Page 42 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

“Sorry?” he interjects confusedly, prompting me to look up to find him frowning. “What for?”

“I–” I shrug. “I’ve been lying to you, too, Brother. I didn’t–”

Stryker cuts me off with a reassuring hand on my shoulder, shaking his head. “I am just glad you finally spoke your truth, Stryder. I knew something was bothering you since we learned about the human mating process.”

I frown at the recognition in his eyes, the pride that swells his chest. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Have you known me to ever pry?” he chuckles, leaning against the wall and casually shoving his hands into his pockets. “No matter what goes on in this place, I just observe from the outside. Things usually take care of themselves.”

I stare long and hard at my brother, realizing that he’s more mature than I ever gave him credit for. It’s true; Stryker has always observed situations from the outside while not getting actively involved. With me, I thought I was just doing a really good job at pretending.

Of course, my twin brother saw right through me.

“Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I suppose the Council will address me soon enough,” I sneer. The elevator doors open on the thirteenth floor, and I proceed outside with my head hanging.

“They’ll probably cut you some slack,” Stryker offers as he follows me into the hallway of my quarters. “With Felix, they accepted that he wanted to hand over the Beta position to Aragon. We’re Vulkans, Stryder; they’re allowed to make exceptions to accommodate our needs.”

“Right…” I let out a slow exhale, coming up to my bedroom door. “It’s not necessary that I produce children for the clan or have a mate or any of that.” I throw him a convincing smile – one I have to force forward.

Stryker raises a skeptical brow. “Why do I sense your disappointment?”

“Disappointment?” I chuckle with nervous nonchalance. “I’m not disappointed. Relieved, yeah, but not disappointed.”

“You know I can tell you’re lying again, right?” he asks matter-of-factly.

I scoff bemusedly, a nervous hand reaching for the bedroom door. There’s no escaping what I truly feel - not from my twin brother. He knows me better than anyone else, so there’s no point in lying to him.

As I open the door to my bedroom, I sigh and turn to Stryker. “What if I am disappointed?” I wince as I ask the question. “I didn’t think I would be. After all, I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want to care…”

“So you do care? Despite how you felt about the human mating process, you find yourself caring about Olivia?”

“Yes– I mean, no,” I shake my head. “I–I don’t know. It’s probably my dragonspirit needing to be protective of her.”

“What if it’s not?” he offers. “What if the need to protect her is more than that?”

“More than that?”

Stryker nods. “What if you actually do care about her?” With a pointed finger, he prods the left side of my chest. “What if your heart finally opened up?”

“My heart?” I scoff dismissively, swatting his hand away and entering my bedroom. “That’s not possible. There’s no place in my heart for love. I have you guys – my family – to love.”

“And to protect us, isn’t it?” Stryker raises a brow again. “That’s what love is. It’s protection, care, wanting to be around them.”

Stryker glances over his shoulder and peels himself off the doorframe. “Kairo’s on her way up here. I’ll tell her you need some time alone.” He throws me a warm smile before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

He’s just left me alone in my bedroom with some food for thought. Does protection mean love?

How is that even possible when the need to protect Olivia came about long before I knew her? All I knew was that I needed to protect her when I witnessed her being kidnapped.

Can it happen the other way around? Can protection lead to love? Or am I grappling at straws, trying to validate what I did by making excuses for my conflicted thoughts and desires?

Maybe I’d been too sheltered in my life as a dragon shifter on Aurora Island. It was comfortable. I was able to do whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it, without cause for repercussion.

I was so adamant about hanging onto that feeling of uncaring freedom without being responsible for someone else’s life. That’s it. That’s what I’d been afraid of – having to protect someone else outside of the dragon clan. It was too much of a weight to bear, and that’s why my inner dragon severed ties with me for a fleeting moment. I needed to see that there’s more to life than just being a dragon shifter.

There’s more to just loving one’s family. I do have love in my heart that surpasses the dragonspirit in me. I, as a man, am capable of loving a human.

I know this because it’s love I feel for Olivia.

---