“Some foods I recommend for Rory, specific things to help keep up his strength. You should have most of the stuff here—a few of the teas are a little more specific, though.”
I had jotted the list quickly before heading to the den, muttering about how much I wanted Jenkins to fuck off.
Ma nodded, looking over the list. “This is doable. I can send one of the boys into town to get whatever I need. There’s a health food store that carries just about everything you can imagine. We also have a pretty good herb garden here we can raid…”
“Thank you—just ensure Rory is eating and drinking as much of this as he can. I would take it to him myself, but that doctor of yours…”
Her brow knitted together. “Jenkins is an old blowhard. I’ll deal with him. Don't you worry, I will ensure Rory follows this to the letter. Now, you need to go have some breakfast.”
“I'm going. Thank you,” I replied, throwing her a smile before turning and leaving the room. Before I was one step out the door, she was at the kitchen counter, vigorously stirring her eggs, my note tucked into her back pocket.
Griffin looked at my breakfast over his potatoes and bacon with an expression I could only describe as utter horror. As much as fried food appealed to me, Ma also had a wonderful selection of oats and toppings, which I had opted for. Oatmeal with honey, almonds, and berries was one of my favorite combinations. I could get fried breakfast foods at any diner, but fresh, delicious, home-cooked food and produce was a different story.
“You need to eat more than that.”
“This is plenty for me. I’m human, remember?” I smiled, picking up the bowl. The dining hall was bustling, with horde members coming in and out to grab breakfast. Griffin was doing his best to introduce them all to me while shoveling his face full offood.
So far, I had been introduced to two of the Betas: Harris and Logan. They were both overgrown and loomed over me in size, but with big puppy-dog grins that softened them up plenty. Logan’s eyes had lingered a little too long on me, but Griffin had growled at him, forcing the Beta’s eyes to the floor.
Unsure where to look after that, Logan had stared at the ground, blushing, before hastily asking if I wouldn’t mind looking at his knee at some point. He had injured it a while back, apparently, and it was taking its time to heal.
“Rowan, right?” A small blonde slid into the seat next to me, grinning.
“Yes, nice to meet you…”
“Nina.” She beamed, shaking my hand in her stupidly soft one. “Everyone’s so excited you’re here.”
Griffin snorted. “Not Jenkins. The bastard is being such a pain in the ass.”
"That’s no surprise, though, is it?” Nina raised her eyebrows at Griffin, a smirk tugging at her lips. “I’ve been avoiding going to that crotchety old bastard for years. If you have some spare time while you’re here, Rowan, I wouldloveto bend your ear about some health-related things?”
I nodded, shooting Nina a smile. “Once I’ve got Rory on the mend, I plan to see other horde members, too, if they want second opinions. I don’t think Jenkins will approve, but I’m only here for a week or two.”
“Only a week or two?” Nina pouted. “Damn. Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer? We could use a good healer. The doc isn’t up to par, honestly.”
Griffin chuckled. “My friend here doesn’t stay anywhere for long. I’m pretty sure the Gazer horde offered her a lot of money to park it, but she turned them down.”
Nina looked over at me, a curious smile on her face. “Just how much did they offer you?”
She grabbed a slice of bacon off Griffin’s plate, ignoring his protests as she leaned in for a bit of gossip. I learned long ago that it was best to just giveenough information to keep ’em satisfied.
“Good money, a house, and, if I so desired, any mate of my choosing.” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “I had to turn that down.”
“Why?!” Nina gaped at me. “Having your pick of a horde is like having a candy buffet! Heck, if you went for a clan, you could havemultiplehot mates.”
“It just wasn’t for me.” I busied myself with my food, letting Nina and Griffin talk.
Almost everyone waved or came up to say good morning to Griffin before they got their own breakfasts. Griffin answered everyone with reassuring warmth. I doubted he realized that he was looked at as a leader, but I had been around enough dragons to recognize the behavior.
They deferred to him like he was an Alpha.
Then again, it seemed like he was the closest thing to one in North Oak.
“Oh, is it true that Alpha Orsen and Alpha Nix will be back tonight?” Nina asked Griffin, digging into her own breakfast, which Ma had handed her with a loving smile and a silent command to eat.
“Yeah, they confirmed it last night, but I don’t know what time. It’ll probably be late,” Griffin explained.
“How did their trip go? You said they were negotiating something?” I asked.
