Orsen glared at Grey, though, mirroring his posture. “I know Nix has already tattled on me.”
“Tattled?” I chuckled, the first real laugh since seeing Emmeline. “What are we, four? Our clanmates needed to know you were being a butthead and scaring our mate.”
Orsen scoffed. “Butthead?”
“Forget all that. Are wesureit’s her?” Bastian’s jaw was tight as he ran a hand through his hair. “It seems a little convenient, doesn’t it? Just as the other hordes start putting pressure on us to take a mate, she suddenly appears.”
“What are you insinuating?” Orsen snapped.
I held up my hands, encouraging the two of them to go back to their corners. “It’s her. Even if Emmeline had a twin we knew nothing about, we wouldn’t feel the same pull. I don’t know about you, Bash, but I feel it, as vibrant as before. And, well, it’s kind of obvious that Orsen does…”
The tips of Orsen’s ears turned red, and he scowled at me. Good, he should have been embarrassed about how he’d behaved with our mate, even if he was going to respond to that with no shortage of anger. A mate was meant to be treasured, worshipped, and as much as I knew how he’d been with Emmy before, the situation was different now. He needed to rein it the hell in.
“I feel it,” Bastian admitted, his voice quiet as his eyes foundthe floor. “She acted like she didn’t even know me. She was holding…”
He shook himself, not finishing. But I could imagine that it had something to do with Griffin. And despite him trying to hide it, it was clear he was upset. Even the smallest perceived rejection from a mate could feel like the end of the world to a dragon, especially one like him—or Orsen. Hell, I was doing my best to keep a level head, to understand that Emmeline was even more confused than we were.
But it wasn’t easy.
We sat in the library, silent for a moment, all of us lost in our own thoughts, before I said what had been haunting me since I first saw her.
“What happened to her? We need to understand what she’s been through, but I don’t know how to start going about getting answers.”
“She’s safe with us for now, that’s all that matters. We can find out the rest in time,” Greylen reasoned. “But… you know who probably has some answers? Griffin.”
Orsen frowned, his jaw tight. “I don’t like it. Why the hell do we have to go to a dragon who isn’t a member of our clan for information aboutourmate?”
“Orsen, I love you, man, but kindly remove the stick from your ass.” Greylen eyed him, not concerned with pissing him off in theslightest. “I want answers, don’t you? Yeah, so don’t be so damn prideful that you’re above asking for help.”
Our disgruntled clanmate looked between us for a moment, seeing that he was getting no support from Bastian or me, and threw his hands up in surrender.
“Fucking fine. We’ll talk to Griffin.”
Outside Griffin’s room, Ma had made herself comfortable. She sat in a large armchair in the hallway, her feet on a stool, knitting, the picture of a concerned mama dragon. I chuckled, knowing full well she had corralled a few of the younger dragons to bring the furniture for her.
“We want to see Griffin,” Bastian said as we approached.
Ma put down her knitting, giving him a pointedly unhappy look. “Hello to you, too, Bastian. I swear, you boys are losing all your manners! Griffin is resting.” She turned to Orsen. “I don’t knowwhathas gotten into you, but I haveneverbeen so disappointed in you!”
Standing, she jammed a finger in Orsen’s chest. She was smaller than him by at least a head, but every dragon feared their mother, and Orsen was no different, even if he hid it behind annoyance. Orsen was her only biological child, but she acted like a mother to all of us.
“I think we can all agree these areextenuatingcircumstances,” Bastian said, stepping toward Ma, his hands up.
“Of course they are, but there is never,neveran excuse to attack a member of your horde! I consider the four of you my boys, and I would be equally disappointed if any of you behaved like that.”
Orsen’s face paled as he looked at the floor, his patented emotional shutdown at work.
“I may have acted without thinking, and I shouldn’t have. But I need to know what’s happening. We all do. Griff may have some answers.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I promise I’m not a threat to him, Ma. Just want to talk.”
Ma watched her son intently for a moment. “You better not hurt him again, because if you do, I don’t give a hoot that you’re Alpha. You’re never too old to get a whooping from your mother. Plus,she’llnever forgive you.”
She looked at all of us while speaking, the anger in her gaze making me shrivel up a little inside. I hated to make her mad. Ma could be terrifying when shewanted to be.
And I was all about keeping this horde happy, especially her. If you needed something, all you had to do was ask me. I’d play fetch and make it happen. So the fact she was upset with all of us stung something fierce.
“Just a few minutes,” Orsen assured her.
“Ten. That’s all you get. He needs to restbecauseof you.” Ma glowered, picking up her knitting once again and gesturing idly for us to enter the room.
