Meeting My...Mother-in-law?

Chapter 9: Meeting My...Mother-in-law?

The air between them hung with a visible tension as Drake Valiant sat at the grand table with Azuraelle and her mother.

Across from him, Azuraelle's mother, known as Tiamat, the Primordial Dragon Goddess, and Mother of all Dragons, sat with an inscrutable smile on her face.

Her beauty was unlike anything Drake had ever seen before.

Though her resemblance to Azuraelle was unmistakable.

She was tall, standing at over the 180+ centimeters, her long hair is a shimmering cascade of blue, so dark it seemed to merge with the abyss.

Her eyes, glowing crimson with star-shaped pupils, were a mirror of her daughter's.

Each movement she made was deliberate, calculated, like a predator ready to strike at any moment, yet cloaked in an aura of supreme elegance.

As their eyes met, for a brief, fleeting second, Drake was utterly entranced by her beauty.

His will, impossibly strong for a mortal, which was forged through the obstacles he went through in his life, wavered ever so slightly.

Tiamat smiled, clearly aware of the effect she was having on him.

But all it took was a pinch on his cheek to snap Drake out of his trance.

"Ow..."

Azuraelle's crimson eyes bore into him, as they dangerously glowed a bright red.

"Keep staring, and you'll lose more than just your mind." She warned, her voice low, but the danger behind it was undeniable.

And Drake, as the genius he was, decided to remain silent, and assumed a serious look while facing her mother.

Her mother, meanwhile, laughed — light and amused.

"Oh, my daughter~" Tiamat teased, delight dancing in her tone, though something darker flickered beneath it, and it was a possessive edge.

Indeed... Like mother, like daughter.

"You always were protective, weren't you? Though I must say…" She trailed off.

Her eyes briefly narrowed as a slight irritation was palpable in her gaze; "... perhaps you've forgotten that he belongs to all of us."

Azuraelle's jaw clenched, as the sound of teeth grinding was loud enough for the two to hear, and her grip on Drake's arm tightened as she leveled a glare at her mother.

Before Drake could even form a word to introduce himself, Tiamat rose from her chair in a blur of motion, closing the distance between them faster than human eyes could track.

She was suddenly before him, her warm breath on his neck, and her arms draped languidly around him.

"You... You're even more breathtaking up close...~" She purred, her voice was sultry and breathy with an undertone of desire.

Her fingers lightly traced the back of his neck, sending electric jolts through his skin.

"How my daughter has managed to resist claiming you for herself, I will never understand."

Drake's pulse quickened, but his body remained tense, locked in place by the sheer force of Tiamat's presence and her touch.

He could feel the dragon within her, the raw, ancient power calling to him, and he couldn't do anything but stand still.

He resisted that unreal pull as he bit lower lip, something that made Tiamat more intrigued and thrilled.

But she stopped. Her lips mere inches from his own, her breath hitching as she held back a millennium of yearning!

Indeed! The Mother Goddess has been frustrated for over hundreds of thousands of years!

Only she knew how much she held back from riding the man right here and there.

'Ahhh~ It's been so long... —Maybe seventeen years but It felt like eternity!' Tiamat thought to herself.

'At least, I'm finally touching him...' She reminded herself, but then she quickly got out of these indecent thoughts.

'Mhhh, control yourself! Tiamat! Your daughter is here!'

Maybe... If her daughter wasn't here... She would've found some difficulty in holding back... Just maybe...

Yeah... That's what she thought, but she knew she wouldn't have been able to hold back if not for her daughter being here.

'I must keep my image as the perfect mother, especially in front my family!' She must keep her image!

'I must not fall! I will keep my image!!!'

Tiamat was right! Important things must be said twice!!!

It might not be apparent but... both Drake and Azuraelle heard her thoughts.

Drake appeared speechless and shocked; speechless of her thoughts, and shocked because he could hear them and that only means one thing if he recalls what Azuraelle taught him...

While Azuraelle was looking at her mother with a dry and cold face.

"Oopsie... Hehe." Tiamat playfully stuck her tongue, her cheeks flushed red, as her hand went behind her head.

"I forgot we are connected. Hehe."

"Connect-ed...?" Drake finally spoke, his voice is perfectly deep and masculine, though he was unsure, uncertain, and confused about what he just heard.

"Mother..." Azuraelle growled lowly as the glare she gave her mother was becoming more intense.

With a sharp inhale, Tiamat pulled away just slightly, and she narrowed her eyes into Drake.

"Azuraelle isn't the only one, my love." She said, her voice dropping to a whisper that only he could hear.

But who are they?

They are Dragons. Their ears are sharp, their senses are superior to humans.

Azuraelle's face contorted in anger, as her eyebrows twitched at what and how her mother just called her man.

"Two of my sisters and I... are also your wives, thanks to that little ritual."

The words hit Drake like a punch to the gut, his body freezing as his mind reeled. "Wait, what?!"

Azuraelle's reaction was swift, her frustration was clear and visible.

"Mother!" She snapped, shoving Tiamat away from him with a force that startled even the Mother Goddess.

Tiamat stumbled back a few steps, letting out a dramatic gasp and clutching her chest as if wounded.

"Oh, how cruel!" Tiamat cried, putting on an exaggerated show of heartbreak.

"To be shoved away by my own daughter for daring to love too much…"

Azuraelle snarled, her eyes flashed with fury:

"Don't play games with me, Mother! I haven't forgiven any of you for deceiving me just to be with him!" The rawness of her voice cut through the room like a blade.

