Chapter 1
Ari’s POV -
After my first doctor’s appointment to check on the baby, I was so emotional. Ares was emotional too. We spent the evening alone together, bonding. We needed time to ourselves to feel close and decompress after everything that had happened recently.
With this trip to Hawaii nipping at our heels, we felt it important to spend what precious time we had alone together as much as possible before the baby comes and more things get in the way.
The next morning, Ani came bursting through our bedroom doors to wake us up. She was overly excited about this trip. We both may be about 2 months pregnant, but that wasn’t slowing her down from attempting to get to the beach and show off that gorgeous figure of hers. She ended up convincing Ares that Alexia needed to come with us to ‘heal’ herself from her rejection. He couldn’t say no when he knew everything Alexia had gone through. She had been moping around the pack house since she rejected Lane and knowing Fen was now dead helped ease her pain, but it didn’t heal the fact that her fated mate was ruined because of him and that would never change.
“WAKE UP BIOTCH!” Ani shouted, thrusting the curtains open to let the natural sunlight into the room.
Ares and I groaned at her enthusiasm. We were both exhausted.
“One more hour!” I pleaded with her.
“NO BITCH! Our flight leaves in an hour! Get up and finish packing!” She growled at us.
“C`mon baby. She’s right. We need to get ready to leave.” Ares sighed, sitting up in bed, attempting to encourage me to get up.
I groaned into my pillow.
“Fine,” I moaned as I got up and went to the bathroom to begin my morning routine. Ares followed behind me, kissing my neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist to rub my belly.
As we got packed and ready, I thought about everything here at the pack house, “Everyone is going to be fine while we are gone right? Who are you leaving in charge?”
I am starting to overthink everything.
“I’m leaving Beta Trace in charge here. Beta Lane is currently running the Slick Paw pack territory, and your dad is checking in on both of them with Beta Harold while we are out of pocket,” Ares kisses me and rubs my back, “So you can relax. Nothing is going to go on while we handle this.”
I nodded, “Okay. That’s good.”
A knock comes to our door, “Alpha, are you ready? Ani is up my ass to leave. Alessandro and Illyana are packed and ready. We’re just waiting for your word,” Alec asks, coming into the room respectfully.
Ares looks at me, “What do you say, princess? Are you ready for an adventure?”
I smirk at him, “Yeah, let’s blow this popsicle stand!”
Ani comes in behind Alec clapping excitedly, “Oh gosh Ari! I’m so excited! We’re going to have SO MUCH FUN!”
I laugh, “Ani, you do know this isn’t a trip for pleasure…it is still a business trip.”
“PSH…I know that! But not EVERY moment of our trip is going to be spent on business. We’re going to relax and have a LITTLE fun from time to time!” Ani smirked.
“Well, we’re never going to make our flight at this rate if you too hen’s keep clucking!” Alessandro interjects, walking into the room.
“I SAID I WAS READY GOLLY!” I laugh and begin walking out the bedroom towards the garage where the cars are sitting idly waiting for us to depart.
After Ares left all the necessary instructions with Trace, we left for the airport.
“So where did you book us to stay while we are in Hawaii, Ani?” I asked on the flight.
“Oh! It’s one of the most prestigious hotels on the island! It’s called ‘The Seaside Keep’. It’s the closest hotel to the volcano, so I figured it was the best town to start in when we get there.”
I nodded in agreement.
“You’ve been quiet lately Ari, is everything okay?” Ani asked me, looking concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a lot going on in my mind,” I paused, “I heard my baby’s heartbeat the other day when Ares took me to the pack doctor. I just can’t believe I really am pregnant.”
“Oh girl I know! When Alec took me in, I cried! We’re so excited for our little one to join us! We can’t wait to meet him or her!” Ani smiles as she rubs her own belly. Neither of us are showing just yet, but everything is so tight on me, it’s only a matter of time before I outgrow my clothes and have to move to maternity clothes.
“What are you hoping for?” I ask her, more to distract myself from my own thoughts than anything else.
“Alec is hoping for a boy, obviously, but I really don’t care! I just want our pup to be strong and healthy! That’s all we can really hope for isn’t it?”
I smiled at that thought, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Alexia, you okay?” Ani turned around to ask her since she was sitting behind us on the plane.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She had been so quiet. She was happy to be going with us and be around her friends, but I could tell, the whole experience with Lane and Fen changed her. She wasn’t her normal outgoing self anymore. She was very distant and submissive. It saddened me to see my best friend like this, but there wasn’t much I could do for her that I hadn’t already done. She just needed time to heal and the hope of a second chance mate, if those even exist. No one really knows for sure since no one has ever seen someone get one, but supposedly, they do exist in rare circumstances. I was hoping the Moon Goddess would see Alexia’s circumstances as those rare and befitting of a second chance mate.
