Liam listened to it all like it had been a movie at the back of his mind, memories flashed back as everything was explained. 
He had been used, taken away from those he loved, without a second thought. 
But that wasn't the worst part, his daughter, his life, had been taken from him. Lilian had held his hand through it all and he was glad she did although it looked like she was this close to bursting. 
"He's a dragon?  The boy who was dating Khloe.” He repeated trying to let it sink in. 
"Yes, "Abigail replied,” dragons are shifters, they have a humanoid version unless of course the cursed ones or rogues simply put" she explained noticing his confusion, “And he was only dating Khloe because he thought she was his mate.  Much like you, he was also under a spell, only one much more powerful," Abigail explained to him as Lillian took a sip of her hot coffee. 
"And a mate is more like a soul mate?"
"In the supernatural community a Mate is worth much more Liam, its life, it is everything to a person.  To have it is precious, to lose it is death," she replied. 
"But I don't understand it,” Lilian began, "Didn’t you say that Kaya Legions mate?"
"She is and that is what is confusing to us all.  Azian wasn't supposed to brand anyone that isn't his mate.  His dragon, power, and himself must have both recognized her as something more than a possession for it to have happened,"
"So when he sunk his teeth into her, if I can call them that,” Liam began remembering the scene, breathing heavily as it flashed in his mind, jaw ticking, eyes flashing up to the wich, "when he bit her and therefore, hmm."
"Branded-" Ena put in. 
"Branded her,” Liam continued giving a little nod toward Ena, "it didn't hurt?  She wasn't in pain, Right?”  Liam asked, Kaya's screams echoing in her mind. 
Abigail’s eyes dimmed, "he is a dragon Liam." she said trailing off, wondering how to tell a father his daughter must have experienced a lot of pain. 
"And his teeth were quite sharp," Alessia added shrugging as Anna threw her a stern look. 
Liam’s eyes widened as he pieced the information together suddenly shooting up, "I won't Allow my daughter into this, I forbid it!" he grunted out staring rather harshly at the woman before him.
Abigail shook her head, "it is her destiny Liam, and there is nothing anyone can do anymore. Azian has claimed her as his, and believe me he will destroy anyone that stands in his way,” she gulped, thinking about Legion. 
She didn't want to think about the consequences of Azians actions just yet. 
"What?!" Liam echoed bewildered. 
"Azian is a Golden dragon, even without Alpha, he is a force to reckon with.   I assure you trying to get the one thing he truly cares about will bring you nothing but his fury and destruction.  Dragons are not known to be particularly kind to those who try to steal what is there’s. Her father or not, I'm sorry Liam, but you can't take her away from him, "Ena explained frowning, "believe me, we tried." 
"So that's it?  She will never be free from him?” he asked glancing at Lilian. He couldn't accept that. 
Edwin looked at Liam with a chuckle, "not till death," he added mindlessly as he sipped down on his coffee, “and even then the afterlife will asker them in together.” 
"Edwin!” Abigail snapped at him with a frown as a look of pure horror enveloped Liam’s face. 
Abigail clutched his arm before he could blow up, glancing At Lilian, "you're looking at this all wrong," she eased, her gaze switching between them, "Lilian you know Azian at least a little, from every time you've seen him. Does he look like a demon?” she asked her with sincere eyes. 
"A demon?!" Liam echoed in alarm. 
"Yeah demons do exist as well," Alessia nodded, Ally quickly mentally jotting it down.  
"What I mean is, rumors Aside," she said leaning down to Aunt lily’s level, "Has Azian ever made you think that he was a savage of some sort? " she asked. 
Aunt Lily thought back to all the times she had seen Azian since they had moved to Torent about two years ago. 
The first time had been in a shop when she was handing out flyers advertising the book club she had just begun.  She was mesmerized by his beauty wondering if it could be real or natural. These days one couldn't really tell. 
He had laughed, a beautiful smile when she had mindlessly asked him, assuring her he would deliver her flyers to his Aunts who were in desperate need of normal Friends. 
A week later the four ladies, Ena, Maria, Abigail, and Anna had shown up with enough snacks to last her a week. 
She began to see him more often through the next few months as he and Edwin sometimes passed through after the book club season to pick up their Aunts. 
She sometimes saw him on her early morning jogs, where he would throw a friendly wave or a bright smile. 
