Joss woke to the sound of his dragon growling uncontrollably inside his mind. His mate still lay on his chest, her breath puffing over his flesh. The need of his inner dragon raged, and his cock stood stiff and erect under the blanket.

He never would have believed that he would feel so much for a woman who was not his first love. The emotions and desires that stirred inside his body and mind were overwhelming in their intense force.

Rubbing his eyes, he growled irritably. The woman was not ready for his cock. He would surely rip her in two if he tried to enter the tiny creature now. She needed more time. But that didn’t seem to matter to his dragon. Claws and fangs scratched and gnashed against the backs of his eyes.

He couldn’t stand the searing pain and stood with a quiet roar. He had to get away from the girl before he was forced to do something they would both regret. She could never carry his young if he damaged her fragile body.

He flicked the spot at the base of his neck that made his uniform spread out over his body. Today he would finalize the plans to begin construction of the new, New York City. He’d told his bride he would consider her designs.

He stood over the bed, looking at her curves rise and fall under the blanket. Joss had worked all his life to come to his position. It was only granted to him through his sheer determination, skill, and more than a little talent.

Before he had even left Draconia, he had decided to use the plans common for all colony planets. Earth was now a Draconian colony. Since the Mulgor invasion, rebuilding efforts classified it as such.

Before the Mulgor had destroyed the infrastructure, they’d been classified differently. But now, Draconia was claiming this world as its own. He had his orders from the president. Colonize. Secure the native populations for further breeding.

The dragon inside his mind grumbled, reminding him that he had to appease his woman somehow. She would eventually come around and agree with him. The pheromones in his semen would see to that. But at the same time, her concerns were beginning to have an effect on him as well. He believed that the colonialization of Earth required the same architectural design as all other Draconian colonies. But his bride’s words were beginning to mingle with the sound of his inner dragons growling. Perhaps there was something to it.

He shook his head, trying to shake out the ludicrous idea of listening to a young human female about such things. She may have some human education, but he was still the Grand Architect of Draconia. He would always have more experience, skill, and knowledge than the human female. Reconstruction would go ahead as planned.

He strode out of his apartment and made his way down the hall to his office. His assistants and advisers were already present in the meeting room. He sat at the head of the table and looked into the eyes of the other Draconian males sitting around the table.

“Tomorrow, we will begin construction,” he said to his crew.

“But sir, the humans are objecting to our design. They refused to leave their camps.”

“These humans are ridiculous. They don’t know what’s good for them. They would rather live in squalor than in buildings with sanitation and running water. I can’t believe we are breeding with such infantile creatures.”

“What are we supposed to do if they won’t move?” one of his assistants asked.

“We will move them by force.”

“Sir? Is that wise?”

“We have orders from the president to reconstruct Earth and provide the human inhabitants with the necessities of life. We will do that. They are fighting against their own good. These irrational creatures make no sense.”

At that very moment, the door to his office pushed open and his mate walked through. She had a smile on her face that he knew would disappear as soon as she got a look at the blueprints on the holographic screen above the table.

“Can I use your tools to show you my idea for the new, New York City?” Octavia asked.

“You may,” he said.

She stepped further into the room and looked at the holographic screen. Her face fell and contorted into rage.

“What is this?” she growled, pointing at the blueprints.

“These are the plans for the reconstruction,” he said nonchalantly.

“You promised me that you would look at my plans.” Her tone was angry and hurt. It stung his heart unexpectedly. His dragon scratched at the back of his eyes, and for the first time, Joss felt regret.

“You can show me your plans later,” he said in a low voice.

“What difference will it make if you’re going to use your own plans?” she asked.

“You will have shown me. Perhaps we will use your plan in another city.”

His heart hurt. Maybe he had been wrong all along. The feelings stirring in his chest and his gut were foreign to him. He’d been so closed off to anything she had to say. After the pain he’d suffered the first time he’d fallen in love, he never wanted to feel that again. And he had steeled himself against ever being vulnerable to another woman as long as he lived.

But now, he was beginning to realize that it had been a mistake to close himself off to Octavia, his mate. He never should have treated her this way. He should have listened to her from the beginning.

“You fucking asshole,” she said. She turned on her heel and stormed out the door.

His dragon gnashed against his mind with his sharp teeth. Something was happening to him. Something was changing inside him. He was softening to this woman. These feelings, these gentle, affectionate feelings of respect and admiration were peculiar.

He hadn’t felt anything like this for quite some time. And as he examined them more, he realized that his feelings for the human woman where boundlessly greater than anything he had ever felt for his first love.

He stood from the table with a start, realization sparking in his mind. He had been a fool. A damned fool. His human female was an expert in his own field, and he had rejected her because of his wounds from the past. He pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring the questions of his assistants as he walked away from the table.

“Sir? Sir?”

He didn’t answer; he simply strode out the door. He had to find her and tell her how he really felt. It was time to give her everything she deserved. The respect. The love. The reverence that his mate should have had from him from the very start. If she would ever even speak to him again. He could see how he had betrayed her, hurt her. He wouldn’t blame her if she refused him and allowed his dragon to drive him mad.

As he stumbled down the hallway, emotions crashed inside his body and his dragon thrashed inside his mind. He barely heard the pinging of his communication device on the inside wrist of his uniform. The insistent pinging continued until he stopped and slid two fingers down the inside of his wrist.

“Grand Architect Noro,” Commander Or said. “Might I have a word with you?”

“Now is not the best time,” Joss said, cringing from the pain.

“It is imperative that we speak now, before any construction begins.”

“What is it, Commander?” Joss said, holding his hands to his temples to try to drown out the sound of his dragon’s screams. He felt as if his skull would crack in half. The pain was overwhelming, and he could barely hear as Commander Or continued to speak.

“It has been brought to my attention that you haven’t altered your reconstruction plans.”

“Yes,” was all Joss could say through the pain in his mind.

“You have to understand, Architect Noro, this type of housing is completely inappropriate for a city like New York. Especially since you plan to build it right over Central Park. New York City is a monument for humanity. It’s more than just a city. It’s the center of art and culture, finance and fashion. We cannot turn New York City into a Draconian mining colony.”

“I’m beginning to understand that, Commander Or.” Joss could barely stand. This was the madness of the mating impulse. He had gone against the instinct of his dragon and was paying the price. He’d disrespected his bride. He’d hurt her. He’d done everything in his power to make her feel small, and his dragon did not agree with his behavior.

“Your bride is an expert in the field of human city development. Why are you not taking her suggestions seriously? Every other Draconian male who has been blessed with a human bride has given her all due respect. Many of our brides have crucial jobs that add exponentially to the power of our mission. We cannot do what we do without them.”

“I’ve been wrong,” Joss said. “I’ve been a fool. All along, I believed I was the superior one. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. My bride has been trying to tell me. She has been so brave and strong, and I have disrespected her. I deserve the insanity my mating impulse would bring without her.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Grand Architect Noro. Go find your bride and apologize to her. Listen to what she has to say. She is a native of the city and an expert in her field. I am sure that the two of you together can create something that would be acceptable to both Draconians and humans alike.”

“Yes, sir,” Joss said.

Commander Or disappeared, and Joss continued down the hall, barely able to stand. He had to find her. He had to tell her that she had been right all along.