It had been a few weeks since I made him a special dinner, we talked about what was feeling, and we marked each other. Every day since, I regretted the time I’d kept it all bottled up inside. Everything wasn’t sunshine and roses, but it was close.
In many ways, I was living the life I had always dreamed of. I had a job I loved, the seedlings of a few friendships, and my mate by my side. I knew my way around town, our regular customers, the dart crew, where to get the best pie, where I could fly freely and where I had to stay a little closer to the ground. Bramble Woods didn’t feel temporary anymore. It felt like home.
I tried not to think about that yet because there was still one huge slice of life here that I hadn’t experienced, and that was Zack’s den.
If they didn’t want me, then I’d have to stick with my plan of leaving after a year. I couldn’t do that to him. I refused to be the friction between him and his den.
Zack was driving, which was good because I was nervous. My knee was bouncing and my eyes were closed. The thing was, itwasn’t because of anything that had happened here at Bramble Woods. This was all because of the baggage I carried with me from my flight, and I hated that.
My mate insisted that everybody in the den wanted to meet me, that they knew who and what I was and still wanted me there. The first couple of times I was invited, I found reasons not to go. The third time, Zack sat me down, and we had a heart-to-heart. I told him what I was feeling, and he listened without interrupting or judging. He promised me that going would make me feel better, and if it didn’t, we’d figure it out together.
I believed him when he said they wanted to meet me and that they were excited about him being mated. That had never been a question in my mind. But that didn’t mean it was going to go well. My flight used to smile at me while excluding me, going along with social norms while detesting every minute of it. And honestly, being welcome wasn’t the same as belonging.
My dragon had no cares in this world. From where he sat, he was living his best life. He found his mate, was on his way to meet new shifters, and got to fly more than ever before. This was the perfect life through his eyes.
I needed to be more like my beast.
Driving into the den, I instantly saw how different it was from what I’d expected. Maybe it was because I grew up in the city, but I expected it to be more organized, houses in rows and such. It wasn’t. The collection of buildings that made up their little town sat where it felt natural with the land. We drove slowly passing different cabins, outbuildings, play areas. And it was alive. Clothes hung on lines, children ran chasing bubbles, a car was being worked on, a roof fixed… all the normal things you’dexpect to see in a vibrant community. It was so very different than my flight.
We pulled in and parked in front of one of the larger cabins, and den members came out to greet us. Zack introduced me to them one by one, and it was a combination of handshakes and hugs. I probably wouldn’t be able to remember all their names, my nerves running too high, but it all felt sincere, real.
Then my mate gave me an official tour, the two of us walking hand in hand. People waved from a distance, calling out his name. One guy shouted, “You can do better than him!” and for a split second, I thought he meant me. But as he continued on, it became clear he was teasing his buddy. “Zack’s too grumpy for someone as hot as you.”
Hot? Had anyone ever said that to me, besides Zack? It caught me off guard.
The possessive way my mate put his arm around me and said, “Don’t tell him that, can’t risk him leaving,” and laughed did things to me, and it was all I could do not to kiss him breathless right there.
Zack showed me where he’d played as a child and where he’d experienced his first shift. And each time we stopped, more den members came out to greet me. Some were friendly, others more shy, a few very loud, and some kids who were curious about my dragon, but they all had one thing in common—they treated me like I belonged.
“Do they know I’m half human?” I asked him when we had a moment alone.
“Yeah. We don’t play those games here. Shifter, human... it doesn’t matter. Den is den.”
I liked the sound of that.
“I like you,” Weston, an omega, and like me, he wasn’t from around here, said out of the blue. “Figured you’d want to know because meeting everyone can be a bit… much.”
“It really can.”
We chatted like I did with everyone else, but after talking with him, most of my worry flitted away.
They treated him like one of them. They didn’t act like he was weird or a burden. He was just Weston, part of the den.
Could that be me? Could I be like him, just one of them, or was he special? Did he have something I didn’t?
The flashes from my childhood brought to the forefront just how very different this place was. There, I was the half-human dragon no one wanted, the one that wasn’t enough, that they couldn’t get rid of, so then they pretended wasn’t there. I had been the complete opposite of what I was seeing with Weston.
Then it was time for the den barbecue, and although it was very much not barbecue weather, I loved it. We ate the basics, hot dogs and hamburgers, chatting around the fire. The kids were making far more toasted marshmallows than any child should eat. I was too.
I sat back and watched Zack. He, too, was loved. The part of me that wondered if maybe he didn’t quite fit in and that was why he stayed away but had convinced himself otherwise not to feel that rejection, all of that was wrong. They loved him. He was one of them. Even though he had his own life outside of this space, when he came back, this was his home. He wasn’t a second-classcitizen, he wasn’t a reject, he wasn’t the weird relative that came for holidays.
He was one of them.
The drive home that night was quiet. I was exhausted, my mate was too, but it was more like each of us was waiting for the other to speak. When we finally pulled up to our house and the truck stopped, I did.
“I was scared to meet the den, but I really like them, Zack. Thanks for bringing me.”
“Thanks for coming. They liked you, too. They’re very happy for me. For us.”
