Dron was stripped of his meager clothing.

At first, Dron tried to explain that he hadn’t needed to be fussed over, but the servers didn’t take anything he had said into consideration. Apparently, no one, not even he, had thought it would be possible for the foreigner to actually choose him.

Everyone thought this woman would take the first in line. The most desired. In fact, the other Omegas had been warned that they should choose before they got to the top since the first in line was being held for the newest member of the community. It was a shock to everyone when they learned that the woman had actually selected Dron, tested him, and actually went through with picking him.

Now that the choice was final, the royal members of society were going out of their way to make sure that Dron made a good impression. After all, it was about the impression.

As much as Dron didn’t want to be the center of attention, he knew that if he were to be the first husband of this, human woman, no one would allow him to take even the slightest step out of place. That is while they are still in the procession.

Once the woman was in his home, Dron knew he’d be free to act how he wanted. He didn’t need to be friendly with the woman. All he needed to do was make sure that she didn’t come to an untimely death and that she was respected.

That was all she would get from him. Until he found out what exactly she wanted from him.

There had to be an ulterior motive.

There was no way that she truly wanted to choose him. Dron’s mind was pulled in a million and one directions. Most of his thoughts centered around who could’ve planted the woman in the choosing ceremony. Maybe she was there to get military information. Though there are higher-level soldiers that she could’ve chosen.

Then Dron thought she was put there as a test to finally get him banished from the community. The higher-ups had been nearly desperate to find a way to get him exiled. The only thing stopping them was the fact that Dron had always been extra careful not to break any rules or laws. He knew that everyone hated him from the moment that he was born. He didn’t want to give anyone the ammunition they needed to remove him from his home.

It was the only place he knew. He didn’t want to give it up.

Along with all the different reasons she could be trying to get under Dron’s skin, he also thought about the strange reaction he had when she got close to him.

And also the deep gnawing sensation he’d been feeling since she left the room. Like a tugging at his core.

"Put your arms up." The server ordered him as she tied a sash around his waist. It was too much. The fabric wasn’t meant for someone like him. It was meant for someone with royal blood. The mere fact that they were putting him in something like this was enough to make Dron’s blood boil.

Every layer of material, every gemstone, every server who was fussing over him just solidified the fact that what was about to happen would be just another blow to his pride.

He wanted to rip all the materials off his body and run back to his gated fortress, but he knew the second he did that, he’d be playing right into their hands. He’d be the monster everyone thought he was.

He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction.

Clothing him seemed to take forever, but faster than he thought possible, it was over. The servers backed away from me and put their heads down in mock reverence.

Dron’s head popped up as the door to the room slid open and a man he had never seen up close walked in the room.

Elix. He was the high priest, and he presided over all the marriages. His face was clearly annoyed. The holy man couldn’t be any more annoyed than Dron.

"We mustn’t keep your bride waiting." Elix jerked his shoulder before he turned and walked out the door.

Dron followed behind him, but as he made it to the door, he looked over his shoulder once to see the servers rushing to the cleansing bowl. They dunked their hands in the water and scrubbed at their skin.

Of course they would. They had all touched him. The cursed one. It shouldn’t bother him. He sighed and walked out of the door.

This was all new for Dron. He’d never been picked as a husband before. Which meant he never went through this part of the process.

His eyes scanned around as he was led to the next stop. Instead of a simple room. Elix opened the door to a large, chapel-like space. It was probably the most ornate room Dron had ever been in. He tried to keep his astonishment to himself, but he couldn’t help the gasp that fell from his mouth.

The room had a large domed ceiling. The dome was clear, and he could see all the way up to the heavens with the mountains in the background.

All the walls are gilded and marbled. The floors light up with bright gold luminescence.

There was an altar with two large statues on either side. Dron always wondered what it would look like in this room, but he assumed that he would never get the chance to see for himself. After all, this room was specifically for those that were to be married.

He’d heard in passing about how beautiful the room was and how just being in the space made it feel like they were close to the moon goddesses.

He’d always thought it was nothing more than pure hype, but now that he was standing in the room, he knew that it wasn’t a lie. A room like this was only second in terms of the most beautiful things that he’d ever seen. Coming in second to the woman he’d seen in the testing room only a short while earlier.

Dron continued to follow Elix in the room, allowing his eyes to scan the space. He looked back up to the large see-through ceiling and felt his chest contract hard when in the distance he could see a large black and purple sundrizen hovering around the distant mountains.

There was a time when Ustea was full of sundrizen. The majestic beast ruled over the land and skies. The scaled bodies were what both nightmares and dreams were made of. It was said to see one was proof of a heaven above. Unfortunately, in the generations before, the sundrizen were hunted to near extinction, and now that there were so few, seeing one was the height of luck.

How convenient that one would show up just before he was set to marry an omega that was clearly sent to destroy him. Maybe the sundrizen was a sign to the rest of the community that their plight was nearly over. Soon they would be free of the cursed one.

