Citrine followed closely alongside Robbie as she strode away from the house, down the drive, and past the gate, turning onto an old, cracked sidewalk that led toward the main thoroughfare.

Though thoroughfare was a bit of an overstatement, as Citrine took in the little place that could hardly be called a village. Once they reached what he would have guessed was the center of town, a quick glance revealed the main street only ran about a hundred meters or so, with a small cluster of shops huddled in the middle. Beyond that, stretched in every direction, Citrine could see loosely grouped houses scattered around them, disappearing behind the thick lines of trees wherever he looked.

Oddly enough, it reminded Citrine of his life before he was awakened. Places like this were not uncommon, nestled amongst the hills and vales surrounding his childhood home. But that was forever ago. Robbie was all that mattered now.

It was still confusing that she’d been acting resistant since the moment he’d arrived. Like a part of her almost hadn’t wanted him to show up. Sure, the attraction was still there. But it was as though someone had sucked the vivaciousness out of the Robbie he’d known back in Seattle.

Citrine thought he was simply rescuing Robbie from an arranged marriage she didn’t want. But maybe the truth wasn’t that simple. Discomfort rose in him at the thought.

Robbie didn’t say anything to him as they walked past the little shops and stores. Several people waved or said hi across the street, and when they did, Robbie would wave cheerily back. Citrine couldn’t help but notice the suspicious looks he got as those same people glanced from Robbie to him. But maybe it was just that the suit he wore looked terribly out of place.

Abruptly, Robbie stopped and turned around, looking back into the center of town.

“You see this?” she asked.

“Yes,” Citrine said, not sure where this was going.

“This is my responsibility. All of it. These people, these homes are under my family’s protection. And they have been for generations.”

There was a kind of resigned firmness in her voice that made Citrine frown. Before, she’d been pragmatic and direct, never satisfied with the status quo. Now she seemed… sad. Though she was trying to hide it.

“And the only way to ensure everyone’s safety just left,” she added.

“I don’t get it,” Citrine said, shrugging.

Of all the things Citrine had decided Bryson was, a good fit for Robbie was not one of them.

Robbie opened her mouth to speak when a little old lady appeared from behind them and came up to her.

“Oh, Robbie. You’re back. It’s so nice to see you again,” she said, reaching out a shaking hand to hold Robbie’s. Robbie leaned down, a pleasant smile on her face, as they exchanged pleasantries before the old woman continued to make her way down the street at a sedate pace.

Once she was out of earshot, Robbie crossed her arms, her smile falling again as her full lips pursed slightly.

Out in the distance, beyond the mountains, the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting impossibly long shadows over the homes and roads around him, making everyone look older, a little more worn from the passage of time.

“Why don’t we sit?” Citrine offered, noticing a small park with some benches a stone’s throw away.

She followed as he led and sat down with a long breath before resuming where she left off.

“Bryson’s pack is much bigger, much stronger than ours. They live in the next town over. You might have seen it driving here, depending on the route you took. Regardless, they own the whole city.”

Citrine just nodded, listening intently.

“I don’t know how much you know, but in the wolf world, it’s eat or be eaten. Every day, clans are fighting for territory, and the only way to survive is to join the strongest or be swept up by them. That’s why I’ve been betrothed practically since I was born. That’s just how it works with wolves, especially because alpha females like myself are incredibly rare.”

A cool breeze blew through the trees, making the quiet sound of rustling leaves cascade around them. Nearby, Citrine could hear two kids playing vigorously.

“Relations between our pack and theirs have always been rocky, since the day our forefathers settled different spots in the same valley. We’ve always been one step away from annihilation. If they ever made a move, we’d never be able to stop them. But ever since our arrangement, we’ve been safe. We’ll be safe,” she said, sounding as if she were trying to convince herself still.

Citrine had done copious amounts of research on shifters, especially wolves, and he’d learned a lot about pack dynamics in that time.

But just because he was aware territorial disputes were a real thing in the wolf world, it didn’t mean he knew that Robbie had so much at stake.

Robbie gave out a long sigh and relaxed against the bench, and Citrine couldn’t help but notice her soft curves hidden beneath the thick flannel shirt she wore.

“Anyway, you get the idea,” she said, seeming to calm more with each second. Maybe the fresh air helped. “So how did you know where to find me anyway?” she asked, turning to him and cocking an eyebrow.

“I know a lot of things,” Citrine replied. “You’d be surprised.”

