Epilogue 2 Justin
I can’t fucking believe it.
The Bear found his mate.
The Wolf found his mate.
And somehow, against every reasonable expectation, both feral bastards have settled down.
Wreck—the hybrid who spent most of his life convinced there was something fundamentally wrong with him—is mated, expecting a cub, and proving himself to be one hell of a True Alpha.
Havoc?
Fuck me.
The Wolf went from snarling at anyone who stood within ten feet of him to making breakfast for his mate and pup like he was fucking born for it.
Two True Alphas.
Two Omegas.
Two matebonds.
One rapidly expanding family on my mountain.
Meanwhile, me?
I’m right where I fucking started.
Alone.
A too-dominant Dragon with a beast that has never been satisfied by anything I give him.
Not wealth.
Not power.
Not land.
Not even this mountain.
And Dragons are supposed to be easy creatures to understand.
We acquire.
We protect.
We hoard.
Treasure.
For years, I believed that was why I bought this place.
Thousands of acres of wilderness. Mountains and forests. Rivers and valleys. More land than any one male could possibly need.
Mine.
My territory.
My treasure.
It should have been enough.
It isn’t.
It never fucking was.
My Dragon has always known that.
Lately, the bastard has become impossible to ignore.
Because now there are people on my mountain who matter to me.
Wreck.
Gia.
Their unborn cub.
Havoc.
Gabriella.
Matteo.
I tell myself they’re my crew.
My responsibility.
But that’s bullshit.
They’re family.
Somehow, without my permission, those feral fuckers became my Clan.
And now I have something else to worry about.
Because the more we learn about Gia and Gabriella, their Omegas, their bloodlines, and the strange magic tying all of this together, the more restless my Dragon becomes.
Something is coming.
I can feel it.
He is coming.
I don't know when.
I don't know how.
But I know what happens when powerful males discover you possess something valuable.
They try to take it.
And if anyone comes for the people under my protection?
They’ll learn exactly why Dragons have been feared since the beginning of fucking time.
Which is why I should be home right now.
Patrolling my mountain.
Protecting my treasure.
Putting some fucking distance between myself and everyone else before my instincts get any more tangled up in theirs.
Isolation has always worked for me.
Distance keeps everyone safe.
Instead?
Here I fucking am.
Flying a search pattern over miles of wilderness looking for Gia’s missing sister.
Valerie Anatoly has officially gone AWOL.
Not that the little Dryad hasn't had reason.
She’s been moving around, covering her tracks and doing everything she can to throw the remnants of the Greener Earth Coven off her trail.
Smart female.
Annoying as fuck.
But smart.
The problem is, she hasn't checked in with Gia.
And that isn't like her.
At first, Gia wasn't worried.
Then a day passed.
Then another.
Now?
Wreck has a pregnant, frantic mate on his hands.
And nobody wants that.
Especially Wreck.
The council meeting is coming up fast, and Valerie's witness testimony matters. We need her there. We need what she knows about the coven and what happened to Gia on the record.
But that's not why I'm flying across half the fucking state looking for her.
Not really.
I tell myself it is.
Duty.
Responsibility.
Protecting my people.
All excellent reasons.
My Dragon calls bullshit.
Because the moment Gia said Valerie was missing, something inside me fucking snapped.
Not broke.
Awakened.
My Dragon surged forward with one unmistakable command.
Find.
I tried ignoring him.
That lasted approximately thirty seconds.
Find her.
So now I’m flying. Searching. Hunting. And with every mile that passes without finding Valerie, the pressure inside my chest gets worse.
My Dragon prowls beneath my skin even while I’m in human form and takes over completely when I shift.
Restless.
Possessive.
Certain.
It makes no fucking sense.
I've never met Valerie Anatoly.
Yes, I've seen pictures. Heard stories.
Gia talks about her constantly.
I know she has sandy-blonde hair and teal-green eyes.
I know she’s a Dryad.
I know she helped her sister survive.
I know she’s stubborn enough to disappear when dangerous people start looking for her.
And apparently, she's reckless enough to stop checking in with the one person who loves her most.
But I don't know her.
That should matter.
It doesn't.
Because my Dragon has decided something my rational mind isn't ready to entertain.
Ours.
“No.”
The word comes out as a growl inside the cab of my truck.
I'm back on the road now, following another lead after hours spent searching from the air.
Ours.
“You don't know that.”
A rumble vibrates through my chest.
Ours.
I tighten my hands around the steering wheel.
“Wreck and Havoc have infected you with this mate bullshit.”
My Dragon doesn't dignify that with an answer.
Asshole.
I should turn around. I should call Gia and tell her I found nothing.
Let the Council organize a proper search.
Let someone else find Valerie.
Someone who isn't an ancient Dragon with instincts becoming more unstable by the fucking hour.
Because what happens if he's right?
What happens if I find her, take one breath, and discover Valerie Anatoly is the thing I've been missing all these years?
My treasure.
My Omega.
My mate.
I’ve already had love once.
I've already learned exactly what happens when a Dragon allows someone to become more valuable than his own life.
I survived losing a mate.
Barely.
I'm not sure I could survive it twice.
So no, I am absolutely not ready for this.
Not for another mate.
Not for the vulnerability.
Not for the terror that comes with having something precious enough to lose.
My phone rings through the truck speakers.
I glance at the screen.
Gia.
Fuck.
I answer immediately.
“Anything?”
No greeting. Her voice is strained.
“No.”
Silence. Then a shaky breath.
“Justin, something's wrong. I know my sister. She would've found a way to contact me by now.”
My jaw tightens.
“I know.”
“Please find her.”
My Dragon slams against me.
FIND.
I close my eyes for half a second. There goes my fucking choice.
“I will.”
“You promise?”
Dragons don't make promises lightly.
At least this one doesn't.
“I promise.”
I disconnect.
Then I stare through the windshield at the dark road stretching ahead of me. Somewhere out there is a female I've never met. A little Dryad who has apparently managed to stir my Dragon without ever stepping into the same fucking room with me.
She's missing.
Possibly hurt.
Maybe running.
Maybe hiding.
And every instinct I possess is telling me one thing.
She's mine. I don't know how. I don't know why.
And I sure as fuck am not ready for it.
But apparently the Fates don't give a shit whether a Dragon is ready.
Fine.
My hands tighten around the wheel.
My beast rises.
And for the first time in a very long time, I stop fighting him.
“Where are you, Valerie Anatoly?”
Heat rolls through my chest.
My Dragon answers with a low, eager rumble.
Ours.
I press harder on the gas.
“You better be wrong about this.”
He isn't.
Deep down?
I already fucking know he isn't.
I bare my teeth at the empty road.
“Hold on, Valerie.”
Because whether either of us is ready for this or not—I’m coming.
Thanks for reading Knot What I Expected!