With every passing day, it looked like Rowan would be staying a little longer. Rory was getting stronger, and the clinic was almost ready for her to see other dragons in. The horde was excited at the prospect of the new clinic. But the anticipation had led to a verygrumpydoctor standing in my office, huffing and puffing as he stomped around. It took everything not to roll my eyes and kick him out.
“It’s a joke!” Jenkins spluttered as he paced around my office, throwing a tantrum, like he’d just come out of the proverbial egg. “She has noformal medical school qualifications!”
“She trained under a renowned healer,” I pointed out.
In fact, Rowan had studied under a healer with decades of experience treating dragons, whereas Jenkins had gained his medical knowledge fromhumanmed school. If I mentioned that, though, it would only piss the guy off more, and I didn’t want this to take any longer than it had to. I’d been in the middle of reading paperwork regarding our lumber supply business when he stormed in. The arrogant fucker hadn't even bothered to knock.
Would it really be so bad if he just left?
For some bizarre reason, Jenkins seemed to believe being a healer made him as important as an Alpha, if not more so. That facet of his personality had been grating on me for years, but now, Rowan was here, and it was pissing me off more than ever. He was the only healer around, however, which meant we’d been forced to tolerate his impertinent behavior for years. The nearest healer other than Jenkins was a four-hour drive away, and they naturally prioritized their own horde.
Placating him was the best option—for now.
“What, somewomanwho was just as obsessed with herbs?! You can’t be serious!” Jenkins was walking a fine line. First, he was speaking poorly about a healer I trusted—not to mentionmy mate—and now Kiki?
I had to bite back the urge to snap at him. Hell, I had to bite back the urge to knock the guy on his smug ass.
But unfortunately, it didn’t look like Rowan was going to stay long-term, or at least that’s what she was still saying. If I had anything to do with it, she’d be staying forever, but I couldn’t exactly chain her in the basement, no matter how much I wanted to.
For a variety of reasons.
Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “It’s only temporary.She’ll take care of some of the patients who’ve been clogging up your practice. Just think of that.”
The words felt wrong, but he was always complaining about lesser injuries taking up his time. Another reason he was a piece of shit. Doctors shouldn’t be hyped up about serious cases and annoyed at having to help anyone else.
“See to it that she stays out of my way. I won’t work if thathumanis messing up my practice!”
“All right, that’s enough.” My tone sharpened, and I leveled Jenkins with a glare. “Need I remind you that I am the Alpha here, not you. Watch your tone. You happen to be talking about a healerIapproved, so it’s almost like you’re questioning my judgment.”
“I…” Jenkins’s posture shrank, and he looked around before straightening his shirt and marching off toward the door, saying, “I am the best healer here! I do believe you should keepthatin mind.”
Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands. This was fucking exhausting. What time was it? Was it too early for a drink?
It was starting to feel like I could do nothing right. Rowan still disliked me, understandably so, and I couldn’t keep the horde happy, no matter what I did.
“He really needs to work on those manners.” Griffin laughed from the doorway, having heard the tail end of my conversation with Jenkins.
Other than a slight shadow under his eye, he looked pretty much back to normal, but a tiny part of me still cringed at seeing him.
“Griff…” My throat tightened as I tried to find the words, aware of how big a mess I’d made of things. “If you’re here to pile on, I’ve had enough for a year.”
He raised his hand to silence me, rolling his eyes with a sigh. “Stop, man. There's no need. I get it. In fact, I’m here as a friend. Figured you could do with a little help.”
“Help?” I asked, cocking a brow at him.
“I know Rowana lotbetter than you. I’ve been her friend for a long time, so if there’s anyone who can give you the lowdown on how to smooth things over with her, it’s me. I also happen to know she’s been missing these.” Griffin held up a brightly colored bag of candy, the plastic crinklingloudly.
“What the…”
“Sour candy,” Griffin offered with a grin. “Rowan fuckingadoresthis shit. For some strange reason. I think it’s close to chemical waste, personally, but she goes nuts for it. I ordered this when I knew she was coming because it’s hard to find.”
He tossed the bag to me, and it landed solidly against my palm. I studied it, its almost neon lettering against the yellow bag, and cocked a brow at Griffin as I set it down.
“Why are you giving these to me?”
Griffin shrugged. “Because maybe… God, I can’t believe this is where I’m at, but…”
The tension hung in the air between us, and I unconsciously shifted to the edge of my seat, studying Griff intently. He let out a long fucking sigh and then sagged, bobbing his head.
