Princess Sheana packed her bags slowly. Her mind travelled back to the moment in the illusion where she was alone with her ice beauty.

The daring spar of the moment kiss she stole from her dragoness’ lips. The feeling of coming close to heaven by having one of her thirst quenched.

Her finger lifted to her mouth, and she traced her lips. The feeling had long gone, but traces of the sparks from that kiss still lingered.

She let her mind remain in that place, refusing to forget her kiss with Aenyra. It was her first kiss and hers with her. That was enough for her to preserve that memory and let her one-sided love live on for it.

Sheana closed her eyes. The sting of Aenyra’s constant rejection and avoidance ached with a deep pang in her heart. She had never felt so unlovable as she did at that moment.

To have the woman she willingly gave her to refuse any ideas of being with her. To see the effort Aenyra was putting in, her struggles just to get away was enough to tear her heart to pieces.

Her finger fell from her lips and traced a path to her chest, right over her heart. Her racing heart called out for the dragoness, yearning for her dragon flame to burn away at her frozen pieces and restore her soul. She wished for a long strong enough to fill the void in her chest.

However, constantly being turned away made her feel unworthy of love. And she couldn’t blame Aenyra. It was her who fell for Aenyra, the dragoness wasn’t obligated to love her back or honor her feelings and when her own family didn’t love her, who was she to expect others to love her.

She breathed hard. Her chest hurt from the little movement. She dropped her hand and continued packing her bags.

"Why are you packing up?" Lioris entered the room, carrying a bowl of warmly brewed herbs.

Sheana breathed out. "I am leaving," she declared.

"What?" He hurried to her side and handed her the bowl. Sheana reached out for it and drank it in one go. "Are you really leaving?"

"I want to see the world, and now everything is fine again, I think it’s time I return to that dream," she let out with much difficulty.

Lioris opened his palm and presented her with candy. "Don’t you dislike the bitter taste of the medicine?"

Sheana glanced at the candy and smiled weakly. She hated the bitter and sour tastes the most because that’s all she ever received from life. But her recent acceptance was that she resigned to carry the bitterness with her. It is not like life offered her options to pick from.

"Thank you," she accepted the kind gesture but didn’t eat it. The bitter taste of medicine in her mouth was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.

She lifted the bag of shards. Nytherael gage her and gave it a shake, there was plenty of shards for her use without suffering outside for a while. She packed the bag of shards too in her space and closed her luggage.

"I am going to say goodbye to my sister, and then we can leave. Or you can stay if that’s your wish..."

"No, I’ll go with you."

Sheana nodded. With thar decided, she brushed her dress and walked out to find Samahita.

The corridors felt empty and lonelier than her heart. In some corner of the house, her bounded one was avoiding her. That thought alone made thar house suffocating to her.

She ambled forward slowly. Each step feels heavier than the last. The love she dreamt would complete her, give her life meaning had disappointed her and left her alone. All she could do was pick up the pieces and move on.

"We are headed to Drakheiron. Hurry up and pack!" She heard a command in the distance and stopped in her tracks. Her broken heart picked up a racing beat as the voice of her dragoness landed in her ears. It felt alive and full of energy.

"How can you just make the choice and expect the rest of us to follow?" She heard Aeltharion argue.

Before long, Aenyra stepped into her view in the distance, her hair dangling from her movements. Her back turned to Sheana while she faced the room and yelled into the room. "The way I did. Pack up you three. And don’t let me come back here, or I’ll drag you to Drakheiron by the ears!"

Sheana remained frozen on the spot. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one intending to leave. Her bonded one was leaving, too, and didn’t even think to inform her. And even if Aenyra did inform her, she doubted her voice would be as full of life as when she informed her brother and his mates.

"Fine. I’ll make sure we are packed and ready to set off in some time," Sseraphis assured while walking out too and standing next to her. As he was facing Aenyra, when his eyes looked up, he spotted Sheana. "Aren’t you going to clear up loose ends before we depart?" Sseraphis asked Aenyra.

Aenyra frowned. "Loose ends?"

Sseraphis pointed behind her with his chin. Aenyra looked back over her shoulder and froze instantly when she spotted Sheana standing there in the distance.

Her heart stopped beating for a full minute before picking up a beat. She had nearly forgotten about Sheana and the bond she formed with her to save her life. With her mother summoning them to Drakheiron, she had raced to inform her brother and forgot there was another whose life orbited around her now.

"Why don’t you go talk to her. Let me handle these two," Sseraphis shooed her off, headed back inside the room, and locked the door behind her.

Sheana saw Aenyra turning around and got the strength to move. Like the dragoness time and time again upon seeing her, she veered on her heels and walked in the opposite direction. Sparing Aenyra, the uncomfortable choice of having to avoid her.

Aenyra froze at seeing Sheana leave. The seductress eagerly chases after her, looking for every opportunity to talk to her, and now that she intended to walk to her, the girl was walking in the opposite direction.

"Sheana," she called.

Sheana’s feet slowed to a stop when she heard her name from her lips. She closed her eyes, and a tear slipped out.

She hated how her heart loved hearing her name being uttered in Aenyra’s voice and from her lips. Because it gave her heart hope, hope that Aenyra herself crashed by denying her a chance in her heart.

Sheana wishes her heart would stop racing at every little action from the dragoness. And wished it would learn from past experience and ache how badly that reaction hurt her, but presently, her heart remained stubborn.

Aenyra approached and stopped two feet behind her. "My mother has summoned me back to Drakheiron. My brother and I leave in an hour."

What about me? Is there a place for me in your plans for the future? Am I bonded to you just to be forgotten? She wanted to ask but didn’t dare to, so instead, she said, "Safe journey," more tears streamed down.