Page 22 of Alpha Dragon's Wings of Love

I had thought it might make him feel calmer about building his nest, but instead, it became Pinterest for expectant egg layers. For the next several hours, Casey studied each nest and the notes made by the alpha and omega parents as well as comments by other dragons. We were almost extinct, but it seemed everyone who was alive was having hatchlings, and many were excited to show off their over-the-top nests to anyone willing to look. I nodded off sitting next to him, waking several times when he gasped or shouted at something he saw.

Finally, he shook my shoulder and woke me all the way. “Alpha, we have to go shopping.”

“Why? Are you hungry?”

“No, but I’ve redesigned my whole nest, and I need a lot more…”

“Bolsters?”

“Everything.”

That little town didn’t have all those things, of course, so we had to do an overnight to the city where we could visit big-box stores and other types of places that carried all the things on the new and improved nesting plan list.

I shouldn’t have shown him that site, but he was having such a wonderful time, I didn’t have the heart to complain. And when it was finally finished, we did a photo shoot and uploaded it to the web page. I thought ours, done in amethyst to match my wings and gold because it was magnificent, was the nicest one of all.

Chapter Sixteen

Casey

“I need your dragon.” I turned the stove off and left the eggs I’d been cooking right where they were. “I need them now.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go outside,” he said gently.

I loved that my mate didn’t question my needs, instead seeking to fulfill them. He might ask after the fact, but in the moment, his primary goal was to get me what I needed. In this case, it was his dragon.

He walked slowly, as I waddled behind him, going as fast as I could. I was the size of a midsize car, and I’d long since given up on wearing clothes—nothing fit. The best I could manage was a robe that didn’t fully close. So be it. It wasn’t like my job had Zoom meetings. As long as I got my work done, no one cared what I wore…or in this case, didn’t wear. And even if they had an opinion on the subject, it wasn’t like they’d ever know.

If something happened, and I actually had to go into town, I had no idea what I’d do. There was nothing in this house that would fit me. No point buying brand-new clothes when it was almost time to lay my eggs. Nolan offered numerous times, but I couldn’t justify it.

My mate grabbed the rocking chair off the porch and brought it with us into the clearing, setting it down for me. If I hadn’t been this pregnant, I’d have sat on the ground. But right now? Now, there was a very real chance I wouldn’t be able to get back up again. A rocking chair, though—that I could manage.

He took his clothes off one piece at a time, doing a little dance. It wasn’t sexy—at least, not intentionally. He was being more silly than anything else. Still, that didn’t stop him from catching my eye. My mate somehow managed to get hotter every single day, and I didn’t think that was possible, but here we were.

I stood, pushing myself up and holding on for a few seconds to keep from toppling over. I was huge and aching, a waddling mess. You wouldn’t know it from the way Nolan watched me like I was the sexiest omega on the planet. “Please…my dragon…I need him.”

And when he shifted, I realized why I was begging. It hadn’t been about me at all. It was my beagle. He needed our mate.

“Mate,” I called out, finally managing to shuffle closer and wrap my arms around him. I couldn’t reach all the way, not even close, but I hugged him the best I could.

Mate,he echoed in my head.

That connection wasn’t something we usually had when I was in my skin. It was reserved for our beasts, except for today, apparently. His voice echoing in my mind calmed my beagle right down.

You look as amazing as ever, my love.He lowered his great head and pressed a kiss to my forehead, the scales smooth and warm.

“I can’t wait until I can fly with you again,” I whispered. “You make me feel so free. So loved. So…accepted.”

Because you are all those things. Do you want me to shift back?he asked.Or…do you want to watch me fly?

I smiled and lowered myself back into the chair. “Show me how graceful you are in the sky. And if you happen to spot a snack-rabbit…I could use a meal.”

My dragon loved it when I asked him to provide. There was something so primal about that. I usually went with rabbits—not just because they were tasty but because I had trouble tracking them by scent. Something about it was off to my beagle senses, which made me a pretty lousy beagle, if you asked me.

We’d also been collecting their furs. I had this notion to make a blanket once we had enough. They were small, though, so it was going to take a lot more rabbits. My mate was more than happy to hunt for them, though, so it probably wouldn’t be all that long.

He soared through the air, doing a few little tricks before disappearing over the trees. It wasn’t long before he returned, depositing a freshly caught rabbit at my feet.

“Thank you,” I said, picking it up. “I really wanted this.”

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