Claimed By A Dragon Prince

Vestis sat in his office looking over the reports he had been give just moments ago and they all said the same thing. "Why is is so hard for any of you to capture one wolfless woman? She has one protector and he must have a weakness. FIND IT!" His subordinate bowed shaking then retreated quickly out the door. Vestis leaned back in his chair looking up at the ceiling thinking of his sister and how happy she would be that he could present the daughter they both wanted to her.

*I miss you Artemis. I will bring her back to you soon.* He could imagine her sitting in her garden looking at her flowers turning to him happy that she would be seeing her daughter for the first time. She would be so overjoyed that Lily was safe that his own transgressions would seem small and to distant to think about. Artemis had always forgiven him for his mistakes just like when Lily was born.

Standing up he went to his bookshelf pulling a book that opened a hidden door which swung open. Stepping through and lighting a torch he quickly closes the door heading down a set of stairs to a hidden room. There he had set up a sanctuary with Artemis’s picture painted on the alter. Setting the torch in a holder next the the alter he knelt down looking up at her face. Destiny told him that she was to be his mate and they would being about the next great era of the gods.

He thought their life was set and watching Artemis blossom into a beautiful, strong, intelligent goddess was part of that cycle of growth. When the time came for him to tell her they Elders had decided that they could move forward with the mating she met that dragon god changed all their plans. He should have acted a day sooner so this wouldn’t have been a problem.

Vestis would have taken the dragon to another villa in the clouds to be treated, and not let Artemis anywhere near the dragon god. He had kept other gods away from her just in case some took too much interest in her and wanted to fight him for what was already his. No, he made sure others could take her by keeping her in her own little world of the Wolf Pavilion in the clouds.

She had seemed happy enough never asking to leave and always listening to his words about what went on beyond those walls. He always made sure to make her feel safe a protect any time they talked or enjoyed each other’s company. But the minute that dragon showed up she wouldn’t come to him anymore and he always found her tending to the dragon god when ever he came to visit her.

While the dragon god may not have done anything to incite this behavior out of her, he did not distance himself enough to keep her away either. Then when he went to check on her the night before they mated she wasn’t even in her rooms. He checked everywhere scared that she had been taken checking her garden, the library, the hall of weapons just everywhere and there wasn’t any sign of her.

Having a hunch, he went to check on the dragon god staying in her guest room and it was empty as well. *He took her!* Growling out loud he stormed out of the room going to the gates to see if they had been breached. They hadn’t which meant he could fly again and went some where with her.

*She’ll be back. She’d never worry me this way and not come home. Her heart is here with me and her mind is there with him. Come back to me Artemis!* He prayed trying not to think of what they could be doing together. Going back to his own rooms he waited for her to return and demand an explanation.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Vestis still couldn’t believe she had went with him since she had always told him she was afraid to leave the Pavilion. It never occurred to him that she didn’t want to leave with him. Getting up from the alter he went back up the stairs thinking of about what his "daughter" was doing.

He knew she was smart just like her mother, but he didn’t know she was a skilled fighter and knew just how to survive in the wild. The creatures in those forest were a dangerous sort and the darkling dragons nested there. Which is why he never sent soldiers there to eliminate those beasts. they were mindless soulless that kept to one place most of the time. Only here in the last few seasons have they really started to act up.

He had planned to leave this for Max to handle as he had been making good head way with the nobles and the commoners. Most of the Kings duties had been passed down to Max so when he took up the throne he was ready. Vestis was in no rush to let the power go, not until her had Lily in his hands and obeying his words meeting her mother.

Max walks in at that moment with a stack of files in hand for him to sign or read over. "Another round of paperwork I see. What’s this stack about?" Max stepped forward handing him the stack.

"These are all the major complaints the nobles and commoners have filled about their food supplies. The toxin you ignored has caused serious damaged to grazing land and farm lands. animals are dying and food is dying fast because of diseased crops. Now either give me the power to take action or the council of Elders will." Vestis sat back hearing this since it was the first time Max and asserted himself in this way.

Looking over the plans in the proposal they were easy things to handle and only so many soldiers would be away. "Use about a 1/3 of the soldiers you mention here. The Dragon Clan has sent their own support and aid to this village so they wont need much from us. Apparently Lily was seen there giving aid to the people. Hopefully in our name, reminding the people who the liege lord is."

Max wanted to shake his head at his father, well step father. It was a well kept secret that his mother was cast off for her younger sister to take the throne and rule in her clans best interest. From what he knew of his actual mother was that she was sister to his "step mother". Having both his parents gone or in hiding always saddened him because he lived a lie and couldn’t tell anyone.

He knew a spell had been cast over the people, but he didn’t have the power to break it only protect himself. Because he was the true Alpha King of his Clan certain spells and magic never worked on him. So when he was a child and his "uncle" cast the spell to make him and his aunt the new Clan leaders he was the only one who knew what had happened. He couldn’t even tell Lily about it.

He once tried to talk with one of the Elders about what had happened, but was told to keep it to himself until he had the proof about what he just told him. Max was alone for alone of things and he seen that Lily was just as alone. Watching her struggle and trying to stay alive long enough to escape gave him hope that he would get his moment to take over.

His "father" signed that papers barely reading anything thinking he had Max fooled with what he was doing. The man could do paperwork and constantly relied on Lily to pick up his short falls. But lately since she left Max had to take up where she left off and she had many things in place before she left. It was just no one was taking care of them like she had intended. He now had to scramble to fix was was lost or forgotten about.

With the last file signed Max gathered the files so he could give them out to his subordinates to carry out the orders. Short of a ceremony the Clan already seen him as the new king. It was just a matter of time now and he had hoped to find a luna queen before ascending his throne. At one point he wanted that to be Lily, but as she was now mated to the dragon prince that was no longer possible.

Thinking of checking out the dragon academy for a potential mate had some merit since a great deal of intelligent people come out of there. If he could find a good female with a cool head and a mind for helping other he just might come out of this with more in his back pocket then his "father" ever thought he could handle. He wasn’t a supportive father, but it did give Max a person to knock down for the good of his people.