Dragon Prince's Forbidden Affair

CHAPTER ONE

Aqua's P.O.V

Take Me Away

"I'm not trying to hurt you Aqua." That's what he said after he broke up with me, not that it helped at all. "You're just too submissive and that's not really what I'm looking for." Maybe he was right but I wish I knew before I wasted all that time with him. "I thought it was hot at first but I'm a little bored with it now. I had a good time with you but I can't picture this going anywhere." They always get bored so why do I bother dating at all? Maybe because I think love will save me from my depressing life.

I couldn't help the tears and he couldn't help wiping them away before walking out of my life for good. Later that week my therapist had to dive deeper into the situation in every way. I didn't have much to rely on now for happiness but that's nothing new. I thought things would look up soon because I was with him but you can't put all your hope in a relationship. My parents knew it wouldn't last but that's because they don't think everyone was cut out for relationships. I'm one of those people to them.

When I came home from my therapy appointment we had guests. No one I'd ever seen before, but I didn't think too much of it since I didn't know all of my parent's friends or co-workers. I was supposed to be on my way to class but I dropped out of college a few weeks ago. I didn't tell my parents since I didn't really drop out, well not officially. I just stopped attending my classes and a few already dropped me. Sometimes I wondered what this is all for because I don't know if I'm living for myself or just to fit into social structures and economy. Maybe it's my adhd that makes me feel so disconnected or maybe it's more than that. "Aqua, you should join us," my mom said as I almost slipped away to my room.

It seemed like they were arguing before I came in so I wasn't going to bother introducing myself. I walked into the living room where they were all seated on two separate couches. On one were my parents and on the other were two oddly dressed men. One looked a little older than me and the other could have been his father easily. The older man looked familiar but distantly. "I'm Aqua, their oldest daughter," I introduced myself since nobody else wanted to speak first.

The younger man muttered, "That's up to debate."

A faint sigh came from the older man in response to the younger. "I'm Konn and this is my son Cade." They seemed different than anyone I had met before and I'm not just talking about appearance.

"We should tell you something first, Aqua." My father blurted out. "I'm ashamed we haven't already had this discussion. We should have had it in private a long time ago."

I didn't want to have this conversation because I already knew. "You mean about how you found me when I was a baby-" I wanted to get straight to the point since anticipation was frustrating for me.

"You know, but how?" my mother cut me off as usual. "We made sure you wouldn't know... we'll not this soon." I never suspected until I was fourteen or fifteen. Somehow I just knew but I was hoping every kid felt that way. It's not like I looked that different from my parents. Sure we didn't look identical but from what seen not all families did.

Konn stepped forward. "It's the intuition. We don't have much time approved so I have to cut to the chase." He looked down at me. "I'm your birth father and I left you in this world nineteen years ago. I didn't plan on coming back but now I don't have a choice. I have to bring you back with me. I can't say anymore in front of them." It shouldn't have felt as real as it did.

"Father we need to leave, we don't need anyone's understanding or permission." Cade looked down at his watch nervously.

"Of course you need permission, we raised her." My mother wasn't going to just let me go with them but it's not like I was a minor. If I wanted to go I could, in fact I felt drawn to them. "You don't have any proof that she's your daughter. You'll get a test done then we'll figure the rest out."

Konn didn't pay my adoptive mother any attention. He looked at me as if It was my decision. I couldn't stop thinking about how he said he left me in this 'world' as if he lived in another. A lot hit me all at once and I wasn't even over my break up yet. "Can we slow down?"

Cade scoffed. "No we can't." He started to pace. "They told us we had an hour to be here and back with the possible holder of the almost lost abilities. The outside world is already insufferable enough."

I'd be crazy to disobey my birth parents and go along with them wouldn't I be? I would be stupid, naïve, and gullible. I turned to my parents and really saw them. I saw what they represented in this moment and how I never really felt a family bond with them. I had my chance to start over somewhere new. If someone asked me now why was I even considering leaving with these two strange men I'd smile and say I have nothing to lose. I'd say nothing could be worse than existing the way I was in an empty day to day life where I couldn't feel whole or even barely satisfied. I looked away from my adoptive parents and up at Konn. He looked like a clean responsible type and not like someone I'd even get along with. If what he was saying was true then he abandoned me with no plans to come back. The only reason he was here now seemed to be an order from someone they saw as important. For some reason I knew I'd be fine, call it 'intuition' like Konn did but I knew. "Get me out of here," I said with exhaustion.

Konn simply nodded and my parents followed us outside yelling. My mom went back in after threatening to call the police as if I wasn't over eighteen. "Aqua, I'm so disappointed in you for leaving like this, you don't care about your siblings, us who raised you, or anyone else but yourself!" I'd be lying if I said those words my adoptive father said didn't hurt. I didn't reply to what he said because after feeling a heavy wind and a loud noise I turned around to see two large... dragons in our front yard. Thankfully we lived outside of town and there wasn't another house for miles but they wouldn't have even believed their eyes.

