Taming Her Beastly Mate
Chapter 65

“They won’t let me go look for him!” Raine cried in hysterics. “He needs me.” Kelsie wrapped her arms around her daughter and cooed to her gently trying to calm her down. She held her daughter’s head to her chest and looked up at Cody with her own tears in her eyes. They hated seeing their daughter in so much pain.

“What happened?” Alexis’ eyes watered up looking at her grief stricken cousin. She couldn’t imagine the pain she was feeling inside right now. Being parted from your mate was already hard enough without there being an unknown factor about it. Aken’s arm wrapped around her waist as he offered her his support. They knew what it was like to be separated and that pain was bad enough.

“After you guys left, he vanished. Raine went back to their room, and he was gone. We haven’t been able to replace him. Your father and I have been looking for him. We can’t risk the whole family going out. Raine said he had been getting strange flashbacks of memories and it was bothering him. She thinks he went to replace answers…” Rhea frowned and looked over at Cody. Cody was very quiet the last couple of days. He was having a hard time seeing his daughter in so much pain and not being able to do anything about it.

“I can go out searching.” Jasper looked over at Derek and Lucy. He was one of the best trackers in the Vampire Kingdom. It was what he did. However, Ryker was a dragon. So it would depend if he left a trail on the ground or not.

“Please Jasper. Do everything you can.” Lucy whispered quietly as Derek nodded his head in agreement.

“I’ll go with you.” Terra watched the small smile raise on Jasper’s lips as he nodded his head. She looked back at Aken who also nodded for her to go ahead. She still looked at him for permission even though he told her it wasn’t necessary.

“What about Brian? Have you contacted him?” Alexis asked and noticed the small frown on Rhea’s lips. “What is it?”

“We are not sure about Ryker’s past, Alexis. He might have been a traitor to the West Dragon kingdom… You know how they handle traitors…” Rhea whispered quietly.

“Ryker is Brian’s right hand man. He already pardoned Ryker’s past. And Ryker has promised on his flame to Brian. You should have already told Brian.” Alexis watched her Uncle Cody shake his head.

“Titus will need to know the conditions of what happened. It isn’t as easy as just forgiving. Especially depending on what we are talking about.” Cody’s lips were pursed tightly together as he stared at his daughter. He would do anything to take the pain away if he could.

“Dad… what do you think?” Alexis looked at her father who as the dragon deity should have some clout in the situation.

“Lex, you know I don’t interfere in their affairs. However, I am not convinced that Ryker is a traitor. We don’t know what his visions mean yet. There are other scenarios that could come to play…”

Alexis nodded her head at her father, and she already knew what she planned to do. Of course Aken knew as well through their connection. “I’m getting Brian. He needs to know about this. And I trust him. After we replace Ryker, we have Aken here to assist with bringing him back. No matter what resistance we might encounter. Right dear?”

Aken chuckled. “I’ll try to only leave a couple of bumps.”

Rhea looked over her daughter and Aken and smiled. “You two have marked each other.” She thought back briefly to when she was first marked. She wasn’t even sure that is what happened at the time. That was a crazy moment in her life. She had no clue who her mate was, but her heart had chosen her Lee.

“Yes, and I now can control the earth element.” Alexis smiled but wasn’t as excited to share her news given the situation. How could she talk about her new mate relationship while Raine was hurting for hers?

Lee looked up at Aken. “Now, you really will be able to protect her better than me. You will be able to replace her through your connection. Having said that… Alexis given the circumstances don’t you think you should stay here? We know that you are a primary focus of Erebus’.”

Aken squeezed his arm around Alexis’ waist as he listened to her immediate mental protest. “Don’t worry. She is safe with me.” He smiled up at an unconvinced Levi.

Ryker felt his body swaying. His vision blurred and he collapsed face first into the dirt.

__

Brian was sitting upstairs with Bella in Levi’s private family wing. He had told them they could use his place while they were away. They were still keeping their relationship private from the kingdom. They didn’t want it to appear as a scandal for Alexis to disappear right when he takes another woman as his mate. They would wait for everything to calm down so that they could address the kingdom together.

Bella and Brian looked up as Aken, Alexis and Micah were transported into the room.

“Alexis!” Brian jumped up and wrapped his arms around her. “Your father told us that everything was fine with you but I needed to see it for myself.” He stepped back and looked into her blue eyes. “What’s happened?”

“Sorry, Brian. I should have stopped by here… I wasn’t thinking after everything. But yes… there is something else going on now. It’s Ryker. He has disappeared. He started getting flashbacks of his memories. No one wanted to say anything to you because they are afraid, he might have been a traitor. But we know that isn’t who he is now. You most of all—”

“How long ago?” Brian asked with his brows furrowed.

“It’s been a few days… Brian… if he was a traitor—” Alexis started but Brian cut her off.

“Lex, Ryker is my right-hand man. I don’t care about who he was before. As long as he stays loyal to me now and in the future. Which I know he will be. He must be a mental mess right now to leave Raine like that.” Brian couldn’t imagine the desperation Ryker was feeling to leave Rain like that. It would practically kill him to be parted from Bella. “I’m sure he is just looking for answers. I’ll help you look for him. I am assuming that is why you are here?” Brain chuckled as Bella walked up next to him. Alexis was one of his best friends and often he knew what she wanted before she even spoke.

“Will this be a problem for your father?” Micah asked and Brian pursed his lips together.

“I guess that will depend on what Ryker has done. But in either case, I will protect him. I chose Ryker for a reason. We have a connection. And in the end, my father will respect my decision. He isn’t an unreasonable dragon.” Brian rubbed his head and g*****d in frustration. “That da.mn i***t though. Ryker should have come and talked to me. How could he go off on his own like that?! We need to replace him before he ends up in trouble…”

“Jasper is trying to follow the tracks. And my parents are also searching for him.” Alexis felt Aken rubbing her shoulders and caressing the mate bond. He was trying to comfort her knowing she was distressed.

“Let’s replace Jasper and see what leads he might have.” Brian saw Alexis and Micah both nod their heads.

“That is the best place to start. He should be able to point us in the right direction even if he took to the skies.” Micah walked over and grabbed a bag of chips off of the stand. They all looked at him and he held it up. “Thinking food.”

“We will fly so we can scout on the way there,” Brian looked over at Bella who nodded her head in agreement.

“We can fly with you,” Alexis added and listened to Aken’s snort. “Afraid of heights?” She grinned as she teased him. You’ll get to ride on me this time…

Don’t get me worked up… Aken growled as he wrapped his arms around her. A small smirk rested on his lips as he pressed his nose in her hair.

Micah stuffed more food in a bag and then grabbed an apple off the table. “Alright let’s go!” He said taking a big bite of the fruit.

“You are going to get crumbs on Lex’s back.” Brian chuckled as Micah grinned with a small shrug.

“Naw, I’m getting crumbs on your back.” Micah took another bite of his apple letting the juices squirt around his mouth. And with a mouth full of food, he mumbled. “Giddy up Toothless.”