The Dragon Rebellion (M-Preg)

Chapter Eight: For the Greater Good

"Your attendance surprises me, General. After such a dramatic exit last meeting, I had assumed you would send your regards instead."

Kincaid didn't rise to the bait his brother dangled. A loss of control was not common for the General and while his previous outburst was shocking, most had dismissed it as a side effect of the new bond. It was excused after confirming he'd been forced into Rut following his mate's cycle. Despite this, Kincaid did not like what this bond was doing to him. A male in his position could not afford that slackening grip. There was too much at stake.

Tension threatened to hunch his shoulders, but he remained composed, keeping even his morá calmed, something that not many were capable of achieving, even in advanced age.

Talent and power were two things Kincaid was no stranger to. Even if most of the time they were a burden he did not wish to bear.

"I take it your mate has been bred then?" Bodric continued, leveling his gaze on his brother and interrupting whatever update Councilman Doleha was giving.

Kincaid wiped every emotion from his face and instead replaced them with a mask of cool indifference.

"I have not."

The room fell silent.

Bodric leaned forward, claws fisting the armrests as he fixed his intensity on the General.

"You are playing with fire, General. If you have grown too burdened by your lesser duties, perhaps we may lighten them? So that you may re-evaluate your priorities."

Kincaid saw the warning for what it was. Not that he was surprised. Being King sharpened his talons in a way Kincaid never had the stomach for.

When the General still didn't rise to the provocation, Bodric lost interest, returning his focus to the rest of the meeting.

Though he appeared present, Kincaid's mind was elsewhere. Rushing a mile a minute, searching for any way to delay the inevitable. His brother had too much power over him and he refused to be forced to hand over yet another piece of himself. Was it not enough that he had dedicated his entire life to the crown?

There was no threat to Bodric's reign while he lived. Kincaid made sure of it. So why was his brother so determined to think otherwise?

It was exhausting.

The meeting rattled on and on as the same information or lack of updates from the last meeting repeated in this one. Their cause was failing and they still hadn't even made progress in breeding.

The redrya females were still prone to dud clutches while the male redrya produced at a much-reduced rate. It didn't matter how many pairs were created if they couldn't reap the benefits of it. Then what? Would all of this have been for naught? Were they destined to die out?

"Perhaps if we increased their accommodations. Their kind is fragile. They require much to keep their bodies healthy and even then they are still prone to sickness and disease. If the Gemma Crystals cannot cure their ailments, then perhaps we allow some of them to foster what they need to survive and it will strengthen them, in return strengthen their ability to lay a viable clutch," Pelryn presented.

From the sneers around the table, it was clear prejudice would win this battle. But Bodric surprisingly pondered the information.

Pelryn wasn't wrong and the logic was sound, but there was still the ever-looming threat. If they strengthened the redrya too much, would they then provide a threat to the control they had over them? A rebellion now was nothing, but if given the right tools, could become a problem. And a war on Tarlikk and Earth was not what they needed. Kincaid was split too thinly as it was.