Page 27 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

From what Mac had said about the dragon, they were a pain in the ass. Dragons lived longer than kobolds, and they took their sweet time considering every possibility before making a decision. Mac's dragon had agreed to let the kobolds breed above ground after only a few months' time. According to Lark, that was a damn dragon miracle, knowing what we knew now.

"The dragon is lonely," Mac said when I asked him for an estimated timeline on the sand pit. "I hate to put you in danger like this, but it might help if you and Tuft shared why the sand pit is so important, in person."

"I can take you up there," Weld offered. He held out his hand, and I shook it. "I'm Weld."

"Axel. Nice to meet you." My animosity toward him seemed to calm when our hands touched, and his scent surrounded me. Tuft looked nothing like him, and his competing scent in the presence of another alpha calmed me like nothing I'd ever experienced.

"You visit the dragon often?" I asked.

"Class trips," Weld said. "I've been meaning to ask them a few questions of my own. I can show you the way, and then we can part ways once you've gotten your answer on the sand issue."

"You're not interested in a recreation league?" I asked. Weld's sparring session with Lark, where he'd tagged Lark's ear in victory, was legendary. When my classmates learned my fated mate was his former mate, some of them told me to fear for my life.

I wasn't afraid of him. I could tell from his body language and the casual way Tuft regarded him. They were friends, not lovers. Not anymore.

"It's a fun idea," Weld said. "I would have been curious a couple years ago, but now, I'm more focused on exploring Ignitas."

He and Tuft exchanged a look I didn't understand. There would always be a past between them, one I wasn't a part of, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from making a friend. "What are you doing tonight?" I asked. "It's almost dinnertime in the cafeteria, and I'm starving."

"I could eat." Weld grinned at Tuft. "You coming? Or would I be a third wheel on a date?"

"Not a date. I think I'll grab mine to go. You two have fun!"

We walked back to the fortress together. True to his word, Tuft grabbed one of the brown bagged meals from the to-go counter and waved as he walked to the door that would take him into the omega wing.

Weld and I grabbed trays and waited for the betas to serve us. Tonight's offering was chicken and biscuits.

"How do you like Ignitas so far?" Weld asked as we sat down at an empty table.

"I'm getting used to it, I think. There's so much to learn."

He nodded. "I spent my first year ignoring my teachers. Don't be like me."

"Ignoring? How so?"

"I thought this whole fated mates thing was bullshit." He sighed. "Then, they said our race was at risk of extinction, and I took matters into my own hands, thinking I was smarter than fate. I'm sorry if I've fucked anything up between you and Tuft."

"I was jealous when I first saw you together today, but then?—"

"You knew." Weld nodded. "He's your omega, and his presence calmed you down and made you forget why you were jealous in the first place."

"Yeah. Similar experience?"

"I hated Lark. Envied him, if I'm being honest. He was better than me at everything. Sparring, magic, and he has a dire weasel. I have yet to bond with an animal." Weld huffed a laugh. "It sounds so silly now. He's the father of my fated mate. The moment I met Robin, the world went quiet around us, and I knew, I just knew. He's the one for me."

He chuckled. "Lark and I laugh about it now. I must have been able to smell my mate on him."

"You have a long wait ahead."

He nodded. "I deserve it." He gazed at me, and I swore he could look into my soul. "You don't have to wait. Your fated mate is an adult, and he's perfect for you. I smelled you on him when he visited me in the grotto, and now, I can smell him on you. You're already imprinting."

"This is all so new." My laugh sounded nervous, even to me. Imprinting was not part of the human dating experience. "I don't want to hurt him or scare him. I think he's worried to do the same to me."

"It's great that you're doing this sports thing together, and he had a great time watching the movie with you." Weld grinned. "Don't wait too long, that's all I'm saying. Finding your fated mate is unlike any dating experience we had on Earth. I have yetto see an unhappy mating here, though Tuft and I would have been the first."

After we said goodbye at the grotto entrance, I resisted the urge to turn toward Tuft's room to talk to him. He'd wanted space, so I would give it to him.

I was surprised to find him on my porch when I got home. Beside the case of water Coz had dropped off when I first moved in, a porch swing hung from the rafters, and that's where Tuft sat, staring up at the cloudy sky.

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