They had never really had any proper conversation,  only the one they had had when she knocked gently on his car door,  past midnight wondering why Kaya was still in his car. 
He gave her a polite greeting apologizing for the inconvenience before informing her they dozed off in the car.  He also offered to carry her in, which of course she had accepted seeing as she was in no way capable of carrying Kaya up the stairs. 
She had noticed how gentle and caring he was with her, how he seemed so focus on making sure she was comfortable.  She distinctively remembered wondering how easy he made carrying Kaya look.  As if she was as light as a feather. 
He placed her in her bed so gently it was as if he was afraid she would break.  The look that was plastered on his face as he watched her was something that edged into her mind. Her memory shifted to the last conversation Kaya had with her when she had said the L- word and Ally had said it wasn't Legion they had been talking about but Azian. 
"No," she replied softly, holding Abigail’s gaze for a moment before glancing at Ally for a moment then to Liam, 
"If Azian claimed her it means they shared a bond.  A reciprocal feeling toward each other.  Azian isn't the bad guy, even though I must admit I have no idea why he would claim a girl that isn't his mate and Kaya,” Abigail trailed off, “but-
"She can control his dragon" Edwin blurted out, his hand clamping firmly around the mug he was holding. 
All eyes were on him in an instant, and he immediately regretted blurting it out. But it had been burning him up on the inside, feeling guilty it had come to this under his watch. 
"What?" Abigail asked blinking twice, "Edwin, what did you say?"
Edwin glanced around the room to the half confused half shocked faces of everyone at the moment, he sighed shaking his head, “Azian didn't want me to tell you yet because he thought you would forbid him from seeing her if you knew. Not, that he would obey you, obviously he just didn't want any…” he trailed off under a death stare Abigail was literally throwing at him.  Her eyes were hard when she looked at him. 
"Problems,” he finished in a small voice. 
"What do you mean Kaya can control his dragon?" Aunt Lily asked at a loss for words. It seemed that things were getting more and more complicated. 
"Whatever she says, Alpha obeys" Edwin explained with a shrug.  He didn't understand it much either.  Azian hadn't really gone into detail. 
"Impossible!" Ena replied this time having had enough of these unexpected changes of events, "Erania couldn't give such a rare power to a mere possession!" 
Abigail felt like the world was spinning sideways as she stormed to Edwin, "why would you keep this away from me?! Do you know what it has cost us?! "She yelled, "what was going through your mind?!  You had so many chances to say something!"
“I promised him not to, Alright?!” Edwin growled back, “and you should know when it comes to it, I am more loyal to him than you. Besides, he knew you would overreact! And as usual, he was right!” Edwin yelled back his eyes turning purple. 
"How could I not?!” Abigail fired back, “look around us Edwin, Everything’s falling apart! Yes, I would have told him to stay away from her because if he had just done it like we had requested long before all this...  none of this would be happening!  Our kitchen counter wouldn't be anything but a puddle of metal!  Cars wouldn't have been melted through!  The school would still be standing and KAYA WOULD HAVE BEEN OKAY!  THIS MESS WOULDNT BE HERE!” She yelled back 
"And you wouldn't have known anything about the soul spell,  and Alpha would have never put up the display of power and given us hope,  Liam wouldn’t have been free and Khloe would still be winning," Edwin replied softly breathing lowly as he eyes Abigail.
Abigail’s eyes widened blinking twice, she took a step back realizing what Edwin had said was the truth. She shook her head, for a moment before plopping into a nearby chair, "the truth is I'm spent. I've tried everything to protect you both and it seems everything's falling apart,” she said, head in her hands.  
"C’mon Abigail," Ena cooed slipping in place next to her, "it’s okay, Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be, maybe you have done all you need to do," she eased rubbing her back. 
This was the first time any of them had seen the mother witch in this state.
"And you haven't failed" Edwin added, "truthfully I don't think Azian or I would have survived without you"
She looked at him with glassy tears in her eyes, "You should have seen the way he looked at me when he found out Legion was her mate and we knew but didn't tell him.  Omega was so betrayed, and disappointed and I felt like I failed, you know" she said blinking away a tear before it could slip down her face. 
"Abigail, Omega loves you, he adores you, Azian complains about it every day," Edwin replied sitting on the armchair beside her.
