Chapter 31

**Avery**

It is now Friday, the day of the Trio’s Grand Ceremony. All classes have been canceled in honor of tonight’s event. It isn’t every day that a tribe’s future king has his ceremony. Before the official part of the ceremony, there is a small party. Then once the hour strikes of the triplets’ birth they are announced in their birth order and from that moment on can scent their mates.

The Trio ordered the maids to bring me a stack of dresses to try on. It was so exhausting that I took a nap. I don’t understand how some women do it but it does give new meaning to the phrase ‘shop until you drop.’ And drop I did, I laughed. I tried to talk my way out of attending too, but I was told that everyone in the tribe must be there. Some of the traditions that dragons have are very annoying and this is one of them. This ceremony should be optional like prom is, which I plan to skip again this year.

The Trio had the kitchen staff bring food to my room. I am starting to feel like a bird in a gilded cage. It is nearing nightfall and I am growing restless, so I put on a shimmering blue gown with matching heels that had silver jeweled straps. I hate to think how much this outfit cost. It was likely a month’s worth of my pay. Tomorrow, I will insist that The Trio return all of this and recoup some of their money. I pin up my hair and allow strands to dangle around my face which I curl. I put on light makeup that they bought me and added the lip gloss that Trisha gave me.

I went to the building outside of the palace where the party and ceremony will be held. I busy myself, helping the staff with their final preparations. They tried to prevent me from helping, insisting that I was a guest tonight, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Once everything was ready, I found my seat. It was at the table with The Trio. I don’t feel like I belong there, so I love my nametag so that it is beside Trisha’s.

Everyone starts filing in, and The Trio glares at me the moment that they see that I am not where they had requested. I shrug and wave. I don’t need to be babysat tonight, I just need to spend time with my friend. Dinner was quite good and very filling. Trisha kept elbowing me every time one of the Trio would look at me. She thought that they were mad at her, but I told her that it was all because I chose to sit beside her. Then I felt the need to use the restroom so I excused myself.

On the way back, I was yanked by my hair, and my head was slammed against the wall from behind, causing me to blackout. I was dragged by my hair into the woods. I opened my eyes the moment the cool dirt hit my face. I saw the Hags standing in a circle around me.

“Finally, the worthless orphan is alone,” Heidi sneers.

“Avery, you are so pathetic that your parents chose to die instead of raising you,” Lenore says with a maniacal grin.

“Obviously, you still have not learned your place,” Jessica spats.

“Just leave me alone!” I yell.

“Once I am queen, I will banish you if I don’t have you killed,” Jessica taunts.

I tried to get up but I was pushed back down. “I think she needs a permanent reminder,” Lenore says as she pulls an oddlooking blade from her purse.

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“Let’s show this worthless tramp the power a queen holds,” Jessica says. I see The Trio approach but they do nothing. Did they plan this? Was everything this past week a lie?

Fuck them! Fuck all of them! I slip off my shoes and rip my dress. I have no clue what I am doing but I am going to do something. “Fuck all of you! Rot in hell!” I scream as I throw my shoes at the Hags and toss the scrap of my dress in Lenore’s face. Then I put my head down and ran as fast as I could to my room. I ripped off the rest of my dress and collapsed wearing just my slip. Luckily, I fell onto my bed. I cried like I hadn’t done in ages. The Trio just stood there. I felt my heart break as the rest of my body shattered and pain as I had never experienced before further broke my body and spirit. What is happening to me?

**Cassius**

When Avery didn’t return from her restroom trip, I got incredibly anxious and so did my brothers. Our anxiety grew more dire when we noticed that Jessica, Lenore, and Heidi were also missing. If Avery would have remained at our table, we could have kept a better vigilance. My brothers and I rush toward the restrooms where we discover Avery’s smeared makeup on the wall and the backdoor ajar. We rush out and hear the girls’ raised voices. Without hesitation, we dashed into the woods. However, we stopped dead in our tracks as soon as we saw the knife in Lenore’s hand.

It was a Dragon Blade. This knife is infused with magic that can easily kill a human and poison a dragon to the point of death. It has been forbidden in Naga and many tribes for nearly two decades for that very reason. Possession is punishable by lashing and imprisonment or banishment after the knife is confiscated and destroyed. Avery reacted and ran before we could do anything, but I was going to do something.

I pretended that I didn’t see what just happened, “There you all are. The Grand Ceremony is about to start. Why did Avery run off?”

Jessica plastered on a fake smile and put her hand on my arm, “We only tried to be her friend. She told us to fuck off and ran away.”

I nodded and we took our places inside. “Thank you everyone for attending. It is nearing the hour of our birth. As customary we will speak in the order of our birth. I firstborn, Cassius Draco, accept the bid to become king.” I look around and inhale. Asher vibrates. “I smell my mate, but she is not in this room.”

Clint steps forward, “I, Clint Draco, accept the chance to become king.” He smiles, “I too sense my mate, but she is not in this room.”

I see the smiles fade from the girls’ faces, but I don’t care. I have a mate and I will find her once Conner is done.

“I, Conner Draco, wish to be king. My mate is nearby but she’s not in this room,” he said with a sly smile.

“That concludes the Grand Ceremony. Everyone, please enjoy the rest of the festivities that our staff lovingly prepared.” My brothers and I rush out to find our mates as our dragons emerge and fly ahead of us towards the palace. I stop and look at my brothers, bewildered, “I guess we follow them.”