Page 34 of Clash of Kings

“It’s perfect. My papa was five hundred seventy-three when I was born, so I figure we have a few years.”

“Excuse me?”

Chapter 15

Surely Dakota heardhim wrong. “Five hundred seventy-three?”

“That’s how long it took him to find my momma.”

“And he didn’t date or marry anyone before her?” Dakota couldn’t imagine being celibate that long.

“I’m sure he had dates or one-night stands. He’s not a saint. But no, he never married because he held out hope he would find his mate. My uncle Sinclair did get married over the years. He finally found his mate not long after papa found momma. And that’s another long story we’ll get to when we have more time. Something you should know is when you accept the mate bond, you’ll stop aging, and your life span will match mine. Can you imagine being alive hundreds of years?”

Turning to Sebastian, Dakota told him honestly, “Yes, I absolutely can imagine it. Just think of all the changes we’ll see together. But maybe we don’t wait five hundred years to have kids.”

Sebastian laughed. “I can agree to that.”

“If I stop aging, I’ll look twenty-five the rest of my life?” Bas nodded, and Dakota asked, “And you’ll look twenty-seven?”

“No. I’ll probably look to be in my late thirties. Will that bother you?”

“I’m sure you’ll age like fine wine, so no.”

Sebastian’s phone rang. Dakota read the name Nikita on the dash display, and jealousy flared as he answered it using a button on the steering wheel.

“Hey, Nik. What’s up?”

Nik?

“Bas, what the hell have you done?” the female asked, sounding stressed.

“You’ll have to be more specific. I’ve done a lot of things since we last spoke.”

“Goddess. Okay, so Kingston Bridgewater called Knox furious that he would put you in their pack’s orbit. Mads and I were having dinner with Knox when he called. Kingston claims you kidnapped one of his females. His Alpha Mate, more specifically, after you challenged him. What the hell?”

Dakota growled. “That overbearing fucker!”

“I’m assuming by your outburst you are the female and you went willingly?” Nikita asked.

“I’m Dakota, and yes, I went with Sebastian willingly. For the record, I was never going to be Alpha Mate.”

“Nik, Dakota is my fated mate. We were meeting with King about the shifter council, and he pulled the Alpha card when I mentioned wanting Dakota to be part of it. Things got out of hand. His second grabbed Lydia by the throat, Anthony kicked the male through the window, and King and I had words amid claws, fangs, wings, and posturing. I convinced him it would be wise to let us leave or else.”

“Fuck. Okay, so no kidnapping, but you did call him out in front of his pack?”

“I did. I told those around King it wasn’t dishonorable to stand down considering Gargoyles could wipe their pack out if we wanted.”

“He might have let you leave, but King is causing trouble all over the place. He has called other pack Alphas he knows telling them his side of the story.”

“How do you know that?” Sebastian asked.

“Because Mads tapped into his phone. My mate is scary when it comes to spying on people.”

“Aw, thank you, Nikki,” a male voice said.

“You’re welcome, Bubba.” What sounded like kissing came through the speakers.

“Uh, Nik, maybe swap spit later?” Bas suggested, and Dakota grinned, feeling much better knowing this female had a mate of her own.

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