She shook her head, "he shut me out, for the first time, he locked me out and I felt like he had done it for good" she gasped, looking right at him, “like it was for the last time.” 
Edwin engulfed her in a hug, "he was just angry, he was angry with all of us.  Not only you.”  He eased rubbing her back. 
"I can't find him anymore because of it, he's gone and we can't trace him, what if….” she trailed off tears staining her eyes. 
"We are his family Abigail, you are like a mother to him and he adores you just the same.  I know the moment he feels he is in trouble the first person he would reach out for is you, " he chuckled,  "I'm his guardian and his best friend and the closest thing the guy has to a brother and even I know I come in a close-very close second to you.”
Abigail chuckled at Edwin’s outrageousness. 
"We love you Abigail, Orion, Alpha, Omega, Azian and I, We wouldn't trade you for the world" he whispered. 
Tears flowed from her eyes for a totally different reason now. 
It took a minute with a few backrubs from Ena before Abigail was ready, wiping the tears from her eyes. 
"Okay." She began standing up as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "I'm sorry about that, " she said sniffing before turning to Edwin with grateful eyes, "thank you I needed that" she blinked back the fresh set of tears shaking her head to compose herself, "the best thing we can do right now is figuring out why Azian branded his possession, Kaya.  What exactly are we missing?” she asked going back into protector mode, trying to think back.
Ally raised up her hand like a school girl blushing a bit when she was given center stage, "Uh-is it possible that. Maybe. Kaya has two mates?” she asked timidly, "I mean she seemed to like both of them. Though I must admit there was something about Azian," she added. 
Abigail glanced at the Finder before her, grateful she had told her to come along. She really was a lucky Finder to have found what she was looking for and at such an early stage. There was also something about the girl, something she couldn’t quite place a finger on, but the aura around the girl was usually different from any other finder she had come across. 
But the point was, Ally was Kaya's best friend, at least they could have a little more insight through her. 
Abigail nodded slowly, "maybe in a very farfetched reality that could be possible,” she began shaking her head, "and I do admit it did cross my mind a couple of times but it doesn't make sense to me. I know for a fact Dragons don't share.” She explained looking at the group before her, “It’s an unspoken rule. Azian said it himself.  Erania would never have given Azian a mate already taken… it just can't happen."
"Erania?" Ally echoed. 
"The strongest god in the heavens, they call her the sun herself, mother of the dragons, the light" Ena replied with a patriotic expression. 
Ally tucked away this information with awe. 
"And a mate who draws two Alpha kings would be a big problem," Abigail added. 
"Alpha king?" Ally echoed. 
Abigail glanced at Lilian and Liam, "don't freak out you two," she ordered glancing between them. 
"I've been through so much this week I don't think that's possible anymore," Aunt Lily replied 
Abigail nodded raising an eyebrow at Liam for his agreement. He sighed, "if it’s absolutely necessary” he replied. 
"Legion isn't just any Lycan,"
"Lycan?" Liam echoed. 
"The one that was a beast, the boy who entered Kaya's bedroom and almost killed us all with shock, we just explained the story?  Keep up Liam, don't be so slow," Lilian replied playfully smacking his shoulder. 
"Yes, the beast boy" Abigail began with a sigh, "he isn’t just any ordinary beast, he... He is the prince of Lycans," she announced. 
"Witch say what?" Lilian asked mouth dropping, eyes widening looking up at Abigail.
Liam looked confused, "a prince?”
"Yes, a prince with a crown, a castle, Kingdom, and everything," Abigail replied with a slight sigh.
No one was more shocked than Ally.  This is why he was feared and revered by the other students.  He was their prince!  She wouldn't have guessed that. Not for a good period of time. She was thinking more along the lines of an alpha may be, for a pack. Like the werewolf books she had read but not whole dang Prince of a frickin kingdom.
"I thought maybe he was the alpha or a pack or something,” Ally said aloud but to herself, "not a prince," she muttered.
“Better believe it,” Alessia replied glancing at her with a slight chuckle, "Werewolves have alphas, alphas report to Lycan generals, general’s report to guardians, Guardians report to kings" she continued to explain happy she could use a bit of her knowledge at least once.
Lilian blinked a few times, "a prince" she repeated, "sweet mother of fairy tales my niece is mated to a prince" she replied, disbelief in her tone.
Liam shook his head, "I don't understand," he claimed, looking at the group in front of him.
