Nix turned to him, raising his brows. “And you wouldn’t? She’s ourmate. We would follow her anywhere, wouldn’t we?”
As he said the words, I knew he was right. If Rowan decided to leave the horde lands, I would follow her. I’m sure the others would too. Would it be difficult for me to be away from our people? Yes, of course it would. But it would be worth it if it meant Rowan warmed up to us.
Bastian frowned, shaking his head. “We’re neededhere.”
Orsen snorted. “Let’s be real, Bastian. Have we really been here for the last six years? We’re here physically, yeah, but you know as well as the rest of us that our minds have been elsewhere.”
Bastian glowered at him.
I resisted the urge to laugh. Bastian was a stubborn bastard and had been his entire life, but it’d gotten worse since we lost our mate. She had been the one who softened his rough edges. Everyone else got the hard and firm Alpha’s son, who he’d been trained to be. She got the sweet man underneath, who was head over heels for her.
Still, losing our mate had hardened all of us. It had been, and to a degree still was, devastating. I’d heard plenty of talk about losing your mate, but experiencing it was something else. None of us wanted to feel this suffering again, but Bastian… he hardly spoke about his pain. We’d seen it because we knew where to look, but Bastian was closed off to everyone else. He didn’t talk about how much this was affecting him.
“Guys, she’s nottotallyagainst us,” Nix quickly offered, resting his elbows on his knees. “We have a chance here.”
Orsen nodded. “Then we need to take it.”
I wasn’t surprised that Orsen wanted to jump in with both feet. Subtlety was as strange to that dragon as a level temper, but Bastian frowned.
“You believe hersoeasily. What if she’s deceiving us? Who knows what she’s capable of!”
I shot him a look, remembering the conversation I’d had withRowan. “I suggest you end that line of inquiry right now, or I will fucking flatten you.”
Usually, I was the last dragon in our clan to resort to violence, so I wasn’t shocked to see three sets of eyes jerk toward me, jaws dropping. Bastian’s face contorted with rage before he turned on his heel, storming off the porch, the door slamming behind him.
“Ma’s gonna bepissedif she hears that asshole slamming doors.” Nix chuckled, still grinning from ear to ear.
Lord, he was going to get punched in the face if he wasn’t careful.
“He’ll come around,” Orsen said, shaking his head. “It’s just going to take time.”
Rowan
Determined to forget what had happened with Nix, I barreled forward and focused on setting up my little clinic. It was almost irritating how perfect the space was. The old log cabin reminded me of Kiki's healing hut. Then again, calling it a hut was underwhelming. Kiki's healing space had once been small and cramped, but over the years, it had grown into a multi-room facility because she was such a well-respected healer.
Seated at the desk, I ran my hands through my hair, groaning. If only Kiki were around so I could talk to someone. Not only had she been an amazinghealer, but her advice had always been perfect. Her many years of experience gave her the type of wisdom you couldn’t get anywhere else. Whether I had wanted to talk to her about the risks of dating again, or deeper things like what had happened to me, the support she provided was profound.
God, I missed her.
I hadn't been back to her place sinceshe passed. It felt… wrong. Plus, it was possible the Alphas would expect me to return and become the horde’s full-time healer, and maybe that was still a consideration, but there was too much going on to be sure. Maybe one day, when I decided to settle down, I could go back to the Southern Dust Lands Horde. The idea had always been in the back of my head because it had been the only home I had ever known. Still, thinking about returning there—and finding Kiki gone—was daunting, to say the least.Shewas what made that place a home. Without her…
There’d once been a time when the thought of leaving Kiki had been inconceivable. Once I had healed enough to start participating more in day-to-day life, I’d been terrified to leave. I was safe there, and I wasn't safe in the outside world. But Kiki had pushed me to be brave. It was because of her I’d started traveling to nearby hordes and helping them, discovering my love of it.
The first time I’d traveled, Kiki had insisted her knees were killing her, but the horde north of them desperately needed assistance. Despite how much leaving terrified me, I would doanythingfor the woman who’d given so much of her time and energy to get me well. We suspected that whoever had hurt me was from a nearby horde, we had never guessed I came from so far away. So Kiki had always ensured I was guarded well.
Since I had no memories of my life before the attack, she was the only mother I’d ever known.
I was so deep in thought that I didn't register Bastian entering the room. He stood in the doorway, looming like a shadow until the floorboard creaked, and I jumped at least a foot in the air.
“Oh, crap! I didn't see you there!” I spluttered out, my hand going to my chest as my heart pounded.
“Apparently,” he quipped dryly. “Ma insisted I come and deliver this.”
Bastian held up a brown paper bag. It was obviously food, based on the delicious aroma emanating from the bag, and my stomach rumbled loudly.
“Oh, that's so sweet of her. She didn't have to,” I replied, pushing the chair back and standing.
“Said you missed lunch. She was concerned.”
