Page 13 of The Monster at the End of This Molt (The Monster at the End of His Pregnancy #4)

Chapter Thirteen

Robin

The next morning, I showed off my new mating mark over breakfast with my family. Instead of allowing me a moment to glow, Clementine immediately threw me under the bus.

"You don't smell pregnant."

I cleared my throat in the eerie silence. My entire family had stopped mid-activity to stare at me. Papa had his fork poised mid-air on one end of the table. Dad loudly swallowed his bite on the other. Across the table from Clementine and me, my alpha brothers halted their conversation and turned as one with their heads cocked at the exact same angle.

"We're waiting on that."

Dad and my alpha siblings turned to each other with confused looks, and Clementine rolled her eyes. Papa was the only one who grinned and nodded.

"Waiting is good," he said. "It gives Weld time to settle into life around here." I expected him to say something mean, but instead he patted my hand. "It also gives us a chance to throw you a housewarming party before the dragon reunion."

"Hey," Dad said. "That was my idea."

"Well, before, we didn't know how many rooms we were working with. Now we know they won't be expanding their house anytime soon."

Eating resumed, and the conversation moved on around me until Grover asked, "Are you coming back to work at the fortress?"

I hadn't finished my doctorate on Earth, but I was the closest thing to a therapist The Pavilion had. Besides, the work would keep me out of the house. "Yeah, I think so."

"Cool! I'll see you at lunch, then!" He hopped up from his seat, grabbed a piece of jam-covered toast, and ran out the door after pecking Papa's cheek.

"He's still courting his omega." Clementine's stage whisper made Ernie laugh.

"You're already taking bets," I guessed. My siblings had always said I would be the first of our family to have children, but now, my alpha brother was giving me a run for my money.

"The first to hatch an egg wins the jackpot!" Clementine clapped her hands.

"Did you know about this?" Dad asked, pointing between Clementine and Ernie.

Papa shook his head. "Not a clue, but I'm putting a stop to it right now. Hand over the money for the housewarming party." He leaned past me, arm extended to Clementine, palm up.

Ernie surprised us all by standing and leaning over the table. He slapped a wad of cash into Papa's hand and dug a handful of Earth coins from his pocket.

"Ernie!" Dad exclaimed.

He sat back down and hunched over his plate. "I'm least likely to succeed, so it was only fair for me to collect the money. I'm the only one who doesn't know who my fated mate is."

I glanced at Clementine, whose white stripes did nothing to hide her blush.

"Who's your fated mate?" I asked.

"None of your business!"

"Gods help them." Papa winked.

"You know?" The corners of my eyes ached from holding them open so wide.

"I know nothing!" he shouted. "Nothing!"

"Oh, goddess, Papa." She puffed a breath, sending the white frizz on her forehead flying. "I haven't met him yet. It was just a dream."

"Must have been some dream." Ernie grinned, and then yelped as someone, probably Clem, kicked him under the table.

"Do you think he'll be here for the dragon reunion?" I asked.

She nodded. "In my dream, that's where we were."

"It's only two weeks away." Ernie sighed. "Maybe I'll meet my mate there, too." He sniffed the air. "Where is that delicious smell coming from?"

We watched as he jumped to his feet, nearly tripped over the corner of his chair, and followed his nose to the door. Papa had said to leave it open for the morning breeze, and Ernie nearly walked through the screen door before shoving it out of his way.

I grabbed another slice of toast from the pile, folded it in half, and ate on the run. Ernie made a beeline toward the stables through the long grass.

"He's going to meet his fated mate before I do."

Clementine tried to jog past me, but I grabbed her arm and held her at my side. "Let him have this."

When we reached the stables, I recognized the omega petting Trickster, the pink dragonet from The Meadows. "Lemon! You made it!"

"Robin! Hello! I came early. I hope that's all right. I didn't want to ride with the others." He handed the dragonet off to Mac. "Tim said to feed him and send him home."

"Will do," Mac said, leading the dragonet to an empty stall. "Nice to meet you, Lemon," he called over his shoulder.

Lemon blinked and turned to me. "Everyone here is so nice. I thought you were an exception."

I stifled a laugh as he turned to Ernie. My brother had stopped a foot from his elbow and stood sniffing him.

"Hello?"

I released Clementine's arm. "Stay here."

I strode the last few paces to them and pulled Ernie to my side with an arm around his neck. "This is my minutes-older brother, Ernie. Ernie, this is my friend Lemon from The Meadows."

"Friend?" Lemon puffed up at the word.

Ernie looked confused. "You weren't there long enough to make new friends."

"Lemon's my friend," I insisted.

Lemon leaned toward Ernie and sniffed. Then he pulled back with a worried frown. "Sorry! There aren't many eligible alphas where I'm from. If all the alphas here smell half as good as you …"

Ernie growled. I released him and took a step back. He hadn't bitten me since before our second molt, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Clem stepped up and took charge, as usual. "He thinks he's your fated mate."

Lemon blinked. "Wow? So soon? I haven't been here five minutes!"

She nodded. "He could smell you. Must be the pheromone chem trails from when your dragonet flew over our house."

That sounded like a conspiracy theory, but who was I to argue? "This is my sister, Clementine," I said instead.

She held out her hand to Lemon, who cocked his head at it.