"Then I don't know how you’ll be doing when you find out about Azian" Ena joked chuckling alongside Alessia. 
"What about Azian?" Lilian asked her smile dropping. 
Abigail gave Ena and Alessia a stern look, before looking back down at the two humans, "I told you Azian was powerful right?"
"Yes, you did" Liam acknowledged with a nod.
"I may have forgotten to mention that Azian is one of a kind,” she added.
"I don't follow?  Isn't that guy a dragon too?” Liam asked referring to Edwin. 
"Yes but, you see Dragons were the King race a long time ago. That was before they became extinct. Golden Dragons were their royalty.  So powerful they were considered gods, legend has it Magic came from these beings as a gift from their patriot godmother, Erania. "
"The Queen of gods," Ally replied.
Abigail gave her a brief nod. "Yes. Golden dragons were great beings, feared and revered across each nation, and Azian happens to be the last," she trailed off gauging the reaction. 
She was met with blank stares as Lillian looked at her, "simple language" she begged with a dry throat, having had enough of trying to piece things together for herself.
"Azian is the most powerful being in the realms,  hunted for his power and the prophecy that is laid on his head,  to well destroy the world, and he is also a prince" Edwin replied before Abigail could ease it in. 
There was a pregnant pause.  Silence filling the air. 
"So Kaya is Fated to two Kings?” Lilian decided to try to forget everything after “destroy the world.”  
Abigail nodded, clasping her hands together, "the major problem is, Legion, that’s if he is still alive, which we hope he is. If not, King Damian will make it even worse for us, but either way.
IF he is still alive, he will do anything to get Kaya back and we all know Azian won't allow that, it could be the beginning of a war or THE war and that’s why we need to find out why Azian branded her before it’s too late-"
"That's if she's still alive," Ena added, with a soft sigh.
"What do you mean IF she is still alive?!" Liam and Lillian echoed. 
Abigail closed her eyes, she didn't want to think about it too much, "There is a reason other than the obvious, as to why we thought Kaya couldn't be Azian’s mate.” she began, taking a deep breath in,"Golden dragons have only been recorded to have been powerfully matched to beings with a decent match to their power, that's why Khloe, a hybrid seemed like the perfect mate,"
"Why?  Why do they only have powerful mates?” Liam asked. 
Abigail’s eyes dimmed, "because of the Bite.  It takes someone powerful to survive a Golden Dragons bite and humans, well, they are known to be particularly weak," she said quietly. 
"Are you telling me- no, Are you trying to say there's a chance Kaya may be dead??” Lillian bellowed Liam following right after, "why didn't you say this before!”
"Because if she were, Azian would burn the earth to a crisp, we would have known. Trust me" Abigail replied.
"The HELL, we will!  Not if you are keeping things like this from us!”  Lillian fired back. 
"Alright, you want the truth? How about this?  The TRUTH is you can't protect Kaya anymore. She isn't going to be safe away from us or away from Azian.  He and his dragon and we to some extent are the only things that can help her."
She moved in closer to Lilian, "the truth is Azian ISN’T  the most powerful being in the realms anymore," She tilted her head to the side, "Kaya is.. The human girl with the power to control the most powerful thing in the world."
Liam and Lillian’s eyes widened after this. 
Abigail grinned, "and isn't she a much easier prey?"
Lilian gritted her teeth, shaking her head in defeat, before turning to Liam with a question in her eyes.  He looked defeated when he replied, "we have to, Lily, and we have to trust them, for Kaya's sake."
Aunt Lilian turned to Abigail, searching her eyes for a moment, letting the silence hang before sucking in a breath, "okay, we're listening"
Abigail nodded slowly, relieved, "we just need to find the bond between Azian and Kaya so we can understand this,"
Alessia groaned, "I wish there was just some way to you know, know!  Like, eat a fortune cookie and the answer just being there! In the heart of the cookie!"
Everyone seemed to agree to this before Abigail froze, “fortune cookie!" She trailed off, "I have it!  It could work! "
"A fortune cookie?" Ally asked puzzled. 
"No, Not that. A way to get the answer so much more easily, in a second," she replied. 
"Really?!" Ena asked speaking on behalf of everyone, watching the excitement in the Mother Protector’s eyes. 
"Yes!  It might work, we just need one thing. "
"And what is that?" Liam asked. 
"Azian.”