Loving Luna - All Grown Up

Chapter Twenty Two - Colin Meets His Mate

❤Colin

(The day they first went to the dining hall – Lunch Time)

I could smell her, I could feel her but looking out at all the shifters, I had no idea who she was. Her fiery scent was intoxicating. I needed to find her, I needed to speak with her but most of all, I just wanted to be faced to face with my mate.

“Colin, what’s going on?” Tina asked me as she carefully balanced her lunch tray and her bottled water. I took the bottle from her. Tina had overloaded her tray with food. Two chicken burgers, quite a handful of fries, potato salad, and carrot salad. I glanced down at my own tray and sighed. It wasn’t as if my tray was any better. Since I had taken the bottled water from my twin, she easily carried her heavy tray to a nearby table where the other wolves had already seated themselves.

“I want to find her,” I whispered as we sat down. I picked up one of the burgers and took a huge bite out of it as I glanced around the room. I saw plenty of faces but none of them were her. Where was she?

“I want to talk to him,” I heard Tina mumble and I followed her gaze to a nearby table. I didn’t have to ask any questions to point him out.

“He is a bear!” I hissed out in panic. Hell, was my mate going to be a bear too? I looked at the others sitting at his table, but I knew she wasn’t there.

“I know!” Tina snapped out. I looked back at the male and I felt that protective sibling bond take full force. I snarled quite loudly and bared my teeth. The large male didn’t look afraid, he looked amused. “Stop that!” my sister said as she slapped my hand, making me drop my burger. I groaned as I looked at the mess and stood up. This may be my new hell, but I wasn’t about to eat a burger off the floor nor was I going to just leave it there. I headed over to the service line as I glanced down at my plain black shirt. It wasn’t ruined and nothing that some soap and water couldn’t fix.

“Messy eater?” a soft female voice teased. The sound alone had me stop dead in my tracks and stare at the female standing before me. There where two others standing on either side of her but they where of no interest to me. Finally, I was face to face with my mate. Her thick long pitch-black hair hung perfectly around her shoulders. Her soft grey eyes seemed to light up the room and the way her full plump lips where slightly parted in amusement had me feeling weak in the knees.

“Doesn’t seem like he can talk,” the female on the right pointed out and that snapped me out of my haze.

“Um, hi,” I forced out. I tried to smile but I was just so taken by her natural beauty that I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Grecia, why is he looking at you like that?” the female on the left asked. Grecia! What a name!

“I’m not sure, why don’t you two go ahead,” Grecia said softly, the small smile falling away. When the two females left us, I felt a bit better, more relaxed. “I’m Grecia, dragon shifter,” she introduced herself as she held out her hand. I glanced down at her hand and notice the heavy looking chain around her ankle. I shook my head and quickly reached out and shook her hand. The sparks tingled from my hand to the rest of my body and Grecia pulled her hand back.

“I’m Colin, wolf shifter,” I hurried to introduce myself. She nodded and looked at me questionably. “Grecia, um…” I couldn’t find the words. How was I going to explain this to her? I knew nothing about dragon shifters. Not even stories. The only shifters I knew about were wolves and lions and even then, I didn’t know all that much about lions.

“Oh!” she gasped out as she reached out and grabbed onto my arm. “Is this what I think it is?” she asked me and since I wasn’t sure what she meant by that; it was my turn to look at her questionably. “Am I your mate?” she whispers asked and my eyes widened. I guess she knew more than I had thought.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“This is amazing!” Grecia squealed out excitedly and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over my face. Her excitement made me feel happy and relieved. “I mean, I thought I felt something but I wasn’t sure what it was and now…well, now I understand,” she took a step closer to me and I watched as she glanced around the room. “What happens now?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. I had no idea what to do since I didn’t even know what kind of situation, we had landed in.

“I mean, aren’t you going to mark me?” she questioned quietly. My mouth fell open as I stared into her eyes. My wolf was jumping for joy and it took everything I had just to shut him up. “Colin?”

“Um…that’s not how it works,” I finally manage to reply. I was overjoyed that she understood but I wasn’t anywhere near ready to jump into it with her, especially not mark her. We just met!

“Huh? Don’t you just bite me or something?” she asked, and I could tell that she was quite confused.

“Yes, but it’s a lot more…um, intimate than just a quick bite,” I struggled to answer and the way her cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink made me smile.

“Oh,”

“I’d really like to get to know you more,” I said seriously. She slowly nodded and I reached out and pushed back her hair from her left shoulder. She wasn’t very tall, but her height fitted against mine perfectly. “So, you are a dragon shifter,” I started. “First time meeting one,” I then admitted. Grecia looked stunned for a millisecond and then she did the most precious thing ever. She laughed. Her eyes looked as if they were sparkling as she held her hand in front of her mouth. It was too cute for words. “What is so funny?” I had to ask.

