Page 76 of Taming the Kraken

“I know. It’s like this powerful wave consumes you and takes over your thoughts. It’s a bit scary, but it’s also wonderful. You have this amazing connection that you don’t share with anyone else. Just being near them infuses you with a calm comfort you didn’t even know you needed. It’s safe. It’s exhilarating. It’s—” Alexa touched her necklace, her fingertips brushing over the warm gem. “It’s a love that promises to never leave you. That’ll stay with you no matter what. It’s the other half that you’re missing, and you can never be complete without it. It’s everything, Bella. I can’t imagine not taking this gift out of fear. Because having your mate is … it’s something I would never toss aside. Bella, it’s amazing.”

Alexa smiled and took Bella’s hand. “I’ve known Brian my whole life. You were both blessed to get each other as mates. You are his equal and partner, the one who was made just for him. And he is everything that you don’t even know you need.”

“I wish we didn’t have the mate pull.” Bella sighed and looked at Alexa. “Don’t you ever wonder about it? Don’t you ever feel like the mate pull forces two people together? I mean … without the mate pull, would you end up with the same person? Look at humans. They get to pick their partner and fall in love. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could fall in love, and then the mate pull would connect us to the one we love?”

“But I do love Ken. I loved Ken before I met him. I felt him inside, right here.” Alexa tapped her chest. “Bella, the mate pull is there to bring you together faster. But you still love each other. It’s deeper and more connected than on a human level. And when we mark each other, we bare our souls to one another.”

“What if he didn’t want a crystal dragon as his mate?” Bella bit her bottom lip, finally saying what was bothering her. “What if he didn’t want this target on his back? On his kingdom’s back? But because of the mate pull, he has to accept me?”

“You’re overthinking everything. For one, you can reject your mate. But Brian doesn’t want to. He wants you, Bella. So what if the mate pull is what brought you together? It isn’t the reason you stay together.”

“If he knows I can feel this … will he let me go at my own pace?” Bella whispered.

Alexa smiled and nodded. “Of course he will. But don’t be surprised if you’re the one who can’t hold back. Just from experience, my beasts demanded my mate more. Ken was the one with the willpower, not me.”

“Yeah.” Bella let out a quiet chuckle. “I think I might have the same problem.”

“So, talk to him, Bella. He’s your mate, not your enemy. He’s the one person in the whole world who will move the stars to make you happy. He’ll be the one to understand you and want to comfort you.” Alexa watched as Bella slowly nodded her head.

“I will. Thank you.” Bella smiled at her genuinely. “I needed this talk.”

“Ready to go back out there?”

“Yes. I’m still a bit nervous, but I think I’m ready.”

“You’re still nervous?” Alexa asked, frowning.

“Yeah, I’m nervous I’m not going to be able to control myself.”

“Oh … sorry. I can’t help you there. I still struggle with that.” Alexa laughed.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I want to anymore.” Bella took in a confident breath. Alexa was right. And maybe Brian was exactly what she needed in her life. After all the pain she’d gone through, maybe Brian was the one to help her forget about it. She held on to that resolve as she reached for the door handle. She wasn’t exactly sure how things were going to go, but Alexa was right. She needed to talk this over with Brian. And then afterward … she would worry about afterward later. It was time to unblock her beast and see if she heard that fated word. A word that would change the course of her life—forever.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Bella stepped out of Alexa’s room and her beast immediately confirmed that Brian was her mate. Had she really been suppressing her dragon all this time? That couldn’t have been the case. It was more likely that the longer she was around Brian, the natural pull began to work. And that was when the urges began to show up … while she was suppressing the truth. All dragons have the ability to suppress their beasts to a certain extent, similar to suppressing your urges. However, Bella had more control over this as it was a skill she had worked on. Deep down, she had trained herself to suppress the mate pull.

Mate! Bella’s inner beast stirred as she met his concerned hazel eyes.

“Bella, are you alright? You didn’t change?” Brian studied her face. Her eyes were slightly red as if she had been crying. His eyes darted up to see that Alexa had a faint smile on her lips. She nodded to him that everything was okay. And his gaze went back to his mate.

Bella clasped her fingers together and bit the inside of her lip hard enough to draw blood. The pull toward Brian pressed in on her from all sides, squeezing the air from her lungs until every breath came up short. His scent found her next, and a lifetime of careful suppression slipped its leash like it had never been trained at all. She couldn’t tell whether she wanted to bolt for the door or close the space between them, only that keeping her feet planted took all she had. The wanting itself was what frightened her. She’d never let herself feel it this loudly before.

Bella could see he was still staring at her, waiting for her to say something. But her mouth suddenly felt too dry to speak. She tried to swallow, but her dry mouth made it stick in her throat. She felt Alexa’s hand land on her shoulder. She turned her head to see an encouraging smile on her face.

“Remember what we talked about.”

Bella nodded her head slowly as she listened to Alexa’s voice. She remembered, but she’d felt much braver a moment ago, behind closed doors. It was different now that she was allowing her beast out of suppression. She could see the concern in Brian’s eyes, and she felt a pang in her chest, something that made her feel like she needed to protect him.

“Brian,” Bella murmured as she tried to ignore the liquid desire that was flooding through her. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” A warm smile spread across his face. He nodded and reached for her hand.

“Sure, come on. I’ll show you my office. How does that sound?” Brian watched her curiously as she stared at his hand, as if it were a deadly creature. Then she slowly reached her hand out, placing just her fingertips in his. He watched as her lips pursed together tightly, and she looked like she was in pain. He glanced up at Alexa again, worried, but she only nodded her head at him to go on.

Brian felt slightly annoyed that Alexa was dismissing Bella’s issues so casually. But he knew that if it was anything serious, she wouldn’t be so relaxed about it. He held her fingers gently and led her back down the stairs where they had come from. Bella stayed quiet the whole way. He led her into his office and then stopped to shut his door.

Bella took a few steps away from him as she tried to focus on the room around her. She was trying to ignore how every breath she took was like inhaling the aphrodisiac that was Brian’s sweet scent. She turned to look at him and caught his golden gaze wandering over her before his eyes returned back to their hazel color. It looked like he was also struggling to rein in his beast. This reassured her and gave her the courage she needed to finally try to speak.

“Brian, I—I can feel the mate pull.” She chewed on her inner lip as she watched his eyes flash with color. “But I’m—I’m scared of it.” The moment she mentioned she was scared, his hazel color took over. Stepping toward her, he wrapped his arms around her. Immediately, sweet sparks erupted over her body as the tingles threatened to fuse them together. It felt like all her strength had been drained from her in that moment. She relaxed against him and rested her head on his chest, inhaling the smell that was made just for her.