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#video #film2026 #movie2026 #" Don't Mess With My Dragon Mommy" - (2026) ✅ FULL EP
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00:00The day we were supposed to complete our blood bonding ceremony, my mate Rylan had the clan
00:05sentinels drag me out of the sacred hall. He walked in with his childhood sweetheart instead.
00:11Lila's baby needs a father on paper. Once we divorce, I'll marry you. Everyone thought I'd
00:17swallow my pride and wait another month. After all, I'd already waited seven years. But that
00:22night I accepted my family's arranged alliance and left the abyssal reach entirely. I disappeared
00:29from Rylan's world completely. Three years later, I returned to abyss reach with my mate for a clan
00:35ancestral rite. My mate had a work emergency, so he had his people to collect me. At the border
00:40crossing, I walked out and froze. That person was Rylan, my ex. The arrival clearing, I spotted a
00:48scout holding a marker carved with my name, my formal alliance name, Hela, and walked over. Rylan was
00:55holding it. He had Lyra with him, plus a few of his clansmen, all craning their necks toward the
01:01tree line. Hey, isn't that Rylan's obsessed ex? Isn't that Ivara? Rylan looked surprised to see
01:07me. He covered it fast. Told you she'd come crawling back. Ivara vanished without a trace. Now she sees
01:14Rylan is in a higher rank. She probably cries herself to sleep every night. Ivara, if you're
01:21gonna fake a random run-in, why show up like this? Couldn't you at least put on some makeup?
01:27Without Rylan, you can't even buy a nice outfit. Look pathetic. It was true. I used to make myself
01:33perfect every time I knew I'd be near Rylan. Sharpest claws, finest scales on display. Best version of me.
01:42Not anymore. No point. Because I'm carrying, and my mate refused to let me be uncomfortable.
01:48He had this soft traveling wrap, custom-tailored for me. Listening to them mock me, it suddenly
01:54clicked. They only knew my alliance name. They had no idea the one they were here to collect was me.
02:00Ivara, hey, it's good you're back. Rylan's been asking after me for years.
02:04Yeah, our son is entering the young training cohort soon. Now I'm in charge of the drama.
02:07He was still so incredibly arrogant, but I wasn't that naive girl anymore. I didn't want to waste
02:13another second on them. I was just about to tell them exactly who I was. I am...
02:18Please don't blame Rylan. He's just trying to take care of you. You disappeared for three years.
02:22Who knows what kind of shady stuff you had to do to survive? Don't worry. Caring for my son
02:28is a respectable role. No one will look down at you.
02:31Rylan caught my expression and thought I was jealous. Something flickered in his eyes.
02:35All right, Ivara, drop the attitude. You clearly can't survive out there,
02:40so stop throwing tantrums, take care of the kid, and learn your place.
02:45Damn, Ivara, look how good Rylan is to you. He's given you free room and board.
02:50Isn't babysitting better than whatever trashy life you're living now?
02:53Hurry up and say thank you.
02:55Don't worry, dear. If my son acts up, I'll handle him myself. You won't be mistreated.
03:02Why would she be mistreated? She ran away over a tiny little misunderstanding. If she hit rock
03:07bottom out in the wilds, a little humility is good for her.
03:11My heart actually skipped a beat. Three years had passed, and he still thought it was a small
03:15matter to dump me and marry Lyra? The Rylan who used to love me was truly gone. He wasn't the
03:21young
03:22warrior who'd carried me, wounded, crossed three territory borders in the dead of a moonless night.
03:27But whatever. It was all in the past. None of it mattered anymore. Besides, I was about to carry
03:33my second patchling anyway. I looked at Rylan calmly and said,
03:37Aren't you here to pick me up? Let's go.
03:39Silence fell over the clearing. Then someone left.
03:43Pick you up? Please, read it carefully. We are here for Hela. Do you even know who that is?
