Chapter 479: Seriously?

The ex-mortal himself didn’t know what to expect, but the moment Riley let his barriers slip, a suffocating wave of noise flooded his mind.

One out of ten, won’t do again.

It was almost as though he could hear everything around him with impossible clarity, from everyone’s labored breathing to the wind brushing against anything in its path.

But more bizarrely, he could even hear—yes, hear, the raw movement of mana stirring within every chest around him.

Unfortunately, that newfound awareness came with something far more unpleasant.

Thoughts.

So many unwanted thoughts crashed over him at once that the sheer volume of them was almost sickening.

’We were only looking out for our own people! The MBE asked for too much. Anyone in our position would’ve done the same thing! He can’t blame us for being cautious!’

’He was an outsider up until some time ago, so how could he understand? If he were in our position, wouldn’t he have hesitated too? Of course he would’ve!’

Among the chaotic mental chatter, however, one particular voice was moving at such a frantic pace that it was almost impossible to ignore.

Lady Seraphyne.

The red dragoness’s mind was racing as she desperately searched for an angle that might still turn the situation in her favor.

’Orryn and Ilyss must be punished too. They attacked my son! Even if he was deposed, he was brutally beaten and isn’t even being healed right now! The Red Dragon clan has always upheld the prestige of dragons when no one else cared about our future! Besides, Wyrmfall is a public place. How can we be condemned simply for coming here? This Hale brat is abusing his authority. If I can just get everyone to see reason, if I can organize the crowd and make them understand, I can definitely—’

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when two pairs of bare feet suddenly appeared within her lowered field of vision, hovering just above the battered earth directly in front of her.

Seraphyne froze.

She hadn’t even noticed them move.

One moment, Riley and Kael had been standing beneath the enormous tree in the distance, and somehow, in what couldn’t have been more than the blink of an eye, they’d already crossed the entire battlefield without making so much as a sound.

There had been no footsteps or warning to alert her to their approach, and by the time Seraphyne finally realized what had happened and slowly lifted her head, Riley was already there, calmly looking down at her.

"Get everyone to turn on us?" he asked, his tone almost conversational. "Maybe rile everyone up enough that they’d attack at the same time, and then maybe, just maybe, we’d get swept away by the combined strength of everyone here?"

Lady Seraphyne’s eyes widened in absolute horror.

"Or is that just supposed to keep us busy enough that we won’t come asking about your progress on those plans to overthrow the Dravaryns?" Riley continued casually. "Or maybe your involvement in Malrik’s activities, as well as your son’s very creative plan to get rid of Orryn and his family?"

For a moment, the matriarch genuinely felt as though she might choke on her own blood.

But who was she?

Lady Seraphyne was the leader of the red dragon clan, someone who’d weathered countless crises over the course of her long life.

Was she really going to allow herself and her prestigious clan to fall apart because of accusations from a dragon who, regardless of what he’d apparently inherited, was still a greenhorn compared to her?

Especially when Malrik was already dead and she could simply pin everything on that filthy bastard?

No.

Because if they’d truly uncovered definitive proof, then surely they would’ve come after the red dragon clan long before now.

This had to be intimidation.

And if she caved here, who knew what would happen to her entire clan?

So despite trembling violently beneath that suffocating aura, Lady Seraphyne forced her head upward and screeched across the silent crater.

"Lies! Those are nothing but baseless lies!" Her claws dug desperately into the earth. "Even with all this power you display, making such wild accusations is hardly conduct befitting those about to rule!"

The words really did leave her lips, and at the very least, Seraphyne had been certain they would stir something.

After all, Riley Hale had spent a considerable amount of time as a human at Kael Dravaryn’s beck and call. Even if he was a black dragon now, surely that kind of ingrained dynamic wouldn’t be so easily shaken.

But what was this?

When Seraphyne finally managed to meet those emerald eyes, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of intimidation in them.

__

Ah.

Truly, Riley was never meant to be the kind and benevolent leader.

And for one brief moment, he found himself incredibly grateful that he was mated to a known tyrant who didn’t exactly have some kind and caring image to protect.

Because right about now, the black dragon wanted nothing more than to reach out, wrap his claws around that woman’s neck, and rip the whole thing off entirely.

Unfortunately, not only were there children watching, but that would also be far too easy an end for someone like her.

Lady Seraphyne would get to keep her pride as a dragon until her final breath. Sure, her reputation would probably plummet afterward, but she wouldn’t exactly be around to suffer through any of it.

What a field day that would be for her.

But see, in Riley’s book, beings who couldn’t find even a shred of remorse for all the harm they’d personally caused, much less the suffering inflicted by the people they’d carelessly raised and continued to support, didn’t deserve such a gracious and swift exit.

So for the moment, Riley ignored the increasingly frantic thoughts coming from people he’d honestly rather never see again and instead sought out the one mind he actually wanted to hear.

His mate’s.

Only to discover that Kael wasn’t even thinking about any of the people in front of them.

No.

The bastard was thinking about the dip of Riley’s back.

Seriously?

Still, the moment Riley reached through the connection between them, one that had become absurdly strong and wide open after everything they’d just gone through, Kael’s attention immediately shifted toward him.

There was no need for words.

Kael was practically asking whether there was anything Riley wanted him to handle, though there was also the distinct impression that he didn’t want to take away the apparent joy his mate got from personally taking out the trash.

Riley felt partially offended.

That made it sound like he had some kind of pastime involving the punishment of people who deserved it.

Then Kael simply raised a brow at him.

Knowingly.

As though there weren’t countless beings around them waiting with bated breath to see how they would respond to Lady Seraphyne’s scathing accusations.

Riley stared back at his mate.

Then again...

Oh, well.

Yeah.

Screw it.

Maybe he did enjoy seeing people get what they deserved.

Those who’d stuck to their guns even when doing so became difficult deserved whatever good eventually came their way.

And those who’d spent their lives propping themselves up on the countless bodies of innocent people?

Well, Riley certainly wasn’t going to lose any sleep if they ended up drowning in the misery they’d created for themselves.