At the male's words, Layla tensed beside him. Moving his hand under the table, he lightly placed it over her knee, letting her know he was there if she needed him.
Layla had barely contained the disappointment and anger at her parents ignoring her before she sat across from Azar Samadi.
Aye, he was a bit older than when she'd met him the one time, with a few gray hairs amidst the black and deeper lines around his mouth. But it was him, the male her parents had selected to be Yasmin's mate.
Azar's father was nowhere to be seen, though. In fact, all of the dragonmen on the other side of the table were young-ish. She wondered if it was by design, to make Finn and the others underestimate him.
Her dragon murmured, Or, maybe they are here without the older ones knowing.
Having dealt with her fair share of death over the years, Layla didn't expect everything to automatically be happy in the end. And her dragon's suggestion would be too easy.
However, a small part of her wished more than anything that matters could be settled in this one meeting, allowing Yasmin to lead a normal life again.
And once Azar said he wanted to make things right, Layla tensed and held her breath. Chase's touch on her knee helped her to breathe again. However, it did nothing to lessen the pounding of her heart.
Finn paused a second before replying, "As I understand it, someone stealing away your intended mate is quite a grievous offense. Is this true?"
Azar didn't blink an eye. "Traditionally, yes. But there is no clan law that dictates punishment. At least, not anymore. It was still in effect when Yasmin ran away."
Layla leaned forward, but Finn was the leader and was in control of the conversation. Her clan leader asked, "What do you mean not anymore? Here on Lochguard, we like straightforward. So just tell me what I need to know, aye?"
Azar shrugged. "I prefer that way, too. It's how we ended up with the splintering of dragon clans in the last few years in Iran."
"Splintering of dragon clans?" Faye MacKenzie echoed. "How do we not know about this?"
Azar glanced at Faye. "Because we're very good at keeping secrets."
Finn jumped in, which was probably good given the frown on Faye's face. Lochguard's leader grunted. "You're being vague again."
Azar shrugged. "In short, Yasmin's disappearance triggered a fight within the clan. My father wanted to go after her and force her to mate me. I told him to let her go."
Layla blinked. "Let her go?"
The corner of Azar's mouth ticked up. "Yes. As much as I was willing to mate a female to help my father's position within the clan, I have some pride. I wasn't about to force a female who'd rather run and hide than stay with me."
Layla's jaw dropped as she tried to digest the news.
Azar wouldn't forcefully try to take Yasmin away or punish her.
The Iranian male continued, "The struggle had been brewing for some time—the younger generations against the old. You live on an island, in the northern section that hasn't had nearly as many invaders and conquerors as once Persia and now Iran. One of the ways the dragon clans in the region kept their identities despite the ever-changing humans in power was through our own traditions. However, as neighboring clans in Pakistan and Turkey began modernizing their ways, the Iranians fought against the shift. They wanted to remain secluded to honor the old ways. Except this created a growing problem—a dwindling population."
Finn tilted his head. "So you didn't mate humans, either?"
Azar shook his head. "No. It's why my father and others had to start reaching out to those who had left Iran, to determine if they could arrange matings with their children, or at least those who were pure dragon-shifter. We desperately needed to introduce new blood into the clan. Even facing trouble, my father and the others in power didn't want the taint of human blood in our midst. A ridiculous notion, I will state for the record."
His words made Layla wonder if he fancied a human female himself.
Pushing the thought aside, Layla glanced at her mother, but she still stared at the table. She burned to ask if her mother knew about all of this—including the struggles and the enforcement of old ways—before she'd sent Yasmin away.
And yet, she couldn't do it right now and risk interrupting Finn's line of questioning.
Her dragon whispered, They will still be here after, which means no more running or avoiding them. We'll have to confront them.
Layla agreed with her beast.
"When did the clans start splintering?" Finn inquired.
Azar didn't miss a beat. "About three or four years ago. It's mostly settled or I wouldn't be here. Those who want to cling the old ways live in the eastern half of Iran. Those of us like me, who are trying to embrace the present, live in the western half."