03:51Hela is the mate-bonded consort of the Frostridge line. She is blood-bonded to Lord Kale. Kale is a
03:59living legend. Coldest dragon alive in the field, but completely devoted to his wife. Rumor has it
04:06he refused all alliances for years. Just waiting for Hela. Everyone knows the rule. If you want Kale's
04:13favor, go through Hela. She is his entire world. Listening to them gossip about my marriage? I couldn't
04:20help it. A genuine happy smile spread across my face. We had been married for three years. Kale's
04:27reputation as a fiercely devoted husband had spread everywhere. To claim Hela as his, Kale went to the
04:34ancient exchange and paid down a legendary artifact, the Eternal Fang Bracelet, just to give to Hela.
04:41She's the most envied female in every territory.
04:48That bracelet! That's it!
04:51It's a pretty good fake. Which a lowborn Klansman bought you that? Buying you a cheap imitation. Absolute trash.
05:01Wow! It really is high quality for a fake. Way better than the replica I had made. But I'd never
05:07actually wear mine in public. These outer territory imbucations though? The craftsmanship is something
05:12else. The weight actually feels real. Or what, Evora? Are you going to tell us you're Hela?
05:21Are you Lord Kale's bonded mate? Of course they did. It was absurd to them. Kale was a living legend
05:30across all territories. Cold. Absolute. Untouchable. And three years ago, I was just the girl Rylan had
05:38left standing outside the sacred hall. There was no version of reality where those two things
05:44connected. Just give it to me, Evora. I'll pay double whatever you traded for. Give it back.
05:54Kale gave me that. Shut your mouth! Rylan looked furious. Evora, do you have any idea what you're
06:03saying? You think you can just casually invoke Lord Kiel's name? Are you trying to get me killed?
06:10His clansmen piled on immediately. Do you know how hard we fought for this pickup assignment? Get
06:14on a trine for this pickup of season. Kale absorbed Rylan's clan faction last season. Our entire
06:18livelihood depends on him now. Are you two trying to ruin Rylan entirely? I wiped the blood from my lip,
06:25slowly turned back to Rylan. Whatever he saw in my eyes made him flinch. Lyra caught it. She stepped
06:31forward and pointed a claw at my face. You ungrateful snake. Rylan offered you a place and
06:38you throw it back at him? I know you're still bitter about the past, trying to sabotage his
06:41standing out of petty spite. That's sick. Hearing her say that, it felt exactly like three years ago.
06:48No matter what I did, Lyra would twist it, feed her poisonous version of the story to Rylan.
06:54In the early days, he used to defend me. By the end, he always took her side, just like now.
07:01Jealous shrick. For old time's sake, I'll let this go.
07:07Take these, get yourself proper clothes. If you really don't want to tend Lyra's hatchling,
07:12I'll find you something tolerable next season. Don't worry. Ever since Kale absorbed us,
07:16this kind of thing cost me nothing. No, thank you. I don't take things from strangers.
07:28Not three steps out, Rylan grabbed my arm. You won't take what I'm offering?
07:35What does that mean I'm a stranger to you?
07:37I kept walking and said evenly. We dissolved our bond. Better not to stay tangled in each other's
07:45lives. Others might get the wrong impression. I was thinking of Kale, who had a very particular
07:51dislike of misunderstandings. My faction is hosting a tribute feast for Kale in three days. I was going
07:57to bring you. Show you something real. But you'd need to present yourself properly. Can't embarrass me.
08:03I'm fine. But thank you.
08:05Fine. I'll take Lyra.
08:07I won't let you down.
08:09I didn't look back. Hope you're still this confident in three days.
08:13Fresh air. I stood there for a moment, breathing it in. The nausea faded.
08:19My mind flashed back to three years ago. My family had arranged an alliance overseas.
08:25I'd gone to Rylan for the first seven years together. I wanted to seal our bond before the
08:31journey. Force the decision. He agreed. But at the sacred hall, it wasn't just Rylan waiting.
08:37Her hatchling needs to be registered under my bloodline.
08:41I'll dissolve her bond claim in a month. Then I'll bond with you. This is just about hatchling.
08:47I watched him take her inside. That was the last thing I needed to see. I crossed the border that
08:53night,
08:53met Kale. Bonded with him a month later. Had our son the year after. Now I was carrying it again.
08:59And the only reason I was even back in the reach was to attend a clan ancestral rite with Kale.
