Page 21 of Pregnant Rejected Mate

She steps out from behind and faces me. “Has my brother not told you?”

“I mean—” I gulp, realizing that I’d barely given him the chance to speak. I’d been so angry, he couldn’t say much. “No. We haven’t spoken.”

She sighs discontentedly. “Of course not,” she shakes her head, muttering under her breath, “They always need me to be the mediator.” She looks up again. “Your father was hired by someone in the mortal world to find our location. ‘Cause our existence is top secret, we had to bribe him into silence. The Council—which is made up of the dragon shifter elders—took it a step further and discovered that you are a match for my brother. So they offered your father double the amount on condition that you agreed to come here.”

Once again, my whole world crumbles around me. Everything I thought I knew isn’t true anymore.

My father lied to me. Why am I not surprised?

I fight back the tears in my eyes, wanting so badly to be strong and failing dismally. Kairo notices and instantly pulls me into her arms, and that’s the moment I cave and let the tears spill out.

Ever since coming here, all I’ve been doing is sobbing.

“He lied to me…” I whisper through my tears. Only when the words have left my lips do I realize the statement holds for both my father and Felix.

Felix and I lived together for six months, and I had no idea he was a weredragon. He lied to me when he promised never to leave my side, only to leave me with a few fleeting words scribbled on paper.

“I’m sorry, Sierra,” Kairo apologizes, even if she isn’t the one who lied to me. She’s the only one who’s being open and honest. She pulls back, staring at me with the most compassionate emerald eyes. “My brother is dealing with what happens next. I’m sure he’ll take you back home when he’s figured out what to do.”

“My father?” I ask out of curiosity, not concern.

“We don’t believe in killing humans,” she assures me. “And Felix hates the idea of using force, either.”

Instinctively, I turn toward the door. Her blind trust in her brother seems invalidated.

“I don’t really hate the idea of being here…” I begin. “But I can’t be locked up like I’m a prisoner.”

Kairo sighs. “I’ll speak to Felix about that. There’s no need for you to be locked in this room.”

I nod, staring at the balcony. If I’m to execute my grand plan, I’ll need to be able to walk around freely. Flaunt myself in front of him. “Yeah, I’d like to see the rest of the island.”

“Oh, you’ll love it!” she says excitedly, following me out to the balcony. “There’s a spot on Mount Aurora that you’ll love. It’s next to the waterfall, so all you hear is the gushing of water.”

I gasped, suddenly becoming more interested in what the island offered. The way the sun’s bright glow hits every corner of the island and illuminates the pretty colors is tempting. I soak in the scenery, eyes raking up the waterfall ahead. “You have to take me there!”

“Of course,” Kairo bleats. “It’s gonna be our meditation spot.”

Frowning, I turn to Kairo. “Our meditation spot?”

She blushes, pursing her lips. “I might have done some digging. I know about your yoga studio in Charlottesville.”

“Right,” I say with a nod, turning back to the view of the island and smiling warmly. “So, you’re into meditation too?”

“Yeah…” she replies. “It’s how I pass most of my time.”

“It’s no wonder you’re the sweetest weredragon I’ve met,” I muse. With Kairo on my side, I’ll be able to exact my revenge without hassle.

“You’ve only met two so far,” she giggles. “As soon as Felix agrees to let you out of the room, you’ll meet the others.”

Chapter 9 - Felix

Overhearing some of Sierra and Kairo’s conversation fills me with hope. Deciding to give her some space and time to adjust, I head down for the day. I know my sister will take good care of Sierra, even if I want to stuff for her. I’d love to walk down memory lane—to make Sierra breakfast from scratch and take it to her in bed. To kiss her forehead as her eyelids flutter open and witness a smile grow on her face when she sees me.

The memories of simpler times squeeze my heart with the recognition of the pain I must have caused her. To say that we’d been happy while we lived together in that small apartment would be putting it mildly.

While I watched Sierra chase her dreams, nudging her forward, I couldn’t help but believe that things would never work out between us. We were from different worlds, and roping her into mine would have stolen her ambitions and the future she deserved.

Now that she’s here, even if by force, I know this is the second chance I’d been dreaming about.

---