“Well, did you know that Bryson’s one of the strongest alphas in the state?” Robbie remarked.

“Rumors are just that, rumors. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” he said confidently, making Robbie smile for the first time since he’d seen her. It was like a ray of light shining into his world, the only thing he needed to remind himself why he was doing all of this.

“You really are something,” she said. “You clearly know about shifters, so you’re either the dumbest human alive or you’re a shifter yourself. But I can’t scent your animal for some reason. Like a human, but not. Maybe a cat of some sort.”

“I can’t tell you. At least not yet,” he said with a wink.

Of all the secrets Citrine had, the fact that he was a dragon was the one he wanted to keep as long as possible. Otherwise, who knew how Bryson’s clan would react, knowing he, a dragon, was after the only alpha female wolf for probably hundreds of miles around? Maybe even the infamous wolf Tribunal would step in, since according to his sources, they could be notoriously protective of alpha females and of wolf dynamics in general.

The silence of the fast-approaching evening was starting to settle around them when Citrine heard a shrill cry of pain behind them. Both he and Robbie stood to face the sound, and he saw two kids, one standing near another who was seated on the ground, crying.

Without a word, both of them jogged over to the two kids, and the unhurt one, a girl of probably only six or seven years, stood protectively in front of her hurt friend.

“Whoa, tiger, it’s okay. We’re just here to help,” Robbie said, and the little girl backed down. “What happened?” she asked, crouching down to the kid’s level to speak with them.

“Jamie and I were playing, and he tripped and hurt himself,” the little girl replied.

The little boy, tears streaming down his face, looking maybe a year or two younger than the girl, was holding his leg. The cut, though still bleeding slightly, was thankfully far from serious. A mere childhood injury.

“Ouchie, that looks like it hurt a lot,” Robbie said in a soothing voice, addressing the little boy. The boy looked up hopefully at Robbie, whose smile instantly seemed to calm the situation. “How about we go find a Band-Aid for that?”

This was also a new side to Robbie Citrine had never seen. A gentle kindness that exuded both confidence and serenity. Just by being there, her presence seemed to soothe the hysteria of what had just been a panicked situation for two little kids.

Mate, Citrine’s dragon said.

I know, Citrine just said back. He’d had plenty of days to ruminate about just how truly he knew Robbie was it for him. Now he just needed to make it happen.

While no one was watching, Citrine turned his back on the other three, cupping his hand in front of him and taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching. Certain the coast was clear, a small plant sprang forth from his palm, growing from tiny seedling to a leafy stalk. Then with a quick motion, he crushed the leaves in his hand, rubbing them in his palm until they were soft and pliable.

“I think I have something that could help,” Citrine said cheerily, crouching down so as to not scare the kids with his sheer height.

Robbie looked up, slightly confused, as Citrine leaned over the tiny, injured leg. “I’m going to put something on that will make it all better, okay?” Citrine asked. When the boy nodded, he lightly applied the crushed leaves onto the cut area.

Everyone watched as the wound swiftly closed, then healed entirely, not even leaving a scar. The girl standing guard next to her friend gave out a little, “Wow!” as the plant did its work.

On a human, such a plant would have worked much slower to heal a cut. But the palliative powers of the plant coupled with wolf biology and their rapid healing made the effect, as Citrine expected, near instant.

Thankfully, even with the collar on, Citrine had found ways to access his dragon powers in spite of the restrictive barrier.

“See, all better,” Citrine said, smiling to the kid, who just smiled back.

“It’s getting late, though. You two should probably get home for dinner, don’t you think?” Robbie said, giving Citrine a stupefied glance before helping the boy onto his feet and sending the kids on their way. Both of them said a quick “thank you” and ran off, and they watched as the kids ran across the playground to their houses on the other side.

“I would ask how you did that, but I’m pretty sure I know the answer you’d give me,” Robbie said, tucking a lock of her dark, curly hair behind an ear as the landscape turned to shades of orange and red around them with the setting sun.

“Tricks up my sleeve, like I said,” Citrine replied, simply grateful for every moment alone he had with her like this.

After days and days of being away from her, it was as if he could finally breathe again.

“Well, if you’re going to be dumb enough to get into an alpha challenge for me, you might as well come have dinner with me and my parents while you’re here,” Robbie said, turning back in the direction of her house.

“Dinner sounds great.”

Anything that involved being with Robbie sounded great right now.