"We shake hands here." She prodded me with her elbow and held her hand to me, and I shook it. Then she repeated the gesture to Lemon, and he tentatively extended his hand.

"Great job! You'll be doing that a lot at the dragon reunion."

Ernie growled again, like the thought of Lemon mingling with other kobolds offended him.

"Should we take him to the fortress?" I asked.

"Yes. They'll have a room for you while you two get acquainted."

"I won't be staying with him?" Lemon took a step toward Ernie and inhaled deeply.

"Our resident mating expert will walk you through your options." She nodded. "It's good to have options."

"Who is our resident mating expert?" I whispered.

"You'll see."

She offered her arm to Lemon, who shrugged. Once again, I demonstrated looping my arm through hers, and he did the same, though he had trouble keeping up with her quick strides.

Ernie fell into step beside me. "Is this a dream?" he asked me.

"No. We are all painfully wide awake and participating in another of Clementine's strange adventures."

The adventure took us to Alma's cabin. The former priestess no longer lived in the rooms behind the cathedral. Instead, she and her mate, Honor, had moved into the alpha cabin nearest the old dragon temple.

Alma answered the door with a serene smile and two football-sized kobolds on her shoulders. "Good morning, Clementine." She squinted at Lemon. "I don't think we've met, young omega. I'm Alma."

"Lemon." He still looked a little awkward when shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.

Clementine nodded and smiled at him when he looked to her for reassurance. "Ernie thinks Lemon is his fated mate."

"Oh!" Alma cranked up her smile a notch. "Come inside. I'll put on some music, and you can dance."

A disco beat seemed to pulse from the cabin walls, though I couldn't see the magical speakers. She grabbed Ernie and Lemon by the hand and dragged them to the center of the living room, between a sofa and a large television screen.

"Dance."

Lemon stared at Ernie for a moment, seemingly frozen in place. Silently, I urged Clementine to say something to get them to move.

My brother surprised me by taking Lemon's hands in his and raising them up to his shoulders. "Like this," he whispered.

"I see." Lemon stepped closer, and they swayed to the music. "This is nice."

When the song ended, Lemon's head rested on Ernie's shoulder. Lemon’s back was to us, but Ernie … Ernie looked happier than I had ever seen him.

"You're mates," Alma said. "Your scents have already changed since you've been dancing. Your stripes …" She examined Lemon's wrists and neck. "I've seen your coloration before. Did your omega father have a high fever when you were gestating?"

He nodded.

"Your stripes will change to more closely match Ernie's, but they won't be as dark."

Clementine grinned maniacally.

"Do you feel comfortable staying with Ernie as you get to know each other, or would you prefer a room in the omega wing of the fortress?"

Lemon shook his head. "That place is too big and scary for me. Is your cabin like this one?" he asked Ernie.

"Yes." When Ernie nodded, his whole body swayed. "I have a nice futon where you can sleep."

"Nice my ass," I interjected. "As in, my ass still hurts from playing video games with you two weeks ago."

"Really?" Ernie's grin turned downright evil. "It's not from getting fucked by your alpha last night?"

"You do not play fair."

"Boys!" Clementine drew her hand, claws out, across her throat, the universal sign for "shut up before I kill you both."

Alma shook her head, but she didn't look too upset. "My girls are still too young to pick up your horrible language habits."

"Still, we should go." Clementine hugged Alma, and then it was my turn. Even though she was well over a century old, she still felt hale and strong in my arms.

Ernie was next to give her a hug, and Lemon stood awkwardly for her embrace before she shooed us out the door, back to Ernie's cabin to "Try it out for the next few days."

Lemon and Ernie walked ahead this time, hand-in-hand, whispering like long-lost friends. My heart swelled to see my brother so happy, and with Lemon. The omega didn't have the best start in life, but he was a survivor. He deserved all the love and kindness my brother could deliver. I also hoped he could put up with Ernie's crass jokes and bathroom humor.

"That pink dragonet was in my dream." Clementine sighed. "Maybe it wasn't about me at all."

I circled her shoulders with my arm and pulled her against me. "You'll find your mate. I know you will."

She nodded. "I hope so. Where he's from, there's this great place I can make my laboratory."

I leaned my head on her shoulder and chuckled. "You are the only kobold I know who would love her mate more for the location than their personality."

"He's a beta," she whispered. "And if he looks anything like how he looked in my dreams, I will love him for his body and the location." She nudged me with her hip. "The dream wasn't long enough to determine his personality."

"That's the best part of having a fated mate," I said. "They're the perfect fit. Other folks might disagree, but when you meet them, you know."

"I always knew Weld was perfect for you," she said. "He's mean to everyone else, but he's so patient and kind to you."

"He isn't mean. He's afraid." I blinked. Saying the words aloud showed me the truth in them. My mate avoided attachment in The Meadows. He expected rejection here at The Pavilion. Because he and Tuft had lost their eggs, he was terrified to try again. He had so many understandable fears, and no one judged him as harshly as he judged himself.

Speaking of my wonderful mate, he sat on the porch swing, reading a book as Ernie and Lemon approached. He lifted his head, and I raised my hand in a wave. He grinned at me, but then his head jerked to the couple in front of us. He sniffed the air, and then he disappeared. His book fell to the floor with a clatter.

"What was that about?" Clementine asked.

A spike of fear coursed through our bond. "You go ahead and get them situated," I said. "I need to find Weld."