The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate-Chapter 139: Daddy Said Feel The Rhythm. Elara Said Fuck Off.

Chapter 139: Daddy Said Feel The Rhythm. Elara Said Fuck Off.

On the fifth day, Serena studied the vertical wall she was supposed to climb.

She noticed that certain stones jutted out further than others, creating a natural ladder if you knew where to look. The warriors didn’t use them.

She mapped the route, then climbed, reaching the top without going at alpha speed and still finishing before everyone else.

Captain Halvek pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine," he said. "Dragons it is."

Serena’s heart leapt. She hadn’t been near Velkaris since Dex left, and the thought of him made her throat tighten. Velkaris was probably wondering where Dex went too.

She turned toward the dragon field, already scanning for him.

"Not so fast." Halvek’s voice stopped her mid-step. "You’re not riding your bonded today."

Serena turned back. "What?"

"You heard me." Halvek crossed his arms over his massive chest. "The connection does half the work for you. I want to see how you handle a dragon that isn’t yours."

"But I’ve ridden storm and water dragons before. "

"You were bucked off and screamed through the mindlink. They won’t let you ride them without respect." Halvek gestured toward Flareon. "You’ll be spotting for Elara today."

Elara was already climbing onto Flareon’s back, looking far too comfortable for someone who had ridden her once.

Serena climbed up behind Elara and settled into position.

To their left, Thor Crushturn was already mounted on Styx, rolling his neck like he was about to walk into a bar fight, not an aerial drill.

Every army had a Thor. The guy who named his sword Bertha and flexed in reflective surfaces. Most had the good sense to keep him in the back. Drakenfell put him on a dragon.

"Morning, ladies," he called over. "Try not to fall off. It’s embarrassing for everyone, but mostly for me because I have to watch."

"Thor, shut up," Halvek said, without looking at him.

"Yes, Captain." He waited exactly two seconds. "Serena, your training suit is ripped in the back. I’ve been noticing. I notice every day. I have a ranking system and today you’re top three."

Serena didn’t turn around. "No it isn’t."

"Made you think about it though." He winked at no one in particular and patted Styx on the neck. "Let’s ride, big man. Daddy’s ready."

Styx turned his head to look at Thor with an expression that could only be described as profound disappointment.

Halvek looked like he was counting to ten. He made it to six before Thor spoke again.

"Styx and I have a pre-flight ritual. I mount him. He pretends to resist. We both know he loves it. It’s the healthiest relationship I’ve ever had."

"Hold on," Elara said.

Flareon launched into the air and Serena grabbed onto Elara’s waist.

They climbed higher, and the wind whipped at their faces. Below them, the training field shrank to the size of a handkerchief. Above them, clouds stretched across the sky like scattered wool.

Thor rose in the air with them. "Alright. Styx. Buddy. Today we show them why we’re the best team on this field. The two most beautiful specimens in Drakenfell, and I’m including myself twice."

Styx yawned.

"And on our left," Thor continued. "We have two rookies who are about to learn what real aviation looks like. Wave, Styx."

Styx did not wave.

"This isn’t so bad," Elara called back over her shoulder. "I think I’m getting the hang of—"

Flareon dove.

There was no warning. No signal. One moment they were level, and the next they were plummeting straight down, the ground rushing up to meet them at terrifying speed.

Serena was used to it.

Elara on the other hand gave a high-pitched, primal shriek of terror, her hands locked around Flareon’s neck ridge.

At the last possible second, Flareon pulled up, leveling out twenty feet above the ground.

Elara’s stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of her throat, and her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.

From somewhere to their left, laughter boomed across the field.

Serena turned her head and saw Thor Crushturn sitting astride Styx. He was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

"Not as easy as it looks, Beta?" he called out.

Elara wanted to say something clever. Something cutting and witty that would put him in his place.

What came out was, "No. No, it is not."

"That’s fine. Growth is a journey. I didn’t become this overnight." Thor gestured at himself.

