“Honey, don’t bother him!” A mother urged gently as she rushed forward to collect her cub, who purred and swatted at me.
Instantly I was filled with a sense of warmth. There was no danger here, only curious and genuine interest. I scanned the gathered shifters, searching for Raja’s face, which I had only seen on his profile picture. What would he look like in real life?
Then, I saw him.
And I felt like lightning struck me.
He was even more handsome in person.
Raja stood amongst the crowd, his beautiful face like a beacon of light. His gentle black eyes met mine and instantly I shuddered. He was gorgeous and more ethereal than I could have imagined from the online picture.
And at the same time, realization crossed his face as well. He glanced up and down, taking in my entire dragon form. Time seemed to slow down, and for a moment it seemed like Raja and I were the only two people who existed in the clearing.
An older man stepped out from beside Raja. His skin was wrinkled and his back was arched from age, but despite that he exuded power and importance. All eyes watched as the man walked slowly towards me. In one hand, he held a dark wooden cane with the head of a leopard.
The man reached me and raised his arms in a warm gesture.
“Welcome, Silver Dragon,” he said in a gravelly voice.
I knew instantly the term was filled with great importance. I dipped my head to him respectfully.
“Thank you,” I said.
Everyone stared at me. A few people murmured in surprise at hearing my dragonspeech, but still there was no sign of fear or intimidation. The atmosphere remained warm and welcoming.
“We have all been waiting for you,” the man said with a wrinkled smile.
Sensing it was the right time now, I shifted to human form and bowed. “Thank you. It’s good to be here.”
“I am the chief of this village. You may call me Eka.” He turned and gestured for Raja to come forward. When Raja slunk out of the crowd and approached, Eka put his hand on Raja’s shoulder. “I am also Raja’s father.”
“Raja told me,” I said. “It’s very nice to meet you, chief Eka.”
“Hm. Now I think it’s time you met my son,” Eka said. With a gentle hand on Raja’s back, he urged his son forward.
Raja stood in front of me now. He was a head shorter than me, but there was nothing small about his confident aura. It was clear from the sharp, intelligent glint in his eyes that he was a clever young man, and being an omega didn’t automatically make him weak and submissive.
When I opened my mouth to speak, my throat felt tight.
“Hello, Raja,” I said.
A coy smile crossed Raja’s face as he replied, “Hello, Lorenzo.”
A small woman with a family resemblance to Raja appeared, rushing towards us. She grasped my hands and shook them excitedly. “Is this him, Raja? Lorenzo, is it?”
“Yes,” I said with a smile.
Raja blushed. “Lorenzo, this is my mother, Kali. She’s very affectionate.”
“Pleased to meet you,” I said, returning the handshake.
Kali’s eyes lit up. She had the same dark, smart eyes as her son. She shot Raja a quick glance before giggling.
“We are so happy to have you here,” she said to me. “Please, come.”
I followed Eka and Kali, with Raja by my side, as they led us towards a huge, gnarled tree. At the very top was a large wooden home built into the tree’s branches, complete with a wide platform similar to the one I saw before.
Right before my eyes, Raja’s parents transformed. Where humans previously stood were now two powerful leopards. In a few graceful and effortless leaps, they ascended the tree and peered down at us from the platform before entering the hut.
