12. Caspian

Chapter 12

Caspian

" T he longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to go back," Dimitri told me. He wasn't wrong, and we both knew it. But we'd only been mated just over two weeks. We were supposed to have more time together, just the two of us in our own little bubble. But apparently, the world wouldn't stop for me to spend time with my newly claimed alpha.

"I know. I just thought I would get more time." I sighed. I knew I would have to go back, despite not wanting to. I kept trying to tell myself that I was only going to be back for a week of half days, and beyond that, I didn't care any longer. Father would have to tell his clients that I was no longer with the family's firm.

"You will be back here with me before you realize it. It's just for a few hours every day. Four? Maybe five at most," Dimitri said as he pulled me into his arms. I was wearing a suit for the first time since I'd met him, and it felt…off. "Hey," Dimitri said as I kept my face buried in his neck. "Look at me, please?"

I looked up at my One and tried to smile. It wasn't the end of the world, and I wasn't a young omega that had just found his alpha. I shouldn't be acting like this.

"If you wish, I will go with you. I can sit in the corner of your office and be silent. I understand you have clients, but I can find something else to do nearby while you are dealing with them."

I was incredibly tempted. But I knew that not only would Dimitri be a distraction for me, but he truly would be bored out of his mind.

"You should stay here and enjoy yourself," I told him. "Go flying to where you don't have to worry about me either getting sick or having to worry about my legs not working when we are finished." Pregnancy sickness had set in. It was a good thing I liked tea because the sickness tea from Master Edison had been a lifesaver.

Dimitri's hand gently touched my lower stomach. It was still very flat. But we were both ecstatic that I was pregnant. I had been so concerned about it when he had mentioned that my scent had started to change five days ago, but three days after, I'd felt the baby. Dimitri had been so damn adorable when I'd told him he would be getting his own little dragon baby.

"You will reach out if you need anything?"

I nodded. I would. He was going to talk to Benjamin if he needed to come to me, but I had no doubt that everything would be fine. If Dimitri needed me, I had already decided I would be making a quick trip to the nearest bathroom and then popping back here to my One.

Dimitri kissed me and then sighed as he took a step back. "You should go to work. I want nothing more than to slowly peel you out of that suit. It is…very much you, yet I know a different side of you."

I grinned. He certainly did. "I'll be back in a few hours," I told him. It was already just after two in the afternoon in Madrid, and although it was only just after six in the morning here, despite the fact that it was still dark out, there were quite a few that were already up and around on the mountaintop.

"You will, and when you return, I have plans to remove that suit from you, slowly."

Something to look forward to. I could hardly wait. I moved in, gave Dimitri another kiss, and then took a step back. He nodded to me once, and with a thought of my condo in Madrid, I suddenly found myself standing in the middle of my living room there.

I looked around, noticing that a few things had been moved, and there were definitely signs that someone had been here boxing things up. There was a stack of boxes in the corner by the bookshelf, and I noticed it was now empty. I didn't know if it had been Lorenzo or Papa. I smiled either way because it meant a lot to me that they would take time out of their day to help me out. Especially since they both knew I could have the entire place packed with a simple thought.

I heard keys in the door, and when I turned toward it, I expected Lorenzo since he had the spare key. He lived in the same building but on a different floor, and we'd given each other our spare keys just in case one of us ever needed the other. When Papa entered, I realized just how much I'd missed him over the past several weeks.

I'd only been in Montana for three weeks, but I'd been so busy with work that I'd actually not had a whole lot of time to spend with my fathers. Well, outside of being at work. Papa seemed to have scented me because his head suddenly flew upward, and he inhaled deeply. When he spotted me in the corner by the bookshelf, he squeaked. The stack of boxes he was carrying fell to the floor, and he was suddenly rushing over toward me.

"?Mijo!"

I braced myself for Papa's embrace. He quickly wrapped his arms around me and held on tightly.

"Hi, Papa," I said.

"Hi? Hi?" he said as he stepped back from me.

I grinned. "Dimitri doesn't speak Spanish, and I don't speak Russian or Mandarin, so we've resorted to speaking English since we're both fluent in it."

"Russian? Mandarin?" Papa took another step away before he held my arms and looked me over. "And where is this Dimitri? Why is it that you are here and he isn't? Did your mate not come with you?"

