Chapter 5
Aleric
“Aleric, son, you are not paying attention.”
“Forgive me, Father. I did not mean any disrespect. What was it you were discussing?” I glanced around the dining table we were sitting at, but it was no use. My mind was simply elsewhere and had been since the dreams had started.
“I said, you seem to be quite distracted of late,” my alpha father stated.
I blushed, and unfortunately, my omega father noticed.
“Something you care to share with us, Aleric?”
“No, Da. I was just thinking.”
I looked around the large room and wondered again if coming here to this mountain was where we truly should be.
But my fathers had been told by…something…
that we needed to be here. That they should set out across the ocean and claim a mountain as theirs because eventually, it was going to be needed by our kind.
I was more than old enough to remain in our homeland by myself, but at the time, I’d not yet found my own mate, so why stay where I knew they weren’t?
“His mind is wandering again,” Da said quietly. I knew he was talking to Father.
“I do apologize. If you would excuse me?” I said, getting up from the table.
“Of course. Are you sure you are all right?” Da asked, stopping me from rising from the table.
“Yes, Da. I think a walk might be good in helping me to clear my mind.” When Da dropped his hand, I smiled warmly at him before I walked away from the table.
I left our small cottage and started out on the now-familiar path.
We had only been here in the new land for a few decades.
At times, I missed our homeland, but I had to agree that it was a place that had become wrought with distrust and greed.
We could no longer trust those around us, and flying even at night had become dangerous.
“What troubles you, son?”
I should have known my alpha father would follow. But would he have some insight? I was torn about what to do.
“How did you know we were to come here? You said you heard a voice, but how did you truly know?” I stopped and looked out at the mountain in the setting sun.
It was breathtaking, but we were completely alone here.
It was nothing like I’d expected. I had hoped there would be the possibility of my own mate being here, but when there was nobody else around, that limited one’s chances of finding the other half of their soul.
“You’ve asked before, and I haven’t ever given you a direct answer. I realize now that I should have shared that with you. You are an adult and deserve as much.”
Father sighed quietly before he continued.
“Your da and I were walking through the forest when we suddenly sensed a presence that we’d not felt before. We were told by a glowing light that we needed to come here. That we needed to claim the mountain and that one day, we would need to help others like us. Why do you ask?”
“A glowing light?” It couldn’t be. He moved his mate and only child several days’ travel because a glowing light told him to?
“It might sound like a moment of insanity, but she was quite convincing. Something about her calmed the decision and was a helpful deciding factor.”
“She?”
“Yes. The voice that spoke to me could not be mistaken for anything other than feminine.”
“She told you to come here specifically?” I asked, pointing down at the ground.
Father shook his head. “No. Just to fly westward. I would know when I was where we were supposed to be. This mountain called to me, to my dragon, so this is where we settled. You were there. You flew with us.”
I sighed. I wished the mountain did the same to me. Lately, something was calling me back to our homeland.
“What if I choose not to remain here?”
I’d surprised him. I could tell by his expression.
“Where would you go?”
I scoffed. “Surely you do not expect me to simply remain here with you and Da? It is quite all right for you. You have your mate. But I do not. I am beyond my century mark, Father. I wish to have a mate and children of my own. I will not have either if I remain here with you and Da as my only company.”
“You have time, Aleric. You are young still.”
He was not understanding the point. Whereas he had Da, I had nobody. No companion to even ease the ache my body experienced, nothing. I missed the pleasures I could find with others. The simple joy of talking to someone. Touching another’s skin.
“Forget I said anything,” I told him before walking away. I didn’t hear him following and had to wonder if I’d upset him.
I made it back to the house and found Da clearing the table after our meal. I felt guilty for walking out before I helped and went over and stacked the rest of the dishes before I carried them over to the tub to be cleaned.
“I will wash these for you, Da.”
“No. You go read in your room. I put a book in there for you that I believe you will enjoy. Especially chapter twelve.”
I froze, wondering what he was getting at.
Did he expect me to read that many chapters in one evening?
Of course, it wasn’t as if I had anything else to do except spend hours on the mountainside so I did not have to hear my fathers in their room after the sun set.
It only served as a reminder that I was completely alone and would remain so until I was able to find my own mate.
“Are you sure, Da?”
“Yes. Go now.” I stared at my da for a few moments before I leaned in and kissed him on the top of his head and then left.
I walked through the small dining area to the main room and to my room beyond.
At least it was on the other side of the house from my fathers.
But with shifter hearing, especially being a dragon, I could hear a mouse on the other side of the house.
Which meant I often spent hours out on the mountain in the evenings.
I entered my room and found the lanterns already lit. Da. I smiled. That was sweet of him. He knew it was not necessary though. I found the book Da had mentioned lying on my bed. I quietly closed the door, and after I sat on the side of the bed and removed my boots, I picked up the book.
It was a journal. An empty one. But there was a folded piece of parchment that was larger than the other pieces of paper, and when I pulled it out and opened it, I discovered it was a letter to me from Da.
My Dearest Aleric,
I know you are restless, and I understand why.
Your father and I only wish for you to have what we do, despite what it might seem like from your father.
There is nothing more fulfilling than finding your fated mate.
I understand you want nothing more than to find yours. That is understandable and expected.
I know something has been bothering you, and I am most certain it has to do with how utterly alone you are here.
We came to this place because your father was compelled to do so.
I could not let him set out without me, for I cannot be without him.
You joining us was an unexpected surprise, but welcome nonetheless.
Sadly, the mountain is completely uninhabited, and your mate is not here. We did not know what to expect when we arrived, but to find it completely empty was not it. Perhaps one day, there will be more like us to share this new world with us.
It is time, my son. You should go in search of your mate. I have no guidance for you other than to be careful. Watch and be aware of your surroundings always, and do not trust those that your dragon does not. Always trust in him, for he will never lead you astray.
Your father, although he does not wish for you to leave, will understand why.
This is why I am telling you this way. There is a satchel packed in your trunk.
Inside you will find what you need to get you started on your journey.
It is small enough for you to carry once shifted.
It will allow you to shift into your human half when needed.
You are an extraordinary hunter, and I know you will be able to provide for yourself in that way.
I realize this has been the reason for your distraction of late, and I wish for you to have a full life, my son. If there is something that is calling to you, you should go forth and see why. I believe there is a reason for everything.
I will miss you, Aleric. You are our only surviving child, and although it pains me to have lost our other children, you have been more than enough for me, for us.
I know he doesn’t always show it, but your father is proud of the man you are.
He is protective, overly so at times, but you are so much like him that you two do not always agree on certain things.
Go, my son. Go in search of your mate. Of your future. I can only hope you find them and are blessed with a life of happiness and love. If you should find your way back to us, it would mean the world to us. If not, I hope to one day be reunited with you.
Love and wishes,
Da
I got up and walked to the trunk that was at the end of my bed.
When I opened it, I discovered the satchel that Da had mentioned.
It was much like the one he’d worn so long ago when we crossed over the ocean.
I opened it and found a few sets of clean clothes, a clean cloth with dried meat, a few loaves of bread, and a full water canister.
I repacked those and located the money pouch.
I smiled at Da’s thoughtfulness. I had my own coin from my many trips to the towns when I traded our pelts for goods; he did not need to have done that, and I would be sure to leave it with a note for him before I left.
I heard Father’s return and wondered if I should leave tonight or wait. Where was I going to go? I had no way of knowing if the gorgeous man I was dreaming about was my mate or not. I just knew I felt drawn to him, and that had to mean something.