The Devil's Cursed Witch

At the crack of dawn, Ember woke up. Draven was still sitting in his chair, staring outside. Sleep hadn't come to him when his mate wasn't in his arms. Sensing her movement, he went to her. Her face looked better compared to how pale she had been when she first woke up.

She opened her eyes, spotting Draven, and felt relieved. He helped her sit up in bed, her hand still holding Morpheus'.

"He hasn't woken up yet?" Ember asked, fighting against the lingering pain in her heart.

Draven shook his head. "It might take a little more time."

Ember nodded and turned to Morpheus, noticing something. "His hair color—has it changed, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"You're seeing it right. His hair has turned gold from gray-blue," Draven confirmed.

She extended her hand to touch the silky gold hair. "Why did it change color? He looks like Aureus now, with gold hair."

"I'm not sure either, but maybe forming a bond with you has increased his powers, turning him into a gold divine eagle, the most powerful form of his kind."

"You mean he's risen in rank?" Ember asked.

"Seems like it," Draven replied, as surprised as Ember, but both felt happy about it.

Out of the four ranks in the divine eagle clan, gold is the most powerful and rare. They are like the kings of the clan. Gray-blue, like Morpheus and his uncle Agraleus, is the second rank, possessing the power of gold but only using it when fighting enemies or acting as the strongest warriors. They are fewer in number compared to the brown and blue eagles, who are numerous and perform lower tasks like soldiers, patrolling, spying, and manual labor in the clan.

"After everything he's suffered, losing his powers entirely, I think this is a good thing, right?" Ember commented.

Draven hummed in agreement and asked, "How's the pain? Is it still hurting?"

She nodded. "But it's not as bad as before. It's a little more bearable now."

"You must be hungry. How about you have a meal first?"

"Can you call for Reya and Clio? I'd like to take a bath first. Warm water might soothe the pain in my heart."

Draven agreed and called for her two servants.

Reya and Clio arrived to help her while Draven left for his own chamber, giving her privacy.

In the bath, Reya and Clio prepared warm water for Ember to soak in. Just as Ember settled into the water, Clio remarked, "That's a beautiful mate bond mark you have now, Lady Ember."

Ember followed Clio's gaze, which was fixed on her chest. Lowering her head, she tried to see the mark but couldn't make it out clearly. However, she knew something golden was shining over her heart.

Reya gasped as well. "That's such a beautiful mark! It looks like it's the bond mark with Commander Morpheus."

"I can't see it clearly," Ember mumbled, feeling curious herself.

Reya quickly fetched a mirror and held it in front of her. "Now you can."

Ember looked into the mirror, her fingers tracing the pair of golden wings tattooed on her fair skin—gold wings spread wide on either side, covering her heart. It was a symbol that her heart and soul were now connected to the owner of these golden wings.

The mark was so beautiful that she didn't want to look away. Not only was it aesthetically pleasing, but she also felt an emotional bond with it, just as she had when she first saw her bond mark with Draven.

"It's beautiful," she mumbled in a daze, her fingers carefully feeling every inch of it.

"You are one of the rare and fortunate females to have such beautiful and powerful bond marks, Lady Ember. One with a dragon, and now another with a divine eagle," Clio said happily. "And we are fortunate to serve the strongest female this kingdom has seen in so long."

Ember didn't know how to respond, as she had never desired to be the strongest. But she was happy to feel this new connection. It was as if she had never been so at peace. The instability she had once felt within her had suddenly disappeared. Her core felt more stable than ever.

"Is it because of this other bond? Morph did say before marking me that he had a solution to stabilize my core. Now I understand what he meant.'

"Commander will be over the moon when he sees his mark on his mate," Reya commented.

"Morph?" Ember asked.

Clio chuckled. "Who else? Every beast dreams of seeing their mark on their mate. It's the greatest pleasure of their entire existence, and it's their right to see it."

Ember looked at the mark again and realized it was in a rather intimate place to show anyone, even her mate. 'But he is my mate, so it wouldn't be wrong, right?' she thought, trying to reassure herself.

Despite her efforts to calm down, she felt embarrassed. She could be completely bare in front of Draven without hesitation, but standing before someone else, even if that person was her mate now, felt a bit awkward. 'What if he asks to see it? Maybe it's okay.'

After her bath, Ember dressed in fresh clothes and was ready to enjoy a good meal. She was ravenous, her energy drained from the bond-marking process. It reminded her of how hungry she had been after Draven marked her.

Clio and Reya made sure she had everything she wanted and ensured she ate well. Draven came to her, dressed in new clothes, looking as if he was ready to return to his duties.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked.

"After a tasty meal, I definitely am," she replied with a smile as they both stepped out onto the balcony of her study. She longed for some fresh air after spending so much time resting in her chamber.

She inhaled deeply. "Now I feel alive again."

Draven wrapped an arm around her waist as he stood next to her. Even with another mate in the picture, nothing seemed to change between them, and that pleased him.

"Draven, um… I have another mark now," she admitted.

He simply hummed in acknowledgment.

She turned to look at him. "But I'm puzzled. I don't feel any pull toward him like I felt toward you when we needed to complete our bond. Don't he and I need to complete our bond by…?" She swallowed the rest of her words.

"This bond doesn't require you to consummate it. It's already completed," Draven answered but held the entire truth from her, deciding to leave it at Morpheus to reveal if he wished to.

The truth that- Though Ember can't feel the pull and treat Morph normally like before as her friend, Morpheus would feel the pull towards her and it would be difficult for him if they won't mate.

"There are no flowers or symbols in the mark, just a pair of golden wings. It feels like he's fully devoted to the bond, but I'm somehow free from it, even though I feel a connection with him."

"You're not imagining it. That's exactly how this bond works. I told you before, your bond with Morph is different from mine."

She nodded. "What kind of bond is it, then?"