Guardian Of The Betas Heir

2 - Please just stop!

Elenor

I hum to myself while walking to the gardens with Decker, my gorgeous husky. Decker is black and gray with one blue eye and one brown eye. He’s beautiful and loving and very protective of Sylva and me.

I found Decker wandering through some wasteland back home right after my brother and I escaped the institution. Stray dogs were aplenty in England, but I saved him and secretly nursed him back to health.

When my brother and I fled our homeland and came to America, we hid in the cargo hold of a ship. We were stowaways, but we did what we had to do to survive. Luckily, we weren’t caught, and we managed to escape.

We came to America to find the Dragon King, hoping he would help us take down the monsters who sought to destroy us. But things didn’t work out that way. Things rarely work out the way we want them to.

When Edmund, my brother, and I arrived with Decker in tow because I refused to leave him behind, we met a couple who offered us a place to stay. They fed and clothed us and gave us somewhere safe to sleep. We slept in the same room because I was too scared to be without my brother.

For three weeks, Josie and Steven treated Edmund and me like family. They believed we were homeless due to our parents dying, and they felt sorry for us. Of course, they wanted to know why we didn’t return to England to our family. We told them that we had no family; it was just us.

We didn’t tell them anything that could get back to anyone else. Edmund and I were afraid that if we said anything, it could get back to those who were hunting us. Josie and Steven might have felt they needed to tell the Dragon King the truth, and he may have thought we were too much trouble and sent us back to where we came from.

We couldn’t risk it.

Eventually, Steven took us to the King and Queen, as was his duty, to ask if Edmund and I could stay in Dragon Country. The King and Queen interviewed us. Edmund was terrified they would read our minds and find out the truth. But I wouldn’t let that happen. I have my own abilities, and that includes being able to hide the truth from the son of Leviathan.

The King bought our story that we had moved to America with our parents for a fresh start. He believed that our parents had died because the names we gave him were names of people the King would have known about and knew had died. It was a horrible lie, but it was the only way to convince Xale that we could be trusted. We gave the names of a couple we had heard about in town. People were talking, and I picked up on it.

The King wasn’t pleased there was a dog in his Kingdom. Xale isn’t keen on dogs, but I begged him to allow me to keep Decker. I said that my father had bought the dog for me two years previously as a present because I was going through a tough time, and Dad thought the dog would be a support to me. The King relented and allowed me to keep Decker as long as I kept him on a tight leash. If Decker did anything to piss the King off, Decker would have to go, but I could keep him, and I couldn’t have been more grateful.

The King then wanted to see our documents. As the Dragon King and the son of Leviathan, Xale would know every Dragon born, but not every hybrid. Edmund and I are hybrids, which helped our case. Though Xale had the names of the people we claimed were our parents, and they indeed did have two children, they weren’t documented. Our fake mother was a Siren, making Edmund and I a Dragon Siren mix, much like some of the Dragon King’s grandchildren, which meant Xale took a shine to us.

However, our documents were fake. I have a knack for such things, so it was easy for me to do so. Edmund and I had changed our forenames and surnames. Our surname now matched that of our fake parents, Dawson. I also faked our school diplomas, college education, and our degrees for work. Edmund’s happy place is in the garden, so I had him down as a qualified landscaper. I love children, so I gave myself a degree in childcare.

Edmund and I were given jobs and have never caused any problems. We don’t want to bring too much attention to ourselves, so we get on with things without complaining.

Edmund was given a room in a shared house with two other men who worked the land with him. Those two men, Duane and Lester, are now Edmund’s best friends.

Me?

I was cast out with the unwanted Princess to a little brick house in the woods. I was put through many interviews before I was given the job, I met many people involved with Sylva, but I have never seen her father.

How crazy is that?

Poor little Sylva, all she wants is her father’s love, but he never gives it. He’s a spineless pig who forced his family to stay away from Sylva because he couldn’t bear to see her. He only allows her grandparents to see her once a fortnight. No other family is allowed to visit, and I know he has a massive family. For the rest of the time, it’s just Sylva, Decker, and me. Sometimes Edmund and Brian, the man who we claimed was our cousin, would pop by, but no one else would.

I am all Sylva has right now. Though, that will change soon.

“Hey, you.” I smile at my brother as he drops his spade and runs over to hug me.

“Hey,” I whisper before he sets me on my feet.

“You look tired, Elenor.”

“I’m okay.” I smile, even though I’m not really okay.

“Still now sign?” I shake my head and my brother huffs. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. He’s not worth it.”

My brother is referring to the fact I found my mate a couple of months ago. I was walking through the forest on the day Sylva was with her father. Decker had run ahead because that’s what he likes to do. I wasn’t worried about him because he always comes back.

