“You don’t have to go because your dragon won’t do it again as long as Hunt continues to send out his Alpha power,” Quin explained.
Staring up at Hunter, Alex asked, “Are you sure my dragon won’t take me over?”
“Pretty sure,” Hunter replied, smiling. “Any Alpha power should work on any Omega…it’s kind of a built-in protection system.”
“Ugh…I didn’t know that,” Alex said, alarm in his voice. “You mean any Alpha can control me no matter what species they are? So if I’m walking down the street and an Alpha…I don’t know…like an Alpha moose…decides he wants to make me do whatever he wants, he can just smother me with his Alpha power and I’ll do it?”
A burst of laughter escaped Hunter before he could stop it. “Much to the moose’s regret, he can’t do that. My Alpha power worked with your dragon because I was only demanding he return control back to you…nothing else. Losing control of your animal usually happens to shifters who are young, but as you found out, even older shifters can experience it…although it’s more common with Omega shifters.”
Reaching out, Fionn linked his fingers with Alex’s. “So you’ll stay?”
“I will as long as your mate does his Alpha voodoo with my dragon,” Alex replied, grinning.
“Oh boy!” Quin squealed, bouncing on his toes. “I cannot wait to see what’s in a dragon’s hoard. Do you have lots of jewels? In one of the stories I read, the Alpha dragon covered his mate in diamonds. Have you done that to Hunt?”
Grinning Fionn said, “I haven’t done that but my dragon likes the sound of it.”
Groaning, Hunter shook his finger at his brother. “No more giving my mate ideas, Quin.”
Grinning mischievously, Fionn said nothing as he led Alex and Quin deeper into his hoard, passing each pile of his treasure until he reached the part that held his father’s hoard. Gesturing to the recent addition to the cavern Mystia made, he said, “All of that is what I inherited from my father. I’m giving half of it to you, Alex.”
It took a moment for his brother’s words to register but when they did, Alex was rendered speechless while his eyes darted from one giant pile of gold and gems to the next, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. It was a daunting task, but in the end he stopped trying because he couldn’t accept his brother’s gift. Their father wanted Fionn to have it and that was fine with him. Tearing his eyes away from the riches in front of him, Alex turned to his brother. “Thank you…but I can’t accept it. Father gave me a trust fund instead.”
Fionn hesitated a moment before saying, “Alex, your dragon needs a hoard. Our father knew that, and the only reason I can come up with as to why he didn’t leave you one are the laws regarding hoards.”
“What laws?”
“A dragon’s birth is required by law to be registered,” Hunter explained. “It serves two purposes…one, to keep track of the number of dragons, and two…so an official keeper can be appointed who keeps track of the hoard’s inventory.”
“Sooo…if my birth wasn’t registered, then I couldn’t have a hoard because how could our father ever explain the need for a keeper…do I have that right?” asked Alex.
“Exactly!” exclaimed Fionn. “That’s why our dear old dad gave you a trust fund which, if you think about it, was a very ingenious way to circumvent dragon law.”
“Okay…but why am I allowed to have a hoard now? Did the laws change?” asked Alex.
“No, they haven’t,” Hunter responded, “and because you’re in danger, it’s still not wise to alert the authorities about your birth…or for that matter, the upcoming birth of your son.”
Frowning, Alex studied their father’s glittering hoard, trying to figure out why Fionn insisted half was his. He didn’t see how he could possibly accept it without putting himself, his mates, and their unborn child at risk but that didn’t mean he wasn’t moved by his brother’s gesture—and an unbelievably huge gesture at that. A dragon willingly relinquishing part of his hoard wasn’t an everyday thing; in fact, he was sure it never happened throughout the history of dragons, but that just made it harder to tell his brother ‘thanks, but no thanks’.
Sighing, Alex turned to Fionn, knowing he had to choose his words carefully because the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt his brother’s feelings when he rejected his gift. He began haltingly. “I’m touched…beyond words, actually…that you want to give me half of our father’s hoard even though the laws prevent me from accepting your gift. Just knowing you do means everything to me…so thank you…thank you for making me feel seen and wanted. For so long, I felt invisible to my father…and while I now understand why he did what he did…that can’t erase the years I longed to be part of a family…my family. When my father…our father…died, I thought my dream died too.
“Then I found my mates…and that helped to fill the holes in my heart left by years of feeling unwanted. But it wasn’t until Oracle told me I had a brother that I realized you were what I’d been seeking from the day the lawyer told me my father had died. And somehow, miracle of all miracles, even after the terrible treatment you received from our father, you not only welcomed me into your life, but also made sure I felt seen…really seen…especially when you generously offered to give me half of our father’s hoard. I’m no longer invisible; you made sure of it with that simple gesture. I truly have a brother…and I’m part of a family now…the one thing I wanted so badly but never expected to have.”
As Alex’s last words fell from his lips, silence filled the vast cavern.
Chapter 9
“Ahh…Alex…” Fionn paused, trying to hold back his tears after his brother’s heartfelt declaration. “Just so you know, Penn found a way around the laws.”
“My mate’s correct,” Hunter said, after seeing the confusion on Alex’s face.
“But…but…how?” Alex asked, his gaze shifting between Hunter and his brother.
“Simple, actually,” Hunter said. “Since everything in his father’s hoard now belongs to Fionn, he is free to do with it as he wishes without anyone interfering. To get around the small problem regarding your unregistered birth, Penn drew up an agreement between you and your brother regarding your ownership of certain items in his hoard.”
Nodding vigorously, Fionn pulled out a folded document from his back pocket before handing it to his brother. “It’s all there and when Mystia gets back, she’s gonna make a portal for you just like mine so you and your dragon can come here anytime you want to.”
Staring down at the agreement in his trembling hand, a tear rolled down his cheek. He knew now what it truly meant to be part of a family…to have someone who understood his needs and wanted to fulfill them. His brother Fionn, a dragon himself, knew what Alex had tried to ignore: all dragons needed hoards to be happy. And, oh boy, was his dragon happy! It was the first time in his life, Alex saw his dragon dancing around with his fox, short bursts of fire escaping from his nostrils. The dragon’s joy was contagious, even infecting him, causing a grin to split his face. Refusing to wait another moment, Alex threw his arms around Fionn, hugging him as tightly as he could. “Thank you, thank you, thank you…oh my gods, thank you so much, my brother…this means the world to me.”
