Page 14 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

“I think we need all four of you there, to show a united front.” Griffin held my stare, both confident and cautious. I hated all of this. I felt so fucking useless, sitting here, with no way to help my mother, and now all this horde business.

However, Griffin was right, again.

“Fine. Get the others and someone to sit with Ma. I’ll go, but I want you and whoever you trust at this bedside the entire time. Understood?”

“I can stay,” Nina offered from the threshold. “Rowan was planning another ice coat—I can do that while you take care of business.”

“Thank you.”

Griffin hurried out of the room, and the growing exhaustion that’d been dogging me for days only got worse. I was in no state to deal with Byron’s cronies, but I had no way out if we wanted to keep up good relations and appearances.

I stared down at Ma’s sleeping face. “Sometimes being an Alpha sucks, Ma. It really does.”

“Greetings. I’m Christopher, an enforcer for Birch Creek.” The dragon who stood across from us stuck out a hand, which we all looked at, not concerned with pleasantries.

“What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to be polite. Bastian was on my left, Rowan a step behind him, both flanked by Nix and Greylen. I wasn’t too keen on her being in the presence of this stranger, but I knew better than to try to make her stay behind.

The scout’s eyebrows rose at my brisk tone. Usually, when meeting dignitaries from other hordes, we would maintain at least the illusion of politeness, but I was too exhausted to attempt that. Plus, they had come to our lands without any warning.

I did not like that.

There was also the fact that I knew exactly what this was about, and the answer we had for this fucker wasn’t one he was going to like.

“Our Alpha, Byron, sent us here with an official request. He wants his daughter returned to him.”

Allison.

The dragon my mate had given sanctuary to a few weeks ago, although that felt like ancient history now. We had been waiting for something like this to happen. Allison’s father was a possessive man and didn’t like that his daughter had left their horde to mate with someone he didn’t approve of. And now they had a baby together.

“Nope,” Rowan replied, her tone casual and direct. “I can tell you right now, that’s not happening.”

Christopher appeared startled. “Excuse me. I don’t know who you are, but I’m certain you don’t speak for the Alpha of this horde.” He stared pointedly at Bastian.

“Why are you looking at me?” he snarled, letting Rowan step in front of him.

“Your father assured us that you are the Alpha of this horde, and that you would return our Alpha’s daughter to us.”

A growl escaped me, every muscle going tense. “I don’t know where you got your information from, but we are a clan of five. Rowan does speak for the Alpha clan, and you will speak to her with the respect her station deserves, or I’ll send you back to your Alpha with a very different problem.”

Christopher at least had the decency to look abashed, his wide eyes scanning over all of us.

He quickly recovered, though. “Either way, we need Allison to return home. Byron has made it very clear that he wants his daughter back and is asking you to cooperate.”

“And if we don’t?” Nix asked, meeting the representative’s energy.

The stranger’s eyes widened all the more. “Then Alpha Byron will be greatly displeased.”

“He can be ‘displeased’ all he wants.” Bastian narrowed his eyes, sizing Christopher up. “When, exactly, did my father inform you of our horde’s hierarchy?”

I turned to Bastian, silently conveying a message. Do you think…

He nodded.

“Alpha Cyrus has been a guest of our horde for the past week.”

A guest? That fucker.

Is that what Byron considered someone running from his own son, who was happily going to gut him for trying to murder his mate not once, but twice? In a way, this was good because now we knew exactly where Cyrus was hiding. It made sense that he would take shelter with another old asshole like Alpha Byron.