09:05Honestly, if it wasn't for the rite, I never would have set foot back here. And I definitely wouldn't
09:11have run into Rylan. Three days later, I painted on a light adornment, threw on comfortable traveling
09:16leathers, and made my way to the feast grounds alone. The second Rylan saw me enter the clearing,
09:22his eyes lit up. A smug smirk spread across his face. You said you weren't coming, but here you are.
09:29Listen, if you want me back, you need to at least present yourself properly to match my standing.
09:34I walked past him without a word. Evara, I'm talking to you. Our circle is here. Where do you think
09:39you're going?
09:40I pulled free and said simply, that's your circle. Mine is up there. He followed my gaze to the head
09:47circle. The raised dais reserved for lords and their bonded mates. His face went pale. Lyra spotted my
09:54bracelet from across the ground. Evara, how did she get in here? She's here to cause chaos. How dare she
10:01wear that pendant tonight? Of all knights, tonight is the first time Kale is bringing his bonded mate
10:07out publicly. Is she trying to humiliate Hela? She slipped past the sentinels. She's trying to make
10:13us look disloyal in front of Lord Kale. Rylan, is this female with you? Rylan straightened. No. Take
10:21that bracelet off and get out. I looked at her with a faint smile. You sure you want me to
10:26leave?
10:27Lyra realized others were watching. Her eyes went vicious. Stop acting like you're something. Take it
10:33off now! She lunged forward to rip it from my wrist. I swatted her claw away and stepped back. Someone
10:40behind me tripped me. I hit the ground hard. Lyra stepped on my arm and ripped the bracelet off my
10:46wrist. Treating this like it's something sacred? Trash. My wrist was bleeding, but I just sat there,
10:53staring at the bracelet lying broken on the ground. Pick her up and throw her out. A few
10:59sentinels moved toward me. They reached for my arms. Stop! I struggled. I am Kale's... Lyra struck me
11:06across the face before I could finish. Are you going to start spreading rumors that your Lord Kale's kept
11:12female? You wish. She struck me again. When I came back to the Reach, I hadn't planned to make a
11:22scene.
11:22It had felt beneath me, but now she had made it worth it. Rylan crouched down in front of me,
11:29reached for my wrist. I pulled back instinctively. Are you done throwing your fit? Huh? You show up
11:36wearing the bracelet, dressed down on purpose. You wanted me jealous. Just say it and I'll give you
11:43what you want. I laughed. Short. Sharp. Rylan, you're finished. He frowned, opened his mouth,
11:53and then the clearing went dead silent. Guests began to straighten themselves, drifting toward the
11:59entrance path. Kale is here. Behave yourself. Lyra and I have dissolved our bond, by the way.
12:09I stared at him. I was cradling my nearly broken rest, looking at the mail in front of me, thinking,
12:16how did I spend seven years on this person? What did his dissolution have to do with me?
12:22At that exact moment, Kale walked in with our son in his arms. Once they reached the feast grounds,
12:29our son squirmed and climbed down. He hit the stone path, all soft cheeks and small clawed boots,
12:36and every eye in the clearing went straight to him. His guardian scrambled after him. Rylan hadn't
12:43noticed who the cub was yet. If you stop being jealous of Lyra, I'll forgive you for disappearing
12:48three years. I'll give you another chance. Carry my hatchling, a real one, ours. Just come back and
12:55tend to my son. I'll get rid of Lyra. I didn't say a single word to him. I just looked
13:01past him into
13:02the crowd, trying to catch Kale's and our son's eyes. Then it happened. Kale followed the cub's
13:08small, clumsy steps, straight to where I was. The second my son saw me, something broke
13:15open in his face. He threw himself into my arms. Why is there so much blood? One word. Mom.
13:29Every dragon in that clearing turned from the cub to me. The ones who have watched me get knocked
13:34around without doing a thing. All of them staring. My son's warmth in my arms washed away everything
13:40that had been pressing down on me. I crouched down to his level, cupped his cheek. He took
13:46my hand. The cub's. They see something hurting someone they love and they just fall apart.
13:54Who did this to you? Protecting you is mom's job too.
