Page 58 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

It leaves me wondering what comes next for Olivia and me. We have so much to discuss, but I worry I’ll be exiled from the island after what I did. We’d been so intent on keeping our existence a secret from the humans, but I’ve gone and revealed my identity. It must come as a great shock to those present in the toolshed earlier today.

As great a shock as it is to Draco.

“Why?” is all he asks as he turns to face me, his arms crossed as he flares his nostrils. He looks every bit the grandeur Alpha that he is, stern and apprehensive as he considers what I’ve done.

“Why?” I repeat, rising to my feet and standing tall with conviction, filling my chest. “I don’t really know, Brother. I guess I was caught in the moment, wanting to fulfill the duties Olivia set out to achieve.”

“Is it all because of your mate, then?” he asks with a raised brow.

“Yes,” I gulp. “I only saw her purpose when she told me why she was trying to get the man behind bars. The cause was greater than I imagined, and justice needed to be served.”

A long moment of silence stretches out between us as Draco stares at me intently. When he finally lets out a long, drawn-out sigh, he walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder.

“You really love her, don’t you?”

I nod, my tensions receding at how soft my brother’s approach has become. He’d been there when Olivia dragged me through the dirt for my deception and watched me make a complete fool of myself. Right now, none of that seems to matter, but Draco still asks,

“Then why did you lie to her before?”

I sigh heavily, finally letting my eldest brother know how I truly felt about the human mating process. He was unaware of my antics in the mortal world – only because Stryker hadn’t revealed any of it to him. Knowing my twin had my back all this time brings me great pride.

But when Draco doesn’t chastise me for how I felt before, I’m moved even more.

“It’s understandable, Stryder,” he sighs, taking a seat on the sofa behind him. “I, too, had a streak of unfulfilling endeavors when I visited the mortal world on my travels. But when I met Lily, everything changed. I suppose the Cube is correct in picking out our fated mates.”

“I thought it was a rare phenomenon,” I contemplate as I take back my seat.

“Perhaps us Vulkans are the exception,” he muses with a grin. “I take it you’ve come to realize that Olivia is not just any mate, but she is fated to you?”

“Yes, Brother,” I concede with a nod. “More than that, I’ve come to realize that I love her. It’s only a shame that now, I’ll have to face the Council.”

“Leave it to me,” Draco declares firmly. “The Council will have to understand that you were acting in the best interests of your mate.”

“Really?” I perk up, feeling a flicker of hope rising.

“Yes, Stryder. After all, we are opening our world to the humans as our mates. It’s only a matter of time before they learn of our existence. I will deal with the Council for now.”

Frowning, I shift toward the edge of the sofa and stare at my brother. “So, I’m not in trouble?”

“No,” Draco chuckles. “The only trouble you would have been in was if you didn’t fix things with your mate. That’s the kind of trouble that would have caused countless restless nights. I’m only glad you came to your senses.”

I smile at my brother, for the first time, feeling like I truly fit in. Not just the resident disappointment but someone who’s had to go through his own trials and tribulations to get to the other side.

A more peaceful side, that has me rushing to my quarters in a quest to have my slice of inner peace in my arms.

Chapter 24 - Olivia

Watching Stryder leaping off the balcony, I worry that he might not return. He’d spoken before of how the dragon shifter race worked hard to keep their identity a secret from the mortal world. That’s why the island isn’t visible from the outside.

I know because when I returned, I checked to see if the island was on any maps. To the outside world, it’s all ocean. Aurora Island doesn’t exist in the mortal world, nor do dragon shifters.

Gnawing on the nail of my forefinger, I gaze out at the island and silently pray that Stryder isn’t in too much trouble. I also wonder what’s going on in Sedona now that Hawks and the team have successfully captured Luca and his group of filthy thugs. They’d just witnessed Stryder storm inside the toolshed in dragon form – a creature no one had been expecting to see. Even I watched him in action, swiftly taking care of the Italian mob with the prowess of his dragon.

I know the repercussions can’t be good – not when the dragon shifter race has gone to great lengths to keep their existence a secret from the mortal world. I can only hope that Stryder will be okay and he can return to me soon.

Only God knows what’s going to happen now.

While I wait on the balcony, trepidation grows with every breath I take. I pae the floor, watching the sun retreat on the horizon to give way for the full moon. I stop only to take it all in, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves and closing my eyes to let the warm night air fill my airways. When a warm gust of wind billows out in front of me, blowing my hair out behind me, I smile with recognition.

---