Page 37 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate

It’s not an official Council meeting, anyway. That’s why it’s just Nova, my father, and me and my twin in the boardroom.

Father decided to make this meeting an intimate affair before they took the news of Rakon’s actions to the other elders and dragon clans. This way, they might be able to contain his behavior without things getting out of hand.

But when I’m brave enough to meet Nova’s eyes, I notice his dread.

“Rakon is missing,” Nova informs us with a wince. “He hasn’t been on Lizard Island since the Dragon Ball, and he’s cut communication with Fire Force.”

“What…?” Father gasps beside the man. “This is cause for concern, Nova.”

“I know,” Nova sighs, staring warily at me. “You were the last to see him, Stryker. Was there anything else you noticed?”

I shrug diffidently. “Nothing out of the ordinary, except his actions.”

Nova looks down as if he’s being weighed down by the brunt of Rakon’s behavior. “It makes no sense why he’s acting this way. I would have understood if he was under the influence of some other force. This is unlike him to act this way.”

“It will need to be reported to the others,” Father tells him gloomily. “If he’s gone rogue, he poses a threat to all the clans.”

“What if he was only out to get me?” I offer. “We have history, and maybe he was acting out to get back at me.”

Nova shakes his head. “He missed an important Council meeting last night. As the Beta of Fire Force, that was not just a coincidence. I don’t think this is about you, Stryker.”

I nod slowly as the two elders discuss a plan forward. They send out mental warnings to the other elders to inform them of Rakon’s disappearance and subsequent behavior, while Stryder and I report to our siblings to tell them to keep an eye out for Rakon.

No one understands why he’s acting out this way, posing a threat to his own kind. I’m just glad to learn that it wasn’t a personal vendetta that had the Fire Force Beta acting out. It wasn’t a retaliation to the past.

But even with that relief, I’m not entirely in the clear. Because of what he did in the mortal world, I’m left to deal with the aftermath in the form of Camilla’s resentment of me.

When the meeting concludes, I hang back to speak to my twin brother. Looking into the mirror of our identical resemblance, I see the polar opposites of our lives in broad daylight.

Stryder wears a look of pure relaxation on his face, his happiness evident in the twinkle in his eyes. He smiles at me while we wait for the elevator to arrive, seemingly oblivious to what’s going on in my personal life.

A pang of guilt floods my being. Since condemning him for what he did in the mortal world to keep me away from Camilla for three treacherous months, we’ve hardly been as close as we were for centuries. He’s also been busy now that his mate is on the island, and she’d just given birth to their dragonspirit child.

A daughter.

Clearing my throat when we enter the elevator, I timidly ask, “How’s Blair doing?”

My brother’s lips lift into a warm smile as he leans against the mirror. “Ah… She’s growing so quickly…” he beams proudly. “You’d be surprised how smart dragonspirit children are. She’s already sitting upright.”

I smile wistfully while listening to Stryder speak so fondly of his daughter. It was less than six months ago when he hated the idea of having to take a human mate. Now, he’s done a complete three-sixty and matured into a family man.

“How are things with you and your mate?” he asks cautiously.

I shiver nonchalantly. “She hates me, of course.”

“Of course,” he concedes with a hint of amusement. “You did what you needed to do. It seems the Vulkan brothers could never catch a break, huh?” he chuckles.

“It’s a curse, Brother,” I click my tongue shamefully. “I really thought everything would go as planned. But I wasn’t so lucky.”

As the elevator comes to a stop on the fifth floor, Stryder turns to me and smiles encouragingly.

“If it helps, I’ll ask Olivia to check up on her. Maybe with another human…” his voice falters off as he shrugs thoughtfully.

I step out and tentatively smile. “That would help a lot. I would have asked Kairo, but she decided to explore the world.”

Stryder chuckles. “I’m glad our sister finally got a break. She’d been a mediator in all our lives so far.”

“She could have waited for me to come back,” I wail, to which Stryder pats my shoulder encouragingly.

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