The Dragon King's Heart

Dante nodded. A part of him wished she knew, a part of him wished she did not. Either way, it did not matter, she was still the love of his life. 

"If I may be so bold, your Majesty, what is your connection to her?" Moon Goddess Selene asked.

Dante turned away from her and growled, "It\'s none of your business."

She bowed respectfully as she apologized, "My sincerest apologies for prying, your Majesty."

He turned back to her, "You are to keep this information to yourself. No one else needs to know, understood?"

She nodded, "Yes, your Majesty."

With that, Dante concluded their meeting and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back around. 

"What plans do you have for the alpha?"

Surprised by the sudden question, it took her a while to reply, "He will get what he deserves."

Satisfied with her answer, Dante left the room and returned to Adolfa. Once he was gone, Moon Goddess Selene called for High Priestess Shylla to bring Kragen in. 

"My Goddess, I can deal with him, you need not do so personally," the High Priestess offered. 

"It\'s alright. I\'m here already anyway, bring him to me," Selene instructed. 

As per her request, Shylla had the Moon Maidens bring Kragen\'s to her at once. He was still unconscious when they put him down on the ground. Shylla clicked her fingers. A Moon Maiden splashed a pail of ice-cold water upon Kragen. 

The icy water woke him up immediately. Surprised to find himself surrounded by Moon Maidens, he looked around flustered. When he realized he was in the Moon Goddess\'s presence, Kragen dropped his jaw.

Few had ever met her in person, even when he was King he had not had the chance to meet her. He did not have any chance to fight back or escape as his hands and neck were chained.

But Kragen was no longer in his human form, he was in his wolf form. Moon Goddess Selene walked up to him and crouched down to meet him at eye level. Kragen attempted to shift into his werewolf form. 

Nothing happened. 

A chill ran down the back of his spine. He tried to shift into his human form instead. Nothing happened. He was stuck in his wolf form. When he attempted to speak, no words came forth. 

Fear ran through his veins as he looked up at the Moon Goddess in horror. Seeing the look in his eyes, she knew it had set upon him. The once almighty fearless Alpha Werewolf King, was now nothing but a wolf. 

"This is your punishment, Kragen. You thought I sent Victoria to your side as your punishment?" 

Selene shook her head as she continued, "You\'ve been gravely mistaken, she was your redemption. She was to be your saving grace yet you forced her to reject you. 

You are a fool and a coward, Kragen. You disappoint me."

Selene walked away from Kragen, shaking her head with her back turned to him, "You could have accomplished so much more, yet you\'ve squandered it all away."

She turned back to look at him as she sighed, "Such a pity."

Kragen was confused, enraged. He wanted to voice out his opinion, defend himself. But when he opened his snout, all he could do was whine and howl. He had lost his voice, along with all the power he once had. 

His current form was no different from a regular wolf. 

"Kragen, for the crimes you\'ve committed, I hereby decree that you are stripped of all your powers and titles. You are to serve your time as a guard wolf for the Temple of the Moon for your remaining days till you return to dust," Selene declared. 

Looking at his broken legs, Selene did not soften her resolve. She ordered the Moon Maidens to not use any spells to heal him. His survival and recovery were to be done on his own.

Even without the Goddess\'s instructions, most Moon Maidens would not have offered to assist him. The horrific tales of how Kragen treated women were well known throughout Wolfenheim. 

His lust for them, his immoral behavior were known to all. Kragen collapsed onto the ground, broken by the judgment that had befallen him. Even if he was willing to repent for his mistakes now, there was nothing he could do. 

All he could do was to accept his punishment and submit to fate. 

Upon returning to Adolfa, Wolfenheim; Dante went to look for Laina. Based on his intuition and senses, he found it with ease. As usual, he entered the room through the balcony instead of the door. 

Laina ran up to him and gave him a hug. 

Dante was pleasantly surprised by the embrace, he did not protest. When Laina realized what she had done, she quickly released him and attempted to back away. But Dante refused to let her go. 

"Once you\'ve latched on, it\'s not going to be so easy to leave," he teased with a widening grin. 

Dante leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Did you miss me?" 

Laina had tingles throughout her entire body. She could feel his breath against her ear as he whispered. Laina blushed as she looked to the side, embarrassed by her reaction. 

"I\'m just glad that you\'re alright," she finally found the words she wanted to say, attempting to ignore his efforts to get closer to her.

"Has Kragen been dealt with?" She asked as she looked up at him. 

Dante nodded as he tucked a loose lock of her red hair behind her ear, "He will never bother you or Victoria ever again. And, he got what he deserves." 

Laina heaved a sigh of relief, she was glad to hear that she need not worry about that werewolf anymore. As she finally wriggled out of his grasp and attempted to return to her room, Dante caught hold of her wrist and pulled her back into his embrace. 

Their bodies were so close she could feel his heartbeat as she placed her hand on his chest. His heart was beating as quickly as her own. 

"Don\'t you think I deserve a reward for a job well done?" Dante asked sweetly. 

Laina bit her lip. This was the perfect opportunity to toy with Dante. She was going to use it to get back at him. First, she pretended to be a little air-headed and oblivious. 

"Reward? What sort of reward?" She asked as she placed a finger on her chin, pretending to ponder. 

He knew what she was attempting to do. Curious to see what would happen next, he decided to play along.

"I humbly request for a reward fit for my accomplishments, Crown Princess Laina," Dante replied. 

Laina\'s eyes lit up as she grinned, "Oh but this is the reward, your Majesty," 

"Oh?"

She nodded as explained, "Indeed. Quality time with me. Yours truly! From the moment you returned until…"

Laina pretended to look at a non-existent pocket watch as she said, " Now. And that\'s the end of your reward. Thank you for your hard work, King Dante. I must head to bed now, good night!"

Seeing that Dante was still stunned by her tactic, she easily slipped away from his embrace and returned to the room. She quickly closed the doors to the balcony keeping him outside. 

Laina smiled sweetly before sending him a goodbye kiss through the glass doors. With that, she closed the curtains and returned to bed for a good night\'s sleep. As she covered the blanket over her body, Laina shivered a little. 

Sleeping alone was cold and lonely. 

Perhaps she should have invited him in.