Page 32 of Taming the Kraken

Alexa watched in shock as Misty ended up in Cole’s arms. And then there was Nick and Anna. The two who used to always pick on each other. They stood apart just staring at the other before Nick walked toward her slowly. He reached her and took her into his arms.

“So you’re the reason I exist.” Nick smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“Okay, that is some wicked voodoo right there,” Mikah teased, pausing the movie. “This is some weird, crazy coincidence, though.” He turned to look back at the new mates … all royal mates from different kingdoms.

“I’ll go and let the parents know.” Troy got up, pulling Nia up with him and leaving the room.

Alexa watched the two new couples leave to get acquainted as mates. It was shocking but in a good way. They were all so close and now would be even closer. She turned her head to look over at Brian, and that was when her heart broke. He sat there, staring off into space. There was an emptiness on his face that she’d never seen before. Everyone around them was finding their mates. But even if Brian found his, he might not be able to have her.

She bit her inner lip and glanced over at Mikah. His eyes were filled with concern for Brian as well. No matter what Brian said, this had to be a painful moment for him. The weight of his reality had to be hitting him full force.

Brian turned to look over at Alexa and Mikah. He forced a smile as he cleared his throat. “Well, that was unexpected. I guess we won’t be hanging out as much as I thought. We’ll be lucky to see them now.” He let out a dry chuckle.

Alexa didn’t know what to say. It was obvious he was hurting, but he was trying to hide it. What could she say to him? There wasn’t anything that she hadn’t already said. We won’t give up. We’ll keep trying. There has to be a solution out there. He’d heard it all before. But nothing was guaranteed. The only thing she could guarantee was that she would never give up. She would hunt Shiva down herself. She hated seeing Brian get put through something like this. He didn’t deserve it.

“Hey, where did everyone go?” Jared asked as he walked back in with a tray of food.

“We won’t be seeing everyone. They all found their mates” Brian said dryly.

“Really? That’s crazy. Who?” Jared asked as he sat his tray down. He grabbed one of the empty bean bags and plopped onto it, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

“Anna and Nick are mates. And Cole and Misty are mates,” Alexa said as she continued to watch Brian.

“That’s amazing. So Anna will be the South’s new queen? That’s wonderful. What a freakish way for everything to work out. I mean, what are the odds of them all being mates?” Jared went on enthusiastically.

Alexa wanted to kick him in the head. Could he quit talking about mates right now? Brian was still adjusting to the whole mate shock. He’d been hit with everything at once, and it was a tough blow to him.

“Lex.”

The sound of Brian’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and she lifted her gaze to meet his.

“I’m fine, Lex. Don’t.”

She could see a bit of agitation on his face as he stared at her with a look she’d never seen from him before. He looked … annoyed with her. His eyes suddenly softened, and a faint smile rested on his lips. She searched his hazel eyes as he reached out and took her hand.

“I’m not going to break, Alexa. You don’t have to worry. I’m not glass.” He tilted his head to her.

Alexa scooted over and wrapped her arms around him. She didn’t need to say anything. There was nothing to be said. But she wanted to show him she was here for him. There was something that was bothering her, though.

“Brian.” Alexa looked into his eyes as she shook her head in confusion. “Dragon mates are different than wolves. The Moon Goddess has a hand in manipulating werewolves and their mates, but my father doesn’t mess with setting up mates. He lets the natural mate pull happen for those who are compatible. But this …”

“I agree. Too much coincidence.” Brian glanced at Mikah, then Jared.

“You don’t think they’re real mates?” Jared asked in confusion.

“They’re real mates. That isn’t what they’re saying.” Mikah spoke up and then rose to his feet. He reached for Alexa. “And I think right now your fathers are probably discussing this very thing.” He gazed at Brian, who also rose to his feet.

“Right. We need to be there for this conversation. Jared, go have some fun at the party. We’ll catch up with you later.” Brian could see Jared didn’t quite grasp the situation, but he nodded his head anyway.

“Alright. I’ll catch you guys later,” Jared said as they parted ways.

“A coincidence?” Grandpa Sage said as he shook his head. “None of this is just a coincidence.” He looked at Xander. “You were mated to the Princess of the North. Weston, the Southern King, is mated to your half-sister and a demigod.”

“And I, the Dragon King of the North, have a rare light dragon as my mate.” Dex said, turning his head toward Mason.

“And my mate was a princess from the Southern Dragon Kingdom,” Mason said as he pulled Ruby closer to his side.

“And now most of your children are mated to the next generation of royals. This is …” Grandpa Sage looked down in deep thought.