The Patriarch's Breeding Command

Kaelia’s damp hair still clung to her neck, a lingering reminder of the heavy, thrusting weight of Valerius taking her over the edge of the marble bathtub just an hour ago. Now, she walked through the grand mahogany hallways of the Scarlet Dragon clan mansion. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot of dread. She dragged her fingertips over the intricate dragon carvings etched deep into the heavy wooden doors, trying to ground her racing nerves. She traced the curves of the carved scales, the sharp fangs, and the specific sweeping patterns of the Alpha dragon markings.

Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Valerius was definitely smirking at this very moment. She could picture his arrogant face clearly. He knew his father had summoned her. He must be relishing the anxiety practically radiating from her pores, knowing his territory claim was tightening around her neck.

She stopped in front of the massive double doors leading into Alpha Thaddeus’s office. She flattened her palms against the rich, dark wood.

"Kael-Kael," Thaddeus’s voice boomed from the other side. The cheerful tone startled her. "I know you are standing out there. Come in and talk to me."

Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, Kaelia turned the brass knob to the right and stepped into the sprawling office. Thaddeus sat behind his massive desk. He was a formidable man, the leader of the Scarlet Dragon Clan, but to her, he was the savior who had pulled her from a living nightmare.

Kaelia’s childhood had been a void of confusion and neglect. Born blind, she spent her first seven years locked away in a cold, pitch-black room. She was given food, but no words, no warmth, and no comfort. Then, her eyes miraculously opened. Thaddeus was the first person she ever saw. When she could barely speak or explain where she came from, the Alpha took pity on the terrified child. He adopted her, elevating her above his own numerous biological sons and daughters, treating her as his absolute favorite.

"Hello, Father," Kaelia said, dropping into a small curtsy with a strained smile.

Thaddeus smirked briefly at her obvious unease but chose to brush past it. He gestured to the leather chair across from his desk. "Sit with me. How are you faring?"

She exhaled a long, quiet breath and crossed the wooden floor, keeping her shoulders squared. She sank into the plush chair. "I am fine, just tired. The hospital is a menace these days. I have thousands of flowers and gift cards piling up in my office." She didn't bother mentioning the thousands of Alphas who had been flooding her workspace with expensive jewels and brazen marriage proposals.

"You deserve that and more," Thaddeus praised, his chest swelling with pride. "You, Kael-Kael, are the pride and joy of the Scarlet Dragon clan. What you have done for our species is more than commendable. You have saved thousands of lives."

"Hush now, Father, lest your other children hear you and despise me more than they already do," she joked lightly.

Thaddeus laughed a hearty, booming sound. "They are just jealous of you. It will pass. You should hear Verity boast about how her big sister found the cure to the raging pandemic."

The praise was heavy. Draconoma was a nightmare. It was a horrific zombification disease that had plagued their kind for four years. Black spots would appear on the wings and underbelly of the dragons. The infection spread rapidly, rotting their flesh from the inside out until scales flaked off in bloody chunks. It turned their blood into a dark, putrid sludge. The sheer agony drove them into a violent madness before they inevitably died. Kaelia had spent endless nights hunched over microscopes to engineer the cure. Now, as the sole doctor who healed the dragon population, her name was known across the empire.

That monumental medical triumph, combined with her rare genetic status, made her the ultimate prize. She was discovered to be a white dragon. She was one of only three legendary white dragons left in the entire empire, and the only one not belonging to the royal family. Everyone had their eyes set on her.

"The Imperial dragons wish to honor your deeds with an official title and a grand ball," Thaddeus informed her, shifting his tone to something more formal.

Kaelia nodded slowly. "I see. That is a great honor."

"This grand event will help secure a vital peace treaty I have been trying to enforce with them," Thaddeus explained, leaning forward. "But you must be careful." His tempo lifted, turning sharp. "The Princes of the throne are unmated. They may try to claim you. This ball celebrates two things: your success in medicine, and the start of the mating season. You will be the most eligible bachelorette in our Empire. You already are."

Kaelia frowned, confused by his intense warning. "Is that really a bad thing? I mean, if you are finalizing a peace treaty with them, wouldn't a union—"

"You belong to Valerius!" Thaddeus roared.

He slammed his heavy fists onto the mahogany desk. The sheer force of the impact shook the room, rattling the inkwells and sending a shockwave through the floorboards.

