Chapter 17

Aldryn

With our future halfway decided, Eli and I headed out to the hiking trails at the park.

Even if we weren't searching for clues about my past, this would be a nice way to spend the afternoon. Perhaps in the future we'd be taking some dragon whelps on these trails?

I didn't know how I knew that we'd have dragons and not wolf pups, but I felt it in my gut. We hadn't talked about children in detail. I knew that Eli wanted kids, he had mentioned wanting to be a dad before the two of us realized we were mates. I hoped that his feelings had not changed. I couldn't wait to be a father with him.

"Humans around town have said that there were several sightings of wolves in the area," Eli said. "I sure hope we don't run into any." He winked.

I loved when he was playful. I pulled him closer to me. "I'll protect you. Wouldn't they be in for a surprise if they ever spotted me in my shifted form."

The weight on my shoulders was lighter now that Eli and I had talked about our future. It would be him and me against the world forever. Finding a place to live, me finding a job, him getting a job—those were all formalities, very minor hurdles. I knew that with him at my side, we could do anything.

"Any idea what we're looking for?" he asked. We had been walking for about a mile. The trail was just a gravel road surrounded by forest land. Every so often there were signs indicating which trails to take to head to the pond or the different views.

"No, I'm just walking," I said. "How are you feeling?"

"Perfect. Slightly full."

I had noticed that in the past few days his belly had plumped a little more. The human side of me wanted to worry, but my dragon seemed to like whatever changes were taking place within my mate, so I didn't question it. I simply kept providing him with food. Like his favorite fruits whenever he needed them and the toast that he liked so much. Anything he asked for, I would provide.

"This way," I said, pulling him onto a slightly narrower path that led into a forest full of willow trees. The path was fairly overgrown, so it likely wasn't popular. All the scents on this particular path were that of wolf shifters, not many human scents were discernable.

We walked for about a mile, enjoying the sounds of nature around us, when finally, we reached a small clearing. It was full of tall wild grasses and flowers. The blues and purples of the flowers gave a level of beauty to the meadow that brought a smile to my face. It wasn't unlike the clearing we had enjoyed.

It was as if the forest sat still; the breeze that had been steady on our walk stopped. The birds didn't chirp; everything was quiet. I stopped in my tracks.

"This is it," I said, feeling my dragon rumble to the surface, scales erupting on my arms.

"Aldryn, are you going to..." Eli began, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," I reassured him. I willed my dragon back. "I think..."

"Are your brothers near?" Eli looked around as if two other dragons might jump out at any time. A buzz of nervousness emanated from him. He gripped my hand tighter.

"No, they're not near, but I think this was their nesting place."

"Nesting? Whose?"

"Yeah, I can't explain it. I just... I think this is what we've been looking for." All along I thought I was being led toward my brothers—and I still wanted to find them—but perhaps this was the first step. This place where our life began.

"It's beautiful. Do you think your omega father gave birth to you and your brothers here? Is that what you mean by nesting?"

I nodded, still taking in everything around me. That's when I saw it—a large tree seemingly off by itself, and at the base of it were flowers set apart from all the other plants—a green, a blue, and a purple.

"Here," I said, "I think my brothers will come here. They will be drawn to this place like I am. Not right now, but in their own time. Do you have anything I can leave for them?"

Eli patted his pockets and pulled out a slip of paper. "This was supposed to be the grocery list I put together."

"That's perfect," I said, pulling a pen from my polo pocket. I scribbled down my name and phone number. "Where can we leave it where they will find it?"

"A rock?" Eli suggested. "We can leave it for now and come back another day with a more permanent note."

I grabbed one of the rocks and placed it near the green plant. Eli smiled at me as I put the rock down and placed my note underneath it.

"We can come back in a few days. If they visit, maybe we'll catch their scent or something," I suggested. When I stood back up, I put an arm around Eli. His skin felt clammy and warm. "Are you alright, mate?" I asked.

His face had paled since we came to the clearing. He put a hand over his slightly distended stomach. Had it gotten bigger as we walked? That wouldn't be possible, right? Yet it looked different.

"Yeah, just kind of tired all of a sudden. But we can stay longer or keep going, it's fine, mate."

My dragon rumbled his displeasure, and I felt the overwhelming desire to get him home. "Let's go home," I said, feeling my dragon roar to the surface. Home was where he wanted to go, and we were not leaving our mate's side.