Twin Dragons, One Choice

To keep the peace between humans and shifters, those chosen by the Oracle are forced to mate with their bound partners. And me? I was forced to be the shared mate of twin black dragons. Every night, I brewed two glasses of moon-wine to help them sleep. The older brother, Kaelen, was cold. But when he took his glass, his scalding fingertips would brush my wrist in a silent promise, and he’d murmur a soft thanks. But the younger one, Cassian? A vicious temper. He’d smash the glass, hurl insults, and crush me with the weight of his dragon aura. I had been lying to myself. Walking on eggshells. Desperately keeping a fragile peace. Until a fellow apothecary told me the truth. She hesitated, then said: "He treats you like dirt. The other one is gentle. Why do they both get the same precious moon-wine? How is that fair to the one who actually cares?" I thought about it all day. She was right. Late that night, I left the apothecary in a sheer silk robe, carrying only one glass of moon-wine. Chapter 1 When I decided to only cherish the dragon who treated me well, Kaelen was the first to notice the change. But he didn't say anything. Taking the glass, his scalding fingertips brushed my wrist out of habit. That simple, gentle touch made my heart skip a beat. "Thank you, my apothecary," he said softly. Across the room, magical flames crackled in the fireplace. Cassian was focused on practicing his fire magic, the dragonfire shifting shapes in his palm. He didn't even look up at me. I stood, said goodnight, and started for the tower stairs. Only then did he finally notice. "Wait. Are we out of moon-wine?" Cassian’s voice dripped with displeasure. "Or are you too stingy to spare a glass for your other mate?" Where his brother was quiet and stoic, Cassian was a primal beast—violent, untamed, and vicious. "Useless human. Can't you do one simple thing right?" That was just him. Cruelty was his language. Any desire to explain died on my lips. My smile faded. "No." "No?" Cassian strode toward me, a dangerous glint in his slitted pupils. "Then who exactly are you trying to humiliate by only bringing one glass?" Humiliate? My mind drifted back to the dead of night, three days ago. Kaelen and Cassian had been urgently summoned to slay shadowbeasts. They didn't return until dawn, dragging their heavily wounded bodies through the door. I had waited so long that I’d fallen asleep by the hearth. The heavy thud of the door woke me. I rushed up and brought out the two glasses of moon-wine I had kept warm for them. Kaelen took the glass exhaustedly and gave a weak nod of thanks. But Cassian? The black scales on his left shoulder were torn open to the bone. Crimson dragon blood was pouring out. "You're badly hurt." I set the other glass down and stepped forward to heal him. "Let me help—" "Get off me!" He shoved me hard. An Alpha dragon's strength is brutal and unforgiving. I flew backward, the silver goblet in my hand crashing against the stone steps behind me. My back slammed into a sharp stone edge. White-hot pain exploded through me. The precious moon-wine spilled all over the floor, pooling into a dark red stain. Cassian froze for a heartbeat, but his impatience won. "Damn it, are you blind? I'm dealing with dragonfire backlash, and you just had to throw yourself at me. Serves you right." "You cling to us like a leech. We’re half-dead from exhaustion, and you're still making a nuisance of yourself." That word. Leech. It shattered something inside me. A wave of shame drowned me. I stumbled to my feet, terrified to look either of them in the eye. I just wanted to run back to my room. A heavy thud echoed behind me. Kaelen had punched Cassian in the jaw. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Cassian's furious roar shook the hall. I didn't look back. I just ran faster. When I reached my room, I collapsed onto the bed, shaking uncontrollably. A piercing pain shot up from my knee, but I didn't dare look down. Until a soft knock came at the door. "Elara, it's me." Kaelen’s deep, gentle voice came through the wood. I wiped my tears, forced myself up, and opened the door. He dropped to one knee in front of me, holding a glowing healing potion. "Let me see your wound." Only then did I look down. A sharp shard of the silver goblet was buried deep in my calf. Blood had already soaked my white nightgown and stained my ankle red. The potion’s cool light enveloped the wound, stitching flesh and skin back together. The pain vanished. After healing me, Kaelen didn't stand up right away. He pulled a crystal pendant from his own neck—a deep, obsidian shard pulsing with a faint inner warmth, carved from a dragon's scale. "Wear this," he said, his voice low and serious as he gently placed it around my neck. "It will protect you." Chapter 2 I always knew these twin black dragons resented me. I was mild, ordinary, and just a fragile mortal who couldn't even use magic. I used to live a quiet life in the abbey, mixing the simplest herbs and taking care of sick orphans. Back then, I naively thought being an apothecary was enough to change my destiny. Until the Oracle's light descended from the