14:00Before I could say anything more, the air in the clearing changed. A heavy, suffocating stillness
14:05washed over the crowd. Kale was walking toward us. That quiet, controlled walk that made the air
14:11around him feel different. Dragons moved aside without knowing why. I felt him before I saw him.
14:17I picked up our son and turned around. The blood on my wrist looked stark against his white wrap.
14:22Our son looked up at Kale immediately.
14:26Father, someone hurt mother. We have to make them pay.
14:31Kale stepped forward and very carefully lifted my arm. His face was unreadable, but his voice
14:36was quiet.
14:37Ivara, what happened? I'm right here and you're already hurt. I can't take my eyes off you.
14:45Whoever did this?
14:56Looking at this cold, absolute lord turn into a fiercely protective mate made my heart ache.
15:02He was always like this. A mosquito bite. A bruise from sleep. Even just eating half a portion,
15:09he'd be beside himself with worry. The feast hall's ambient light was low and dim,
15:14but our son felt something hard beneath his boot. Father, isn't this the bracelet you gave mother?
15:21Kale took it from him, turned it over, saw the engraving. Then I looked at the shards scattered
15:26across the ground and at my wrist. The nearest stone pillar cracked in his grip. He drew me gently
15:31into the light. Bring every torch to the ground over here. When our eyes met, his pupils narrowed
15:37slightly. What happened to your face? They actually dared to do this to you?
15:44I softened my voice. I'm fine, Kale.
15:48Ivara, I am your mate. You never have to swallow this kind of treatment alone.
15:53Our son pressed close.
15:56No one gets to hurt mother!
15:57Honestly, I could have handled Rylan and Lyra myself, but perhaps it was pregnancy.
16:03Or perhaps it was just finally feeling safe.
16:06My voice cracked. All the weight I'd been holding for three days broke open.
16:12You weren't here, and they all came at me.
16:15The feast grounds had gone dead silent. Rylan's scouts from the border crossing were somewhere in
16:21that clearing, shaking hard enough that they needed the standing stones to hold themselves up.
16:26They didn't expect it either. The female they'd spent three days calling Rylan's lovesick cast-off
16:32was Lord Kale's bonded mate. Every single one of them was now looking for a way to disappear into
16:39the tree line. But then Lyra's companion, a female named Vessa who had arrived late,
16:44strutted out from the crowd.
16:47Ivara, where did you find these two? Their performance is impressive.
16:51Do you want Lyra to get them placed with a traveling troop? Not that you could afford the placement fee.
16:56Vessa threw her head back and laughed at her own words. Usually half the clearing would laugh with her,
17:02but this time, the entire grounds just stared at her like she had lost her mind.
17:07Vessa noticed the dead silence. She doubled down. She turned to Kale and smirked.
17:13You're actually quite striking. If you ever want to leave her, I wouldn't mind taking care of you.
17:20My mouth twitched. She was propositioning my mate in front of me.
17:25Vessa finally registered the clearing's energy. She drifted toward Lyra for backup.
17:30Lyra wanted nothing to do with her. Before Vessa could even speak, Lyra spun around and struck her
17:37viciously across the face. Vessa, are you insane? You just insulted Lord Kale and his bonded mate.
17:45Do you not banished? Do you want to be banished?
17:52Lyra's hero.
17:56I just told her mate I'd take care of him.
18:01Oh no.
18:02Then someone near the back of the clearing made a sound. Heads turned.
18:06Vessa had lost control of herself entirely.
18:10Her shift reflex had misfired in the most primal, humiliating way a dragon can in public.
18:16Scales broke out down one side of her neck and arm in a panicked, involuntary half-shift,
18:23the kind that happened to hatchlings who couldn't control their fear responses.
18:28Kale's jaw tightened slightly.
18:30A sentinel materialized and quietly escorted her from the grounds.
18:34Lyra and Rylan went scarlet.
18:36The guests looked at them the way you look at those who have shamed themselves past the point
18:40of recovery. Meanwhile, a healer Kale had summoned was tending to my wrist nearby.
18:45I hissed. Kale and our son both turned with the same expression.
18:49Can you perhaps be a little more careful?
18:52The healer's hands started trembling. I shot them both a look.
18:55He's helping me. Stop.