CHAPTER TWO

Journey To a New World

My instinct was to climb the larger one even though it was difficult because I had a dream like this before. Did I think I was dreaming now? No, it was too real but the memory of a dream like this was comforting. My adoptive parents stared in horror as we took off. I wanted to leap off and try flying myself, but I couldn't convince myself this was a dream. In the dream I would leap off and shift into a dragon. Dragon shifters were a well believed myth for so long especially in my town. So much so that we learned about them in school. Some people still believed in them, and now I was on the back of one. I was on the back of the dragon claiming to be my father for fucks sake. "Am I going to be able to go back?!" I yelled with a smile across my face. I did care about my siblings who I left behind. They were the only good thing I had in my past life. It felt like a past life already.

Cade shifted back into his human form midair and landed on Konn's back next to me. "Why would you want to?" he asked as he laid back. "I know you're probably confused with a lot of questions but you're one of us." Confused with a lot of questions, that didn't begin to explain how I felt. "You don't belong there." If I didn't belong there then why did Konn leave me there?

Laughter escaped from my lips. "I can't shift into a dragon so how could I be one of you?"

Cade rolled his eyes before he answered, "You will, Father had to seal your shifting abilities when he brought you to the outside world. He'll explain everything when we get there. You're going to need to know everything before you meet the royal family." So they lived under a king and queen. I found that interesting.

For the rest of the flight I hurt my head over how much I thought. At one point we just kept flying upward as if they lived in the highest mountains. I felt a pop in my ears as we passed through a barrier that separated the two worlds. We flew for a little while longer and there were dragons of every size everywhere. Some flew in groups while others soared through the sky alone. We flew towards the giant castle. This is where my dream would end, and I would be back in a world that didn't want me once I woke up.

I didn't wake up and now that scared me. I didn't know anything yet, and I was about to find out everything. I felt a final gust of wind as we landed. Cade helped me down and Konn shifted back into his human form. "So?" I started, "Let me hear it, why'd you leave me and when are you going to unseal my shifting ability." I was straightforward with everyone except men who I liked. I can never seem to find the right attitude with them.

"That's not how this is going to work Aqua," Konn looked at the castle. "I'm going to tell you this once, I'm only telling you what's necessary, and everything else will come later. We work for the royal family." He gestured to himself and Cade. "Which means you work for the royal family. I went to get you because it was the king and queens order. You might have inherited abilities that run in our family so they need you here. They only manifest in one person every few generations," he explained. "You'll meet the king, queen, princess and prince in half an hour. It's important that you make a good impression on the prince because he'll be king soon and you'll likely serve him most your life. If not all." This didn't sound as good anymore but it doesn't matter if I have nothing to lose. "Cade's going to show you where you'll be staying."

I turned to Cade as Konn left through the castle entrance. "Sorry about him," he apologized for his father. "You'll get the hang of things quickly." He led me down one of the paths. "To answer one of your questions, he'll probably unseal your shifting abilities when he's ordered to. I don't think I can really answer your other question though..." He cleared his throat, "You'll love the royal family, especially the princess and prince. They're both my really good friends actually, we all grew up together."

I followed Cade into the side of the castle. I wanted to ask about our mother but I was afraid it was a sensitive subject. I wondered if my adoptive parents hated me now or if they were looking for me. I wondered if they'd tell my younger siblings that I was taken away by dragons. Would they want to come rescue me? "What exactly do we do here?"

Cade looked down at his phone. "Shit." He looked back at me as we walked into a room. "Sorry, my girlfriend started up an old argument with me over text and it's just a mess." He put his phone away. I wondered if dating here was anything like back at home. "We serve in any way we are asked. My- I mean our father," he corrected himself, "is the advisor to the King and Queen. Sorry I'm used to calling him my father. Anyways I grew up being taught to do the same for the prince."

I looked around the large plain room. "That doesn't sound too bad but I guess I need to meet them first." Then I'll know if I'm better off here or not.

"We should go then, try to remember what room number is yours." He gestured the number 202 above my room door when we left. We walked across the castle into a place Cade called, "The Great Hall."

I looked at the royal family who were already there with Konn. My eyes first saw the King and Queen then their young daughter. Lastly my eyes fixated on the prince. He looked more like a king than a prince. I felt a wave of romantic desire, infatuation, and lust wash over me while electricity coursed through my entire body. The only thing I could think was;

Mate

CHAPTER THREE

Prince Lexus POV

The Prince

"You have to stop leaving marks all over my body," Sadia said as she sat up in bed. "Unless you're going to give me the mate mark," She joked. My parents would kill me if we mated too early. "Seriously though Lexus you need to stop, it's not classy."

I looked down her naked body as the blanket fell to her lap. "Wear long sleeves and turtlenecks, you'll be fine. You'll probably earn brownie points with my mom doing that shit anyways." I used my lighter to light my blunt.

