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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎

-ˋˏ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘯 ˎˊ-

˚ 　 ✫ 　　　 ˚ . 　　　 ⋆

. · 　　 +

✧

╰┈˚ · ° .  THERE WERE MANY STORIES BEHIND  the origin of the Orion constellation myth. One thing was universal, though. Orion was a skilled hunter and more often than not described as a handsome giant.

The male before me was of an impressive height and his beauty was undiscussed.

His ego, though, that he could work on.

If there was something that I hated more than anything, well, that was people acting with so much cockiness that they think that they could take the world all on their own.

Him, this man— well, he oozed cockyness from his every pore, even in my weakened state I could catch it. It was a living thing that created an aura around him almost even visible to the human eye. It was in the way he smirked, the way his stunning double-colored eyes were lit up by mirth, then he walked and just breathed.

Maybe I was just dramatic and the torture didn't help with it.

"Excuse me?" With the little energy that I had still stored, I raised an unimpressed eyebrow in the man's direction. "What the hell did you call me?"

"I called you princess, Princess." He replied back with a blinding smile that made me want to kick him.

Oh my gods. He didn't even have to speak for me to want to kick him in the balls. Egocentric assholes get on my nerves like nothing else.

"You can call me Andromeda, thank you very much."

"Alright, Princess."

If I could do more than bristle— and actually have the energy to stand up on my own— I would have done so. Glaring was the second best option, I guess.

"Maybe Brat fits you better, though." What the actual fuck?

He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, flicking my lavender hair that was now bloody and sweaty away from my face, "Now, do you want my help or not?"

"Do you know him?" Stefan asked me, eyes moving between me and the new man.

"Not really." I replied at the same time as the male— who still I had no name to match his face— said:

"Not yet."

"Okay."

I still kept my glare up as he started to loose the rope around my wrists. He had a confidence in him, on the way he portrayed himself that wasn't common. The rope fell, my legs giving out from underneath me. I didnt even stumble for more than a second before I was picked up. Strong arms keeping safe against a hard chest.

"I can walk." I weakly spoke against the cool skin of my stranger mate. I didn't know why, but everything in me wanted to fight him, like there was nothing better to do at that moment than go against the stunning male. Like everytime I looked at Zy, I wanted to smile— with him, I wanted to glare.

Suddenly, the fatigue came quickly, catching up with me, knocking the breath out of my lungs with the intensity.

"Sure you can, Princess."

"Where are you going!" It was Stefan that had yelled, his voice getting further further away. I hadn't even noticed when he started walking.

"Stefan." My voice was a whisper, leaving my lips with a mere enough high tone to be heard.

"That's not my name." The male chuckled, sending warmth throughout my bring.

"Not you, pretty boy. Stefan, you left him behind." I grumbled, eyelids getting heavier the more time passed.

The tattooed male faltered in his steps before continuing as it never had happened. "He will be fine." His tone then softened as he moved a strand of hair away from my face, "Sleep, now. You are safe."

And like that, I fell asleep, dreaming of a dark night with five constellations shining brightly against the rest of the stars.

───── ⋆˖⁺‧ ☽◯☾ ‧⁺˖⋆ ─────

╰┈˚ · ° .   When I woke up, softness greeted me with velvety blankets underneath me. Two scents were there, prominent next to the natural one of the earth. Dark berries and midnight jasmine, and smoking frankincense and cedarwood. But there was a third one amidst those two, there was much less notable one. Of anise, tobacco leaves and vanilla.

The soft meow, and little licks and purrs coming from the black furred cat snuggling against my hair made me open my eyes. The stars greeted me, shining down from the fissure on the ceiling of the cave just above the makeshift bed. My arms, my chest, there were layers of a green paste that glistened with the light of the stars.

"How are you feeling?" The voice came from my right, where the male sat on the stairs that led to the moon pool. "Don't move, you are still healing." He said as I tried to sit up, "The stars," He continued explaining it better, "their light is helping you heal."

"The stars..."

"Yes, the stars." he rolled his eyes.

"Okay first of all, don't roll your eyes at me. For your information I was tortured with iron for probably a week straight-"

"You were kidnapped for less than three hours."

Not listening, I continued, "Second of all, I don't even know your name. And how the hell did you find me?" He pursed his lips trying not to smile pointing at the cat that had her head on my lap. "Bastet?"

"You called it Bastet?" He scoffed, looking offended at the name.

