Page 4 of Having the Dragon's Baby

It was, in fact, the first time in a long time that all the local alphas were communicating and working together, which showed how bad it really was. Worse, no one had a lead.

The only thing Marcus could surmise was there had to be another shifter behind it. They would be the only ones with enough knowledge or capability to overtake young, strong shifters from multiple clans.

Marcus rubbed his eyes as if it would help him think. He glanced at his reflection in the glass cabinet and noticed how bloodshot his green-gold eyes looked. The bags underneath them didn’t help. His strong jawline was even covered in scruff, something he usually kept under control.

Everything seemed to be less important now with the crisis at hand. Still, he needed to act and look his part. He needed to appear civilized or at least make the attempt.

He headed to the bathroom to throw cold water on his face and slow down his mind. Not that it helped all that much.

When Marcus got back to his office, Vincent, his beta and most trusted, was sitting at the desk, his blue eyes bright with mirth.

“I hear you’ve been busy.”

Marcus shut the door behind him and sat down, folded his hands on the desk, and let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a shit show, Vince. Have you heard anything about the missing shifters? Anything new, that is, besides nothing.”

Vincent shook his head. “Not a word. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Marcus gave him a curious look. “What else could you be talking about? This is the only matter the den is concerned with. Or it should be, anyway. There are no rivalries happening right now since we’ve called a truce. At least until this matter is cleared up.” He suddenly sat up, concern in his eyes. “What else has happened?”

Vincent’s grin widened as he relaxed in his chair, kicking out his long legs. “Nothing. Besides the news of you finding a potential mate through the Shifter Surrogacy Agency.”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed, but he kept his demeanor calm. “You heard about that, huh?”

“You thought that could be a secret? Come on, I’m your beta, Marcus. We all know you are an only child, and your family has been on your ass about producing an heir.”

It was no secret. Marcus was getting older and wasn’t interested in the mundane dating scene. He needed a child for when he retired or died, but he was losing hope.

He wouldn’t dare tell his family that, though. He wanted them to assume he was too busy with his alpha duties to pursue a mate. It suited his persona. But in reality, Marcus had found nothing but garbage when he had, in fact, taken the time to look.

His mother had pushed him into signing up with the Shifter Surrogacy Agency just to give it a try.

Marcus fought it at first, not wanting to leave his future in the hands of some program. If he couldn’t do it on his own, then how the hell could an agency do any better? He just didn’t want more people involved in his private affairs. His family was more than enough.

Then, while talking to some other alphas about their current missing shifters problem, Marcus inquired if any of them had heard of SSA or had tried it. He admitted he was a bit annoyed at the positive responses.

But since he wanted his family off his back, he signed up.

“Do you think it will work?” Vincent asked, amusement still in his eyes. “I’m just curious. I don’t know much about it.”

Marcus glared. “Me either. All I know is that the others I talked to about it raved about how well the companionship setup was articulated. One even told me he had met his fated mate through it.”

Vincent’s eyes widened. “Fated mate? That is impressive. But the likelihood of that happening is like…”

“Low, I know. You don’t have to remind me.” Marcus sighed as he ran his hands through his already tousled hair. “That’s the thing that surprised me since dragons seem to have a harder time finding their fated mates than most shifters. But if the agency is that good…”

“Have you heard back from them at all?”

Marcus shook his head. “Not yet, but it is what it is. At least my family can lay off me while we focus on what needs our attention most right now. And with what’s going on with the kidnappings, I don’t know if now is even the right time to start a family. Frankly, my problems are nothing compared to the disappearances. So, let’s switch gears.”

Vincent nodded in agreement as Marcus thumbed through the notes on his desk for a moment before slamming the useless notepad shut and shoving it aside.

“Temper, temper,” Vincent said with a grin. “You’re going to catch everything on fire if you don’t calm down.”

Marcus shot his friend a glare but took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. So, here’s all I know. These young shifters are all from different thunders and packs. Male and female. There is no structure or pattern to them, except they seem to be on the younger side. Young enough to be manipulated into … I don’t know what. But I would hope that most are smarter than that.”

Vincent leaned forward in his chair, his face worried and grave. “Have you heard anything at all? Even a whisper on a theory?”

Again, Marcus shook his head, frustrated. “I told you. It’s a shit show. We have absolutely nothing. Not one iota of why or who, so we can’t even get a step ahead of the son of a bitch that’s destroying us one member at a time.”

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