“Because… I want you to win some brownie points. If you guys don't fuck this up, it may mean my best friend is here to stay. And sheismy best friend. I’d do anything to see her happy. So, don’t worry, my motivations are entirely selfish. It has nothing to do with you.”
I couldn't help but snort, hearing something honest behind all of Griff’s usual bravado.
“I wouldn't expect any less.”
“Speaking of being selfish.” He smirked, jerking his head at me. “I've been thinking about when I’ll be getting myself a cabin.”
“Don’t you like living in the den?” I frowned, cocking a brow at him.
Usually, dragons close to the Alphas lived in the den. They got cabins if they mated and had a family of their own. Griff didn’t seem close at all to settling down.
He nodded, the corners of his lips turning down. “I do, and I want to keep that room. Though you’re paying for new carpet because the blood stains will never come out.”
I scoffed, grimacing slightly. “Yeah… My bad?”
I chuckled, and sure enough, Griffin laughed along with me.I’d been dreading this conversation, but it looked like I didn’t have as much to worry about as I thought.
“I've been thinking about my future, and… I wouldlike to find a partner one day. Given all the sacrifices I’ve made for our horde recently”—he gestured to his face—“not to mention bringing back our Alpha female without even realizing it because I'mthatamazing.”
I bit back a laugh, rolling my eyes. “Which cabin do you want?”
The fucker knew he had me by the balls. He could ask for anything he wanted at this point. Hell, he deserved it.
“The old McCreevy cabin.” He smiled.
“That place is huge, but it’s falling to pieces. Don’t you want one of the newer cabins?”
Griffin shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. “Nope. I want that cabin, and I wantyouto pay for it to be completely remodeled,” he said with a smirk.
A groan escaped me as I fell back in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Fuck, that’s gonna cost me a fortune.”
Griff nodded. “I've been helping most of the families fix up their cabins for the last few years, though. So I know what needs to be done. I just need a little help funding the project.”
He grinned widely, loving that he had me by the short and curlies. I had to hand it to him; he knew how to negotiate.
“I’ll talk to Grey, tell him to approve anything you need.”
“Perfect.” That shit-eating grin beamed brighter than the damn sun.
“Thank you for these,” I said, holding up the bag of candy.
“You're welcome. Now, remember not to be a dickhead. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to fight you again, and this time, I won’t hold back.”
He wandered off, giant grin still plastered on his face as he offered a wave. All I could do was smile—and roll my eyes. We were extremely lucky to have that dragon in our horde. I’d always known that, but now the reality of just how much he’d done for ussank in. Griff did deserve the cabin. He deserved someone in his life, and I really hoped he got it.
If he’d never called Rowan, we could have gone our entire lives not knowing that our mate was out there.
The thought made me shiver.
Looking down at the bag, I stared at the sour candy for long seconds, then shoved my chair back and got up. Waiting to give Rowan the candy would have been the smart move, but the excuse to talk to her was too tempting to ignore.
“Where’s Rowan?” I asked Ma, who was bossing around several preteen dragons, getting them to clean the dining hall.
“She’s relaxing and watching some television. After the day she’s had, the poor thing could use it, so you better not be going in there to disturb her.”
Ma gave me that look only she could pull off, and I almost considered heading back to my office.Almost.
“I'm just going to provide snacks,” I said, holding the bag of goodies.