sky, forcefully binding me to the most powerful black dragon twins in the royal city. Kaelen and Cassian. They were the Alphas most likely to compete for the High Council’s seat. They were the dream mates of countless female dragons and noble shifters. If it weren't for the Oracle’s absolute decree, our paths would have never crossed. On the night of the bonding, I arrived at their estate, my heart a nervous drum against my ribs. I foolishly thought I’d finally found a family. "I will work hard to be a worthy mate to you both." I stood before the two dragon Alphas, my voice trembling with hope. "I don't have magic, but I can brew potions and use healing arts. I can help you." Kaelen gave me a cold look and said nothing. Cassian just turned and walked away, dropping a single cruel word before he left: "Useless." The following months became the darkest trial of my life. Because they were bound to an "embarrassing" mortal mate, the brothers became the laughingstock of the noble circle. Other noble shifters would mock them to their faces at banquets, whisper behind their backs, and some even suggested the Temple reassign their mate. And the price of all that humiliation fell entirely on me. "Look what you've done." Cassian would smash the glass on the floor when I brought him a potion. "A worthless human who can't even use magic. What right do you have to be our mate?" "Three noble families laughed at us at the Council today." His slitted eyes burned with fury. "All because of you, you burden! What can a fragile human do besides drag us down?" Every word lashed at me like a whip. And Kaelen? He didn't hurl insults. He just looked through me, as if I were nothing but air. I desperately tried to prove my worth. I studied potion-making day and night, not stopping even when my fingers were covered in blisters from the herbs. I memorized their combat habits to brew the perfect recovery potions. I learned to read their moods, always showing up exactly when they needed me. I thought my hard work could win them over. I thought if I was considerate enough, they would finally see me. And for a while, it seemed to work. I don’t know when it started, but they began to soften. Kaelen especially. He stopped treating me like a ghost. Every time I handed him his moon-wine, he would take it and even say thank you. Sometimes he would look at me, suddenly lean in, and affectionately sniff the scent of my hair—just like how normal dragon mates acted. I had never known such kindness. My foolish heart soared. And Cassian wasn't as vicious anymore. He'd occasionally let me watch him practice his swordplay. He’d complain I was in the way, then casually incinerate a monster sneaking up behind me with a flick of his dragonfire. I thought I had finally reached them. I thought the worst was over. Until that night three days ago. Until that shattered glass of moon-wine. It turned out that in his eyes, all my hard work over the past year—all my passion, my care, my foolish delusions—was just a pathetic attempt to cling to them. I was just a disgusting leech, desperately clinging to a warmth that was never mine. I covered my face, tears slipping through my fingers. All my effort, all my devotion... boiled down to a single, ugly word. Leech. Maybe the Oracle was wrong. I was never meant to be their mate. Chapter 3 I couldn't sleep well for days after that. Shame and embarrassment suffocated me. Whenever I heard their footsteps, I would rush to hide in the apothecary or the dark corners of the tower. The word leech echoed in my head on repeat. Every time I thought of it, it felt like a needle stabbing into my heart, making me curl up in pain. When my apothecary sister Lyanna found out, she was furious. "That bastard!" Her eyes blazed with anger. "How dare he treat you like that? You've done so much for them!" "Let it go, Lyanna," I waved my hand, my voice exhausted. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I really am just a leech." "What nonsense are you talking about?!" "I think it's better to keep my distance from now on." I turned around and kept grinding herbs. "But I still have to fulfill my mating duties. I'll keep brewing moon-wine for both of them. I just... won't go out of my way to care anymore." "Both of them?" Lyanna caught the key word. "You're still brewing it for that bastard?" I nodded. "It's the Oracle's rule. I can't break it." "Elara, wake up!" Lyanna marched up to me. "Cassian not only verbally abuses you, he physically hurt you. And Kaelen? He punched Cassian for you, healed your wound, and even gave you that precious dragon-crystal ward." I unconsciously touched the crystal pendant resting against my chest. Kaelen had given it to me while I was recovering. It was said to be carved from the core of his scales, meant to protect the wearer from dark magic. "He also stays by your side when you have nightmares," Lyanna continued. "The two brothers treat you completely differently, yet they get the exact same effort and the exact same gifts from you. Don't you think that’s incredibly unfair to Kaelen, who restrains himself and treats you better?" I froze. "The High Priest warned us," I murmured. "Absolute balance with twin Alphas. Anything less triggers lethal territorial aggression. Feral frenzies." I remembered those words perfectly. To maintain that balance, I even weighed the enchanted spices on their roasted meat down to the gram. The doses of moon-wine had to be exactly the same. The healing salves had to be perfectly equal. I walked on a tightrope to maintain this fake equality, terrified that the slightest deviation would cause a disaster. "Is the High Priest always right?" Lyanna shot back. