“Lila! Oh my God, I’ve been worried sick. It’s been three days since I saw you last.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I should have called sooner.”
“How’s it going with the sexy dragon king?”
Lila couldn’t help but smile at Harper’s directness. “His condition is pretty bad, but what’s worse is he’s super hot, caring, and thoughtful.”
“You’re falling for him.” Harper’s tone held zero surprise, just knowing amusement.
Lila sank onto the edge of the bed, unable to deny it. “I’m trying to maintain professional boundaries. But last night hetook me to dinner, and it was romantic, and we kissed. And I drank way too much wine, and he took care of me all night and this morning.”
“He sounds perfect. So what’s the problem?”
“He just confessed that I’m his fated mate.” The words tumbled out in a rush. “I don’t know exactly what that means. But he’s been waiting eighteen years to find me and has been single until now, and I’m here, and I don’t know what to do.”
Harper was quiet for a moment. “That’s a lot to process, but it sounds like your heart already knows what to do. Maybe just take it slow until your mind catches up?”
“But what about my life back on Earth? My patients? My career?”
“Lila.” Harper’s voice turned gentle but firm. “Don’t worry about things back here on Earth. Or overthink like you always do. Just trust your heart for once. And for the love of God, let a man treat you like you deserve to be treated—which it sounds like Draven’s already doing.”
Tears pricked at Lila’s eyes. “What if I’m not strong enough to be a queen? What if I mess everything up?”
“Are you kidding me? You’ve been taking care of everyone else your entire life. You practically raised Liam, you help traumatized people heal for a living, and you’ve spent the last year rebuilding yourself after Trevor’s betrayal. If anyone can handle being a queen, it’s you.”
“I love you, Harper.”
“I love you too. Now go claim your dragon king before some other woman snaps him up.”
Lila laughed despite her tears. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
After the call ended, she stood and smoothed her yellow sundress, studying her reflection in the full-length mirror. Her cheeks held more color than they had in months, and her eyes sparkled with something that looked like hope.
Harper’s right. Your heart already knows what to do.
She thought about Draven’s panic attack this morning, and how vulnerable he’d looked when he confessed the truth about their mate bond. He’d been just as scared as she was, probably terrified that she would run. But he’d been brave enough to tell her anyway.
Now it’s your turn to be brave.
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. She glanced at the clock—their therapy session was supposed to start in ten minutes.
“Come in.”
Draven stepped through the doorway, and her breath caught at the sight of him. He’d changed into a fresh black button-down that stretched across his broad chest, and his dark hair was still slightly damp from his own shower. But it was the uncertainty in his golden-brown eyes that made her heart clench.
“I know you were supposed to meet me in my office in ten minutes,” he said, his voice carefully controlled. “But I wanted to make sure you were all right. That we were all right.”
The alpha confidence was still there but tempered with something softer—hope mixed with fear that she might reject him completely.
Lila took a deep breath and made her choice.
“Draven, we need to talk.”
TWELVE
DRAVEN
Draven’s heart pounded as he stood in Lila’s guest suite, her floral scent wrapping around him like a soothing balm. She looked absolutely breathtaking in that yellow sundress—the color bringing out the golden flecks in her green eyes and making her skin glow like warm honey. But it was the determined set of her shoulders that made his dragon stir with sudden terror.
