[Brax]
My muscles screamed as my arms flung the sledgehammer forward, the hammer hitting the concrete hard. Today, my muscles felt as though they had been flash-burned with acid from the inside. My lungs heaved like for air as every part of me cried out in pain. But I couldn't stop.
I felt my lungs expand, and my heart beat all the more strongly.
I can't say I was good at pacing myself; that skill still eluded me, but I knew how to keep going even when my body told me there was no more in the tank. I was going to destroy the 4-story building with a hammer.
"Good morning, sir. I'm Teon, here to deliver a message from Chief Gillian." A small voice called out behind me. With a low grunt, I ignored it and continued to pound at the wall with all my might. I watched as the building in front of me crumbled to nothing. "Excuse me, sir. This is an important matter." He continued. The sound of broken concrete and falling debris was enough to drown him until he found his voice. "Sir, the clan leader wants to speak with you." He screamed face, turning red. My eyes squeezed closed as my face contorted with a grimace. "I am talking to you, sir."
With a growl, I threw the sledge hammer missing him by half an inch. He screamed, eyes widening in shock. "Get the fuck away from me!" I warned, beginning to walk to my next job. Sweat trickled down my face, and my breathing slowly went back to its normal rhythm. I was not in the mood to deal with this clan's bullshit.
"Not until I tell you the message." He said, his voice quivering in fear.
I bent down and picked up a large price of concrete, causing him to step away from me. I rolled my eyes, throwing it in the air as if it was a ball. With a push of power, I threw the debris in the air as if it were a ball. His eyes followed the concrete in the air. "You have until this concrete hits the floor or your head."
He gasped, not speaking for a few seconds. I looked down at my clock to see 10 seconds had gone with him, gaping like a fish in front of me. "C.. Chief Gillian w..wants you in his office by no later t..than noon. You will be in a meeting with him for bre-" Teno jumped as the concrete slammed into the floor with a loud boom a quarter inch from his body.
He trembled, staring at the piece of rock burrowed into the floor. "Your times up."
"Y...you could have k..killed me." He stammered, looking up to glare at me.
I picked up another one, and he scrambled backwards. "Leave!" I growled as my hands began to produce a bright, red, and orange flame.
He gulped. "Y..yes s..sir."
□
□
Without knocking, I held onto the silver spiral knob and twisted it. The door banged against the wall behind it as the hinges groaned in protest. The chief of my clan, Gillian Rocostor. He glanced up, eyes glowing red in anger but calmed down to frustration when he saw It was me. "I said to be here at noon Braxton," he paused and looked down at the large watch on his wrist, "It's now 6:17 pm." He chided, sitting up straight to glare at me.
I shrugged. "I was busy." I said dryly. Gillian was aware that I disliked being in the presence of others. I would rather be alone in thought and be comfortable in my presence instead of being warped into someone else. I had my brain so I could communicate and do things with myself. That will always be all I need, no matter what, alone or in the company of others.
Everyone's life was separated from my own, so there was no need to connect with others. I loved it when I knew the only heart beating in my house or where I worked belonged to me and me alone. People were only good for pain, heartache, and disappointment.
He sighed, knowing there was no point reprimanding or arguing with me. "Please sit; we have important matters to discuss." He instructed. The clan leader sat behind a large mahogany desk, littered with paper and pens. Gillian motioned for me to sit on the chair, facing him again when he saw I wasn't moving from the door. Defiantly, I chose to stand. I didn't have time to waste on whatever irrelevant thing he wanted. There was work for me to do.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly; I was not being paid to be here, so this conversation had zero benefits for me.
Gillian let out a low warning growl but stopped when he saw my bored expression. "It's downright agonizing trying to have a conversation with you." He grunted.
"Then don't." I suggested.
He raised an eyebrow. With determination, he let out a burst of energy, his eyes glowing red, trying to make me bow my head in submission. Unfortunately for him, that trick does not work on me, but it never stops him from trying. I can't be forced into submission by someone of his rank. "That's no way to speak to your elder, far less your leader." He scolded.
I rolled my eyes. "Just say what you want to say." I snapped.
