Page 36 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

"You're leaving, then?"

He nodded. "As soon as I bond a dragonet, I'm going to fly with the dragon and Mac to the next settlement over. It's called The Grid. They have a mated dragon pair who considers the kobolds their hoard, but they're going extinct. Mac and I will be taking some adult betas and orphaned alphas and omegas there, ones too young to mate but who have met their fated mates. The theory is they'll be able to learn better when they aren't distracted by their mates."

"And you're going with them, for Robin."

He nodded. "I don't want to leave, but I can't stay. He's way too young for me. I'll return when he's twenty-five."

"Axel's final molt happened before he turned twenty-five," I reminded Weld.

"Even more reason to leave," he said. "I want Robin to learn glamor magic, so he can have the same experiences we had on Earth. Some changelings who haven't found their mates have gone back to Earth for higher education."

"Are they going to come back?" I asked.

"Once they reconnect with their fated mates, they might return, or they might choose to stay at the Grid. It will be up to them."

"How long before you'll bond your dragonet?" I tried to avoid sounding needy, but I had to know if he was leaving soon.

Weld chuckled. "Mine is one of the surprise clutch, same as yours. I will be here for the birth of your first hatchlings, if you hurry up and fuck him already."

My face burned. I didn't want to talk about sex with my ex, that's for sure. "We're taking it slow."

"He's a great guy, Tuft. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you."

"But …" Weld waited for me to finish my thought. He knew me too well.

"But I'm worried I'll fuck it up."

"How could you possibly fuck it up?" he asked. "Name one thing that breaks up human relationships, and I'll tell you why it won't ruin yours."

"Cheating."

"Have you found yourself attracted to anyone else since you met him?"

"Not me," I said. "Axel was engaged to a woman."

"He also thought she was having his baby, so that's more proof he would do the right thing, not that he would cheat. Next?"

That was my biggest concern, but the next thing to pop into my head had been bothering me for days. "Compatibility. We like the same movies, but we don't really have much in common."

"You have a shared history of being kobold/human hybrids," Weld said. "You've effectively ruled out the possibility he'll return to Earth. It would be too weird to try to relate to humans, now. We can glamor our appearance, but nothing changes it back to what it used to be. If a human comes anywhere near your snout, they're going to wonder what the hell they're kissing. And knots? Can you imagine?"

"Fine, you have a point," I admitted. "Status."

"Status?" Weld scoffed. "I thought being with me would have taught you that lesson."

"Lesson?" It was one I hadn't learned, apparently.

"Status doesn't matter here. Everyone's good at something. Coz is fast. Lark has magic. I'm strong. We all work with the priestess and the betas to find where we'll best fit the community. Axel's strong, too." Weld grinned, and one of his sharp front teeth slipped free. "If he ever gets bored building cabins, he could work the farms."

"You were the closest alpha to my ideal mate before I met him." I'd been thinking about that a lot, lately, too. Weld had been overbearing, sure, and he'd threatened Coz and Grindl and kicked them out of their home, but he'd done that for our babies to have a chance. Looking back and knowing they'd never had a chance, it seemed stupid and mean now, but at the time, I was grateful for his strength.

"I don't trust myself," I whispered. "I want to love him, but I'm so bad at it."

"You're really good at it," Weld reassured me with a bit of a smirk. "I'm not talking about sex. You're a loving, forgiving partner. You're smart and kind. You're sweet and fun. He's lucky to have you." He nodded with finality as he led me to the cavern opening that would take me back aboveground close to the priestess's office. "Trust me, and trust fate. You're going to be great together."

Thankfully, I didn't have time to worry about fated mates as my presentation time drew near. My future career demanded attention first.

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