Dawn glanced at Pia with her green eyes wide open. She didn't know that mates could be unmarked too. But why would Daryn unmark her? She looked at Daryn with a question in her eyes as if the thought of unmarking was wounding her soul. She fought a pain back in her throat. Just a day back they were married officially with all the festivities and today Pia was suggesting that he unmark her?

"She is not worth it Daryn. She didn't tell you that she is a dragon rider. Because of her we are all in trouble. I told you right in the beginning that you shouldn't go for a neotide. They are only trouble. You should have chosen a pure-blood, but you never listened to me. You were blinded by her charm," Pia grunted.

​​

"I agree with Pia," said Caleb. "Ever since she has come in your life, our world has turned upside down. She is nothing but bad luck."

Bad luck? She fought tears. Yes, bad luck started five years back and she had been fighting it since. Every moment she had thought of only one thing and that was to get back her family fortune but she ended up marrying Daryn. She thought that her life would now be better with him on her side, and then she was thrown into this "Stone of Solaris" situation, unknowingly, unwillingly.

Daryn growled at them. "Shut up!" He was still staring at Dawn. "Tell me why you didn't reveal your dragon. And what is it that Brantley and you were talking about? I am on my wits end here."

Dawn took in a deep breath and pushed her tears down. She couldn't be bothered with so many accusations at the moment. "I found my dragon, Quetz, in the forests of Yorkshire. At that time, I didn't know what it was all about and I still don't know much about dragons. However, all I know is that he belongs to me and I am his dragon rider. I had heard in the fantasy lore about dragons but didn't know that it would even come true in a modern world like ours. Becoming a werewolf was a shock for me. When I was trying to struggle with that shock, that kind of body change, I found Quetz. So you can imagine that everything happened too quickly for me. And nothing was in my control." Time was going fast. Brantley had given her two hours. She looked at her wristwatch.

Pia clapped her hands. "Wow! What a theory? Dragon rider? Huh?" She walked to Daryn and said with a hand on her hip while the other one pointing at Dawn, "You are seriously going to believe the shit she is saying. She is a bloody neotide and cannot be trusted. Whatever she is saying is trash."

Paying no attention to Pia's remarks, she continued, "Brantley has given us two hours to evacuate this place, after which all routes out of Ulfric will get sealed. You must announce it to all the werewolves that they must leave Ulfric as soon as possible."

"What has Brantley got to do with it?" Daryn asked as shock registered in his mind.

"She is only accusing Brantley," Pia gritted her teeth. "He is a good man. This girl—" Pia jabbed her finger in Dawn's shoulder, "You are misleading us. Who is Brantley to give us orders about Ulfric? This place belongs to us and people from other realms come here. No one would dare to do anything to us. How dare you mislead us?"

"Daryn, I am not misleading you. Do you remember the dragon we saw over the lake?" Dawn asked.

Daryn nodded as he watched her with furrowed brows.

"That is Rirsyr, Brantley's dragon—the one you saw he was riding today."

A vein in his temple throbbed. No hint of condescension, just a shock.

"Daryn, at the moment, there is no time to think about it. Every minute lost is going to draw us closer to something untoward. Please trust me. Didn't you see how the cottage was shredded? That was Rirsyr's doing when you people had left to find Gayle."

Caleb laughed with sarcasm filled in his sneer. "What the hell are you even talking about? You make Brantley sound as our enemy."

"He is the enemy," Dawn said. "He has Gayle with him."

"What?" Pia shouted. "What did you say?"

Dawn looked at her hands in her lap. She pinched the skin in between her thumb and index finger. "Brantley abducted Gayle because he wants my dragon."

There was a silence in the room and gnawed at her insides. It hung in the air like a glass suspended moments before it shattered to the ground. No one spoke a word as they all stared at her. She could hear her accelerated breath as the unnatural silence wrapped her like poisonous mist. Even a whisper from them was welcomed at this point. The gravity of the situation made her heart sink.

"So that proves my point—that she is the source of all our problems," Pia broke the quiet with her acerbic comment.

"I think she is only making up things Daryn. Don't believe her. You should call Brantley and ask him," Caleb suggested with anger rising on his face.

"If all this is true, why would Brantley come here? To acknowledge that he abducted Gayle?" Dawn countered him. "So that you guys tear him apart?" She looked at Daryn and said, "Brantley has assured me that he would free Gayle if I give up my dragon to him."

Daryn walked to the window with his finger raking through his hair. The circumstances were weird and dangerous.

"If this is true, why don't you give up your dragon?" Caleb's voice was ominous. "Is that beast, that monster more important to you than our father? He was the one who supported you in this marriage and this is how you repay him? You bloody neotide!" he said in an elevated tone.

"Don't!" Daryn warned with a snarl. "Don't shout."

"Then tell her to give her up the beast. If it is so simple, she should do what Brantley has asked and we will leave!" said Caleb.

"No, I can't leave," she replied. "I can't part with my dragon," she whispered.

"By Skadi! You filthy, lowly bitch!" came Pia's stinging voice. "You are sacrificing father because you can't part with that— that creature? That is nothing but one big lizard. We pure bloods are going to kill it!"

Dawn rose to her feet as rage filled her chest. "Don't say a word about my dragon!" she bared her teeth. "I won't take it lightly."

Pia cringed. "Then— then get Gayle back. Because of you he is in trouble."

Shunning her, Dawn sauntered to Daryn and said, "Daryn, I am sorry but I can't part with my dragon. It's a bond that is forged between us. You used to ask about my tattoo?" She raised her index finger to show it to him. "This tattoo was formed the day Quetz was born. He bit me to form the bond. I have no idea why he chose me as his rider. I have no idea what is about to happen, but I know two things for sure—that Quetz is my dragon and you are my mate. I have never in my life had such strong feelings about anything else, even Cole." Her breath hitched. "Brantley wanted my dragon. When I refused and demanded Gayle's release, he made a deal with me in order to free him. According to that deal, all the werewolves have two hours to evacuate this place." She looked at her wristwatch. "You have one and a half hours only now."

Daryn was still looking outside trying to decipher it all. Nothing seemed to be in place. "When will he release father?"

"I think he is on his way to this place already. Just make everyone leave this place," she goaded.

"What is the deal?"

Dawn gulped a stinging sensation. "I have to find him the Stone of Solaris. If I find that, he shall let me and Quetz leave Ulfric."

"Otherwise?"

"Otherwise, I will remain trapped here forever," she said, fighting the tears again. What would happen to Cole? "Please Daryn, trust me. You all should leave as soon as possible."

"Caleb and Pia, come with me," said Daryn and walked out of the room.

The couple followed him giving poisonous looks to Dawn. Pia closed the door behind her after saying, "If possible, don't come back. We will find someone really good for Daryn—a pure blood. Just die!"

Within the next hour, the message spread like fire. All the werewolves packed whatever remained of their belongings and began to leave. Daryn monitored their departure. He ensured that no one was left behind. In the last twenty minutes, Gayle joined them.

Daryn ran to him and embraced him tightly. "Father, how are you?" Caleb and Pia also rushed to him and hugged him.

"Where is Dawn?" were his first words.

"Father, you have to leave now," urged Daryn.

"Where is—" Gayle stopped when he saw Dawn standing outside the cottage. He walked to her.