Dragon Alpha's Special Mate

27. Where'd You Go?

Maxson

I would have been content to stay in bed the rest of the night, doing nothing but worshipping my girl, but I can’t deny that there’s still plenty of fun to have out there. I follow her out of our room, holding her hand as she practically drags me along with her, the smile on her face infectious as she continues to pull me out there. She runs ahead of me as soon as we hit the stairs, and I watch as she melds back into the party.

I can’t wipe the smirk off my face as I head to the bar, finding Lucien buzzing around, refilling people’s drinks. I stand next to Stefani, who stiffens in my presence. I still haven’t talked to her since she decked my mate in the face, but I can at least admit that some of my rage from that incident has subsided. She timidly hands me a shot that Lucien somehow filled without me noticing, and I take it when I feel an arm brush against my shoulder. I look over at a man who stands barely taller than Stefani as she smiles up at him.

“I didn’t know you knew our soon-to-be Alpha,” the man says as he presses a kiss to her cheek, and she blushes.

“Yeah. Maxson, this is Desta; he’s my mate.”

“Nice to meet you.” I quickly tell him as I put my hand out. However, instead of taking my hand, he pulls me into a hug, and my eyes go wide as I stare at Stefani. She mouths a sorry to me before her mate pulls away, holding me at arm's length.

“Sorry, I’m just a hugger. It’s so great to meet you; I’m glad that you came here instead of Storm Coast.”

“Yeah?” I ask him as Lucien finally slows down and stands next to us in the group. He leans against me slightly, and I can smell the alcohol on his breath.

“Oh yeah, anyone who goes to Storm Coast just has a stick up their ass. Not like our Maxy boy here.” Lucien says, laughing at his own joke.

“Watch yourself. Our Alpha went to Storm Coast.” Stefani steps in and I laugh as Lucien’s arm around me stiffens, stammering out an apology.

“Don’t worry about it, she totally has a stick up her ass.” I joke, working to loosen the tension, though, it seems I’ve caused more as Stefani and Desta share a look between themselves.

I know exactly what Lucien means. Since dragons go to Storm Coast, it’s like they have a superiority complex for going there. I know my mom only went there to stay close to home and learn how to be the Alpha. And that’s great for her; it’s what she wanted.

I actively avoided going there so I could get as far away from home as possible and live my own life. It’s not like the education we receive is all that different.

“Well, let me get us another round of shots!” Lucien finally says, and I can tell he wants to get out from under the prying eyes of Desta and Stefani after his poorly timed comment. He shot away from us in a flash, returning quickly with five shots.

“I got one for Sophia; where did she get off to?” I look around, realizing I haven’t seen her come back up to the bar.

I continue looking around, but I don't see her anywhere, which is not that surprising since she is shorter. She’s easy to lose in a crowd, and there are a ton of people here.

“Hey, come take some shots with us.” I link her, my stomach dropping when I don’t immediately hear back from her. I take a step away as Lucien talks with Desta and Stefani and try her again.

“Sophia, where are you?” I press, feeling a faint echo in my mind instead of her usual voice. I completely walk away from the bar, going toward the last place I saw her on the dancefloor. I spot Sapphire dancing with a group of girls and settle for a moment as I approach her, expecting to see Sophia. Instead, it’s all random people I don’t know.

I grab Sapphire by the arm, and she looks up at me with a drunken smile.

“Have you seen Sophia?” I quickly ask her, and she smirks up at me.

“Not since you two disappeared upstairs.” She teases, and my stomach drops.

“Tell her I’m looking for her if you do.” She nods before going back to dancing with her group of friends as I continue to look around. The pit in my stomach starts to grow as my anxiety over not being able to see her or hear from her grows.

“Okay, it’s not funny anymore. Where are you?” I say it a little more aggressively this time. I’m trying to keep my cool, but all I can think about is her telling me she felt like someone’s been watching her, and I fear the worst with her not answering me

“MAXSON!” I hear her voice shriek in my mind, and I immediately drop my drink as I run off the dancefloor, trying to find her.

“Where are you? Tell me!”

I can feel Avian stir inside me. The panic I’m feeling is exploding tenfold because I can’t find our mate, and she’s clearly in danger.

“It’s M!” She screams in my mind, and then I feel a painful disconnect from her when I can’t link her anymore. She’s never shut me out, never. We’d never do that to each other.

“Everyone, stop!” I scream over the party, my Alpha tone coming through as some of the other species look at me. The dragons immediately comply with my order, and I scream loudly at anyone who isn’t listening to me.

“Find Sophia, NOW!” I scream louder, the panic in my voice obvious as I can’t find my mate. I can’t feel her bond, and Avian is starting to push through my eyes, and I’m losing control. He’s about to shift, and then this place will really be destroyed.

“What’s going on?” Stefani asks as she puts a hand on my shoulder, and I shove her off.

“I need to find Sophia, now.” I growl at her, and she nods immediately, Desta right behind her as they spread out through the party. The band has stopped playing, and I don’t care if I’m being a total buzz kill.

I need to find my mate now.