He frowned, leaning on the table. "You almost killed my messenger. He came back here shak-"
I turned around, ready to leave this pointless conversation. If he didn't want that boy to be killed, then he shouldn't have sent him to find me. "If that's all I'm goin-"
"You've been matched with a human." He interjected. I halted. "Your blood is a perfect match with the human; if we didn't know better, we would think she was likely your mate."
I scoffed. I can't have a mate. Neither I nor that human is a full-blooded dragon, so it would be impossible. Only 5% of the dragons' population has had a mate. The majority were in the royal family or a high-ranking dragon whose blood was barely tainted with another species. The purer the blood, the higher the chance of a mate and strong child. However, my blood was anything but pure. "That's impossible. I can't have a match or a mate."
He nodded. "That's why we are all confused, but there's no mistake. However, you're of a special bloodline, so may-"
An unexplained shock brought a quietness within a moment to feel my emotions change as I began to think of the possibility. The thought of being linked to another was never a speck in my mind, yet here Gillian was talking about a life partner. A soul mate makes it impossible for you to be in love with another, even after death. A love that can't be explained to those who can't experience it. A link that's supposedly unbreakable. From the mates I've meant, whenever they met, their eyes would glow as if their dragon was in control. That's why the pulling feeling towards the person is how you know the person is your mate without even having to speak to them.
I blanked out in thought as he continued to speak. There was no way that was possible. My disbelief was sky-rocketed on this planet. I had to say my pessimism had come to the point that no one else could reach. My bloodline could not have matches; it was researched and agreed upon by all these judgemental dragons. I was an anomaly. An abomination even. It was enforced in me that my bloodline should not - no, could not continue. Of all people, Gillian should know better.
Even if what Gillian was saying had truth to it, there was no way I would go through that. Nothing good would come out of this situation. I couldn't let an innocent child in this world be treated the same as me.
"No." I deadpanned.
He paused, looking taken back at my brazen interruption. "What do you mean 'no'?" He questioned, as if it was the first time he heard the simple two-letter word.
I cleared my throat, making sure my voice was as clear as possible. "I'm not doing it." I declined.
Words momentarily left him, but he quickly recovered. "Don't be so absurd, Braxton." He yelled. "Every year, we are losing more and more dragons due to hunters and humans." He winced as my eyes flared, knowing I knew more than most how that felt. He lowered his tone. "If we continue to fall, we will be extinct in the next 200 to 300 years. All dragon shifters are thrilled when chosen to have a baby for the cl -"
"Then choose them." I interjected.
He sighed. "You know that's not how it works." He argued.
"I'm with someone."
He let out a humourless chuckle. "Don't make me laugh, Braxton. Your last and only relationship was with Elizabeth McClaney, and that was 2 years ago." He countered. "What you two have now or then can not be called a relationship. You show no interest or even bother to try to talk to anyone in the town, so that's no excuse."
I grunted, knowing he was speaking the truth. "I'm not even an elder." I pointed out.
He nodded. "We indeed tend to choose the oldest of the matches, but in this case, there is only 1 match. She's not compatible with anyone else." He revealed, making my jaw clench. "Don't you think Trevor of 451 years wants a match to bear his young?"
"Then let him do it." I fumed, my brain refusing to process the information being said.
"She doesn't match with anyone but you, Braxton." He reiterated, pronouncing each word slowly.
"Fuck." I growled, slamming my fist into the wall. I felt the wall crumble, as the building trembled due to the force.
Gillian stood up, his heartbeat rising in fear. I could feel my eyes changing as a hot pulse travelled through me. "Look, I know that this must be difficult for you because of your pas-."
"Don't you fucking dare talk to me about my past? "I growled, clenching my bloody fist, eyes turning.
I took a deep breath, trying to control my emotions. "Calm down, Braxton," Gillian said, watching me cautiously
"I'm not going to let this woman and a child live in misery because of me." I muttered. Nothing but pain will happen to them; I can't be the reason for more deaths.
"Well then, you better change because it is happening. You've been matched, and it's your duty as part of this clan to complete this." He asserted.
"And if I don't?" I challenged.
He scoffed. "I will kick your overly muscular ass straight out of this clan." He joked, the smile dropping from his face with he saw my expression.
I raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to scare me?"