Sadia got out of my bed and started to gather her clothes. "That's not funny because we need to be careful. I shouldn't have even slept over." She's been worried about my parents approval ever since we became friends years ago. She cares about their approval more than I do, but it's always been easy for me to get it. After all, they don't really know me. They think they do and I'm fine with them because if I wanted them to know me I'd show my other sides. They have control over most of my life including my education and many hobbies. You might not even be able to call them hobbies since I don't choose to do them in my free time but they require me to learn all types of non educational activities. They didn't know how I actually spent my free time which reflected who I was a lot more. I did what they expected and spent time with them with no hassle so that's enough for their approval. "Whatever, we'll talk about this later when you're not high." Sadia and Cade might have been the only two in the castle who did know me. They're the only two that needed to but my sister tried her best to tear down my walls. Sadia didn't live in the castle but she spent most her time here.

I blew out smoke after I hit the blunt. "You can't leave yet because my parents want us to meet someone. Apparently she's Konn's long lost daughter or something. Cade isn't showing any signs of being the holder so it might be this girl." Sadia frowned. "Oh, I kinda wanted it to be Cade."

"No shit, we all did." I looked up at the ceiling. "The holder is going to be our adviser and we'd all rather that be someone we trust." Sadia and Cade were the only two I wanted close to me when I took over as King.

Sadia held back a laugh as she pulled her pants on. "Could you imagine Cade telling us about his dreams about the future? I don't know how I'd take him seriously." When she finished getting dressed she brushed her straight black hair in the mirror.

I put my blunt out in an ashtray on my nightstand. I didn't finish it because I wanted to meet Konn's daughter with a somewhat clear mind. "Well it's probably not happening now."

She turned around to face me. "Did you even know Konn had a daughter?"

I shook my head. "My parents didn't even know. Konn never hid anything from us before. Makes me think, what else is he hiding from us?"

"You're too serious." She walked to the door. "When are we meeting her?"

"They're going to get her from the human world now, they have an hour." I got up out of bed and walked to the attached bathroom.

Sadia walked to me from behind. "The human world? Wow Konn must be out of his mind," she joked. "Have you talked to your father yet?" I found the human world interesting, and I'll be able to see it for myself one day.

I hadn't talked to him and I wasn't sure how I would. "No because it's a complicated situation."

She scoffed, then walked out of the bathroom. "Those guys are blackmailing you and it's all my fault." I heard her at a distance.

I looked towards the door. "It's not a big enough deal to bring my parents into it. I've gotten you this far Sadia and I'm going to keep protecting you. Let me handle it myself. If my father gets involved then he'll know everything I've done in secret up until this point."

It wasn't Sadia's fault I had a double life, it's how we met after all. "I know but their requests are getting out of hand, and you should have cut ties with them a long time ago." I started putting myself together so I'd look presentable.

I hated when she'd tell me what I should do because she had no idea how freeing it felt. Life in the castle was amazing but boring. I wouldn't change being the prince but meeting up with the local werewolf pack gave me something I was missing. Some of them were friends and some were enemies. The friends were the main reason I didn't cut off the whole pack. Sadia was a dragon shifter like me but she was taken in by the werewolf pack at a young age. "It'll be fine, trust me." I walked out of the bathroom and to the door. "Let's grab something to eat before we meet Konn's daughter."

We walked down the hall into the great hall and sat at one of the tables. One of the workers saw us and asked what we wanted to eat. After we told them they left to tell the chefs. "Do you know how Cade and Vella are doing?" Sadia asked.

Hearing Vella's name made my skin crawl. "They're doing great," I lied because it was better for Sadia to think everything with them was fine. "I wouldn't be surprised if they end up getting mated. I'd approve of it." Kings and Queens had to approve the mates of their advisers. The mating process is intimate since they'd share feelings and thoughts after. Their mate would have access to knowing all that the adviser knows so they could easily betray us.

"Wow, that's a big deal," she said before one of the workers came back with small meals for us. "Thank you."

I looked down at the food then we both started eating. After our meal we watched my parents walk into the great hall. We got up and walked to them. "Hello Mother, Father." I greeted them then so did Sadia. I had an odd feeling but I didn't know what to think of it.

"It's always a pleasure to see you Sadia." My mother said.

I looked at the doors as Konn walked in and he greeted us. "Cade is showing my daughter her room but they'll be here soon."

"Hm." My father seemed unsure. "It worries me that she's from the human world. She knows nothing of our culture or history. What kind of adviser would she make?"

"One with a new perspective." Konn answered. "She'll learn all she needs."

I looked towards the doors as Cade walked in with his newly found sister. The odd feeling I felt before was stronger. I had an intense pressure on my heart and felt static all around me.

This was the feeling described when someone found their mate. I felt lust and romantic attraction. Being somewhat high made the feeling even more intense. I wanted to know everything about her and never leave her side. But how could I have found my mate? No one had chosen mates anymore but all I could think was;

Mate