“I can’t believe my parents let us just not continue on with the fight.” Dakota states. He is cleaning his daggers after Shraydin and him went hunting to get the urge to fight out of their systems.

Shraydin on the other hand is sitting there, staring at Dakota with a face of if you were to make it an emoji it would be the heart eyes emoji.

They’re being quiet since they can’t stop thinking about the fact their parents were the head of the kings’ warriors. That means if they had been raised with them still working for the kings they’d be a part of the kings’ warriors as well. They would’ve basically grown up with Dakota.

What would Shraydin’s life been like if their parents hadn’t moved when they learned they were pregnant with them?

Shraydin wouldn’t have had to fend for themself on the road since they were seven years old.

Shraydin had been picked on for being different than the other shifters in Riverside. Since they didn’t have the ability to go to school without a proper guardian they other kids saw that as an opportunity to make them even more vulnerable. They didn’t eat everyday because the kids would find their stash and steal all they had left. There was one time during the spring of their 17th year in life, that they found great land to make a farm off of. But the other shifters found out and destroyed the little farm by torching it. The kids found joy in it especially since some of them were fire dragon shifters so they were the ones to bring the fire to torch the farm.

Shraydin wouldn’t had to have gone through that in their teens if they had grown up with the kings’ warriors.

“Whatcha thinking about over there?” Dakota interrupts Shraydin’s thoughts.

“Just how my life would’ve been different if my parents hadn’t moved across the globe when they found out they were with child. I would’ve had the chance to grow up with you and we would be even closer than we are now. We would’ve fought together during the Battle of Dew that happened a few years ago. I wove been trained a lot better to fight. Uuurgh!!!”

“Stop it! We can’t control everything that happens to our lives. What we can control is how we react to it. Your parents probably thought that they wouldn’t be killed so soon after moving to Riverside. They probably were thinking you would’ve had a better life without having to deal with much of the politics that comes with this kingdom. Basically everyone here in this kingdom is caught up in the political system that just needs a complete redo. When it’s my time to rule, I’ll be trying to change it. Be glad you didn’t grow up in the amount of politics I did. It drew my parents away from me resulting in not the best of bonds with them.”

“I didn’t realize that’s what you had to deal with.”

“No one does.”

Dakota the decides that hugging Shraydin would help ease some of the tension that kind of built up in the room.

They’re both sitting the living room of Dakota’s little cabin house that his parents built for him when he decided he wanted to move out. Even though his parents disagreed with it, they knew he’d just leave and move out anyways. So they insisted that he let them build his cabin house that is far enough away from society he can feel free to, but it’s still close enough to them that he can drive or portal over quickly when he’s needed or just when he wants to visit.

…

The next morning, after they barely got rest, they had to get up to go visit Kings Mason and Oliver.

“I’m so glad you could join us this morning. We are wanting to discuss how will be going about your situation. Will you be suitors to each other?” King Mason asks while pouring a cup of coffee and adding peppermint mocha creamer.

“Dad, seriously?! Let us have time to even process the fact you’re allowing this for me. Last week you were discussing about finding me a wife and not letting me have a say in it. And now you’re all about letting me choice my fated mate and want us to complete the mate bond and marry as soon as possible?”

“Chill out, now we didn’t say anything about completing the mate bond, just that it would be best to announce you guys suiting each other sooner rather than later, especially considering that fight was going to be in front of almost the whole kingdom.” King Oliver chimes in.

“Might I say that I am not conditioned to your ways and need time to process this? I wasn’t raised as one of your warriors but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss me, since I am the child of your head warriors. I am aware they aren’t here with us anymore. They were killed right in front of me twenty years ago. I was dismissed like I wasn’t even there. I had to fend for myself on the streets. I didn’t have any relatives to take care of me. No one knew of anyone that was willing to take care of me. Now please, teach me your ways and then ask that again!”

“You’re a feisty one. You did say you had to live on the streets so that would explain that, but you mother was also very feisty as well. Dakota, keep that one with us, their important not just because of being your fated mate, their a phoenix dragon, velociraptor demon kreatcher. Those are like the rarest types of kreatchers and even rarer as shifters. Keep them safe. And I know you probably know how to put up a fight, but allow our warriors to train even further, especially with some weapons and shifting.”

Both of the kings leave.