Scorch: M/M Gay Shifter Mpreg Romance (Dragon's Destiny: Fated Mates Book 2) by Wolf Specter, Angel Knots Page B

Anik’s. The red dragon and his son who held the lands to the north were definitely friends, but it was still bad form to enter their territory without permission. Anik and his human mate, Mikkel, made their home far inland, in northern Manitoba. As much as I hated the delay, I knew I’d have to hold off gathering information on Luke until I made contact with them. I veered east.
    I had no doubt that they could sense me, just as I’d sensed them when I’d crossed into their territory. I hoped that they would meet me halfway, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was my friend Ben, their son, who found me on my second day away from Devin. We met near a still-frozen lake in a remote part of northern Alberta, and the bright red dragon shifted and smiled as soon as he landed.
    “Maks, you didn’t tell us you were coming,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “What are you doing so far west?”
    “I was heading to Alaska, actually, from Dane’s territory. I’ve got some business there, but I wanted to make sure your family knew I was here.”
    “You’re always welcome in our lands, Maks,” he said sincerely. “My father and I agree—we much prefer to have the four of us hold this continent without all the territorial disputes that keep the European dragons at each other’s throats.”
    “I appreciate that, Ben, and you know the same is true for you if you ever need to come south.”
    He smiled, nodding his appreciation. “What’s your business in Alaska?” he asked.
    “I’ve found my mate.”
    I couldn’t help grinning as I answered, and if I hadn’t known him so well, I might have missed the look of pain that flashed across Ben’s face. It was gone in an instant, although his voice sounded strained when he spoke again.
    “In Alaska? That’s… great, Maks. I’m really happy for you.”
    I knew he meant it, but I also understood why it bothered him. Ben had grown up as the child of fated mates. I knew how much he wanted to find what his fathers had, and I also knew that he’d criss-crossed his own territory for centuries looking for it.
    “My mate isn’t in Alaska,” I said, hoping that would take a little of the sting out of my news. “But I can’t claim him until I take care of something there.”
    I told Ben all of it, and he immediately offered to come with me and see if he could help. He was familiar with much that happened in Alaska, and he confirmed that the company in question was not known for treating its people fairly. Unlike the dragons back in Europe, those of us in North America generally stayed out of human business, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t keep tabs on what happened in our territories. And even though he and his father detested the idea of manipulating humankind with our dragon powers, in this case he had no problem with my plan to compel the fishing company to do the right thing.
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    E ven though the northern territories were sparsely populated, with Ben’s bright red hide we flew mostly at night to avoid detection. We arrived in Alaska late Wednesday night—four long days since I’d last seen Devin.
    My otherself was growing impatient to get back to him. Even though the subtle connection between us didn’t diminish with distance, over the last few days I’d grown increasingly anxious about being apart. I couldn’t tell if it was just because I missed him, or if something was wrong. As soon as Ben and I arrived in Kodiak and shifted back into our human forms, I called him, even though it was the middle of the night.
    “Maks?” he answered sleepily.
    As soon as I heard his voice something inside me eased. “Sorry it’s so late, baby. This is the first time I’ve had cell service since I left Washington. I…” I paused. I’d obviously woken him up, and I suddenly felt bad about being so impatient that I couldn’t wait until the morning. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” I finished lamely.
    “I don’t mind,” he said softly. I heard a rustling sound