His Breath of Fire

Chapter Seven

    I drove up to the pack house, parking in front of what I could assume was the main building.  My mother popped her head out of the door and I smiled and waved at her before climbing out and making my way to her.  The stench of s*x rolled off of her in waves and I laughed at her blushing face.

    “Good night, I see,” I teased, elbowing her to which she lightly hit my arm away, the mark on her neck showing through her scarf.  I laugh again, knowing that I’d see it eventually, so why even bother trying to hide it from me?

    “Shut up,” she mumbled, hiding her face to calm her emotions before leading me towards her room.  “I need to shower real fast, but Paul said he’d take you to the mess hall to feed you breakfast.”

    “Sounds good,” I smirked, knowing she was trying to wash off the scent of s*x.  Everyone who has a werewolf—or dragon—nose, knows what they were doing.

    “Hey, Paul,” I greet, sarcastic smile growing larger when the smell of s*x came from him as well.  It’s not as potent, but you could still tell what he did last night and this morning.

    “Good morning, Bren,” he smiled at me, giving my mother a loud kiss before chauffeuring me out the door.  “I wanted to talk to you about some things,” he started, nervously twitching as he led me towards the mess hall.

    “What about?” I press, curious to know what he wanted to say.

    “Well,” he started, opening the door for me to the kitchen.  “I know you’ve never met your father and I don’t want to even try to say that I’ll fill that void,” he continues, grabbing food before putting it on a plate.  I mirror his movements and follow him to the table.  “I know that being your mother’s mate will make it awkward, but I want to clear some of the air.  I won’t try to be a father figure to you, seeing as you’re already a beautiful and capable young lady.  Can we just agree to be friends?”

    I smile at Paul, knowing this is a completely awkward relationship between the two of us, but he was trying to make this work between us and keep my mother happy.  Glancing at his aura I see a plethora of colors, but the one that stands out is royal blue, meaning he is completely trustworthy.  I know he’ll keep our secret safe, and from the small talk I had with Lucas last night, I know he’ll keep it safe too.  “That sounds perfect. Thank you, Paul.”

    “There you two are,” my mother greets, smiling at us both.  “Getting along?”

    “Of course,” Paul answers, pulling my mother onto his lap.  My heart hurts at how adorable they look, knowing I won’t have that with Easton at least for a while. I look at my mother and tap my ear.

    I think we should tell them tonight, I think.

    Really?

    Yes, their auras show they’re trustworthy.  I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.

    Okay, get the house ready by tonight. My mother instructed.  She trusts my intuition, knowing my powers are stronger than hers due to being a hybrid.  If I say that I trust them, she trusts me to not lead her wrong.

    Paul showed us around the pack grounds.  There’s training grounds, multiple buildings for the pack to stay in, and the main building.  There is the mess hall, where different members of the pack take turns cooking for the pack, common rooms that have TVs, games, and couches and sitting areas.  There’s a pool, movie theater, and obviously large forest areas surrounding the pack house.  Overall, it seems like a wonderful place to grow up in, and it makes me feel a little jealous.  What would it be like growing up completely surrounded by our own kind, no judgement or fear for what you are.

    “Bren, honey, you look a little tired, are you still feeling sick?” My mother asked, knowing full well that I’m not sick and not tired. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and tapped it, telling me to open my mind. I want you to go home and prep the house for when I bring Paul and Lucas over.

    “Yeah, I am a little tired,” I say, rubbing a hand down my face to sell the point.

    “Do you want to rest here for a little?” Paul asked, grabbing my mother and bringing her to him.

    “I’d feel better if it was my own bed,” I supply, smiling at Paul, “but thank you.”

    “Okay, I’ll come by and check on you later,” My mother offered, and I nodded.  She gave me another kiss on the forehead, lending me some power to make sure the house will be protected from outside eyes.

    “See you guys soon!” I say, waving goodbye to them before heading home.

    As I got home, I made my way to the backyard, sitting down on the grass as I closed my eyes.  I felt my powers swirling around me, and if my eyes were open, I knew they’d be an opal color.  My dragon’s wings expanded, and with them my powers exploded from me, causing them to create a dome around my home and the space around it.  The dome was big enough to hold two female dragons and some space beyond that in case we decide to showcase some of our powers.  This dome will make everything seem normal in the backyard, nothing will be seen or heard as we show Paul and Lucas our forms.

    The dome shimmered with fluorescent colors, reminiscent of my dragon form.  It’s beautiful to look at, and only those who are dragons—or part dragons—can see the shimmering colors.  I spend the rest of the day lounging in the backyard, enjoying the sunlight and the beautiful day.  After about three hours I hear the sound of a car entering the driveway and I head back into the house.

    As I entered the living room my mother, Paul, and Lucas entered the house and I gave them a small smile in greeting.  My mother is nervous, which is understandable, and Paul and Lucas are confused as to why they’re here. I offer them both a small wave, to which they send smiles back.

    “Okay,” my mother starts, causing both of them to look at her. “I know you’re confused and have questions. But before we answer any of them I’d like to ask us to move to the backyard.”

    Hesitantly Paul and Lucas followed my mother and I into the backyard, unable to see the swirling colors above them, but my mother and I glanced up to admire my work. “Show off,” my mother mumbled, earning a smirk from me and confused looks from the men behind us. Understandable, seeing they can’t see the beautiful colors around them and all they see is the forestry that makes up our backyard. I motion to the seats we have in the backyard and everyone sits down in their chairs. My mother sat next to me, to which Paul looked a little hurt by, but it was important we sat together for unity.

    Once everyone was settled, I motioned for my mother to speak since this was her mate. Taking a deep breath, she started, “The reason I brought you here is to confide in you a secret. I don’t want to start this relationship hiding anything, and honestly I would have waited longer if you two didn’t earn Bren’s stamp of approval.”

    The men glanced at each other before looking back at me, which I gave them a smile and a nod before giving my mother attention again. “Before I tell you what we’re hiding, I’m going to tell you why we are hiding our secret.

    “We are shifters too,” Paul and Lucas blinked, and their noses twitched, the sign of them trying to pick up a shifter’s scent they’re used to. “We’re not shifters that you’re used to—that being wolf or fox shifters. But we will get to that in a moment.”

    I could tell that my mother being vague and elusive was starting to frustrate the men, but I trusted my mother to tell them in the way that will be best for our future. “Paul, you are not my first mate, just like I’m not your first mate either. My first mate, Bren’s father, was a wolf just like you, only his lineage came from Lycans. Once he found out what kind of shifter I was, he became drunk with greed and knowledge of the kind of power our children would bring.”

    Paul’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but my mother carried on. “Since discovering my secret, I rejected him as my mate and fled for my life but not before realizing that I was pregnant with the first known hybrid of our combined species. Bren.”