I shook my head. "No. Since I was going to be at work for a few hours, we decided it would be best he stayed at the council. He was maybe going to go for a flight or possibly go visit his grandparents." I was both excited and terrified about meeting his grandparents. It wasn't every day that you simply joined the created dragon's family. Well, it apparently was a thing for me, but that wasn't something most paranormals did.

"Tell me about him. I've asked your brother more times than I can count, and he won't say more than the fact that Dimitri is an amazing guy and he's a dragon shifter."

I snorted. I didn't know how well Sebastian actually knew Dimitri. I'd asked my One how well he knew my brother and had been told that they were on different teams, and although he knew who my brother was, he hadn't spent a whole lot of time with him. They saw each other frequently but hadn't been on any assignments together yet.

"You aren't listening," Papa said. "You must be quite taken with your One."

I shook my head. "Such nonsense. Why wouldn't I be?"

"And your One. Is he with child?"

My eyes widened.

"Oh, come tell," Papa said. "I wish to have more grandbabies to spoil. I believe Lorenzo will never find his mate because he's too busy chasing barely legal humans."

I pointed to the sofa and started in that direction. Once Papa was sitting beside me, I turned toward him a bit and reached for his hands. "Did Sebastian not tell you anything about Dimitri?"

"No. Just his name, and he's a dragon."

I tilted my head. "Papa, Dimitri is an enforcer," I told him and waited. I waited some more, and when it didn't seem to click, I shook my head. "Papa, Dimitri is an enforcer. He's a dragon alpha."

Papa blinked at me, and I saw the moment it clicked. Papa's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. He looked down at my stomach, which caused me to laugh.

"Yes, Papa, I'm with child," I told him. I knew that in another few weeks, Papa would be able to scent the baby, but for now, it was still too early. "Dimitri and I will be having a little dragon shifter sometime in May, we guess."

Papa's eyes widened. "May? You have to carry the baby until May?"

I laughed again. "Yes. Dragons have a six-month gestation period. Therefore, I'll be pregnant until sometime in May." There was obviously nothing I could do about how long I would be pregnant. I was quite slender in comparison to Dimitri, and I had a feeling that by the end of the pregnancy, I was going to be incredibly uncomfortable. But in the end, I would get a beautiful little baby boy.

Papa glanced down at my stomach again, then back up at me. "I expected all three of you to have omega mates."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I expected to be a sire, honestly, but I have no complaints about Dimitri. He's so loving and attentive. He's brought out a side of me I didn't realize I had." Papa raised an eyebrow at me in question, and I shook my head. "I am not going to discuss my intimate life with you." I was close to my fathers, but I wasn't going to discuss my sex life with Papa. Or my brothers, for that matter. We all knew it happened, and we knew that certain things obviously happened when Sebastian was with Drew, and now between me and Dimitri, but that was the extent of things. They were known. They were not to be discussed.

"I will not ask, but I need to know, you are happy?"

I nodded. I didn't even need to think about it. Dimitri made me so incredibly happy. Before him, I hadn't realized just how happy I could be. I had been in long-term relationships before, but they were nothing compared to what I had with Dimitri. I realized it was because he was my One, and that was how things worked. The fates somehow knew who our perfect match was, and they figured out how to get us to meet. I did have to wonder though: why hadn't I met Dimitri before now? He had been at the council for some time, and he'd been working with Benjamin since. But yet, despite all of the times that I'd been to Treasure Ridge to see Sebastian, I'd not felt Dimitri even once.

"It's going to be so perfect," Papa said, pulling me from my thoughts again.

I focused on him, more than curious about that comment. "What is?"

"Our move to Montana."

I blinked at Papa for a moment. "What?" I asked quietly.

"Lyubimyy? Are you all right? I'm getting feelings of unease through our bond. Is something wrong?" Dimitri asked through our bond. I felt a great deal of concern from him. The sudden desire to bring him to me so he could see firsthand that I was perfectly fine was a bit overwhelming.

I realized in that moment that I couldn't multitask and listen to Dimitri and Papa at the same time. I held up my finger, hoping Papa would hold off a moment. Thankfully, he seemed to catch on quickly to what the issue was.

"I'm good. Papa showed up at my condo before I could leave. We were talking about things. I have lots to share once I find out everything from him."

"Are you certain?"

