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I nodded before standing beside her, my jaw ticking as rage rushed through me all over again. I took a deep breath to steady myself. “I just got off the phone with Mr. Thompson. How’s Mariah?”
I wanted to go to her right then, but I knew this couldn’t wait.
“Pretty shaken up,” she said, a frown pulling at her lips. “I’m not surprised he called you. I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries, but when that woman started spewing that filth—” Abi broke off, her hands clenching into fists as she gritted her teeth.
“From what I heard, you handled the situation beautifully, Abi. You have nothing to apologize for.” I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a reassuring hug. “And it also sounds like you defended me strongly.”
“Damn right I did.” She pulled back and stared up at me, her eyes blazing. “And I meant every word of it. You’re my son in every sense of the word, and I’ll defend and believe in you until the end of my days.”
I swallowed hard. After spending so many years away from my family, those words meant more than she could possibly know.
“Thank you.” I glanced at Lucas. “So, now we need to figure out how to address this, and it needs to be soon. The clan needs to hear about Mariah’s changes from me, not from some grocery store gossips.”
Abi’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Evan. I don’t know what I was thinking. I never considered that they might recognize her changes when I took her to the store today. I’m so sorry. I should have realized some might be able to sense it. All I was thinking was that it’d be good for her to get out of the house.”
“Don’t worry about it, Abi. Seriously.” I waved my hand. “I didn’t consider it, either. And she does need to get out. But the fact of the matter is that someone is eventually going to recognize that not only is Mariah carrying my child, but she’s become a shifter. They need to hear that from us first.”
“You’re right.” Lucas took a seat in one of the chairs at the long table. “We can't hide it any longer. Now that her dragon is awake, she could have her first shift at any time.”
“Exactly. We need to be transparent. The clan deserves to know the truth.”
“Okay,” Abi said, taking a seat, as well and clasping her hands together. “What do you want to say? How much do we reveal?”
I ran my fingers through my hair, sighing as I contemplated her questions. “I don’t know. Part of me thinks we should tell them everything—about the serum, how Mariah became a dragon shifter, all of it.”
Lucas shook his head hesitantly. “That's a lot for them to digest, and a good way to stir fear within the clan. People don’t think clearly when they’re afraid.”
“I know,” I murmured, pacing back and forth again, grateful for the reminder. I’d chosen well when putting my brother as my second-in-command. His logical thinking balanced my tendency to act first.
Anxiety was putting me on edge. I’d barely been alpha for more than a couple of months, and I was replacing Sebastian—a man whose shoes were too big for anyone to fill. Would they really be able to accept all that had happened? Would they still accept me?
And if they didn’t, what would I do? Despite the honor of being alpha, my family would always come first.
“Mariah deserves their respect and understanding,” I finally said, resolve steadying my voice. “Do you think they can give her that? I can’t be at odds with my clan, but at the end of the day, my mate comes first.”
“If we're honest with them, I believe they will,” Abi said, placing her hand on my arm to stop me as I paced by. “And you aren’t doing this alone, Evan. Both of us will be there by your side, helping you explain everything, and supporting Mariah however we can.”
Lucas studied my face, no doubt sensing my anxiety. “I understand why you would be worried,” he said. “But the clan already knows Tomas killed our father. They know what he’s capable of. I don’t think they’ll be that surprised he’s done this to Mariah, nor do I think they’ll blame her for his evil deeds.”
I nodded, attempting to quell the unease still gnawing at me. I had to hope that he was right. What other choice did I have?
“Okay.” I released a deep breath. “Lucas, go ahead and make the calls to set up a meeting.”
“I’m on it.”
Abi squeezed my arm where she still gripped it. “Why don’t you go find Mariah? I’m sure she needs you right now.”
That’s exactly what I planned to do. I left the office, ready to head down to find my mate, but when I hit the second-floor landing, the open door down the hall where Jax was staying caught my attention. Had he made any progress?
The man had been holed up in that room for days working his ass off, tracking Tomas’s whereabouts and activities so we could predict his next move. He was also working with Lucas and me to put a kink in his plans where it would hurt the most. He had countless businesses as part of his vast network of illegal operations. As a result, it would take some time to really put him into the financial spiral we hoped to create. Jax was heading up the backend of that while Lucas and I planned to be the faces of the operation, much like Sebastian and I had been when we’d first gone after Tomas.
I strode down the hall and knocked on Jax's cracked door. It swung open to reveal him staring at his phone. He glanced up, and I nearly gawked at his appearance. His blue eyes were bloodshot, and his usually sharp gaze seemed dulled by fatigue. Honestly, he looked nearly dead on his feet.
“You look like hell, man. When was the last time you slept?”
He shrugged, rubbing his eyes after he waved me into the room. “Here and there. I don't know, I've lost track.” Jax was one of those guys who truly got lost in his work. When he was in the zone, he’d go without sleep until he’d achieved what he was working toward.
“Mariah's gonna have your head if she finds out you're not taking care of yourself,” I warned, but only half-jokingly. “You’d better not let her see you like this.”
