At the crack of dawn, Ember woke up. Draven was still sitting in his chair, staring outside. Sleep hadn't come to him when his mate wasn't in his arms. Sensing her movement, he went to her. Her face looked better compared to how pale she had been when she first woke up.
She opened her eyes, spotting Draven, and felt relieved. He helped her sit up in bed, her hand still holding Morpheus'.
"He hasn't woken up yet?" Ember asked, fighting against the lingering pain in her heart.
Draven shook his head. "It might take a little more time."
Ember nodded and turned to Morpheus, noticing something. "His hair colorâhas it changed, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
"You're seeing it right. His hair has turned gold from gray-blue," Draven confirmed.
She extended her hand to touch the silky gold hair. "Why did it change color? He looks like Aureus now, with gold hair."
"I'm not sure either, but maybe forming a bond with you has increased his powers, turning him into a gold divine eagle, the most powerful form of his kind."
"You mean he's risen in rank?" Ember asked.
"Seems like it," Draven replied, as surprised as Ember, but both felt happy about it.
Out of the four ranks in the divine eagle clan, gold is the most powerful and rare. They are like the kings of the clan. Gray-blue, like Morpheus and his uncle Agraleus, is the second rank, possessing the power of gold but only using it when fighting enemies or acting as the strongest warriors. They are fewer in number compared to the brown and blue eagles, who are numerous and perform lower tasks like soldiers, patrolling, spying, and manual labor in the clan.
"After everything he's suffered, losing his powers entirely, I think this is a good thing, right?" Ember commented.
Draven hummed in agreement and asked, "How's the pain? Is it still hurting?"
She nodded. "But it's not as bad as before. It's a little more bearable now."
"You must be hungry. How about you have a meal first?"
"Can you call for Reya and Clio? I'd like to take a bath first. Warm water might soothe the pain in my heart."
Ember looked at the mark again and realized it was in a rather intimate place to show anyone, even her mate. 'But he is my mate, so it wouldn't be wrong, right?' she thought, trying to reassure herself.
Despite her efforts to calm down, she felt embarrassed. She could be completely bare in front of Draven without hesitation, but standing before someone else, even if that person was her mate now, felt a bit awkward. 'What if he asks to see it? Maybe it's okay.'
After her bath, Ember dressed in fresh clothes and was ready to enjoy a good meal. She was ravenous, her energy drained from the bond-marking process. It reminded her of how hungry she had been after Draven marked her.
Clio and Reya made sure she had everything she wanted and ensured she ate well. Draven came to her, dressed in new clothes, looking as if he was ready to return to his duties.
"Are you feeling better now?" he asked.
"After a tasty meal, I definitely am," she replied with a smile as they both stepped out onto the balcony of her study. She longed for some fresh air after spending so much time resting in her chamber.
She inhaled deeply. "Now I feel alive again."
Draven wrapped an arm around her waist as he stood next to her. Even with another mate in the picture, nothing seemed to change between them, and that pleased him.
"Draven, um... I have another mark now," she admitted.
He simply hummed in acknowledgment.
She turned to look at him. "But I'm puzzled. I don't feel any pull toward him like I felt toward you when we needed to complete our bond. Don't he and I need to complete our bond by...?" She swallowed the rest of her words.
"This bond doesn't require you to consummate it. It's already completed," Draven answered but held the entire truth from her, deciding to leave it at Morpheus to reveal if he wished to.
The truth that- Though Ember can't feel the pull and treat Morph normally like before as her friend, Morpheus would feel the pull towards her and it would be difficult for him if they won't mate.
"There are no flowers or symbols in the mark, just a pair of golden wings. It feels like he's fully devoted to the bond, but I'm somehow free from it, even though I feel a connection with him."
"You're not imagining it. That's exactly how this bond works. I told you before, your bond with Morph is different from mine."
She nodded. "What kind of bond is it, then?"