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. After she left, I sat alone in the apothecary, staring into space. It was late. Moonlight spilled through the lattice window onto the floor. I thought of my time at the abbey. It was the winter I turned twelve. We were asked to help brew a potion for frostbite. I spent the entire afternoon carefully following the recipe. The boiling liquid left several blisters on my fingers. Meanwhile, another girl in my room faked being sick and slept in bed all afternoon. At dinner, we were given the exact same piece of hard black bread. In that moment, a raw injustice burned in my chest. Why should my hard work earn me the same reward as her laziness? Just as I was miserably gnawing on the stale bread, an old nun quietly walked up to me. "A pious and good child deserves an extra reward." She slipped me a warmly glowing sweet berry. "This is true fairness." The sweet taste of that berry still lingered in my memory. Looking back now, the old nun was right. Kaelen defended me, healed me, gave me a precious ward, and comforted me through my nightmares. Cassian insulted me, shoved me, and trampled my care under his boots. Why on earth should they get the same treatment? The scale in my heart began to tip. The faithful deserve to be favored. That is true fairness. Chapter 4 The moon-wine was just the beginning. The next morning, as I walked down from the tower, Kaelen and Cassian were already sitting at opposite ends of the long dining table. Normally, I would sit right in the middle, ensuring my distance to both of them was perfectly equal. But today was different. I walked straight to the chair next to Kaelen and sat down. "Good morning, Kaelen," I said softly, then leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. It was a standard morning greeting between dragon mates, but I had never dared to initiate it before. Kaelen stiffened slightly, a flash of pleasant surprise in his eyes. "Good morning, my apothecary." I could feel the icy glare burning into me from the other end of the table, but I didn't look back. During breakfast, I only passed utensils to Kaelen, only refilled his glass, and only asked if he had enough to eat. "The honey-roasted meat is really good today," I picked up the most tender piece and put it on his plate. "Eat more." "Thank you," Kaelen replied warmly. He even took the initiative to cut up some elven fruit for me. "You should eat more too, you've been too thin lately." He gently held my wrist and fed the fruit to my lips. The intimacy of the gesture made my heart race and my cheeks flush. From the other end of the table came the harsh, grating sound of a knife scraping violently against a plate. I still didn't give Cassian a single glance. That afternoon, while brewing high-tier stamina potions in the apothecary, I deliberately poured the purest, most potent batch entirely for Kaelen. "It's a new recipe. The recovery effects are stronger," I handed him the vial. "You trained too hard yesterday." "Your alchemy skills are getting sharper," Kaelen praised genuinely. "This is even better than what the werewolf apothecaries make for the Alliance." His praise made my heart soar. This felt so good. I no longer had to worry about being ignored, shoved away, left behind, or verbally abused. Kaelen would reply to my good mornings instantly. He would carefully taste every meal I cooked. He would gently ask about my health. Compared to this, the way I had pleased Cassian for the past year was pure self-torture. By dusk, the air in the estate was thick with tension. I was sorting herbs in the hall while Cassian sat by the fireplace, wiping his dragon-scale armor. "Are you going to help with the battle maps or not?" His tone was sharp, but I heard the flicker of uncertainty beneath it. Normally, hearing that, I would drop everything and eagerly run over to help him with those complicated tactical charts, even though he constantly complained I was clumsy. But not anymore. "No." I kept sorting my herbs without looking up. "I'm busy." Cassian’s hand visibly paused. Right then, Kaelen pushed the door open, still slick with sweat from training. "Elara, want to go to the back mountain? I just improved my crossbow technique." I immediately dropped the herbs, my eyes lighting up with interest. "Yes! I want to learn how to shoot." "I'll teach you." Kaelen walked over and chivalrously draped a cloak over my shoulders. "It's windy up there, don't catch a cold." We intertwined our fingers and headed for the door. Just as we crossed the threshold, a deafening crack echoed behind us. I looked back. Cassian was standing by the hearth, holding a custom elven