Page 1 of Matched By the Dragon

Chapter 1

Brad

The Hemlock Wolf Pack, Star’s Territory

The sun peeked over the hill, but I’d been up for over an hour. The twins had woken up and promptly shifted into their little cub forms before climbing over the side of their crib. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as soon as the first little ‘thud’ hit the floor. I used to sleep so hard. Even after my brother, Chad, got himself killed for being a douche bag. I slept so hard, as if my bear took mini hibernation sessions every time I shut my eyes. Now, not so much. Now, I listened for every little sound. Even during the quietest hours of the night, I laid awake listening to Baby Resin and Baby Oaklan’s little heartbeats. They’re so little still. Even at six months, they’re still babies. Tiny little babies. My tiny little babies who would destroy the house if left to their own accord.

So sunrise found our little family in the front yard. Six months ago, the whole house was covered in mashed up bear. Raziel killed my parents after they killed my boyfriend and made me believe he left. Then they held Baby Resin hostage while trying to make me kill the mate of the tiger who killed my brother. Alby and Bennie, the mate and tiger in question, have grown into some of my closest friends now.

Still, we spent most of our time at our estate. It was safer for my babies. I missed their sire with my every heartbeat. I loved him. Looking back, I was pretty sure he was the first person in my life who loved me for me and not because of blood or because I was ‘worth’ it to him. My parents hated him because they were haters of all things and people who brought joy into the world. I never thought I could love someone more than Jac, but that wasn’t true. My love for our children surpassed anything I could’ve imagined from the moment they were born. I almost died trying to buy us a future. So, Chad was dead. Jac was dead. My parents were dead. It was just me, Baby Resin, and Baby Oaklan. Only, it was a good life still. They couldn’t miss people they never knew. I’d been in therapy since leaving the hospital and slowly I was adjusting to my new Jacless life.

Jac wasn’t my true-mate, and I don’t know that we had ever planned to be together forever, but we had planned to raise our babies once that little pixelated baby test came back positive. Maybe it wouldn’t have been forever, but my parents robbed us both of discovering that for ourselves.

Still, I made the best of it because that’s what good dads did. They figured out how to keep going even when laying down and dying was easier. Though, nearly bleeding to death from post-partum exertion proved I didn’t know how to lie down and die.

I lay on the grass in bear form watching my babies climb up the hill and roll down over and over. They’re so much more mobile in their little bear cub forms. I don’t blame them for being shifted more often than not. Plus we’re bears and their natural rhythms haven’t been reshaped by the hustle and bustle of life. So, they’re still primarily crepuscular.

Baby Resin yawned and bumped his snoot against his brother’s side. Then they both ambled over to me to nurse. I rolled to my side and dozed while they nursed. A dragon flew overhead, casting their long shadow over us. I opened one eye. Even from the ground I recognized Raziel’s big scaley form. He checked on us a lot. Mostly flying over our heads without stopping to say hello. Once upon a time, that would’ve annoyed the fuck out of me, but now, it was a kind gesture from the dragon who freed the three of us from my parents. He also made us rich and ensured my children could do whatever they wanted in life. Well, almost anything. I’d be damned if I let them turn out like Chad or their grandparents.

Eventually, Resin and Oaklan fell asleep too. I dozed in that twilight sleep that all new parents quickly familiarized themselves with. This was a good life. If I had to go it alone, this was the best possible life. My babies were here and safe. Sure, I had security systems installed that might’ve been a little crazy. I hired a security company from the GGB to come out and set it up. The owner, Daryl Moonscale, came out and set it up himself after hearing about what me and the cubs went through.

Despite all the precautions, I still had nightmares about people kidnapping my babies. Sometimes I woke up having bitten into my pillow or the mattress. It happened less often when I co-slept with the babies, but my bed was much easier for them to escape from without my hearing than their crib was. So, I put up with the nightmares because I wanted them to be safe and not to merely clutch the illusion of safety to my chest.