I could feel some of the earlier concern wane, which was a relief. I didn't wish to cause Dimitri stress as I knew he and his dragon were already struggling with me being so far away, despite my ability to pop back to him in a blink.

"Yes," I told him. "I'll be sharing news in just a few."

I nodded at Papa, ready to hear what all he had to share. "Continue. I had to reassure Dimitri."

Papa's smile was huge. "I wish to meet him. Hopefully, I won't annoy you or Drew once we are in Montana full-time."

I was struggling to understand. "All right, I need you to elaborate. I honestly assumed you and Father would eventually relocate to Montana, but you're talking as if it's happening soon."

Papa nodded. "Sí. We will be there by the end of the year if all goes well."

That was news. There was just over a month left in the year. "How?"

"He hasn't shared it before, despite me warning that he should."

I was completely lost. "Who should share what?"

"Your father has been looking into selling off the firm since Sebastian and Drew mated. When we met Drew for the first time, he had already started looking for a buyer or to simply dissolve the firm."

My eyebrows rose, and my eyes widened. "Was he going to tell me? What about Lorenzo?"

Papa sighed. "This is why I told him he should have shared the news. Your father knows how much it pains me to be missing so much of little Flora's milestones."

I chuckled. She hadn't had any milestones as of yet. She was only eight weeks old. "Papa, she's not even rolling over yet."

"Shh. I have finally gotten him to agree to move. Do not bring up specifics."

This was news to me. "Why now? It has to be more than just Flora."

"Sure. You are mated now. You will be relocating to Montana, will you not?"

I nodded. "Dimitri's grandparents are there. He is an enforcer, and we plan on raising our family there near Sebastian and Drew."

"That is why. I do not wish to miss more of my grandchildren's lives."

I had expected this, honestly, but not quite so quickly. "What does Lorenzo have to say about this? What are his plans? Is he just going to find something else here?" I'd admit that these past three weeks were the longest I had ever gone without talking to either of my brothers. I saw Lorenzo every day during work. It used to be that I saw Sebastian daily before he up and joined the enforcers. Now though, I talked to him at least two or three times a week.

"Lorenzo has already put in his application to join the enforcers. And your father will be joining Master Edison's committee."

My eyes couldn't get any larger, and I knew it.

"Lyubimyy?"

"Papa, hang on a moment," I said. "Dimitri needs to be here with me before his dragon becomes an issue." I didn't wait; I simply popped back home because I wasn't sure how Dimitri would react to suddenly not being at home.

I popped back into the back room at the cabin, but Dimitri wasn't there. "Dimitri?" I called out.

I heard him before I saw him. When he came running out of what was most likely supposed to be the home office, I smiled and once more braced for the impact. I knew this hello would be quite different, and he didn't disappoint. When Dimitri reached me, he immediately cupped my face and gave me a soft kiss. "You are back so soon?"

I nodded. "I felt that your dragon wasn't doing so well."

"You were having so many emotions."

I sighed. "Yes. Would you like to meet Papa? He is at the condo and was sharing some unexpected news with me."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow at me. "It is bad news? You were feeling upset."

Was I? I hadn't thought so, but maybe I had. "I guess I was upset, but no, it's not overly bad news. I just wasn't expecting it quite as early as this."

"What is wrong?"

I shook my head. "Just…come with me?" I had no idea what the day would bring, but with everything changing, I had no idea if I was even going to go into the office.

"Of course. You know I will always go with you if I'm able to."

I grinned because I knew he was referring to him being on assignments.

Seconds later, we were standing in the middle of my condo, directly in front of Papa. His eyes widened when we arrived, and seconds later, he was up and moving around the oversized ottoman I had in front of the sofa.

"Oh, es tan guapo."

Dimitri gazed at me, then back at Papa, before his gaze settled on mine. I chuckled. "Papa said you are handsome. I happen to agree with him."

Dimitri grinned. "It is nice to meet you, Arturo," Dimitri said as he held out a hand. Papa took it, and after shaking his hand, he glanced between me and Dimitri.

"I do believe your babies will be breathtaking."

I felt Dimitri's embarrassment through our bond and tried to change the subject. "Dimitri was worried because my emotions are going all over."

Papa looked at him before he turned his gaze to me. "Why?"

