finally said.
“She is as stubborn as you seem to be,” she said. “Iridia refuses to mate because she’s afraid her family will become to ingrained with their leadership duties in the tribe. And if you returned, they would lose all they had done and worked for in the village. She doesn’t want them to feel unwanted.”
“That’s not a good reason for denying herself a family. What is wrong with her? Mom taught her better than that.”
“I do not know, My King. I was not given that information.”
“Please, call me Xenos. That is my name.”
“Only a mate may call you by your name. And I will do as you wish.”
“No, wait,” he said. How could he forget all the rules to being an alpha? He’d had them drilled into his head for three hundred cold moons. Her eyes began to tear up again. Dragon shit.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Nova, daughter of Traig.”
“Nova, is there a male in the village that is your mate?”
Her chin dropped to her chest. “I am the one chosen for you. I can have no other mate.”
Hope filled his mind. “So you do have a mate. Someone you love with your heart. Someone you want to be with all the time.” She tilted her head to the right. He had to be careful with his words. “Nova, I found my true mate and I love her.”
“The elders,” she whispered, “they will not accept the strange female as your mate. You must mate in the Gnoleon line.”
“I refuse to turn my back on her. I’ll love her forever.”
Nova looked up at him. “Then you must give up your alpha position so your sister may resume her leadership.”
“And she gives up her family if she rules.” Xenos stepped away from her, a growl in his throat. The female gasped and scampered to the far side. “I am sorry. My animal is. . .not happy at the moment. I need to go.”
“The elders have sealed the entrance with a strong magic. We are not to leave until I am with child.”
“They will learn. No one keeps me from being who I am or going where I wish.” He shifted into his tigron and began digging at the ground in front of where the exit should be. In a matter of moments, his large paws had scooped out mounds of dirt that allowed him to go under the dome wall to the other side.
He emerged in his tigron form daring any elder to tell him to go back inside. Everyone in the vicinity backed off as he bared his teeth. He needed to find his mate. He had to talk with her to decide whose heart he was going to break—either his sister’s or his mate’s.
He sniffed the air, scenting for a recent trail. He caught nothing. Haml burst through the crowd outside the dome. “She ran into the forest, Xenos. She saw you go inside with the female, and she left.” He pointed. “She went that way.” With two bounds, he was outside the village’s perimeter, following the fragrance of his upset and sad mate.
What was he going to do? Who was he going to deny having a family? One of the two females he loved would have a ruined life because of him. Once again, he had to make a decision that would end in disaster for someone. How could he choose?
His animal’s nose picked up a strange smell. It was familiar, yet it wasn’t. Did someone have a cooking fire out here? Why would they? It would be much easier to bring the food to the village to cook over the pits.
He quickened his pace. Something was wrong. His tigron felt fear, which seldom happened. He heard thrashing ahead and a familiar scream with curse words he was learning. His mate!
Dashing forward, he saw her hopping on one leg as she held her foot in her hand. He shifted before reaching her.
“Zee,” she nearly cried.
He took her into his arms and lifted her off the ground, planting kissing all over her face. “Why did you run?” he asked between pecks.
“Really? You have to ask?” She was breathing so hard, he was afraid she’d go into one of her attacks. “I saw you go into a dome, naked, with a women I can’t begin to compare to. The stunning face, her beautiful hair, perfect body.” She choked on sobs.
He set her down, cupping her face in is hands. “Wren, you are my love, my mate. I don’t want