18:58They immediately turned identical wounded expressions on me.
19:01Father and son, same face, same pout.
19:06Okay. I know.
19:09I'm sorry. Keep going.
19:11I told the healer. He visibly relaxed.
19:14When he finished, he turned to Kale.
19:17My lord, your mate is perfectly fine.
19:20The unborn is safe.
19:21The wrist is the worst of it.
19:24I will source the best remedies available and do everything possible to ensure no scarring.
19:28Kale said nothing.
19:29I knew exactly what that silence meant.
19:33It was the one that came before something irreversible.
19:36Standing in the crowd, Rylan looked terrified.
19:39But underneath the panic, he burned with something else.
19:43Jealousy.
19:44Watching how close Kale stayed beside me.
19:47His old possessiveness was peaking.
19:49But the survival of his faction was on the line, so he had to bite it down.
19:54Kale stood beside me and surveyed the clearing with the kind of stillness that made everyone in it feel like
20:00they'd already been found guilty of something.
20:03He looked almost cold, almost lethal.
20:06I actually found it a little endearing, especially with our son standing right beside him like a tiny, furious mirror
20:13image.
20:14I want to know exactly what happened.
20:17Everything.
20:19If you speak now, perhaps you survive this.
20:22If I have to find it out myself, every single one of you goes down with it.
20:28It was a naked threat.
20:29These dragons had clawed for the chance to attend this feast.
20:33None of them wanted to burn for Rylan's sake.
20:36Rylan panicked.
20:37He stepped forward.
20:38Lord Kale, there's been a misunderstanding.
20:43As Evara's, as her former bonded partner, I was simply reconnecting with her.
20:49Things got out of hand.
20:50He unexpectedly said former bonded partner with a particular emphasis.
20:56God blessed him.
20:57Such an idiot.
20:58The worst possible moment for it.
21:01He actually thought I had spent three years keeping myself for him, waiting for him to snap his fingers so
21:08I could come running back.
21:09He completely missed the murderous stillness crossing Kale's face.
21:13I heard the stone goblet in Kale's hand crack.
21:17Rylan kept going.
21:18You likely know she was quite devoted to me before the disavolition.
21:23Reconnecting after years apart, it's natural that emotions would...
21:27The goblet shattered in Kale's grip.
21:30Stone fragments fell.
21:31Blood ran down his fingers.
21:33I pushed Rylan out of my focus and reached for Kale's hand.
21:39Stop!
21:40Stop trying to put yourself between us!
21:43You had your chance and you threw it away!
21:45Don't flatter yourself.
21:46I have loved exactly one person my entire life.
21:49And it is you.
21:52Everyone here can hear me say it.
21:54I grabbed a clean wrap and frantically began binding Kale's bleeding hand.
21:58Rylan looked genuinely hurt.
22:01Evora, I know you're bitter.
22:03But Lyra and I have dissolved our bond.
22:05Her hatchling is ready to call you mother.
22:09You only bonded with Kale to wound me.
22:12I understand, I'm not angry.
22:13Just come back.
22:15Whatever he can give you, I'll work twice as hard to match it.
22:18Just return and tend to my son!
22:21If you don't want Leia, I'll make her disappear.
22:25I honestly could not believe what I was hearing.
22:28Kale's blood was smearing onto my wraps, but as I urgently pressed the binding to his palm,
22:33he suddenly let out a low, genuine laugh.
22:36I looked up at him, furious.
22:39Why are you laughing?
22:40Kale reached over with his uninjured hand and quietly rested it on top of my head.
22:45Evora, you just said I'm the one you love most.
22:48Our son made a face and looked away.
22:51His cold, fearsome father was currently acting like a lovesick hatchling,
22:56all because I'd defended him.
22:58The entire feast grounds went still.
23:00Half the guests were in shock.
23:02The other half were dying of quiet envy.
23:04The whispers spread through the crowd like fire through dry grass.
23:08The rumors are real.
23:09He is completely diverted to his mate.
23:13Rylan stood there, his knuckles white with humiliation.
23:16But our son wasn't finished.
23:17He looked Rylan up and down with open disdain.
23:20Cub tender?