The man I saw that day was stunned to see me. He was leaning against a tree, and he was so beautiful that it took my breath away. He reminded me of a rockstar with the way he was dressed.

His eyes widened, and his nostrils flared as he breathed in my scent on the air. Instantly, I knew he was my mate, and I was nervous.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he charged at me. Not one word was spoken as he took me against a tree with the force of a wild beast.

When it was over, he ran from me, literally so fast I had no chance of catching up with him. He left me there in a world of confusion.

I never saw him again, and I’ve looked for him. Whenever I take Sylva for our secret walks through the forest, my eyes search our surroundings for any sign. But there never is any sign of my mysterious mate.

Now, I’m pregnant with my mate’s baby, and I have no way of finding him. He never verbally rejected me, nor did he give me the chance to reject him. So, I’m pretty much fucke.d until I do find him. He can kiss my ass if he ever thinks I will accept him after what he did!

Dragons don’t do well without their mates. It can send us into forever sleep, where we mourn the loss forevermore. But I fully believe that hasn’t happened to me because of Sylva and the baby inside me. I love them more than I need a mate. I will never give up, even on those days when everything seems too hard and tough to continue. I will fight for my babies every day of their lives.

I won’t pretend that finding my mate, having se.x with him, and then him running away from me wasn’t hard. After everything I went through before I came here, finding my mate was the last thing I expected. To not even ask his name, and to allow myself to act like a slut… I can’t go there right now. I should have known being mated was too good to be true.

“It is what it is,” I shrug.

My brother smiles slightly. “Is the Queen going to allow you to continue to care for Sylva now you’re pregnant?”

I bite the inside of my lower lip and sigh. “I spoke to King Xale. I explained what happened with my so-called mate. He was furious when I told him what happened. The King said that he would kill the guy for taking advantage of me. But I didn’t want that.”

What would be the point?

I didn’t know who the man was or how to find him. I’ve never seen him around here since that day, so he could be anywhere. Hell, he could be in a different country by now.

Xale said he could find out and force the brut to take responsibility for the baby. But I don’t want that either. The guy didn’t want me, and I don’t want him in my baby’s life. My child will be well taken care of because they will have me. They don’t need a father who used their mother and tossed her away like rubbish. I doubt I’ll ever see that man again, and I just want to forget about him.

All I want is to continue caring for Sylva. I don’t want her to feel abandoned by me. I love that little girl so much. She makes my life worthwhile.

The Queen smiled at me and told me that neither she nor the King would ever remove me from my post, especially when Sylva was thriving. As long as I was one hundred percent sure that I could manage Sylva and my own child and never treat Sylva differently, my job was safe. That was all I needed to hear.

“Just don’t take on too much, Elenor. It’s bad enough that Sylva only gets to see her father once a month. But the fact he emotionally blackmails his family into staying away from that baby is despicable. She’s with you every moment of every day but for a couple of hours a month. She needs you more than she needs anyone else.”

“I know all of that, Edmund. I live it every day. That’s why I will never abandon that baby girl.”

Edmund sighs. “Sylva is not your child, Elenor.”

“I know that!” I snap defensively. “But I am the one who is there for Sylva. I am all she knows, Edmund.”

My brother, frustratedly, takes my arms. “And what happens if Darion finds us, and we have to run? You can take your baby with you, but what will happen to Sylva then, Elenor? You’d have to leave that little girl behind, and you know it. I warned you about taking a job like this, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“Just stop! Please!”

I understand what my brother is saying, and I am more than prepared for every event. I have planned it all out in my head, especially if Darion finds us. But I couldn’t help falling in love with Sylva. She’s so easy to love. If I could make her father understand how much she needs him, I would. Then, if I had to run, I wouldn’t feel so awful if I had to leave.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Edmund pulls me into his arms and kisses my head. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I think Decker wants to kill me.” He laughs.

I pull away from my brother and look at my faithful dog, snarling at Edmund. I smile and stroke Decker’s head. He’s such a loyal friend and would protect me from everything, even my brother.

“It’s okay, boy. Mommy is just fine.” Decker whines and pushes his head into my hand. “I best get back to work,” I tell my brother. “Are you still coming for dinner tonight?”

“Of course,” He winks. “I wouldn’t miss our weekly dinner date. See you at six?”

I nod, kiss his cheek, and walk away. Decker follows behind, guarding me as he always does.

I pray Sylva has a good visit with her father. Just once, I hope she has a good time. I hate how upset she always is when she gets home. The tears and sobbing break my heart.

When Sylva tells me that her daddy either ignored her or got mad, it makes me want to break his damn face! One of these days, I’ll do just that.

I don’t know what his problem is, but taking it out on a child is disgusting. It’s about time someone out that asshole in his place, and I am just the woman to do it!