Atlas cocked his head. “Mates. I don’t think that you’re talking about mates as in the form of friend or buddy. So, soulmates like in books or movies?”
“For a very long time, paranormal creatures had stopped finding and claiming their fated mate,” Bel explained.
“Ha! Totally called that one!” Atlas crowed.
Bel smiled. Yes, Atlas was very smart. “I think the first from our realm to find their mate was the Alpha of the hellhounds.”
Atlas swallowed hard. “Hellhounds?”
“The cutest little things but watch out for their drool. It is pure acid for humans,” Bel advised. Everyone loved the hellhounds, especially the pups. One of the humans had even been adopted by one.
“I don’t think I’ll forget that” Atlas set down his fork before lifting the croissant and taking a big bite. He moaned as he started to chew.
Bel’s body couldn’t ignore the sexy sounds that his mate was making. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“This is so good,” Atlas said.
Without asking, he added another croissant to Atlas’s plate.
Atlas cackled. “I am going to gain so much weight before I go home.”
Or he could just stay. Not that Bel was brave enough to say that yet. He still had more to explain.
“Now tell me more about this hellhound dude.”
Hellhound dude. Bo would laugh at that description. “He went to the human realm, your realm, and found his two mates there. A bear shifter and bobcat shifter.”
“Two mates?” Atlas repeated.
“Yes, they are a triad. Bo the hellhound Alpha brought his mates, Craig and Nate, to live here part-time. They lived most the time in the human realm with who we affectionally call the pack, even though that is not what they are.”
“We’re talking about shifters here then.” Atlas set what remained of his second croissant down and pushed his plate away.
“Not all shifters,” Bel corrected. “It’s more of a family made up of paranormals. All kinds of paranormals. Humans as well. We call them pack just to make it easier. They’ve grown in numbers as more mates have been found.”
“Humans and shifters living together?” Atlas asked.
This wasn’t the first time that Bel had noticed that Atlas seemed uncomfortable about the thoughts of shifters. Bel had attributed that to Atlas’s flickers but he had to wonder if there was more. “Yes, shifters have been living beside humans for centuries.”
Atlas grunted.
“As the pack started to grow and find their mates, they added a fae king and demons,” Bel told him.
“Fae.” Atlas nodded. “Is anything of myths not actually true? We’ve got fae and demons. Shifters. What about vampires?”
“Yes. The pack has a vampire. He’s a very accomplished chef and I enjoy spending time with him,” Bel shared.
“Okay,” Atlas drawled. “Vampires are real.”
“Should I slow down?” Bel asked. “I don’t want to overwhelm you again.”
“Nope!” Atlas rolled his hand. “Keep going.”
“Let me back up. The pack consists of a dragon shifter mated to a human.”
“Dragons!” Atlas slapped his hand on the table. “Are you fucking with me?”
“I…” Bel cleared his throat. “Would not do that.”