23:21My mother is the most protected one in our den.
23:24You think you deserve her?
23:26Mother only carries two cubs.
23:28Me and my sister.
23:32You really think your unacknowledged hatchie gets to call her mother?
23:35Mother, I know all about you.
23:41You're the one who broke my mother's heart.
23:43You're not as impressive as my father.
23:46Not as strong.
23:47Not as well formed.
23:49He tilted his head, studying Rylan with the kind of cold disdain that was entirely too familiar on that small
23:55face.
23:56And you smell like someone who peaked too early and never recovered.
24:00It's making my eyes water.
24:01Is your hatchling gonna grow up leeching off others, just like you?
24:05The guests surrounding us erupted.
24:07They couldn't help it.
24:09Rylan bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, shaking with shame.
24:13Everyone in that clearing knew the truth.
24:15He had coasted for years on Lyra's family resources.
24:19It was not a secret.
24:20Hearing all of this, Lyra had completely lost her grip on rational thought.
24:25Her hatchling was the most important thing in the world to her.
24:30The most exceptional cub alive.
24:33And this female was going to replace her.
24:35Rylan had essentially said so himself.
24:38Lyra grabbed a bone-handled knife from the nearest table.
24:41You little wretch! I'll kill you!
24:44I didn't think.
24:45I let go of Kale's hand and threw myself entirely over our son.
24:49A blinding, searing pain ripped through my back.
24:53The color drained from my face.
24:55Dre, are you?
24:56I didn't finish the sentence.
24:58Everything went black.
24:59I collapsed to the stone.
25:00The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was our son's face, white with panic.
25:06I wanted to tell him not to cry.
25:08I didn't get the chance.
25:09I woke to the sharp smell of healer's den.
25:12Dried herbs, warm stone walls.
25:15I stared at the ceiling for a moment, disoriented.
25:17My best friend Sorin was in the chair beside me.
25:21The second she saw my eyes open, she grabbed my hands.
25:24Oh, thank the ancient fires!
25:26You're awake!
25:27If you had stayed under any longer, your mate and your son were going to tear this entire territory apart.
25:34What?
25:35She was definitely exaggerating.
25:38Sorin caught the look immediately.
25:40I reached for my stomach on instinct.
25:42You're both fine.
25:44The healer said it was shock and pain.
25:46That's why you went under.
25:47The unborn is completely safe.
25:50That Lyra is something else.
25:52Going after a cub with a blade.
25:54My chest tightened.
25:56My son!
25:57Kale!
25:58Are they-
25:59Both fine.
25:59Physically, completely fine.
26:01Slow down.
26:03Drink.
26:04Sorin handed me a cup of broth.
26:08I drank.
26:10The tightness eased a little.
26:13You didn't need to throw yourself in front of him.
26:15There were six sentinels in that clearing.
26:17Dre was never going to get touched.
26:20That's Dre.
26:21I know, I know.
26:22He's your whole heart.
26:23That terrifying little creature.
26:25He doesn't need protecting.
26:26He's more dangerous than most full-grown warriors.
26:29I smiled despite myself.
26:31Where are they?
26:33Sorin's eyes lit up.
26:35Getting revenge?
26:36I wanted to come along.
26:37But your mate and your son are genuinely terrifying when they operate together, so I volunteered
26:42to stay with you instead.
26:43She settled in and began.
26:45When I arrived, you were already under.
26:48From what I pieced together from the witnesses still standing, your son watched you collapse
26:52and went completely still for about two seconds.
26:55Then he picked up the knife Lyra had dropped and drove it straight through her hand.
26:58Into the stone beneath.
27:01A cub.
27:02I don't know where he gets that cut strength.
27:05Kale found out about the strike at the border crossing three days ago, and the bracelet,
27:10and everything they said to you.
27:12He had his sentinels hold Rylan down, and they dealt with the hand he used to hit you.
27:16I closed my eyes briefly.
27:18Lyra's face received the same treatment.
27:20And then Kale had a chest of gemstones brought into the clearing, all the shards from your broken
27:24bracelet, and he told Lyra that since she loved taking things that belonged to you so much,
27:28she had to swallow them.