Eventually my growling stomach brought me back to the world of waking from my state of semi-sleep. I shifted back to my human form and lifted my babies back into the big chest carrier that I had custom made on my grandcarrier’s sewing machine. I had found the beast of a crafting appliance in the attic after moving in and had put it to good use since then.

In my pocket my phone buzzed a particular buzz that always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Someone was at the front door. I opened the app and clicked on the icon for the front door camera. The visitor in question was a very tall man with dark hair and a beard. If not for the blue t-shirt hugging his big, muscular frame that read “TEMPLE OF FROST VOLUNTEER” I might’ve stashed the cubs in my secret spot and waited for him to leave. I didn’t mind fighting, but the man was either a dragon or an alpha and those were harder to fight, especially when if I died, I’d leave two bear cubs to fend for themselves.

“Hello?” I said, pressing the button that allowed me to talk to visitors from my phone without ever opening the door or in this case approaching the house.

The man startled nearly dropping the box he carried.

“Hello?” he glanced around and spotted the obvious doorbell camera. It wasn’t the actual security camera but a red herring that would make thieves or would be intruders believe they’d disabled something important when they hadn’t.

“I’m from the temple. Raziel asked me to bring you over some things,” he said into the doorbell camera.

I didn’t say anything back right away. Instead, I checked my text messages because it sounded like a trap. Raziel had flown overhead not long ago. If he wanted to bring us something he could’ve done it himself. There wasn’t a text from the dragon. So, I screen shot the camera view and texted it to Alby to double check if the guy was actually from the temple or not.

ALBY: Morning. That’s Durin. He started volunteering a few weeks ago at the temple. Came from somewhere on Hemlock Mountain. Spent time caring for his chosen mate until she passed away. She had some sort of terminal illness that bears can get and they didn’t catch it in time. He’s a good guy from what I’ve seen. Daisy hasn’t bitten him yet and I trust her judgement.

ME: Why would Raziel send him here? He just flew over the house a bit ago??

ALBY: I don’t pretend to know why Raziel does anything. He stays out of arm’s reach of me ever since I had the babies. I think he fears for the safety of his ears.

ME: You did try to tear his ears off.

ALBY: My wolf really wants him to be happy. I think it’s akin to cuteness aggression. Like OMG just go be happy before I squeeze these right off your head! Are you going to go see what Durin has?

ME: I probably should but don’t blame me if I eat him.

I walked slowly watching him on camera. Resin and Oaklan were still out cold against my chest in their double-wide carrier. Baby Oaklan had his head over top of Resin’s as if he too remembered when his brother was torn from us by the evil forces of the world. I hoped neither of them would remember the day they were born when they were older. My therapist kept assuring me that the chances of them remembering were next to nothing, but I worried anyway.

With every step towards the house and the visitor I sniffed the air. The breeze was blowing toward me, in our favor.

“What if he’s not Durin? What if he’s impersonating him? Or what if it is Durin and the others don’t know it but he’s a serial killer?” my bear chimed off in my thoughts. “Then he’ll kill us all and bury us in the basement like they buried Jac. Who’s going to dig us up and give us a proper burial?”

I shook my head and focused on sniffing out Durin’s scent. I learned the hard way over the last six months that if I got too upset my babies got upset. Babies and small kids have nervous systems primed for co-regulation, meaning they follow the lead of the adults who care for them. If that wasn’t the best reason ever to get my shit together, I don’t know what would’ve been.

As soon as Durin came into sight the breeze picked up, turning into a true autumn wind and carried his scent to me. I stopped in my tracks, fumbling around not to drop my phone and took a big step backwards. He was still facing the door, talking away trying to get my attention via the camera. He hadn’t seen me. He hadn’t smelled. Even as his scent wrapped around me like a warm cozy blanket, I stepped backwards again. Then again. My bear reared up on his hindlegs threatening to roar, but I clamped down on the sound before it could rumble out of me. Nope. Nope. Nope. Not today. Not tomorrow. Nope.