“I just find it amusing that just this morning you where just a few feet away from us and now…I don’t know I just think you are so ah…” her voice trailed off as she once again blushed.

“I am what?” I playfully pushed for her to finish.

“Well, its just that you are quite um, hot,” the last word was whispered but I heard her loud and clear. I chuckled as I leaned in and brushed her hair away from her ear.

“I think you are utterly adorable and quite beautiful,” I whispered. I stepped back and I smiled proudly at the way she looked. Her flushed features and soft smile made my heart melt.

 ❤❤❤

I couldn’t wait for dinner time. I couldn’t wait to see her again. To talk to her.

“I am so happy for you,” Tina said as she nudged me on my shoulder. I smiled like a lovesick puppy as I looked over at my sister. “And you aren’t worried about her being a dragon?” she questioned.

“No, funny enough, I thought your mate being a bear was weird but here I am, with a dragon for a mate,” I said. I glanced over at Warrity, Daniel, and Liam. “I wonder if we will all find our mates here,”

“I don’t know, but this is quite troublesome,” Tina said. I snapped my gaze back to her and frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for starters, why are we here? And who did this to all of us? Why are we being held against our will and why are all these other shifters here?” she listed her questionable thoughts and I nodded slowly. She had a point. “I mean, yeah, it is great that we both have found our mates here, but why?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. She was right. This whole situation was questionable, and no one seemed willing to give us direct answers. However, none of that mattered to me anymore. I had found my mate and I was overjoyed.

“Aren’t you worried?” Tina asked.

“About?”

“About her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she is your mate, aren’t you worried about her? We don’t know why we are here and what is going to happen to all of us. What if they plan on killing us all?” Tina questioned and fear struck me. Once again, she had good points. Worry and fear itched its way into my mind, and I wondered where Grecia was. In what cell was she being held in, why did she have a chain around her ankle? Was it to stop her from shifting and possibly fly away?

“You are right,” I whispered before I stood up. “We don’t know anything and now I can’t just worry about myself and my family,”

“Exactly,” she smiled sadly up at me and I shook my head.

“How am I going to protect my mate if I am locked up in here?” I asked out loud as I started thinking more and more about this situation.

“Colin, we need to find out what’s going on here,” Tina pointed out as she stood up and faced me. I looked at my twin and nodded.

“Yeah, and we will,” I promised. I quickly hugged her before I went over to Warrity and pulled him aside.

“Hey! Is everything ok?” he asked worriedly, and I shook my head.

“I met her,”

“Who?”

“I met my mate,”

“Colin! That’s great! Where is she?” he asked, looking around at the other wolves.

“She isn’t a wolf,” I pointed out. “She’s a dragon shifter,”

“Woah! That’s badass,” he exclaimed, and I chuckled. Yeah, it was pretty badass.

“Yeah, but listen we need to find out who is behind all of this,” I said seriously. Warrity nodded as the smile faded from his lips.

“We do and we need to do it fast,”

“I mean, are they going to kill us or what?” I asked, thinking about Tina’s earlier question. Warrity looked horrified and concerned.

“Is that why you think they brought us here? For some sick kind of shifter entertainment??” he questioned, and I shook my head.

“I have no idea, but I can’t let anything happen to my mate,” I remarked seriously.

“I hear you, loud and clear,” he said, and I knew that I could count on him. “Do you think we will all meet our mates here?” he suddenly asked, and I shrugged.

“I have no idea, but be ready for anything,” I said.

“Of course,” he agreed before he went back to Daniel and Liam. Chandler and Riddick quickly took his spot and I looked between the two of them. I didn’t like them, and I didn’t trust them.

“We didn’t mean to listen in,” Riddick said apologetically. “But is it possible?”

“Is what possible?” I asked curiously.

“Is it possible that they brought us here to kill us?” Chandler asked.

“I hope not. I really hope not,” I said. Silence fell between us and then Riddick smiled.

“So, you found your mate here, that’s exciting,”

“Very, but now I am worried about her too,” I said as I felt the heavyweight on my shoulders.

“Well, for what its worth, we have your back,” Riddick said. Chandler nodded in agreement and I wondered if I had possibly judged them a bit too early.

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said honestly. Knowing that the wolves had my back, that they stood alongside me made me feel a lot more relaxed and calmer. I had to believe that the dragons were the same. I may not be able to protect Grecia myself, but I sure as hell hope that someone in her cell is able to offer some kind of protection. I had to believe that until I saw her again.