27:34You know what Kale said?
27:41You love taking what is hers.
27:43So here, I am giving you everything you wanted.
27:46The stones, and the mail.
27:48She refused at first.
27:50So Kale had her hatchling brought in.
27:52Then she did it.
27:54She swallowed a great many shards.
27:55They worked her over until she was barely conscious.
27:58Then Kale had her drop beyond the outer borders.
28:00Swallowed shards.
28:02Face first.
28:03Every dragon who stood around watching you get hurt, every single one of them carries
28:06a mark on their wrists now, just for doing nothing.
28:08If you weren't my closest companion, I'd probably have one too.
28:11I gave her a flat look.
28:13The clan records were updated, but the only news that spread was about Rylan's faction
28:16being absorbed and dissolved.
28:18Every allied group in that clearing with border exposure, Kale absorbed it.
28:21Some were disbanded entirely.
28:22Some are still bleeding out.
28:25Rylan was supposed to go the same way as Lyra.
28:28But Lyra stopped it.
28:29Threw herself in front of the sentinels, bought him time to run.
28:35I think she made a deal with him.
28:36It wasn't hard to figure out.
28:38The hatchling.
28:38When a mother is running out of time, the one thing she'll trade everything for is her
28:43child's safety.
28:44Rylan must have promised her something about the boy.
28:46Lyra had swallowed shards and stones for the chance that her son would be alright.
28:50Kale was precise, and he was cold.
28:53But every time I so much as bruised my arm, he acted like he personally failed.
28:57He was brutal because he was afraid.
28:59Not of losing power.
29:00Of losing me.
29:01And Dre, my sweet, sharp, slightly terrifying cub, had been shaped by that same love.
29:07I'd been trying to counterbalance it.
29:09Clearly still working on it.
29:14Kale, can you grab my...
29:16Evara.
29:18It's me.
29:19His face was still swollen.
29:21He'd managed to find a decent cloak.
29:23The one I'd given him years ago.
29:24The one he'd told me was plain and unworthy of his rank.
29:28I stayed where I was.
29:30Last time I'd moved too fast, it had cost me.
29:33He seemed to read that.
29:34I'm not going to hurt you.
29:36I just needed to...
29:39What?
29:42I still love you.
29:43His voice broke on it.
29:45Every time I think about you, I can't breathe.
29:48I know it's too late.
29:49I know what I did.
29:51But I can't just...
29:53Raylan, you were with another female while we were still bonded.
29:56You let me humiliate myself.
29:58You abandoned me and destroy me.
30:01And then tonight, when you had the chance to do literally anything else,
30:05you stood in front of my mate and told him I was devoted to you?
30:08You've had seven years and three more to figure out what you want.
30:11What you want keeps shifting based on what you can reach.
30:14That's not love.
30:16Raylan's jaw worked.
30:17He wanted to argue.
30:18I was always your contingency.
30:20And you were never mine.
30:22Not really.
30:23He looked at me for a long time.
30:24Then he looked at the cloak.
30:25You gave me this for the winter solstice.
30:28I told you it was plain.
30:32I know.
30:34I kept it.
30:36I didn't say anything.
30:38He left, quietly.
30:39Kale came in with his hand newly wrapped.
30:41Dre right behind him.
30:42They both stopped when they saw I was awake.
30:44Then they were both in front of me at the same time.
30:46Ivara.
30:47Kale's voice was unsteady.
30:48You're up.
30:50Are you...
30:50Does anything hurt?
30:51Do you need...
30:52Father, she was fine two minutes before you got here.
30:56She was talking and everything.
30:58Kale ignored him.
30:59Are you okay?
31:00Tell me you're okay.
31:01I'm okay.
31:02You say that every time.
31:04Because it keeps being true.
31:05Dre tucked himself under my arm.
31:07Spoke very quietly.
31:08Mom, are you upset that Father raised his voice at me?
31:12Did he raise his voice at you?
31:15I am fine.
31:16He didn't yell.
31:17Dre said very firmly.
31:19Kale.
31:22He was scared.
31:24We both were.
31:25He wasn't really yelling.
31:27He was just...
31:28Loud.
31:30I kissed the top of his head.