Perhaps this was the beginning of the end.

Dron wasn’t mad about it. He’d been waiting for a long while for his plight to be over.

"If you’d please." Elix gestured with his hand to the left side of the altar. Dron followed the direction, his eyes now downcast. That is until the door to the space whooshed open. His eyes jerked up at the same time the woman walked in the door. Her dark hair still perfectly tied up around her head. The expressive dark eyes peered at him.

He inhaled, and there was a twinge of fear in the air. It had a bitter taste, and was heavy on his tongue. But besides their fear, there was something more. Something he rarely smelled when any of the other omegas were close to him. He couldn’t be certain, but it nearly smelled like it was excitement.

No, there was no way that she was excited to see him. Not when she displayed so much displeasure the first time that they’d been locked in a room together.

Dron stood with bated breath as the woman and Gerax slowly made their way in his direction. He barely heard what the holy man was saying as the omega walked in his direction. He couldn’t hear anything. In fact, he couldn’t feel anything. He was completely numb.

Dron couldn’t be sure if it was because of the room or the fact that his adrenaline had finally reached a peak level, but it seemed like all of his instincts were honed on this woman. She was the only important thing in the space. She was all that mattered.

Finally Gerax presented the woman to the holy man, and she took her place on the opposite side of the altar.

"Are you ready?" Elix looked at Dron pointedly as if waiting for the man to lose his head or something more that would further mark him as unworthy.

Dron exhaled and took a step forward to let the high priest know that he was indeed ready for whatever it was that would happen next.

Dron had never been part of this process before, so all of it was new. He dreamed of what it would be like in this room, but he never thought it would be like this. He knew the basics of what was to happen, but living it was something else entirely.

Elix continued to talk in the ancient tongue. Dron picked up some words but not enough. He wondered if the foreigner’s translator device was equipped to handle this new language. Based on the look on her face, it would seem she didn’t understand it either.

After a few moments, Elix swiped at the altar, and at once the heavy marbled top parted and slid open. It exposed the sacred waters below. Dron looked inside. It was dark, but there was a pinpoint of light near the bottom. He didn’t know how deep it was, but the surface was calm. Not even a ripple.

Elix gestured for Dron to get inside the small pond. The excitement overtook him, and Dron didn’t hesitate as he pulled his shoes off and stepped over the lip of the altar so he could get inside.

Gerax leaned forward and whispered something to the omega on the opposite side of the altar.

He could just be explaining to her what she was about to do, or she could be having second thoughts. Once again Dron examined her expression, and he could see fear there.

Dron nearly felt bad for the woman. All of this was being thrown at her at once. Suddenly, Dron had a sickening thought. What if she was being forced to do this as well.

All the omegas in the community knew it was their duty to choose a husband and help further the line. But this omega was a foreigner; she had no stock in helping them.

Dron looked away; that wasn’t his concern. It was all a farce anyway.

The omega sighed and grasped onto Elix’s hand that he offered to help her over the lip of the altar. There was no reason for Dron to be upset by the simple gesture, but he had to stifle a deep growl that threatened to rip through his chest.

Slowly the two of them stepped into the pond, and Elix reached for their hands. He made sure not to actually touch Dron. The woman, on the other hand, didn’t have the same hesitations. She grabbed onto Dron, entwining her fingers with his.

Elix wrapped a bright red cloth around the wrist of both Dron and the woman. It was supposed to be a symbol of their connection, but as the cloth was tightly bound onto their wrist, Dron could think of it as nothing more than a shackle.

The woman started to speak, but still Dron didn’t understand. He cursed himself once again for not updating his language device.

The water started to rise in the small pond, and it felt like the light beneath them was sucking them down. The woman panicked, her voice rising in pitch. The words spewed out of her mouth faster. She scrambled to stay above the water, but the pull was intense.

The omega continued to thrash, pulling the hand she had tethered to Dron every which way. He yanked her hand back, and instead of continuing to fight what was happening, she grasped onto him.

Slowly, as the water rose above both of their heads, he raised his hand and grasped her chin. Even in the water she had to look up at him. He locked eyes with her and felt the panic start to ease. No words spoken. Just one soul to another.

It was in that moment that Dron knew this was more than just a test. This woman would be the hell he fought so hard to stay away from.

Moments ticked by slowly. The stillness of the water cocooned them. Dron stared down into her eyes. She blinked a few times, and then that expression that pulls at the corners of her mouth settled on her face.

He didn’t know what it was or what it meant, but he’d die happy if he could see that look again.

Like a cog in a wheel dropping into a slot, Dron felt it the moment that it happened.

It all slipped in place like a puzzle piece. Perfect. Whole.

He pulled her closer.

All his life, he’d known he was never destined for happiness, and within moments of being in this holy water with this omega, he knew the lure of that happiness would be his greatest temptation.

He wasn’t just holding another omega.

He was holding his mate.