Page 36 of Welcome Home: When Shifters Unite!

Chapter 18

*Cayden*

It’s been two days since I arrived at the Hunters Bow Pack, and I have been made more than welcome by everyone that I have met. Alpha Adira informed me of how she became the Alpha to the pack, and her past pack's destructive behavior. Dragons have mates, and we recognize each other instantly. It’s a beautiful moment, and not once have I seen or heard of dragon mates rejecting each other.

‘Too precious.’

“Yes, they are precious, Brymrag. I wish we could find ours.” Brymrag huffs smoke in the back of my mind as he turns his back on me and settles down. “It’s not my fault we haven’t found her yet. Maybe she is human, and that’s why?”

‘Don’t care if she’s human, just want my mate.’

I hope he’s not going to sulk all day now because every time our mate is mentioned, he is miserable afterward. If I could find her, I’d grab her and fly home. Not a thing could stop me. Even if she wasn’t ready, I would kidnap her and cherish her until she forgave and accepted me.

Walking beside Alpha Adira, I am on alert, along with Brymrag. He is excited to finally find the men that murdered Blaflono. Turning to look at Leo when he speaks, “Cayden, I have had nothing to do with dragons, so is your sense of smell as good as or better than my lions or Thorn’s leopard?”

“I would say we have a slightly better sense of smell, but not by a huge amount. Cats, on the whole, have an immense sense of smell, which is needed, of course, for hunting, marking territory and that could be up to two miles in distance. Tigers, mind you, are believed to have the best of you all.”

“Oh, don’t anyone repeat that to Rom or we’ll never hear the last of it,” Thorn chuckles.

“He has fit into his role so easily. I’m surprised you have all settled to pack life when you are all basically loners. But a lion pride, Leo, is a good thing if it’s managed correctly,” Alpha Adira states.

“Agree, unless of course you have some total idiot running the show, then chaos ensues. Hierarchy often causes trouble, as one thinks they should be the top dog, or cat in this case.” Leo stops walking and we instantly respond and stretch out our senses.

“I smell four,” Thorn murmurs, keeping his voice low.

Alpha Adira has her eyes shining with her wolf at the forefront, agreeing. “Yes, four.”

Stella, who has been quietly walking in the rear, shifts into her wolf and takes in a huge lungful of air, then spins and bolts inthe direction we’ve just come from. I look at Alpha Adira, who is staring in the direction Stella just took. “Cayden, four in front and two behind. Stella has them in sight, she’s going to wait and if she gets an opportunity, she’ll take one out, then the other. We four need to move forward. Stella is mind-linking, so I know what is happening.” I give Alpha Adira a nod in understanding.

We turn and continue quietly walking in the direction we had been. Fifteen minutes later, we stop as we hear a scuffle not far behind us. Waiting on Alpha Adira’s command, I can feel myself getting edgy, needing to do something positive because all this walking is getting irritating. My dragon wants action, and I have to agree I do too.

Stella walks towards us, with none other than Robbie. Alpha Adira takes in a deep breath, but before she can speak Robbie grins, “Sorry, Alpha, but I couldn’t just sit doing nothing. I have some clothes, just shorts and t-shirts, but you may all want something.”

Stella smirks. “He has an array of weapons, too. Like a kitchen carving knife and pepper spray.”

“Hey, I took out that shifter didn’t I?” Robbie, who is a human and seems to be an exuberant one at that, has me smirking at his visual display of how he took out the shifter.

“That’s enough. If you are to continue with us, Robbie, you behave and do as you’re told.” Alpha Adira gives Robbie a very stern look, which sobers his antics fast.

Thorn, who had gone up ahead, returns, and keeping his voice low, reports, “Four setting up camp, just ahead, maybe a mile. If we wait a while we can move in on them come nightfall.”

“Okay. Let’s take a rest while we can. Maybe devise a plan of action, too. Did you get the layout of the camp they are making?” Alpha Adira asks Thorn.

Giving an‘of course’ look, Thorn nods and sits with his back against a tree and closes his eyes.

“Brymrag, stay alert while I rest my eyes.” I also take a seat against a tree, close my eyes, and allow my dragon to listen for or sense danger.

Night has fallen, owls are hooting, and other animals are scurrying around in the undergrowth. I am awake and eating some kind of oat bar that Robbie has handed out. It seems his rucksack is holding more than some clothing and weapons.

We discuss strategy and once we are all aware of our positions, we start to move toward the camp. The hunters are stupidly eating, drinking and making merry. They are loud enough to wake the dead and seem to have no worries about what could be outside of their camp. Threat wise, that is. They do not know they have an angry dragon about to fry their asses or they wouldn’t be laughing so much!

Reaching the camp, I am standing behind a tree with deep shadows around me. I only open my eyelids half way as I don’t want any glow from Brymrag to announce us. My eyes flick from one of the human hunters to another, and when my eyes stop at one, I know I have found one of the two I’ve been looking for.

Six isn’t a bad count for the day, Dudley.

No, it’s not. Maybe we can have a historic count this time.

You’ve not had a dragon in a long time.

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