"It?" Now I was as much offended as he was, "She. Her name is Bastet, yes."

"You called my familiar like the Egyptian goddess?"

"Yes— wait your what?"

His smirk was once again present as he spoke, "Yes, the cat is a familiar. I can summon it. I just sent it to you before I could come. You know, to keep an eye on you, princess." From the way he said it, it was clear that he was trying to get on my nerves. Apparently he liked riling me up.

"She." I snapped before turning towards the cat— well, familiar, "You traitorous bitch. No more midnight snacks for you." I took a breath, winching at the sting of the wounds before focusing on the asshole— I mean man. "Okay stalker. I really don't like you."

"You don't even know my name, Princess." He scoffed, but he wasn't in any shape or form offended by what I had said, no, he was amused..

"Then tell me your name."

"No."

I was sure that at that point I was bright red with my anger that he was fueling with each word that he spoke. "Fine." I snapped, "I'm just going to call you Orion."

"That's not my name."

"Not my problem, Orion."

His smirk fell, his double colored eyes narrowed into slits. I had less than a second to bash in my victory because with feline grace, he walked in front of me, the speed unmistakably supernatural. He took my chin into a hard grip, enough to feel but not to hurt. "Raden." he said, "That's my name. Now don't you dare to call me by another man's name."

Was it jealousy what he was feeling? I didn't know.

"It's your constellation." I breathed out as I felt my heartbeat increase at the simple touch.

"What?"

"The Orion. It's your constellation. Your Mate Mark is Orion, the hunter constellation." I gulped down a gasp as I felt the mate bond vibrate between us, "It's not another man's name."

"Good." He tskd, taking a couple of steps back leaving behind his intoxicated scent. I don't know what was worse, that or his hypnotizing double colored eyes. But he was soon near me again, a clean white cloth in his hand. "Let me see how you are healing." Raden spoke softly taking a seat next to me, glaring at the cat that hissed at his presence, before he aimed it at me "What the hell did you do to my familiar?"

"Lots of cuddles and food." I shrugged unbothered, smiling and cooing at the snuggling cat.

"You ruined my familiar, Brat." He scoffed, using the clothes to wipe away the green paste on my arm.

"I loved my cat." I corrected, tired already to snap at him about the nicknames he was using— maybe I would start again later. "What is this?" I then asked, referring to the paste.

"Just something that is good to help heal iron wounds." He answered. He wiped away the rest of the arm before passing to the left one.

"I can do it myself now." I yanked the clothes away, passing it myself across the mate marks on the forearm earning a snicker from the male. "Shut up. Do you want me to touch your neck?" I sarcastically asked motioning with my eyes at the left side of his neck.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" He cockly grinned.

There were a pair of butterfly wings tattooed right in the middle of the column of his throat, made with sharp and defined lines. On the right side there were other tattoos, but on the left, there was the Andromeda constellation— just like for Zyran. My mate mark.

Just as the thoughts about my first mate crossed my mind, the ground shook violently.

"What the-"

"That's the other one." Raden chuckled, leaning back on his hands, head tilted back, eyes closed. the shine of the stars showering down to him. He looked like a painting.

"The other one?"

"The dragon."

I snapped upright, slightly faltering with the weakness in my legs before I stabilized myself, "What do you mean that's Zyran?"

"The dragon is searching for you." Raden explained unbothered, not even opening his eyes.

"He is shifted?" Wide-eyed I shrieked. A dragon was not going to pass unobserved.

"He is glamoured." This time, the curly haired male with skin of caramel, looked at me, sighing when he saw the horror on my features, double colored eyes softening at the corner losing their normal cockiness. "I sent one of my familiar to him. He knows where you are."

The breath of relief that I took made me realize how much worked up I had been about it. And how much I really wanted him to be here.

"Wait, Bastet is here though."

"The cat is not my only familiar." He raised his left arm showing the black scaled snake with a double forked tongue wrapping around his forearm, head on the back of the hand.

"What are you exactly?"

"A Púca." Raden replied, as I sat down next to him. Bastet took that opportunity to come back to me, jumping and curling her body around my shoulder. "I can shapeshift part of my body or gain a trait of something by channeling the spirit of the animals that I have obtained through a magic ritual. The tattoos are the animals." He tapped his finger on the head of the serpent, his double colored eyes shifting to two slits exactly like reptilian ones before disappearing as he let go of his magic.

"That's really cool." And it really was, "And your familiars?"