"We're the only clan in Infernae that accepted you and isn't out for your blood to be spilt. Yes, you are not meant to be put into the programme matching system. We are aware that the Grand Royal Family forbade you to continue your bloodline, which is why we've decided to keep this decision away from them and anyone in this village. I know I can trust you to do the same. We have protected you for the past 20 years and lost a few doing so. The least you could do is be grateful." He pointed out. I grunted in response.
If it wasn't so dangerous, I would report the decision to them to stop this catastrophe from occurring. However, he was correct. I did owe this clan my life. But a child was too much to ask. "Look, the entire clan is scared of you. Having a child will h-"
I scoffed. "I'm not having a child to make you people feel more comfortable around me." I growled. Fuck what everyone thought. I didn't need anything from them.
He sighed. "Then do it for your parents. They would h-"
My eyes flared. "You don't know what the fuck they want. They're dead." I hissed in anger.
Gingerly, he watched my hands, which were covered in bright gold and black flames, as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. He knew me well enough to know what happens when I lose control. "Look at her documents. She's perfect. You would think she's one of us." He deflected, placing a file at the edge of his desk. The fire dissipated, leaving grey smoke.
I stared at the yellow folder in front of me, knowing I wanted to open it and check if everything Gillian was saying had any credibility. But I was too stubborn. Too headstrong. Picking up the file would mean that I was interested or cared for. Caring was something that I could never afford to do even if my life depended on it. In this cut-throat dog-eat-dog world, there was no time for pointless affection or love. Having a mate would be too much for me. It would mean a change I would never be ready to do, and I didn't want that human to suffer. Far less the child I would be expected to have.
My eyes finally looked up from the paper and onto Gillian. "I don't care about who she is or how much our blood indicates we're perfect for each other."
"As clan leader, it is one of my jobs to increase our population back to what it once was. You have been living all alone in that house on that hill for 20 years. You can't keep spending time in that forest collecting food and demolition old buildings." He argued.
"I'm not doing it, so find someone else." I deadpanned, rejecting his ridiculous offer.
He rolled his eyes. "As I've mentioned before, unlike the other candidates who have multiple matches, her blood only matched with you. There's no one else." He restated.
I shrugged uninterested. "Unlucky her, she can leave on the next bus." I suggested.
He sighed in irritation. No one in this clan would dare argue with him. They would blindly follow what he said because he was superior, so it frustrated him to have someone reject every sentence he uttered. "I am your clan leader, so you have -"
"If you want more dragon shifters, get those Aquasi witches to concote more. They did a great job making us before a few thousand years ago." I suggested.
"That would be great, but there are only 3 witches left in this world. Fortunately, we have one here, but she's as old as time itself, and her powers are slowly fading. The next 2 are the same, if not worse. Not only that the spell and material used to create dragon shifters were all destroyed, so that's impossible." He explained.
I could tell any excuse I gave; he would just debate against it, and I couldn't kill him. "Those humans only want us so they can fill their pockets with money and use our blood to heal whatever sickness they or their family have, even if it risks dying during childbirth. They don't care about us. So why the fuck shoul-"
"I'm not arguing with you." Gillian snapped. "I am your clan leader, so you will do what the fuck I say. The more the value we have to them, the more likely we are to get slaughtered. Dragons moved to Infernae to recuperate and repopulate, and that's exactly what we're doing to do. I understand why this may be hard for you, but I expect you to man up, fuck her, and make as many kids you can get out of her as long as she agreed. Your bloodline will be especially useful in this war against the enemy. You're the only one who has any compatibility with her, so you better treat her fucking well. She will be dropped at your house at 5 pm tomorrow. Make sure to be there to greet and welcome her."
I huffed. He wanted to use the child as a pawn. A means of greater destruction and war as they tried to do with me. I should have known this clan was no different. "I'm not doing it." I asserted before exiting his office. I won't; no, I can't do it.
"We shall see." He hummed, making me growl. There was no way in hell.
□
□
□
HII!!! How have you been??
I apologise for the multiple mistakes made. Comment next to it, and I'll try to fix it ASAP. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Happy New Year!!
Please:
⭕LOVE IT
⭕️VOTE ON IT
⭕DROP A COMMENT
Enjoy!!
Thaixx