Dron felt like he was walking on water.

At the same time it felt like every one of his nerves had been lit on fire.

The more he thought about what had just happened, the more he just couldn’t believe it. It was impossible. There had been a few reports of fated mates but the last confirmed pair was more than a hundred years prior.

There were rumors that his mother was a fated mate who had rejected her pair, but there was no real proof.

Dron was confused.

He followed Tempest in the direction of Mexyn. He was glad that she was there, not because he wanted to talk to her but because it would give him a chance to make sure Tempest was safe and allow him to go see who he really wanted to see.

"That was...interesting." Mexyn stated as the two of them walked up to her.

"Yeah, nothing like a little drama to get everyone talking." Tempest lauged.

The tinkling sound grated against Dron’s nerves. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy hearing it, but instead he felt too exposed as if there was just too much going on around him.

"Do you think people will only blame Dron for what happened?" Tempest asked right away.

Dron tried to keep up with the conversation but his attention was so fractured he couldn’t. A million questions raced through his head. He needed answers.

He needed to talk to someone who knew more than he did and who would also be able to part with the information.

He needed a friend.

Dron knew that would be hard to come by, especially after what had just happened.

Everyone probably was already labeling him a bigger monster than they thought. There was a chance that he’d be brought up on charges. It didn’t even matter that he didn’t land a blow against Cynik. Dron was sure that the powers that be would find a way to blame him for what happened.

"Dron?" Tempest called out to him.

He jerked his head in her direction, finally being pulled from his thoughts. She must have been talking to him but he had no idea what she’d said. There was too much to process. As much as he wanted to stay by Tempest’s side he needed to get to the bottom of what just happened.

"Are you okay?" Tempest moved a little closer to him, "Of course you’re not. I’m sorry, I should’ve insisted we go straight home instead of staying out. Come, we can leave." She reached up to touch him, but Dron backed away. He couldn’t take the feel of her body again. Couldn’t let her touch open up another whirlwind of sensations when he didn’t know what they meant.

"No, I’m fine. Will you be okay with Mexyn for a few minutes?" Dron asked lifting his shoulders, waiting for her response.

Tempest narrowed her eyes before looking to Mexyn for a second, and then she nodded her head, "Yes, I’m safe with Mexyn."

"Good. I will only be a moment." Dron answered in a rush before he turned on his heel and walked away from her.

He scanned the crowd again, hoping to find Maznik. Thankfully, the frail-looking man was still standing by his stall. An intense look on his face.

Dron didn’t bother to address anyone else around him. They had all gone back to staying out of his way. The whispers had died down, but it didn’t mean any of them had forgotten what had transpired.

Dron didn’t care.

Finally, he made it to Maznik and opened his mouth to speak.

"Hush yourself!" The old man ordered as he grabbed Dron by the arm and yanked him into the shop.

Dron felt as if he’d just been reprimanded by a parent instead of insulted by a beta.

Maznik made quick work of lowering the shutters of the shop, making sure that no one would be able to see in. Dron thought it to be overkill, but he wasn’t going to ask any questions.

Finally, when the entire shop was secure and darkened, Maznik looked back at Dron. His eyes were wide with wonder.

Dron was still at a loss.

"What is your problem?" Dron asked, getting a little too unsettled with how Maznik was staring at him.

"I knew it!" Maznik clapped and actually forced his face into a smile. The first few seconds it looked as if the motion pained him but soon his face relaxed and the smile seemed to be natural.

"You’re picking up things from the newcomer." Dron huffed.

"It seems like Tempest is changing everything around here little by little." Maznik nodded his head. He hadn’t stopped staring at Dron.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I never thought I’d see it happen, at least not in my lifetime. I’d only read stories, recounts of it. But to see it in real time is amazing." Maznik went on.

Dron shook his head and let out a deep breath through his nose, "What are you talking about, old man. See what happen? Surely, you’ve seen two alphas fight before."

