Page 1 of Alpha Dragon's Wings of Love

Chapter One

Nolan

When my brothers and I agreed to go out into the big world and find our fated mates —or try to—it felt a bit like tempting Fate.

And that was what it was. But with our kind nearly extinct, we knew our chances were not great. My dragon had been pushing me to find our other half for some time, and I was never going to locate them in the area we lived in. So, I packed up and headed out with no idea where I’d end up and only a vague hope that my instincts, or maybe my dragon, would guide me in the right direction. At best, I’d find my mate, and at worst, I’d get to see some of the country. Sounded healthier than just sitting around and twiddling my thumbs, mourning the lack of someone to complete my life.

Some dragon shifters seemed fine with never having a mate, but my brothers and I were not among them. Not without giving it our best shot, at least. As I turned onto the highway, I was determined to use this time to at least grow and change. It would be an adventure to look back on in my lonely old age as I wondered who to leave my hoard to.

Rumor had it dragons buried their hoard with them, but I’d never heard of it actually being done.

I’d been on the road for days, and I couldn’t face the odd chemical smells of another roadside motel, so I pulled into a rest stop when my truck overheated. I’d had a vague idea that I’d find lots of places to shift along the way, but so far, everywhere I’d been had been too populated to take a chance. An animal like a wolf or large cat could conceal themselves with trees or brush, but a dragon in the sky?

Visible for miles.

Even at night, there was so much ambient light, I feared discovery or worse. Tales of dragons shot out of the sky by hunters were rampant among the young ones, and I had no reason not to believe them. I’d seen way too many pickup trucks with gun racks to doubt it. Many humans seemed to have a shoot first and ask questions later ethos.

Dragons did have a flame defense, but that would not serve against someone shooting from many yards away, especially if we didn’t know they were down there. No, I would have to stay in two-legged, no-winged form until I found a place with no people around for a long distance or at least no structures. Even farmlands were too risky.

Only recently having had my first shift, I was anxious to stretch my wings, learn more about my dragon, and enjoy soaring over the Earth. My dragon, who wasn’t always the most agreeable of creatures, was running low on patience. Although I understood he’d always been a part of me, he’d never had the freedom to emerge and fly until that first shift, and he had every reason to want to exercise that freedom going forward.

But he’d been 100 percent behind this trip, and as I reminded him frequently, that meant he’d have to chill until I found a place where he could take flight safely. And this rest stop wasn’t that place. It was one of those roadside stops with only places to park and an indoor sort of lounge area to get out of the weather, bathrooms adjoining. A couple of food trucks were parked in the lot outside, and I’d get something to eat after I used the facilities and walked around a bit to stretch my legs.

In a hallway circling the outside of the lounge, with various openings into the main area, were historical photos, showing images of the area, and I strolled around looking at them and considering what it must have been like to live here. The rest area was a few miles outside of a town that looked run-down and sad. But the people in the photos of years gone by were at all sorts of events like town picnics and politicians speaking on stages topped by bunting. A parade, holiday gatherings, and the grand opening of the factory that had employed many of the folks for nearly a century.

I’d driven by it, a massive structure that appeared larger than the town itself, gated and abandoned. No wonder the town was on its last legs with its main employer gone. I’d already seen other similar locations along the way.

Not the exciting happy adventure I’d set out for. But I was determined to continue on with the attitude that not everywhere were people going to be suffering so much. So far, these had all been humans, since shifters tended to avoid the towns, especially those overtaken by poverty, drugs, and other such plagues.

I finished my circuit of the photographs and went to cut through the middle of the lounge area. There were tables and chairs where people could sit and eat or rest out of the weather, but I planned to grab some tacos from one of the trucks and eat as I drove. It was a good break, refreshing me to continue on my way. But I hadn’t taken two steps when I froze, my nose twitching.

Mate.My dragon chirped in excitement.

I know. I scent them too.It was strong, sweet, and sensual and infused the area around me. My mate was here. Only—they weren’t. The half dozen who sat at the tables eating tacos or pizza or drinking coffee were all humans. Not that I was prejudiced against humans, and I had heard of shifters who mated with them, although not dragons. But it was no matter because the enticing scent did not come from anyone present.

I ran outside and looked around the lot, skidded over to the food trucks, but the only scent there was Mexican and Italian food. Moving between the parked cars, I sniffed, surreptitiously, but it didn’t matter because there was zero sign of them.

Of him.

My mate had been here, and I’d missed him.

Crushing disappointment nearly sent me to my knees. Until now, a mate had been more of a concept than a person. But once that scent entered my nostrils, I got it. I’d thought I could live without a mate all my life if necessary… I added water to my radiator and climbed into the driver’s seat.

In case he came back, I sat in my car for as long as I could before a security guard told me there was a time limit, and then I drove on down the road. Back the way I came.

I’d missed him. The words echoed in my head over and over. I thought he might be in the closest town, although if he’d been in the rest stop, odds were he was traveling somewhere and not anywhere close by.

Still, I tried. The town was small enough that I was able to wander into each of the stores and businesses that were open, hunting for that scent, but there was not a trace of it, so I finally bought a sandwich and a can of iced tea in the little convenience store.

I spent days in each town within fifty miles along the highway, searching, with no results before I had to accept that I’d tried. I’d failed. My dragon was not impressed.

Chapter Two

Casey

I was broken—good and broken—and I hated it.

When I hit puberty and first shifted, everyone told me that my struggles were normal and that my beast would figure it out soon. I didn’t.

---