Eventually, we all drifted off to sleep on the flight since it was such a long flight to begin with. When we woke up, we were landing in Hawaii!
After deboarding the plane, collecting our luggage from baggage claim, collecting our rental cars, and checking MapQuest for the best route to our hotel, we managed to get on the road that eventually led to the place we would be staying. Upon arrival and check in, we were excited to see that there was a bar and grill attached to the hotel where we could get some food. None of us had eaten since late last night on the plane and the plane meal wasn’t very filling for any of us.
“If the wait is long, let’s just go sit at the bar and eat there!” Alec suggested on our way down to the bar & grill.
“You won’t get a complaint out of me!” I say, eager to stuff my face with any semblance of food. Pregnancy was already starting to rear its ugly head with the constant hunger.
“Me too!” Ani and Illyana agreed.
“Hey, where’s Alexia?” I noticed she wasn’t in our group.
“Oh! She said she was too tired to go down so she was going to order room service and go to bed.” Illyana explained. I nodded my head knowing good and well that Alexia was just depressed and not feeling sociable.
“How long is the wait, Alessandro?” Ares asked as Alessandro walked up to us from the host stand.
“It’s an hour and a half wait!”
“What about the bar? It looks like there’s no one in there.” Alec points.
“Yeah, the hostess said we were welcome to eat at the bar if we wanted,” Alessandro confirmed.
“Okay, then let’s do that!” I suggest.
We head into the bar and sit at the barstools. There aren’t very many people in the bar, just the bartender, a brooding handsome-looking fellow hugging his drink on the rocks sitting a few seats from us and a young couple tucked away in a booth in the corner making lovey-dovey faces at each other.
“What can I get you all?” The bartender politely asked, placing napkins down in front of each of us as we sat.
“I’ll take a beer, these two ladies will take tea, and I don’t know about the rest of them,” Ares told the bartender. He quickly handed Ares a beer on tap and served up two glasses of iced tea for myself and Ani.
“Thank you!” I was grateful for something to drink.
Alessandro and Alec both ordered beers as well, and Illyana decided on iced tea for herself.
“What’s good to eat here?” Ani asked.
“Just about everything on the menu seems to be a hit with out of towners. Where are ya’ll from?” The bartender asked.
“We’re from Colorado mostly,” I responded.
“Ahh…did you come to get away from the cold?” He chuckled.
“Something like that,” Alec said, sipping on his beer.
“You should try the roasted duck! It’s quite succulent!” The man sitting a few seats down on the bar chimed in. Apparently he wasn’t as unsociable as he initially appeared.
“Thanks! I think I will give it a try!” I smiled towards him.
“Glad to be of some help!” He smiled, raising his half full glass of what looked to be bourbon in a ‘cheers’ manner.
Being that we knew this hotel was owned by someone in the supernatural community, we knew we could ask around for Draco’s whereabouts, but we weren’t quite sure where to start, so I figured I would start with this guy since he did seem nice.
“So, we actually came to town because we are looking for someone. Are you a local?” I asked the handsome gentleman.
“I am. Who might you be looking for? The island isn’t that big. I may know who you are looking for,” he smiled. His eyes were kind, but seemed to have ages of wisdom hidden behind them. His eyes gave away the fact that he was much older than he appeared.
“His name is Draco Pendragon? We need to ask him a few questions to help us locate something.”
“Ari! What are you doing?” Ares grabbed my elbow and whispered in my ear angrily.
I mind-linked him, ‘This guy is nice and he’s a local and seems to want to be helpful. What’s wrong with asking around? It’s not like we’re here with ill intentions.’
‘Draco is known to be hostile. We don’t need to tip him off that we are searching for him. He may think we are trying to cause trouble and then it will really be bad news for us babe! THINK before you do stuff like this again!’
I rolled my eyes and turned back to listen to the gentleman.
“I may know of him and his whereabouts, but answer me this first,” he began, “What is an Alpha, his Luna, beta, female-beta, and gamma doing so far from home in search of this guy?”
“We just need to ask for his help with something. He may know someone that can help us and point us in the right direction,” I continue to try to explain without telling him really anything.
He scratched his chin, thinking to himself.