Flareon banked to the left, and Elara’s stomach lurched again. "I hate this," she announced. "I hate this so much."

"How do you do this regularly?" she snapped, as if this was Serena’s fault.

"Velkaris doesn’t try to kill me."

"Flareon isn’t trying to kill us." Elara paused as the dragon executed a sharp turn that nearly unseated them both. "I think. Probably. Maybe."

From Styx, Thor called out again. "She’s testing you! Dragons don’t respect riders who can’t handle a little turbulence. Show her you’re not afraid!"

"But I am afraid!" Elara shouted back.

"Then lie better!"

"I am going to kill him. After I survive this. In that order," Elara said through gritted teeth.

Flareon dove again.

What came out was closer to a moan, which was infinitely worse.

"WAS THAT A MOAN?" Thor’s voice rang across the entire field. "BETA. Did you just moan on a dragon? In front of everyone? Because I heard it. The ground heard it. Halvek heard it."

"IT WAS NOT A MOAN."

"Styx heard it. He’s blushing. I didn’t know dragons could blush. You’ve broken new ground here, Beta."

"I think she likes us now," Serena cut in.

"She has a strange way of showing it," Elara replied.

Flareon snorted, and Serena could have sworn the dragon was laughing at them.

They spent the next hour running drills. Flareon dove and banked and spiraled, and Serena and Elara held on and tried not to die.

Thor flew alongside them, offering commentary no one asked for. "Lean into the turns! Loosen your grip! Feel the rhythm!"

"Feel the rhythm?" Elara repeated through gritted teeth.

"It’s like dancing," Thor said. "Except your partner weighs a few tons and breathes fire."

"That is nothing like dancing."

"Not with that attitude."

Flareon banked hard to the left, and Elara nearly lost her grip. Then the dragon corkscrewed into a nosedive.

"FUCK. Fucking hell," Elara screamed, not bothering to hush herself now.

Flareon glanced back at Elara and Serena. The dragon looked like she was having the time of her life.

"Loosen up, Beta. You’re riding her like you’re afraid she’s going to kill you."

"She IS going to kill me."

"Nah. This is foreplay." He gestured at Flareon’s sharp banking. "It’s a first date. She’s figuring out if you’re worth her time." He paused thoughtfully. "You have to make her feel special. Compliment her scales. Tell her she’s fast. Dragons love that."

"You want me to compliment the dragon."

"Everyone responds to positive reinforcement, Beta. Even Bertha." He patted his sword. "Isn’t that right, girl?"

Halvek, from the ground, looked up. "CRUSHTURN. FOCUS."

"I AM focused! This IS my focus! I’m mentoring!"

"Please stop comparing dragon riding to sex," Elara said.

"Can’t. It’s all I think about." He flew past them, completely unbothered. "That and chicken. And Bertha. That’s the holy trinity."

"I put in for a transfer three times," Halvek muttered to himself. "Three times."

Serena thought Flareon would listen to Elara like Velkaris. Maybe they were warming up.

She was dead wrong. It was nothing like that.

After another nose dive, Serena was over it.

"This is dumb."

Her eyes glowed gold. All the dragons mid-air and on the ground froze to look at her.

"Stop dropping," she said to Flareon sharply. Flareon froze. "Listen to Elara and be nice."

The dragon looked at Serena. Then at Elara. Then, very slowly, folded her wings and glided with the smooth grace of someone who had been perfectly capable of doing that the entire time.

"Where was that an hour ago?!" Elara asked, exasperated.

Serena didn’t answer. All of this reminded her of Dex and she swallowed a lump that formed in the back of her throat.

If he were here, she wondered if he would have grinned and said something ridiculous. Or if being Commander meant he couldn’t do that at practice.

Actually, it was probably a blessing he and Hale weren’t here. Between Elara’s moan and Serena giving up and just commanding every dragon on the field, neither of them would have heard the end of it.

Halvek pinched the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be muttering to himself, exasperated.

"Tiberon said no magic. Does that count as magic? I don’t know."