Married To The Dragon Prince Against My Will-Chapter 217: THE SHOCKING NEWS

Underneath the cave, deep in the hidden place where the dragons kept Ashen safe, Ashen’s eyes finally fluttered open.

The breath that left his mouth was weak, as if he had been drowning for days.

His chest rose once, as if the air he dragged in did not belong to him.

Slowly he blinked several times, trying to steady his sight, but the darkness around him spun.

He could not tell if it was morning or night. All he knew was that something heavy pressed on his heart.

And all his brain screamed was: his wife. Of course, he would recall everything about his wife.

He did not know what, but every instinct inside him twisted painfully, warning him that Lumina needed him so much now.

He tried to sit, but the pain shot through his chest like a blade.

His breath was coming out so hard, his hands trembled as he pressed them against his ribcage, remembering the last memory before everything went dark.

He recalled his mother’s strike, the pain hitting him straight in the chest, the shock, the roar of dragons, the collapsing ground.

"My Lord... you are awake," Aria whispered, her voice full of relief and fear at the same time seeing him up after days.

Ashen turned his head slowly toward her. Even that small movement hurt. He scanned the area around him, trying to understand where he was, but the pain in his chest reminded him why he was here, why he had lost consciousness, why he had nearly died.

He clenched his teeth and tried to cough, but the pain was so deep it forced him to stop instantly.

Aria rushed toward him. "My Lord, are you fine? Do you need water?" she asked quickly.

Ashen attempted to sit again. Aria placed her hands behind his back to support him, easing him gently against the stone wall.

His breath shook with pain, as he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could let a single syllable come out, a dragon’s voice filled the cave.

"Do not speak," the largest dragon commanded.

"You are still weak from the strike your mother gave you. Do not force your voice.... Otherwise, it wouldn’t end well." he warned.

Ashen looked toward the largest dragon, massive, calm.

Then he lowered his gaze. He wanted to speak. He wanted answers. He wanted to know how long he had been here, why his body hurt as if it had been shattered, and above all, he wanted to demand his wife’s whereabouts.

He could not speak aloud, so he spoke the way he often spoke when pain locked his body through the mind.

"Is my wife safe?" The question echoed in his thoughts stronger than his heartbeat.

The oldest dragon looked down at him with a mix of disappointment and awe.

"You just woke up from death," it replied. "If we had not intervened, you would have died and the first thing you ask is about your wife?"

Ashen clenched his jaw and tried again to sit straighter, ignoring the agony tearing through him.

"Where is she?" he demanded again with his mind. Still, the dragons ignored him.

"How many days have I been unconscious?" he asked again

"You have been gone for eight days," the dragon answered. "Your wife is in the realm and that is all we can tell."

Ashen turned to Aria, wanting to speak aloud, but the pain in his chest cut him short again. Only one word escaped his mouth.

"My wife..."

Aria bowed instantly. "My Lord, I have been with you here since the attack. I do not know what happened outside. I

An explosion of fire erupted around Ashen before she could finish.

The flames wrapped around him like a warning. Aria froze and swallowed hard. He had told her to protect Lumina, that demon in the form of a family which he left in the realm with his blind wife, he doesn’t trust it one bit.

They could hurt her and he was sure she wouldn’t want to sit back and would play their game right back at them he can’t let that happen.

"My Lord... they did not allow me to leave," she whispered. "They... they are..."

Ashen raised his hand, and fire shot from him instinctively. The blast hit Aria across the room. She fell hard to the ground, gasping.

"If anything happens to her," Ashen growled, his voice still barely usable, "I will forget how far we have come." He had a lot to say to her but he can’t even do that because the pain eating right back at him is way worse than he could bear.

Aria pushed herself shakily to her knees, trembling.

But the dragons moved at once, surrounding Ashen before he could rise. Their giant bodies formed a wall.

"You cannot leave," the largest dragon said. "You cannot move like this. You are not healed. Meaning.. if you step out now, you will die."

Ashen glared at them, fury rising despite the weakness of his limbs.

"I need to save my wife," he said with his mind. "I do not know what is happening in the realm. I do not know what Adam and my mother are doing. And you expect me to stay here?"

"You still do not understand," the dragon replied firmly. "You cannot go yet. When you are healed, we will send you. Not before."

Ashen’s mind raced. His thoughts spiraled. "Where is my brother?" he demanded.

"He left a few hours ago," Aria answered softly.

Ashen took a deep breath, the pain lashing through him. He gritted his teeth.

"Go check on Lumina," he ordered, voice weak. "If anything happens to her... I will not be as gentle as you know me."

Aria bowed quickly. "Yes, My Lord." She ran out, protected only because Ashen’s presence shielded her.

Ashen tried to speak again, but before he could form another word, the dragons exhaled fire at once.

Flames hit him so strongly that his body jerked in the air. His head fell forward as sweat drenched his forehead. Even breathing was a battle. He panted, chest rising and falling.

"You are still very weak," another dragon said. "You cannot control your fire fully. You cannot walk into the realm like this."

Ashen looked up at them, exhausted and furious. "I am not even the crown prince," he muttered. "Why am I the one going through this?"

Then the largest dragon moved forward, looking at him with calm eyes.

"You still have not figured out how powerful you are," it stated.

"And why do you think I want to start thinking about that?" he asked and the dragon smirked.

"Why do you think you defeated the second prince?" Ashen looked up at the beast in shock.

"He pissed me off... and besides we didn’t have a full fight.." But the dragon’s head moves sideways

" That is because you are way more powerful than him.." he leaned so close to Ashen.

"The entire realm now knows the dragons are still alive," the oldest dragon said.

"We do not have time, also you must take the throne."

Ashen stared at them like they had lost their minds. "I... I am not even..."

"You are the son of Aden Ryder," the dragon interrupted. "King of fire, dragons, and high king of the realm... You are the one we have been waiting for. The true heir of the Drakonis realm. The only protector destined for us."

"Ashen Knight Ryder," another dragon declared loudly, and all the dragons bowed.

Ashen could only stare, breath shaking, unable to process what he was seeing.

"But..." he tried to speak.

"You must command us before you leave," the dragon continued.

"Without a command, your fire will not obey you. The first prince could have done it, but his time is fading. You must take the throne from the second prince."

Ashen’s frustration rose. "Why must I take it? Why did you not help me before? Why did you let me be called cursed? Why now trying to make it be about me?"

"You needed that title," the dragon answered. "You needed to be hidden and unseen. That is the fate of the true successor."

"And Adam?" Ashen whispered.

"He is not the true blood of the Drakonis realm," the dragon said. "And because of that..." Then the dragon stopped.

Ashen’s eyes widened.

"Because of what?" he demanded.

The dragon lowered its head. "Because Adam is not your father’s son."

Ashen felt the ground shift under him. His breath caught. His heart was hammered. Every piece of truth he thought he knew cracked in an instant.

"That is why you were labeled a curse," the dragon continued. "To protect you and to hide you. So we can all wait for this moment."

Ashen pushed himself up despite the intense pain. He stared at the dragons, anger and fear, and betrayal intertwined in his expression.

"I would like more explanation about how he isn’t my father’s son."