"Probably," Kaia agrees. "She was always so careful about what she told me, what she revealed. I thought she was just being protective, but now I realize she was keeping secrets. Big secrets. About who she was, where she came from, what I am."
"And then she passed," I prompt gently, seeing the grief resurface in Kaia's expression.
"And then she passed," Kaia echoes. "It was sudden. One day she was there, laughing and teaching me a new fighting technique, and the next she was dead. My father said she fell from one of the towers during a storm, that she'd been walking along the ramparts and the wind knocked her off. But I never believed that story. My mother wasn't careless. She wouldn't have been out in a storm without good reason."
"You think he killed her," Solace says quietly. It's not a question.
"No? I don't know," Kaia admits. "I was so young, and I wanted to believe it was an accident. But my father was so angry after she died. I thought at first he was just grieving, that his rage was part of his mourning process. But it never softened. It never turned into the kind of sad acceptance you'd expect from someone who lost their mate. He just got angrier, greedier, more obsessed with finding dragons and taking their wealth."
"He must have blamed us for losing her," I realize. "In his twisted mind, if he'd had access to dragon wealth and magic,maybe he could have kept her alive. Or maybe he was just angry that his captive died before giving him what he wanted."
"He's just greedy," Kaia says flatly. "That's all he is. A greedy, cruel man who takes what he wants and destroys anything that doesn't serve his purposes."
We're quiet for a moment, each of us processing this information. Then Kaia shifts again, her expression changing from grief to curiosity mixed with uncertainty. "Can I ask you something?" she says, her voice hesitant.
"Anything," I assure her.
Kaia's cheeks flush a deep red as she looks down at her hands. "How is this supposed to work? Between us, I mean. None of you have knots. I don't even know why Alpha women would go on those hunts because they don't have what I'm supposed to need. Every Omega is taught that we need an Alpha's knot during heat, that it's essential for satisfaction and bonding."
Laughter bursts from me before I can stop it. Alessia starts giggling beside me, and even Solace looks amused. Kaia's blush deepens, and she looks mortified.
"I'm sorry," I manage between laughs. "I'm not laughing at you. It's just that your kingdom has some very specific ideas about biology that don't account for how dragons work."
"Our magic will soothe you," Alessia explains, getting her giggles under control. "Better than any knot could. Dragon Alphas don't have the same physical attributes as wolf Alphas, but our magic compensates in ways that are far more satisfying."
"Like this," I say, reaching out to touch Kaia's arm. I let a small thread of my magic flow through the contact, warm and soothing and gently arousing. It's just a taste, a hint of what's possible.
Kaia gasps, her body responding immediately to the sensation. "I need to come," she blurts out, then slaps both hands over her mouth, her eyes going wide with embarrassment.
More laughter ripples through the bed. "I think that can be arranged," Solace says, looking to me for confirmation.
I meet her eyes steadily, making sure she understands what I'm about to say. "When it comes to Kaia's pleasure, you do not need to look to me for approval. Whatever she needs, we will give. That comes first, always. Our comfort comes second. I may be an Alpha and a queen, but I am hers and my wife's first. And maybe someday yours as well, if you'll have me."
Solace's expression softens. "I think I'd like that," she admits quietly.
Kaia grins, the embarrassment fading as she settles more comfortably between the three of us. "I feel absolutely perfect right here," she says. "Between all of you. Like this is exactly where I'm meant to be."
"That's because it is," Alessia says, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to Kaia's temple.
I follow suit, kissing her other temple while Solace tilts Kaia's face up for a proper kiss on the lips. We take turns, trading sweet kisses, Alessia, Solace, and me all diving in to show Kaia exactly how loved and wanted she is.
This is what we've been waiting for. Not just an Omega to complete some prophecy, but this specific person. This fierce, brave, complicated woman who's been through so much and still has the capacity to love, to trust, to open herself to possibility. And her Beta, equally fierce and brave, who loves Kaia enough to follow her anywhere.
We're going to build something beautiful together. Something that transcends kingdoms and species and all the history that should keep us apart. We're going to create a bond strong enough to heal old wounds and forge new alliances.
But first, we're going to take care of our Omega. We're going to show her exactly what dragon magic can do, how thoroughly we can satisfy her, and how completely we intend to worship her.
And judging by the way she's looking at us right now, she's more than ready for that lesson.
Kaia
The kisses start sweet and tender, but they quickly deepen into something more urgent. Alessia's lips are on mine first, tasting of the honey pastries we ate earlier. Her tongue traces the seam of my lips and I open for her gladly, gasping at the sensation. When she pulls back, Zara is there to take her place, her kiss more commanding, more possessive, but no less careful with me.
Then Solace, kisses me with a tenderness that makes my throat tight. "You're so beautiful like this," she murmurs against my lips. "Relaxed and wanting. I love seeing you this way."
"We all do," Alessia agrees, her hands sliding down my sides to find the hem of my dress. "May we undress you properly, sweetheart? Take our time with you?"
I nod, unable to form words. My body is already responding to their attention, heat pooling low in my belly, my skin hypersensitive to every touch. They work together to remove my dress, sliding it up and over my head with practiced ease. The afternoon air hits my bare skin and I shiver, but it's not from the cold. It's from anticipation, from desire, from the way all three of them are looking at me like I'm the most precious thing they've ever seen.
