“Can I stay in here with you?” I whispered. The room looked similar to his, only a bit smaller.
“I’ll go back to my room with you. It’s got better locks and all your stuff. Plus, the bedding is clean. This room smells like stale scales.”
I chuckled at his exaggerated grimace.
“You arenotleaving this room,” Ma said sternly, suddenly walking into the room. “Hello, Bash, dear.” She patted the Alpha’s cheek before turning her attention to Griffin.
“You are going to stay right there where I can keep an eye on you without having to go up the stairs. My poor hips… Anyway, Rowan will be safe in your room. I’ll take her there myself.”
Nerves flared, and I shook my head at her. “I’m not sure?—”
“Well,I’msure,” Ma refuted, crossing her arms. “If I let Griffin out of this room, he’s only going to injure himself further. And I know my boys won’t bother you.Right? Also, I’ve already gone in there and cleaned up the worst of the mess.”
Ma glared at Bastian, who immediately ducked his chin, raising his hands in surrender for good measure. It was damn impressive to see her ordering him around, all of them, really, and I remembered what Griff had said about her being therealboss around here.
Before I could say anything else, Ma grabbed my hand and started dragging me down the hallway as she called out, “Youheard the doctor, Griffin! You rest. Let’s get you back to the room, dear. You could use the rest too.”
When I looked behind me, Bastian stood in the hallway just outside of Griffin’s door. Another massive dragon stood a few feet down the hall; the fourth Alpha, I had to assume.
“The other Alphas…” I trailed off.
Ma glanced at me knowingly. “Bastian and Greylen. Yes, I imagine they want to talk to you. But I think we can all agree you could use a little more rest and a breather before dealing with them.”
“Are they all so…intense?”
She hummed, bobbing her head as we walked. “Also pigheaded and brutish, but they’re family. And they’re more loyal than anyone else.”
In a few seconds, we were at the door to Griffin's room. Ma opened it for me, practically shooing me inside. When I turned to face her, opening my mouth to say something, she raised a hand.
“None of that for now. You need to rest. We can deal with all this dragon-mate business in the morning.” She stepped forward, wrapping me in a huge hug before hurrying to the door, already closing it behind her. “I’ll have a nice breakfast ready for you. Relax, dear. And… don’t rush to judge them. I know the boys can be a lot sometimes, but they have good hearts. I promise. Rest up!”
And then I was alone in the room, staring at the door.
Nix
Bastian looked like he’d seen a ghost.
“She’s really here. Right in that room.” He stared down the corridor, his hands balling into fists.
“There’s no point hanging around in the hall like a bunch of creeps,” Orsen said, jerking his head toward the library.
I had to bite back a smile. He wanted to be close to our mate, and who could blame him?
“Ineedto see her,” Bastian growled, taking a step toward the door.
Orsen grabbed him by the bicep, stopping him in his tracks. “Trust me, I’m right there with you, but I really fucked it up. We need to give her some space. She’s not going anywhere.”
“She’s exhausted,” I added, giving him a pleading look. “Let her rest.”
Bastian grumbled, rolling his eyes. “She seemed pissed, not tired.”
“Oh yeah, she’s got some extra fire in hernow. You see those scratches on Orsen’s face?” I nodded at our clanmate, who still had angry red marks on his cheek. They had been deep enough to bleed, but given how fast dragons heal, they were just distinct marks now. By the morning, they would have vanished entirely.
“What’d you do to deserve them?” Greylen raised a brow, his arms crossed, body tense.
He was the only one of us who hadn’t laid eyes on our mate, so I got it. If I were him, I’d be as stiff as a steel rod.
Even now, everything in me wanted to rush into the room where Emmeline was sleeping, scoop her up, and hold her close. She was right there, after six years of being gone, and I didn’t want her so much as an inch from me.