I just frowned for a moment before snorting. "Because I'm pregnant, my hormones are all over the place, and suddenly, you tell me that after years of being incredibly driven, Father is just selling the firm and moving to Montana with you and Lorenzo? Maybe that's why?"

"Zhdat', chto?"

We both stared at Dimitri. He pulled me into his arms and lowered his forehead to mine. "Is this a good thing, lyubimyy?"

"Yes, but frustrating that all of a sudden, after so many years of working long hours and endless days, he simply decides to up and change jobs."

Dimitri pulled away and, after staring deeply into my eyes, nodded slowly.

"He should not be upset," Dimitri said as he looked over to Papa.

Papa, despite having been the one to give me the news, appeared as if he were the one who was upset. "That wasn't my intent. I was simply catching him up on the news. A lot has happened in the three weeks since he's been gone." Papa pointed to the sofa. "If you two would join me, I'll tell you more about it."

I nodded. I really needed to know all that was going on. I wasn't sure I could handle more surprises.

"Your father has been looking into ways to change ownership of the firm for about a year now," Papa said.

"A year?" I asked, shocked. Dimitri took my hand and held it tightly.

"Yes. There have been some issues with a few of his clients. They have been too curious about asking how he looks so young, especially since he has sons who are in their thirties."

I snorted at that. We were well beyond that, but everyone believed we were all in our thirties.

"Sí."

"Why didn't he mention it to us?"

Papa sighed. "With as close as the three of you were, I think on some level, he expected you and Lorenzo to follow Sebastian and join the council. When you didn't, he decided to go ahead and get things going with offloading the firm."

It took a moment, but I finally realized that the emotion I was feeling was frustration and a bit of betrayal. We had been close. Or so I thought. But the fact that he had decided to just uproot our lives without so much as giving us a heads-up was where I felt betrayed.

"You seem upset?" Papa said.

"Why wouldn't I be? I understand my life is sorted. I now have my One, and we're happy in Montana. But what if I'd not met him? Would Father still have just up and sold the firm without telling us?" Dimitri started rubbing up and down my back.

Papa shook his head. "He's just started looking for a buyer and put it out there that the firm is going to be going up for sale. It's taken him a year to finally come to the conclusion that he needs to sell the firm. We've been here a very long time, Caspian. Too long, and even you have to realize that."

I nodded. "Yes, but why not talk to us?" I asked. "I guess I'm just overly emotional. I've not been feeling the best this week, and I think the pregnancy is starting to have an impact on my normally level head."

Dimitri leaned in and kissed the side of my head. "You have a lot going on, lyubimyy. Do not feel bad. It is understandable that you are not only emotional but upset."

Was it though? I was a partner in the firm, and I had shares in it, but I'd not been consulted about selling it. Yeah, I did have the right to be upset about it.

"We were going to come and talk to you a few weeks from now," Papa said.

I nodded. Did that make it better? Possibly, but still. "I can't say I'm too terribly upset. My life is in Montana now. But I should have been consulted before it was announced that the firm was going up for sale. I am part owner." I think that perhaps that was what struck such a nerve. I wasn't considered. What if I wasn't ready to let it go? Of course, I actually was, which was why I seemed to be warring with myself.

"What would you like for us to do? I can discuss it with your father. Perhaps he will be willing to sell it to you? But did you not just say you were going to be making your life in Montana now?"

I narrowed my eyes at Papa because he had a somewhat smug look on his face. "Yes, and there is no reason for you to talk to Father." I sighed. I was suddenly tired, and it was still early in Montana. Incredibly so. But I was newly mated, and, well, we weren't exactly going to sleep early. We, of course, went to bed early, but sleep? No. Add in that I suddenly just felt off and then was up entirely too early in order to rush to the toilet, and I was simply tired and had little energy.

"Do you need a nap, lyubimyy?"

"No. I think I'll get my things I'm taking to Montana sent, and then instead of going to the firm, I'll just go home with you." I glanced at Papa. "I'm not really needed here."

"It's not like that, mijo."

I knew that. I reached out and gave Papa's hand a squeeze. "I just need to go home, Papa, and home is with Dimitri in Montana now."

Papa stared at me for a long moment before he nodded. "We will see you in a few weeks? Is that acceptable?"

"Of course," I told him. Why was he talking nonsense? I wasn't upset with Papa, nor did I wish to not see him. I was simply irritated.