Page 1 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate

Chapter 1 - Stryker

The tree rustling just outside the window is all I can hear right now, my father’s voice becoming distant and barely audible as I watch the leaves sway with the wind. A dance constructed by Mother Nature; I can’t help but picture myself doing the same.

Not alone, of course. But with the woman who’s meant to be my mate. I see her face clearly, her warm smile that reaches her sparkling hazel eyes, and imagine that she’s staring at me as I twirl her in a waltz around Aurora Island.

Gods… I miss seeing her face…

“Psst…” Felix nudges me in the ribs, jostling me from my daze and snapping my attention back to the meeting. “Earth to Stryker,” my older brother muses softly, lips curling in a satisfied smirk.

He knows exactly where my mind is going—to the human woman I’m meant to take as a mate, calculatedly picked out specifically for me thanks to the Cube of Knowledge. A technological advancement that has somehow been picking up the fated mates of all the Vulkan brothers before me, I’ve been highly anticipating having my turn come up in the human mating process.

The only difference is that I already know who my mate is. What did the Council think when they tasked me with transporting the Cube from Aurora Island to Samui Island last year?

I had to know who she was.

The only thing I’m waiting for is the go-ahead to seek her out actively. I’ve had to stick to the shadows all this time, not making myself known to her in the mortal world—in California,where she works as a tour guide in a local museum. I’ve also had to lie to my family, pretending I still have no idea who my mate is.

I glance over at Stryder, my twin brother, just as our Father gives us an update on the criminals my twin had helped to take down in the mortal world—a group of arms dealers who’d been on the radar of Stryder’s mate, Olivia. He’d taken them down, but not without exposing his dragon form. His face had been plastered all over the news, and we’d had to lie low for the past few months.

Especially since we share the same face. Because of his reckless behavior out there, I’ve been kept away from the mortal world.

Away from my mate.

Grunting my annoyance, I feign laughter when Father cracks a joke about the criminals who’d been captured. I’d barely paid attention to what he just said, but the gathering of my brothers and the members who form the Dragon Council of the four dragon clans spread across the four corners of the globe burst into lighthearted laughter.

They’d been watching the events of the arms dealer’s bust very closely, especially since Stryder’s face had been plastered all over the news in the mortal world thanks to police sketches. His punishment was having to remain on the island, and not being allowed to travel the mortal world until the news subsided.

It’s been my punishment, too.

My only consolation is that I haven’t been entirely honest with my twin. He’d been keeping secrets from me when he brought his mate, Olivia, to the island without telling anyone.

I’ve been keeping a secret of my own from him. I purse my lips when the laughter subsides, focusing on maintaining that secret without him catching wind of what I’ve been hiding from him for months. Because we’re twins, we share a connection, unlike the mind link we share with the rest of the Aurora Dragons. It’s been tough having to pretend that I don’t already know who my mate is, keeping the secret from the only brother who I’m the closest with.

It’s the only reason I’m able to forgive him for his actions that have prevented me from visiting the mortal world.

“It will come as a shock to them when we do decide to reveal our identity to the humans,” Felix comments.

“Of course,” Draco agrees. “But by then, those criminals will be long forgotten. Already, the news has turned to something else.”

The news comes highly anticipated, pulling all of my attention to the meeting I wasn’t interested in. “Does that mean it’s safe to travel to the mortal world again?” I perk up with hope, scratching the surface of my previous discontentment. As the youngest Vulkan brother, I’ve had to wait the longest for my turn in the human mating process.

With everyone unaware that I already know who she is, I’ve had to keep it to myself, wanting to follow every step the way the Council has set it out for us. Their instructions have been clear—since we’ll eventually reveal our existence to the mortal world, we cannot simply kidnap our mates and expect the forceful action to prove fruitful. It might have worked for both Draco and Aragon in the past, but the Council has since changed their methods since Draco suggested that we didn’t use force.

I’d never understood it, anyway. Kidnapping a human and bringing her to the island against her will never seem likethe appropriate thing to do when we are meant to spend the rest of our lives with our mates. Thanks to Draco’s mate, Lily, who’s now the Lady Dragon alongside her Alpha mate, the Council soon realized their mistake and decided to change their methods.

Stryder was meant to let his mate, Olivia, fall in love with him organically before coming to the island. It was only when he found her in danger, that he was forced to snatch her from the mortal world and bring her to safety on Aurora Island.

As the last Vulkan brother in line to get my human mate, I have to do things the right way. My mate will fall in love with me out there, and I’ll reveal my identity to her, and she’ll agree to come back to the island with me, where she’ll bear my children.

“Yes,” Father turns to me, and to my delight, he nods. “That’s why we’ve called you here. Since you are allowed to travel again, it’s time you learned who your mate will be.”

I nod steadily, though I’m mentally doing cartwheels and rejoicing about this news.

Finally, I’ll get to go back to the mortal world, where I’d been keeping tabs on my human mate for months. This time, I can show myself to her, and not have to hide in the shadows and act as if I’m not excited for what’s to come. I’ve seen all my brothers find the happiness that lies in the arms of their mates.

It’s my turn now.

The only pretense I have to maintain is my surprise when the Cube of Knowledge is brought out, and my father unleashes its powers to bring forward the details of my human mate. The holographic image that appears in the air for everyone to see has her details highlighted in the air, but none of the information is new to me.

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