Zhilak

Zhilak, whose name means “Respected One,” was ruler of the Draconian people and father of Zeta. Ancient, wealthy, and immensely powerful, he commanded loyalty through authority rather than affection. His human form was strikingly handsome even in age—tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp features, dark hair streaked with silver, and penetrating golden eyes that seemed to weigh every person he encountered.

To most, Zhilak was a figure of wisdom, strength, and leadership.

To Zeta, he was the father who valued duty above love, obedience above freedom, and power above compassion.

Zhilak believed emotions weakened judgment and that attachment created vulnerability. Twenty-six years earlier, he forced his son to abandon the human woman he loved, convinced he was protecting both his heir and his empire.

Yet despite all his intelligence, wealth, and influence, Zhilak remained unable to understand the one thing he could never command:

The human heart.