Page 53 of Brutal Alpha Dragon

Father clears his throat, leaving the Flame Serpents’ leader to respond. “That’s why we called you for an emergency meeting,” Nimbus explains. He glances at the other council members and then turns back to me.

“The Blaze Legion Alpha, Cadmus, has opposed the human mate process,” he continues. “He refuses to accept the rule made by the Dragon Council.”

“That only means the Blaze Legion clan suffers in numbers,” I remarked nonchalantly.

But when Nova, Fire Force’s elder, leans in with concern contorting his features, I feel the magnitude of what has been revealed.

“You don’t understand, Alpha Draco,” Nova shakes his head. “Cadmus isn’t taking this lightly. He will hear nothing of the new rule. And he’s gone as far as removing Zark from the Dragon Council.”

“Is he allowed to do that?” I ask with a frown. “I should give him a call—”

“I advise you not to do any such thing, Son,” Father interjects with the warning. His face is stern, and his eyes have a wary look. “We need to tread carefully regarding Cadmus and Blaze Legion. Right now, they’re unpredictable.”

Felix leans in and asks, “Have they made any threats against us?”

“Removing Zark from the Council is enough of a red flag,” Nimbus warns. “My suggestion is that you continue with training. Be on high alert.”

As the discussion about the Blaze Legion’s opposition to the human mating process continues, I can’t help but be relieved that I’d taken Lily home.

If we are at risk of a disagreement with Blaze Legion, it’s best she’s not in Aurora Island.

When the meeting ends, I’m left alone in the boardroom. Getting to my feet, I begin pacing the room, still conflicted about letting Lily go. Even though it was for her own safety—and this evening’s meeting proved that I’d made the right choice—I can’t shake off the feeling that there’s a void in her absence.

A void in my heart that seems to grow with every passing minute. Though I try not to wallow in this feeling of missing her, I do. I really do. Especially now, the feeling is so overwhelming that I’m spurred into motion. My feet carry me mechanically to the surveillance room down the hall.

Bursting through the door, I find Aidan manning the monitors, snacking on a club sandwich.

“Alpha,” he bows his head with a mouthful and quickly kicks his feet off the desk as he straightens up.

Chuckling, I pat him on the shoulder to ease his trepidations. “Don’t bother about my presence, Aidan. I’m just here to check up on the humans.”

“You need any help there, Alpha?” he asks when I’m at the Earth surveillance monitor.

With technology similar to that of the Cube of Knowledge—albeit less advanced without the use of DNA mechanisms—the monitor is a satellite that can be focused anywhere on Earth.

“Pull up surveillance on Redmond, Washington.”

Aidan nods as he dusts his hands from the crumbs of his sandwich and shuffles toward the keyboard. He rapidly taps the keys, then hits ‘Enter.’ It expands the screen into a three-dimensional format with an aerial view of the small town.

Swiping the screen and zooming in on Lily’s parents' house, I narrow my eyes to look closer at the dark figure looming in the backyard. As panic rises in my chest, I zoom in all the way until I see the cloaked figure climbing through her window.

“Shit!” I bellow, turning the image to get a clearer picture of the window. The dark figure disappears inside, and then comes a burst of color reminiscent of the shiting of a human into dragon form.

Pulling the screen into the pink bedroom, I find the bed empty.

“Quick!” I order Aidan, then. “Get Felix here. Now!”

The order comes from the realization that Lily has been abducted. The gods only know who or what has abducted her. But I have my suspicions.

And this time, I won’t make decisions on my own. I have to rely on those around me to find Lily and bring her back here. Her safety is my greatest concern.

Chapter 22 - Lily

I climb into bed as a discontented sigh escapes my lips. I’ve never been as disheartened as I feel today. And not because I haven’t been trying to get back into the routine of my ordinary life.

But no matter what I do, I just can’t seem to forget him.

He, whose name shall not be mentioned, plagues my thoughts and haunts my restless nights. When I finally do fall asleep, it always ends with me falling into the clutches of those godforsaken dreams and fantasies again.

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