longbow snapped cleanly in two. It was his prized possession, incredibly expensive, now broken by his bare hands. Splinters flew through the air, sharp fragments almost hitting us. Cassian stared darkly at our joined hands, a chilling, twisted smile creeping onto his face. "How touching," he sneered, his voice dripping poison. "Enjoying playing the devoted lover, Kaelen? As if you could ever truly fall for a fragile mortal." Chapter 5 Fragile mortal. It had been a long time since I heard that term. Back in the tower, I leaned against the window, staring at the night sky, memories flooding back against my will. When the Oracle first bound us, Cassian used to attack me with cruel words like that all the time. He even threw a tantrum at the High Council's public assembly, calling me "lowborn" and a "burden" in front of all the nobles, completely humiliating me. But strangely, after I helped him through his first rut, the direct attacks on my bloodline almost completely stopped. It was our third month bound together. Cassian’s rut hit him early, and the whole estate was suffocating under his dangerous dragon aura. I trembled as I pushed his bedroom door open to fulfill my mating duties. But the moment I walked in, I didn't see an arrogant, untamed Alpha. I saw a massive beast desperate for touch. His eyes were blood-red. Black dragon horns had sprouted from his forehead, and his thick tail thrashed restlessly behind him. "Mate..." he rasped, his voice raw. "My mate..." In that moment, Cassian was a completely different person. He trapped me tightly in his arms, his tail wrapping around me so securely I couldn't move. The usually cold and arrogant Alpha acted like a giant feral cat, nuzzling my neck constantly and letting out deep, satisfied rumbles. "Don't leave..." his voice shook. "Don't leave me..." An Alpha in a rut exposes their truest cravings. For those three days, Cassian's attachment to me bordered on obsession. He wouldn't let me step an inch out of the room. He even got into a brutal fistfight with Kaelen, who had just come to check on us, fiercely guarding my scent. When he finally woke up clear-headed, his face was full of humiliation and anger—but he never attacked my bloodline again. I wasn't a jaw-dropping beauty; I was merely pretty. Compared to the ethereal, devastating looks of the dragon race, I was plain. But at least Cassian stopped calling me "lowborn" to my face. Maybe the rut made him realize that, no matter how much he hated it, the bond between us was real. And now? I tried to comfort myself. Cassian was still young, raised on a pedestal, so it was natural for him to be arrogant. Getting rejected by me tonight and snapping out some nasty words out of wounded pride was normal. But even with that self-comfort, the sting in my chest wouldn't fade. It was late, but I wasn't sleepy at all. I got out of bed, planning to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I walked down the corridor, I noticed a faint glow coming from the terrace. Two familiar figures stood there. Kaelen was leaning against the railing, while Cassian leaned against the wall, idly tossing magical flames between his fingers. They were talking. Curiosity dragged me closer. I held my breath and pressed myself against a cold stone pillar. Thankfully, the night wind was howling, masking my scent. Neither brother noticed me as their conversation continued. Chapter 6 Cassian reached up and touched the bruise on his jaw. "This is the second time you've hit me for that lowborn mortal," his tone was full of mockery. "How rare. The noble older brother actually throwing punches for a human." Kaelen snuffed out the flame at his fingertips, his voice as cold as ice. "If I hear you call her that again, I'll beat you every time I see you." "Ha!" Cassian let out a harsh laugh. "You're really guarding her tight, aren't you? But don't forget, you were one of the ones who signed the petition to reject the bond at the Council." My heart seized. A petition to reject me? "What, is this your long game?" Cassian sneered. "Play the gentle mate, fool her into breaking the bond herself when the trial year is up? That way you keep your precious honor, then go crawling back to the noble dragonesses lining up for you." No. That couldn't be. I bit my lower lip hard, my nails digging into my palms. Was Kaelen’s gentleness, his defense of me, his care over the past month... all just a trick to make me initiate the break? "No." Kaelen’s answer was brief and absolute. "What?" Cassian clearly didn't expect that. "I said, no." Kaelen turned to look his brother dead in the eye. "I have never wanted any other female dragon." My breath hitched. "Are you insane?" Cassian's eyes went wide. "She's just a mediocre human! She doesn't even have basic magic!" "She is my Elara." Kaelen’s voice was quiet, but absolute. "She is brave, and kind, and good. She has given us everything and asked for nothing." Tears welled up in my eyes. "She's a hundred times better than those arrogant, scheming noble ladies," Kaelen continued. "So stay the hell away from my mate, Cassian." My mate. Those two words sent an unprecedented warmth rushing through