A little smirk returned to his expression. “I know. But shit, I didn’t think you’d go out there and actuallydoit.”
I snatched my hands away. “I’m full of surprises.”
“Guess so. You’d better tell your parents before I accidentally let it slip,” said Koto with a grin.
After saying a quick goodbye, I slipped into my panther form and climbed up to my parents’ place. Anxiety stirred in my chest. I was both nervous and excited. If all went well, I could finally leave the village. With an amused chuff, I wondered if my parents actually expected I would find a mate like they had suggested.
My father let me in after a customary knock at the door.
“Raja,” he said with an affectionate nod. “How are you?”
“Is mother here?” I asked. “She’s going to want to hear what I’m about to tell you.”
Hearing my voice, mother rushed in from the bedroom. Her hair was messy and her nightgown was crumpled, like she had just woken up. “What is it, darling?”
Now that everyone was gathered to hear it, the news felt tight in my throat. How would they react? I’d waited my whole life for this, and now the uncertainty choked me.
“Um… Remember what you told me the other day about leaving the village?” I began.
Instantly their expressions turned serious. My mother frowned and clenched her hands together.
“Go on, Raja,” my father said.
I forced myself to spit out the words. “Well, Ididactually find an alpha and he’s coming to visit in like, a couple of days.”
My mother leapt out of her spot and hugged me so tightly I thought my eyes would pop out. “Oh, Raja! You stupid child! You actually did it!”
When she was finished squeezing the air out of my lungs, she let go, and then it was my father’s turn. His hug was quick but affectionate, not as over-the-top as my mother’s.
“Tell us everything about him,” my mother demanded. “What is his name? Where is he from? What animal is he?”
I’d just gone through Koto’s reaction and I wasn’t excited to be met with disbelief again, but I supposed there was no getting around it. “His name is Lorenzo Drakinus, he’s from a shifter tribe called Cinderhollow, and... he’s a dragon shifter.”
Confusion struck my mother, then shock. But instead of instant accusation like Koto had done, my parents exchanged serious glances and didn’t answer me. I sat there in silence, unsure of what to do as they shared knowing looks. Unable to take the suspense any longer, I asked, “What?”
My mother let out a sigh from deep in her chest and smiled in relief, as if an old secret had finally been unearthed. “Raja, when you were born, your father had a vision.”
My eyes widened in surprise. Everyone in the village knew about my father’s ability to see future events - it was why he became the Pardus clan chief after the previous one passed away. But his visions were rare, and never usually involved a single person. Normally they involved events concerning the village or environment, like a flood for example. It came as a great shock to hear that he’d had one aboutme.
My father continued the story. “When you were born, I saw a vision of a mighty silver beast with magnificent wings and ferocious claws hovering over you. The sight filled me with fear and awe. At the time, I did not know what it meant. Truth be told, I was afraid.”
“So was I,” my mother added. “We thought it was a bad omen.”
“Yes. But I understand now that it was not the case,” my father continued. “This silver beast must be your dragon.”
The way he saidyour dragonsent a strange chill down my spine. “What do you mean by that?” I asked slowly.
“He is not just any beast. Your destinies are intertwined like the knotted vines of the rainforest. He is your fated mate.”
The words took the wind out of me. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I felt a pang of sympathy for my father, because obviously his interpretation wasn’t correct. My old man must have been losing it. There was no way a random guy I met on a shitty dating site was my fated mate, vision or not. This news made me strangely uncomfortable. I almost would have preferred if they reacted the way Koto did instead of this.
Not knowing what to say, I remained quiet. Thankfully, my parents had plenty to discuss.
“When he arrives, we should have the ceremony right away,” urged my mother. “There is no time to waste with these things. Oh, Raja, you have no idea how relieved I am.”
She hugged me again, making me blush. I loved attention but all this hugging was a bit much.
“Come, let’s find a handsome outfit for you,” she said. “We can’t have you looking like that when your dragon arrives.”
