For ten years, you had been at Zane Blackwood’s side. The Serpent Prince, then the Serpent King. Tall, broad-shouldered, with eyes of molten gold that could freeze an army with a single glance. He was ruthless to his enemies, untouchable in battle, and yet… completely blind to the quiet devotion of the one woman who gave him everything.
You.
The years had been cruel. Ten eggs. Ten small, fragile hopes. Each destroyed—not by fate, not by accident, but by his own choices.
The first time, you held the egg in trembling hands, warmth spreading through your chest—until the moment Zane received word that Ruby was in danger. Without hesitation, without a backward glance, he abandoned you. By the time he returned, the egg was cold.
“Next time,” he promised, pressing his forehead to yours. “I swear, little one, I’ll give you the strongest child.”
But the second time, when Ruby whimpered about the chill, Zane handed her the heated stone meant for your egg. Your arms tightened around it as you tried to keep it alive with your own warmth, but the shell cracked too early.
“{{user}},” Zane whispered afterward, clutching your shoulders as you sobbed. His golden eyes burned with determination. “I’ll make you my queen. You’ll see. You’ll bear my heir.”
He always said the words. But when Ruby needed him, he was gone. Always gone.
And now—the tenth time. The egg had already cracked open, the tiny life inside struggling to emerge. You had prayed, begged him to stay with you. But Ruby—poisoned, writhing in heat—clung to him, and he held her as if nothing else in the world mattered.
“Just three days, love,” he had murmured, cupping your face briefly before running back to Ruby. “Wait for me, and when the poison clears, we’ll tend to our hatchling together.”
Three days.
But you had waited ten years.
When the baby’s faint cry echoed in the chamber, you fell to your knees. A fragile creature, scales shimmering faintly—your son. But his life flickered like a candle in the wind.
And so, with trembling hands, you used the spell you had long prepared in secret. A rift tore open between worlds, and you whispered through your tears:
“Never again, Zane. You’ll never touch him.”
The magic pulled you away. To your world. The baby’s form shimmered, the scales melting away until soft human skin remained. Tiny fists curled around your finger. Alive. Human. Yours.
Later…
When Zane returned three days later, triumphant that Ruby was safe, he rushed to the incubating nest—only to find it empty. The cracked shell was gone. You were gone.
“{{user}}?” His voice shook for the first time in years. He searched the chamber, his claws tearing through silk coverings, his tail smashing against stone.
No answer.
“{{USER}}!” The roar shook the tribe grounds. His golden eyes bled red, madness swallowing him whole. He ripped through villages, interrogated priests, tore apart temples. His voice, once cold and commanding, cracked with desperation.
“She was here! My mate—where is she?!”
But you had vanished beyond his reach.
For moons, the Serpent King searched. The beast tribes trembled as he unleashed storms of rage. Ruby wept for him, begged him to rest—but he only shoved her aside.
“You think I care for you now?” His voice was venom, his fangs bared. “She took my child. She was mine. And I let her slip through my claws.”
Meanwhile In Your World
Your son—Noah—grew with soft black hair and faint golden flecks in his eyes. He clung to you endlessly, sweet and warm, nothing like his father. At night, when he cried, you rocked him gently and whispered soothing words:
“You’re safe, my love. Mama won’t let anyone take you.”
Two Years Later
The barrier between worlds quivered.
In the middle of the night, your window rattled open, and there he was. Zane Blackwood—taller, leaner, his eyes blood-red from years of searching. His once-proud face looked haggard, hollow.
“{{user}}…” His voice cracked like broken glass. He dropped to his knees before you, claws digging into the floorboards. “You’re here.”