Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 61: Pursuit of Power [Part 3]

-Well, this is awkward. I fully intended on releasing this chapter yesterday, I even edited it yesterday, then totally forgot to publish it. So... uh... sorry about that. Hehe.

It might be late, but here it is!

-NFD

~~~

"I'm telling you, I'm not power-hungry!"

"What else could it be, then?" Moon countered. "The first thing you mentioned was getting stronger!"

"It was simply a misunderstanding," Astra defended, her wing partially unfurled over her wounded son. "It did sound like that was your plan." Needless to say, the suggestion of Auroon's innermost desire being power sparked up a fight between the deity and my mate. Frankly, this entire meeting was poorly planned and executed, so it didn't come as a surprise that yet another fight had broken out.

"I've said time and again that isn't how it works!" Moon argued. "Why do I always have to repeat—"

"Stop," Von interrupted sharply, making Moon flinch. He still sat in the same spot as before, though his narrowed eyes now only showed disappointment. "Sæloon, come here. You're being unreasonable."

She slowly turned to look at him. "But they—"

"Now," he growled, baring his teeth minutely. Moon's head ducked down with her ears at Von's tone, not unlike a hatchling realizing it had pushed its luck too far. She hesitated and glanced back to Auroon, only to jolt and reluctantly obey at Von's warning growl. Seeing that Moon was being handled, I refocused on my irate mate, who was still surrounded by the mysterious fog.

"Astra?" I warbled politely. She hesitated, then stood and moved aside to give us some privacy. I nodded my thanks and settled down beside Auroon, giving him a knowing look. "You're ticked off."

"Of course I am!" He growled through bared teeth. "I'm not a power-hungry psycho, I'm not a monster, I'm not—"

"The Siegebreaker," I cut in softly, knowing exactly what he was leading up to. I knew the real reason all along, the source of the problem at paw. I knew him.

Auroon's vibrant green eyes snapped to me, betraying pain buried deep within them. "I-I'm not."

"You're not," I assured soothingly. "You're better than that."

"But Moon—"

"Moon wasn't thinking before she spoke, as usual," I huffed. "And Von doesn't know how much your past hurts you." Although he was a harbinger, Von didn't seem like the malicious type of dragon, so I was pretty sure he didn't mean it like that.

He relaxed a little. "I... guess you have a point."

 I hummed thoughtfully, deciding to push a little further. "And would I also be right in assuming that you do want more power?"

He scowled at that. "I am not power-hungry."

"Obviously not," I chuffed with a roll of my eyes. "If you were, I wouldn't be here with you, none of our children would exist, and a million other things wouldn't have happened. Coming from me, it is a genuine question, nothing more." I wouldn't care if he was the weakest dragon on the planet. I had no interest in power-obsessed males, hence why he still had me. Even though he was seeking more right now, that was a far cry from being obsessed. Everyone longed to be stronger at times; it was natural when faced with a looming threat. Auroon fell into that category.

Auroon studied at me for a long moment, then seemed to let it go. I knew better than that; I'd have to be careful not to incite his sensitive spots more than they already were. "I got tossed around like a ragdoll," he muttered sourly. "I've fought worse creatures before; I should've been able to take her, but I couldn't."