Illyana got up and walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm. Alessandro immediately growled, but she didn’t stop.
“It would mean a lot if you could help us out, if you really do know Draco.” I could tell she was attempting to try and use her fae magic to encourage him to be more honest and forthcoming with his answers.
The gentleman takes a deep breath and exhales with a loud sigh, “Well, since you have this half-breed here, I guess I will help you out.”
We looked at him confused, “How could you tell that she’s a half-breed?” Ares asked.
“Because I am the infamous Draco Pendragon. I can spot a fae when I see one. Half-breed or not. She is fae and I am immune to the influence she was just attempting to use on me.”
We all sit, dumbfounded and speechless. THE Draco Pendragon in human form was actually pretty sexy. He had a slender but muscular build, black hair he had gelled and combed back in a very professional business man style, wearing a business suit that would remind you of the Sopranos. His eyes were dark, almost black, but they held a lot more than most behind them. They say if you peer into a dragon’s eyes, you can see into their soul, but most go blind before they finish looking, thus, most people don’t mention that rumor to just anyone anymore.
“So what are you doing slumming it at a bar?” Alessandro asked a bit rudely. I think he was acting more hostile than the rest of us because Illyana touched his arm. Wolves are overly territorial, especially when we first find our mates.
“I actually own this establishment. It’s a pretty sweet setup if I do say so myself,” he smirked as he continued sipping on his drink.
“What about the hotel? Do the owners know about you?” Ani asked, fan-girling a bit since she did all the research trying to hunt him down through history.
“I own that too, so, yes they do,” he smirked at her with a wink.
“You run all of this by yourself?” Alec asked him, very surprised.
“I have a business partner that keeps the day-to-day operations in order. I handle more of the big picture, long term operations.”
“Does your business partner know your…” Illyana began before he finished her sentence, “a dragon? Yes. He is one too. Silas, say hello to our latest guests. I didn’t get their names, but meet Silas, my business partner,” he directed our attention to the bartender.
I am stunned. The whole time, they were both right in front of our faces.
“I’m Ari, this is my mate and Alpha, Area. Our beta Alec and his mate Ani, and Illyana and her mate, Ares’s gamma, Alessandro.” We all shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
“So what can I help you all with that required you to come all the way out here in search of me?”
“We were told you had a means to contact the fae. Is that true?” Ares asks him.
“It depends on your definition of contact and what your business with them pertains to. They are very…selective in who they speak with.” Draco is helpful, but only to a certain extent. He isn’t giving us any further information that would be helpful.
“How can we find out if they will speak with us?” I ask him.
“I’m a dragon as you know. There is a price on everything, and I am fresh out of freebies at the moment,” he smirks while refilling his drink.
“You can’t just help us out out of the goodness of your heart?” Ani asked meekly.
He laughed loudly, “Oh dear child, the goodness in my heart left a long time ago! Why would a dragon EVER help some wolves, hm? Your first lesson in doing business with other species is this: there is ALWAYS a price for doing business with other species.”
“How do we know you aren’t just going to rob of us whatever we give you? How do we know you know where to find the fae?” Alec challenges him.
“Because I am the gatekeeper to their realm. No one go in or leaves the realm without my knowledge. If you want my help, you must pay the price.”
“What’s your price? Name it.” Ares asks, ready to pay whatever he requested.
“I take many forms of payment: gold, shiny objects, I do collect princesses if you happen to have one of those,” he trails off, smirking at me like he’s ready to take a bite out of me.
Ares steps in front of me, “We have plenty of money we can wire transfer to you. We are fresh out of extra princesses at the moment.”
“I don’t accept digital currency. I only enjoy pure gold. No gold, no shiny objects, no princesses…I guess come back when you have payment.” He smiled, beginning to get up out of his seat to leave.
“What do you want with a princess?” I pipe up courageously.
“Well, considering you are already carrying for your mate…I would settle for a date with you,” he smirks as he swirls the liquid in his glass.
“Absolutely not!” Ares growls.
“I’ll do it!” I interject and Ares turns around flabbergasted at my declaration.
‘What the fuck are you doing Ari?’ He mind-links me quite pissed off.
‘If all he wants is to take me on a date, then why not? If it gets us to the fae realm for Illyana, then I’ll do it. It’s not like he’s going to try anything with me. He said it himself, he knows I’m pregnant.’
“It seems your mate has agreed to my terms,” Draco cooed with a hint of enjoyment in his tone.
Ares scowled at him and then at me before saying, “ONE DATE!”