Kaelia froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Her muscles locked up, paralyzed with pure, icy shock. She stared at him, her mind spinning wildly. She remembered the heavy weight of Valerius bending her over the cold marble edge of the bathtub. She remembered the way he shoved his thick rod deep into her wet, warm walls in one brutal push. He had yielded today, pulling out before he released, but that was a rare mercy. She knew they had been growing careless. She suspected Thaddeus might eventually uncover their secret three-year affair, but she never expected this. She never expected him to demand a forced marriage.

Seeing the petrified expression frozen on her face, Thaddeus smirked, his sudden rage settling into smug satisfaction. "I have known for a long while, if you must know. I’ll have you know nothing is hidden under my roof."

"We are just—" Kaelia started, her voice trembling.

"I give you my blessings!" Thaddeus cut her off, clapping his large hands together. His eyes crinkled with genuine excitement. "You two will be perfect for our clan. I simply cannot wait for my grandchildren."

He was serious. He actually assumed she wanted this. He thought that just because she had shared a bed with his son for three years, she wanted to be the clan's Luna.

Kaelia pressed her index finger and thumb hard into her temples. A severe headache began to throb behind her eyes. "Father," she said, keeping her voice tight. "I will not mate with Valerius."

Thaddeus raised a thick eyebrow. "My ears and my nose have told me you two have already done half of the mating process. Once you mark him, it will be done."

His dismissive demeanor told Kaelia that this was not up for negotiation. He expected her to concede to his decisions like an obedient daughter. But Kaelia did not answer to anyone, not even the man who saved her.

"I will not do this, Father. I cannot marry him," she declared obstinately.

Thaddeus stood up, towering over the desk. "Would you prefer to appear as a wanton woman? Valerius has taken your honor!" he scolded her, slamming his fists on the table again. "He has stripped you of your purity! He has slept with you. Over and over. He is the Alpha heir, a reasonable young man with a great future ahead of him. It shall not be unwise to settle with him! You are a brilliant doctor, but you are still a woman of this clan. Why are you so averse to the prospect of being this clan’s Luna?"

"Because he treats me like a vessel!" Kaelia shouted, her rebellious streak flaring hot in her chest. She stood up to meet his fierce gaze, refusing to hide the ugly truth of their dynamic. "Valerius does not woo me! He does not court me!"

Thaddeus blinked.

"He only tries to breed me!" Kaelia shouted, her frustration boiling over. "He only tries to get me pregnant! Every time he gets me alone, he strips me bare and tries to breed his heir into me. He pumps his seed deep inside me hoping it takes root, so he can force his mark on my neck and trap me! I hardly believe that pinning me to a bed and treating me like a breeding mare is a romantic gesture to make me his wife."

The words hung heavy in the air. Thaddeus stared at her, momentarily taken aback by his son's brutish stupidity. He slowly sank back into his grand chair, rubbing his bearded chin as he considered the sheer idiocy of his heir.

"Is that so?" Thaddeus said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Kaelia snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "He is an aggressive brute."

Thaddeus drummed his thick fingers on the desert ironwood desk. He relented slightly, but his core resolve did not waver. "Consider it done. I will ensure Valerius openly courts you. Even though that is hardly necessary when he has defiled you so thoroughly. But you will have to agree and set aside your stubbornness eventually."

"Father, you aren't listening—"

"My decision is absolute," Thaddeus interrupted, his tone leaving zero room for debate. "I will not give you away to another man knowing that you have slept with Valerius, and will most likely lay down with him once or twice more before the month ends."

Kaelia gaped at him.

"Think wisely, Kaelia," Thaddeus ordered, waving a hand to dismiss her. "In the meantime, you need to get fitted for a gown. The Imperial ball is in a few days. Prepare yourself. You are going to marry Valerius."

Kaelia stared at him, her chest tight with a suffocating, unbearable weight. He wasn't giving her a choice. He was trapping her. She spun on her heel and marched out of the office, her hands shaking with suppressed rage.

She didn't walk back to her room; she ran. She sprinted down the grand mahogany hallways, her shoes slapping hard against the floors, ignoring the startled glances of the clan members she passed. She reached her bedroom, burst through the door, and slammed it shut behind her with a deafening crack.

Her legs carried her straight to the center of the room. She threw herself onto the mattress, burying her face deep into the soft pillows.

"Ahhhhh!" she screamed.

It was a raw, guttural scream of absolute, suffocating frustration. The thick pillows muffled the sound, absorbing her fury and helplessness. She clawed at the bedsheets, tearing at the fabric until her knuckles turned stark white. She was trapped. Trapped by her adoptive father's ironclad decree, trapped by the political weight of her own medical accomplishments, and trapped by the relentless pursuit of a lover who only wanted to breed her into submission.