Tiamat's act faltered. Her expression shifted, her crimson eyes widening in genuine sorrow. "Azuraelle…" Her voice cracked as tears began to well in her eyes.

"You- You're right. We didn't mean to hurt you. It was…selfish, and we deserve your anger."

Drake's eyes narrowed as he took in the emotional shift. 'Is this a family drama show?' He couldn't help but think to himself, and fortunately not Azuraelle, nor Tiamat was paying attention to his thoughts.

—That's what he wanted to tell himself, but both women heard it.

After all, their thoughts echo in each other's mind.

The only reason Drake wasn't freaking out was due to his lineage, even though he was a "newborn," a "baby" dragon.

But he would admit, Tiamat's genuine sadness made his chest tighten, as he could feel her emotions and feelings.

Her feeling were pure maternity, love, care, regret and sorrow, and there wasn't anything that could be described as ill.

But Drake of course didn't understand this strange feeling he couldn't identify, which is maternity.

He glanced at Azuraelle, whose rigid posture softened ever so slightly as guilt crept into her features.

"I… I'm sorry, Mother," Azuraelle murmured, her hand reaching out to touch Tiamat's arm. "I didn't mean to shout at you."

Tiamat smiled weakly and brushed away her tears. "It's alright, my dear. I know we deserve your anger. I only hope you can forgive us someday."

Drake's brows furrowed as he observed the exchange.

His mind was still processing the earlier bombshell, and something didn't sit right with him.

"What do you mean by deceiving her?" His voice cut through the tension, drawing both women's eyes back to him.

Azuraelle stiffened instantly, her eyes widening as the question hung in the air. Tiamat, noticing her daughter's reaction, stopped crying and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? You haven't told him?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head.

Azuraelle looked cornered. With a resigned sigh, she stepped closer to Drake and spoke softly:

"Not only me, Drake. My mother… and my five aunts have been watching over you for a very long time."

She hesitated, but then decided there was no reason to hide it from him: "We…all became obsessed with you, drawn to you. And now…" She took a deep breath.

"Thanks to the ritual I performed, my mother and two of her sisters are also…your wives. And I, as you already know, am your sister."

Drake's breath caught in his throat as he stared at her. Wives. Wives?

'Me? I not only have one wife, but several?! Huh!?'

Just as Azuraelle was about to reveal the reasons behind her mother's and aunts' obsession, and why were they drawn to him, Tiamat moved swiftly, covering her daughter's mouth with a firm hand.

"No." She said, her voice taking on a sharp and commanding tone that accepted no refusal.

"He needs to find that out on his own."

Drake was a bit frustrated with the information that was clearly omitted from him, but he still can think, even if he barely could handle his dragon feelings and the innate pride.

Who was in front of him? A Goddess, and apparently his relative and wife too...

They were connected by a special bond that linked a part of their cores together.

They could feel each other's thoughts, feelings, and emotions like an open book.

And... there should be a reason for his "wife", the Mother Goddess to not want him to learn of a particular topic.

He managed to think of all of that in just few seconds — proving his mind is becoming better and more profound.

However, he only could think of that because of the aforementioned bases. Otherwise, if Tiamat weren't related to him, nor were she a powerful Goddess, his dragon-self would have attacked her.

Drake frowned, confusion knitting his brow. "What about your sisters?" He asked. "Where are they? If they're like Azuraelle and you, shouldn't they be here too?"

Tiamat waved her hand dismissively, flashing him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"They have their own duties to attend to in their realms. You'll meet them soon enough, don't worry."

The weight of the conversation settled heavily between them, and just as Drake was about to say something, Tiamat's eyes suddenly widened in shock.

She took a step back as stared at him with an expression of disbelief.

"Impossible..." She whispered, her voice was trembling slightly. "How… How are you still alive?"

Badum, badum, badum

Azuraelle's heart began to beat rapidly as she grabbed her mother by the arms, shaking her. "What are you talking about? What's wrong with him?!" She almost freaked out!

Tiamat blinked, regaining her composure. "It's the power inside him. It's… too much. It's completely wild and uncontrolled.

Even for a greater dragon god, it's more than he should be able to handle. Only a Primordial Dragon God should be able to contain such immense power."

Azuraelle's face paled as she looked at Drake, her expression filled with fear. "Mother… what does that mean? Is he going to…?"

Tiamat held up a hand, calming her daughter. "He's fine, Azuraelle. But…" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Drake.

"There's something more inside him. Something I can't quite explain yet. You'll have to discover that for yourself, Drake. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

Azuraelle groaned in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. "I hate when you do this. All this waiting around for answers is driving me insane! Kyuu!"

Azuraelle growled cutely at the end and stomped at the ground, but as her heel met the floor, a crack in the shape of cobweb formed under her foot.

Drake chuckled at her reaction, though his mind was still reeling from everything that had been revealed.

His physical strength, regeneration, his wives, and now the overwhelming power inside him… What else could possibly be hidden?

—Honestly? He wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly got a solid proof of him having a child...

Make no mistake. He is still a virgin; after all, who would've looked at the sick and frail motherfucker?

But now? Even though he still needs to get used to his new appearance, he was confident he was absolutely handsome.

Tiamat, seeming to sense his turmoil, softened her tone as she continued. "You're truly handsome, Drake, more handsome than the stinky gods and mortal men."

Her tone briefly switched to a menacing and dangerous one as she flashed a sneer, but then smiled softly as she looked Drake in the eye.

"As for your regeneration, Drake, it doesn't come from your dragon lineage..."

"It's something else… Something related to the... Creatures of the Night."

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