Dumped by a Phoenix, Chosen by a Dragon

At a prestigious academy where magical familiars define a mage’s worth, Evan Vale sacrifices everything to prove himself to Amber, only to be rejected and humiliated. Given a chance to choose a familiar, he searches for someone loyal enough to care about him. Instead, he discovers Freya, a dragon whose bloodline has never awakened and whom everyone has abandoned. Learning her gentle past and grim fate, Evan sees loneliness reflected in hers—and chooses the familiar no one else wants.