"They are companions, and they can help to fight. They are usually the stronger animals, with more magic infused through their tattoos." He explained, eyes moving to the cat curled around my shoulder softly purring while she fell asleep.

"Well, isn't she vicious." I joked earning a scoff from the male that covered the upturned lips.

Another earthquake shook made the ground tremble, a ear-piercing roar coming from just outside the cave.

When I rushed outside, disturbing Bastet from her sleep and making her jump and curl on the bed, a dragon waited for me. The light of the stars shone against the sapphire colored scales of the body, the eyes of a vibrant cold blue glowed in the night. Two mighty wings were stretched on the side of his enormous body. Rows of sharp fangs were shown as the dragon roared, a blue flame building in the throat.

There were now words to describe how beautiful he was even in this form.

"Zyran."

The dragon snapped his head towards me as I whispered his name, nostril flaring. Only when I placed my hand on his snout the growl echoing in chest morphed to a purr as he closed his eyes.

"I really would have liked to see you shifted for the first time in another situation." I whispered as I moved until I could rest my head against his.

He was more than I had ever expected. The texture of his scales was rough, almost leathery, warmth lifted from his skin making me feel only comfort— even in this form, he was still my Zyran.

In a puff of smoke the dragon shifted underneath my touch. The scales disappeared to rich brown skin, sapphire blue eyes to dark hazel, and in the place of the dragon, came back the human.

"Andromeda." He breathed out my name like prayer, like a blessing.

Zyran did not waist even another second before wrapping me in his arms, keeping me tight and safely against him.

Smoking frankincense and cedarwood, all his.

Tears sprung to my eyes but I did not make them fall as I felt his already shaky breathing on my skin as he took in deep breath of my scene, nuzzling his nose in the crook of my neck.

The kiss was next, hard and passionate like this might be the last time he would ever be able to taste my lips.

"Did they hurt you?" His nostrils flared for a second, "They used iron on you?!"

Zyran started to shake until a hand was slapped on his shoulder.

"She is fine, dragon. Stop working yourself up or you are going to shift. Again." Raden proceeded to throw his way a pair of shorts.

It was only then that my gaze lowered to the impressive lengths that until a second ago was pressed against me.

Warmth rushed to my cheeks, deepening the color to a bright red. It was impressive alright, almost frightening.

"Are you alright, Princess? You are looking a bit red." Raden commented showing his wide smirk on his lips.

Zyran let out a snicker that he covered with a cough as soon as it escaped.

"Oh fuck you, Raden." I snapped at the teasing asshole.

"From the way you were drooling all over his cock I'm pretty sure you wouldn't mind that."

Oh lord. I didn't know that you could blush that much, or maybe it was the annoyance and anger— and embarrassment— all put together that made it happen.

"It seems you two are getting along pretty well." Zyran commented with a chuckle.

"He is a cocky egocentric asshole." I stated.

Ignoring my words, Raden spoke. This time, only with Zyran. "She called me pretty boy."

"Let's ignore that, alright." I said.

"No."

"See." I motioned with my hand towards the man.

"I think," Zyran said again, wrapping his arm around me, "That I will get headaches from listening to you two."

"Shut up."

Zyran smiled his breathtaking grin at me, leaving a quick kiss on my still red cheeks before turning towards the Púca. "I'm Zyran, nice to meet you. And thanks for letting me know where she was."

"Raden." The Púca shook the dragon-shifter hand in a solid handshake before a bat flew down to us, not stopping until it dissolved itself in the tattoo of the bat in the middle of his chest— multiplying the already there sets of eyes.

I had noticed that when the familiars weren't summoned, their tattoos had a double feature. Like the eyes for the bat, the tongue for the snake, the head for the cat.

"A bat!" I beamed with enthusiasm, "I wanna meet your familiars. Summon them Raden." I pleaded with my eyes. I really changed my mood fast if it was for animals.

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Pretty please."

Raden glared, but in the end, he accepted. "Fine."

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!!

Raden is here!!

This chapter was so fun and I love the way Raden's powers work. (If you need more clarification about it let me know)

Of course, I'll try to make all the relationships Meda has with her mates all different. Hopefully, I will make my original ideas justice. It's honestly a challenge but I'll try my best.

How are you liking Raden so far and Meda's relationship with him?

The way they fight is like their mate bond knows that this is what they both need. Like a challenge, in a way.

Pretty boy? Princess? Brat?

Thank you for reading this chapter, I'll see you on Saturday!

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