"Yes, I have, but what I’ve never seen is an alpha being torn from his instincts by a touch. You were completely overcome. It should’ve taken a small army and a sedative to bring you back down. Yet one touch from Tempest did the trick. One touch from your fated mate." Maznik smiled again but Dron’s heart threatened to explode out of his chest.

Maznik was wrong. He had to be. There had to be a different explanation.

"You’re wrong. She’s not my fated mate. It’s not possible." Dron shook his head, looked down. He could feel his shoulders rising to his ears with anxiety.

"Isn’t it though? Tell me what happened. When she touched your face, what happened?"

Dron thought about it. Tried to really understand what happened step by step.

The more Dron thought about it, the more it became evident that he couldn’t explain it.

It was unheard of.

When an alpha was completely consumed with their instincts, nothing should be able to break them out of it. It’s like a trance, a sort of mind control.

In that state, an alpha can rip through lesser men like paper. Rush through mountains and walls. Run for moon cycles at speeds that would give any transport trouble.

Alphas in their primal state were nearly unstoppable. It was why a sedative had to be made.

It’s also why what Tempest did in the square confused Dron so much.

The only person who was ever supposed to be able to break an Alpha out of that state was their fated mate. Simply because of the shared bond. A bond that was said to be so strong that it was blessed by the moon gods themselves.

That just couldn’t be what had happened between Dron and Tempest. He was sure of it. All of his life he’d been shunned and looked down on; for the moon gods to bestow this blessing on him now was like a cruel joke. He wasn’t going to fall for it. There had to be another reason.

Still, he indulged Maznik. Surely he’d see how strange all of this was and agree with Dron that it wasn’t a true fated mate pairing.

"When she touched me, it felt as if my entire body was pulsing. As if I had a stronger heartbeat. Only it was outside my body. The air around me felt heavy. I couldn’t hear anything. And then..." Dron hedged a bit, he wasn’t sure how to explain the next part, "Then when I looked at her, the red tinge of my sight sparkled and glowed gold before it completely faded out to normal. It was as if someone had just flipped a switch inside of me."

Maznik just stared at him in awe. "Dron...I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy for someone in my life."

Dron groaned and threw his hands up in defeat, "No, there’s nothing to be happy about. It’s all false. She’s not my fated mate. It’s not possible. The woman is from the stars. Her people don’t even have fated mates."

"Dron..." Maznik grumbled, trying to cut him off.

"No, I won’t be pulled into some fantasy. It’s more likely that something about her body chemistry reacted with the state I was in. It’s just chemicals, nothing more."

Dron was relieved for a second. That actually sounded as if it could be possible. What if what he’d felt was part of some elaborate plan set forth by the royals? Everyone knew that they were scrambling to give the people some hope. What better way than to fabricate a fated mate pairing? He was just a test dummy.

"Do you truly believe that?" Maznik questioned. His eyes narrowing on Dron.

"It’s the only option." Dron nodded his head.

Maznik lifted his shoulder once before he walked around the counter and leaned against it. "If that’s the case, then you have to make sure that no one else knows about what’s happened. If the other alphas believe that they can achieve a fated mate pairing simply off your wife’s chemistry, there’s no telling what they will do to get her."

Dron knew the man was telling the truth. He’d have to keep what happened to himself. He would tell no one.

"Absolutely. No one will ever know."

Maznik raised his eyebrows and actually smiled at Dron but there was a smugness to it. "Or...it’ll only be a matter of time until everyone knows and you accept the truth. If you truly intend to ignore what has happened and reject what I believe is a legit fated mate pairing, you’ll go through hell. One way or another you won’t be able to ignore this forever. I’m excited to witness the aftermath."

Dron glared at the man for a second.

There would be no aftermath.

Nothing would happen.

It wasn’t real.

This was all just a test. A fight orchestrated by the scientist and high royals to see just how much pain Dron could endure. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Dron didn’t intend to fail.