me. "You're out of your fucking mind!" Cassian exploded, jumping to his feet. "Are you blind? What kind of mate is she? She can't even soothe a rut properly!" "That's because every time you wake up clear-headed, you shove her away looking thoroughly humiliated," Kaelen shot back coldly. "If you weren't such a fool, you'd admit just how desperately you relied on her presence during those three days." Cassian's face flushed a deep, angry red. "That... that was biology! A rutting Alpha will cling to any source of comfort!" "Is that so?" Kaelen scoffed. "Then why did none of the military healers who soothe Alphas ever make you lose control like that?" Cassian opened his mouth but couldn't speak. "Admit it, you fool," Kaelen's voice carried a trace of pity. "Your feelings for her run much deeper than you're willing to admit." "Bullshit!" Cassian ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair, messing it up completely. "Even if... even if I have a tiny bit of feeling for her, so what?" My heart pounded against my ribs. "It's just because if a high-ranking Alpha abandons his bonded mate, the reputation hit is too ugly," Cassian rambled, justifying it to himself. "And the little brat is so clingy, she can't live without us. So, to avoid being called heartless, I decided..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I suppose keeping her as a pet isn't the worst fate." Pet. The word was a jagged knife twisting in my gut. "Even if she's mediocre and magicless, I don't expect her to actually be useful," Cassian went on, his tone dripping with arrogant charity. "It's no skin off my back to keep her around. Consider it... an act of charity." "Besides," he looked up, a twisted, possessive glint in his eyes. "I will never initiate the bond-breaking. I'll make her stay by my side forever. That way, she can never fully belong to just you." Chapter 7 Back in my room, I sat quietly on the edge of the bed, staring at the ancient constellations carved into the ceiling. The moonlight spilled through the window, cold and silent. I finally understood. Cassian had planned for me to break the bond from the very beginning. He didn't like me. He didn't like my bloodline, and he didn't like my personality. He was too proud. He always had to be superior, always looking down on everyone else. Being bound to me was the biggest stain on his dragon life. But if he initiated the rejection, he would bear the shame of being the heartless Alpha who discarded a mortal. So he wouldn't do it. Originally, he wanted Kaelen to trick me into doing it. But he didn't expect Kaelen to change his mind and actually want to spend his life with me. So now Cassian had no other choice but to reluctantly put up with me. Just like he said, even a mediocre face becomes tolerable if you look at it long enough. As time went on, even if he didn't love me, he could hold his nose and keep me as an accessory. But I didn't want this. During my years in the abbey, I always wore hand-me-down robes, ate sour black bread, and used second-hand things. Back then, I told myself that having a roof over my head was enough, and I shouldn't ask for more. But I never wanted to live that kind of "make-do" life ever again. I was done being a guest in my own home. Done being an afterthought. I would not spend the rest of my life as someone's pet. Since Cassian cared too much about his pride to break the bond, I would end this farce myself. I was going to reject the mating bond. At the dinner table the next day, I was completely distracted. I didn't know how to bring it up. Should I just say it, or wait until the night before the trial period ended? Suddenly, a burst of loud laughter broke the silence. I looked up just in time to see Kaelen walking out. He stood tall and broad-shouldered, his brow sharp, looking as unapproachable as ever. But Cassian was pointing right at Kaelen's chest, laughing so hard he was doubled over. "Hahaha! Gods, what the hell is that?" He pointed at the amulet Kaelen was wearing, cracking up. "Brother, when did your taste get so... unique?" I followed his gaze, and my face instantly burned red. Kaelen was wearing an obsidian ward. The runes I had carved on it honestly looked like a messy tangle of black thread. "Where did you buy this piece of trash?" Cassian mocked. "Did some street vendor swindle you? The carving looks like a worm had a seizure on it." Heat flooded my face. Shame burned my ears. I quickly stood up, wanting to go over and take the amulet off him, or at least hide it under his collar. "Don't move," Kaelen stopped me softly. "Let me handle this." He stood perfectly still, letting me adjust the amulet on his chest, watching me try to wipe away the flaws on the runes with my sleeve. "Cassian." Kaelen looked calmly at his brother, who was still laughing. "I didn't buy this." "Didn't buy it?" Cassian laughed even louder. "Don't tell me you carved it yourself! Gods, brother, your craftsmanship is... hahaha..." "Elara carved it for me. For the Winter Solstice." Kaelen's voice was calm, but the raw pride in his words sent a wave of warmth through me. Cassian's laughter died in his throat. The smile froze on his lips.