31:32Protecting you is also my job.
31:34I'm not sorry.
31:38I know.
31:39I know.
31:40I know, Mom.
31:44Sorin eventually took Dre to find food.
31:47And it was just the two of us.
31:48Kale sat by the bedside.
31:50Not quite touching.
31:51Like he was still afraid something would break if he moved too fast.
31:55He wanted to look at my wrist.
31:57I let him.
31:58I'll do better.
31:59He said.
32:01You won't be alone like that again.
32:03Kale.
32:04This wasn't your fault.
32:06You were alone and you got hurt.
32:08I was in a clearing full of dragons and I got hurt.
32:11That's not the same thing as being alone.
32:13He looked up.
32:14I'm not made of glass.
32:16I'm also not leaving.
32:17You understand that?
32:19I'm here.
32:20I chose this.
32:22You chose it because your family arranged the alliance.
32:24I chose to stay.
32:27Every single day for three years,
32:29I chose to stay.
32:30That's not an arrangement.
32:32That's me.
32:33He didn't answer,
32:34but something in his face shifted.
32:36I thought about the hidden chamber behind the clan tapestry.
32:39His quiet, years-long devotion that he'd never once spoken aloud.
32:44The young, unblooded dragon eating alone at the edge of the training grounds every day.
32:48The young, unblooded dragon eating alone at the edge of the training grounds every day.
32:53While I stuffed a pouch of resource tokens into his pack
32:56and told him he was my honorary younger clansman.
33:00He'd loved me before he knew what to do with it.
33:02Before I even knew his name.
33:04I reached over and took his uninjured hand.
33:08You want to know what I was thinking?
33:10Every time things got hard and someone told me I'd bonded with the wrong dragon?
33:14He waited.
33:15That they'd never seen you bring me whomp stones when the cold fever took me.
33:19Or stay awake beside me through three full nights because I was homesick and couldn't sleep.
33:25Or look at me the way you look at me when you think I'm not watching.
33:28They were comparing you to whoever they assumed you were.
33:32I know who you actually are.
33:34Kale didn't show weakness easily.
33:36He was showing it now.
33:38I don't need you to be fearless.
33:40I just need you to stop assuming I'll leave.
33:44I'm not going anywhere.
33:46He brought my hand up and held it against his face.
33:49Didn't speak.
33:50Didn't need to.
33:51They kept me in the healer's den two extra days.
33:54The morning they finally let me return to our den, I walked back through the entrance and stopped in front
33:59of the bonding tapestry.
34:01We were both so young in it.
34:04I lifted the tapestry.
34:06And I found the wall behind it.
34:09Image after image after image.
34:11Etched in the old way.
34:14Dragon memory stone.
34:18Me at nineteen.
34:21Me at sixteen.
34:24Me at fourteen in a clan corridor.
34:26He'd loved me across a decade before I'd ever said his name.
34:31I heard the den entrance behind me.
34:33Kale froze in the corridor.
34:40Evira, I can explain.
34:41You noticed me first.
34:44I gave you resource tokens at the training grounds because I thought you couldn't afford to eat.
34:50I told you that you were my honorary younger clansman,
34:53and I never even asked your name.
34:57I didn't know it was you until I found these.
34:59I'm a little upset it took us this long.
35:05Think about all the time we wasted.
35:08You're not...
35:08Upset about the stones?
35:10No.
35:11I'm glad.
35:12I'm glad you kept looking.
35:14Kale crossed the den in four strides and pulled me in before I could say anything else.
35:18I never thought you'd say that.
35:20I know.
35:21That's the problem.
35:23You've been waiting for me to leave since the day I arrived.
35:26I'm not leaving.
35:27I've told you.
35:28I'll keep telling you.
35:30For how long?
35:32I thought about it.
35:34As long as it takes for you to actually believe me.
35:37Dre appeared in the den entrance, took one look at us, and silently backed away.
35:42Kale held on a little tighter.
35:45Outside, the ancient forests of the Abyssal Reach kept moving.
35:48Wind through the canopy, the distant sound of wings, the slow pulse of a territory that
35:55had stood for 10,000 years, and I stayed exactly where I was.
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