His skin was hot, too hot for a mortal, but not unbearable. The warmth seeped through her veins like molten sunlight, and for a heartbeat, she swore she could feel something ancient stir inside her.

The Seer dipped his fingers into the flame and touched their joined hands. The fire leapt instantly, curling around their fingers like living ribbons. Haven gasped — it should have burned, but it didn’t. Instead, it felt alive. Curious.

Auren didn’t flinch. He watched her instead.

“In the presence of flame,” the Seer continued, “your souls are bound. King and bride. Fire and mortal. May the bond bring peace to both kingdoms.”

The flame flared one last time, and then vanished, leaving only the faint glow of the mark at Haven’s collarbone.

The hall erupted into cheers. Drums thundered. The nobles bowed.

But Haven couldn’t move. The warmth hadn’t left her hand. She turned her gaze to Auren, her lips parting slightly.

“What… what was that?” she whispered.

“The bond,” he said simply, his voice low enough for only her to hear. “Our fates are tied now.”

What! She was so prepared to open deny, but something advised her not to provoke he

“And if I don't want that?"

He leaned closer, so close she could feel the heat radiating from him, the scent of smoke and wild magic in the air. “It isn’t a matter of want, little one. The fire has chosen. And what the fire claims, no mortal can refuse.”

Her face twisted into a frown. “You make it sound like I’m property.”

His eyes burned brighter, gold swirling like molten light. “Not property,” he said softly. “A part of me.”

The words sent a shiver down her spine. Not from fear — though fear lingered — but something deeper. Something that burned deeper than hate.

Something she couldn't explain.

The Priestess raised her staff, announcing the end of the ceremony. “By the decree of the Flame, the King and his Bride are one.”

Auren straightened, his gaze sweeping the hall. “The ceremony is done. Let the feast begin.”

Music rose instantly — violins and harps echoing through the chamber. The nobles began to talk again, laughter returning to the air, though every eye still stole glances toward the new bride.

Haven barely registered any of it. Her hand still tingled where the fire had touched her. Her heart raced with questions she couldn’t ask.

Then she felt it — that connection again. Auren’s voice brushed against her mind.

‘Breathe, Haven.’

She froze, eyes snapping to him. He wasn’t looking at her, wasn’t even near — he was across the hall, speaking to Draven — and yet she heard him as clearly as if he stood beside her.

‘You’ll grow used to it, he said again,’ amusement coloring his tone.

She swallowed hard and turned away, pretending to admire the hall’s beauty while her mind spun wildly.

Whatever this “bond” was, she wasn't getting used to it. But somewhere inside her dress, the pendant her aunt had given her pulsed once — faintly, as if responding to the fire’s touch.

Far above, hidden in the vaulted ceiling, one of the carved dragon statues blinked — its eyes glowing faintly red. Watching.

The fire had bound more than two souls tonight.

It had awakened something the King had long tried to keep asleep.

And Haven Thorne was now part of it. Even if she tried to fight it