Page 68 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

Everything about this challenge put me on edge. There was no denying how enamored I was with these four Alphas. I would never be able to leave. I was tied to them in a deep, soul-wrenching way. I loved them, and the idea of someone I loved getting hurt made me ache in a way I had never experienced before.

I was distraught. I couldn’t help but wonder how it had felt for them six years ago when I had disappeared. If the tables were turned, and one of them went missing, I would be inconsolable. I wouldn’t have the will to go on with normal life.

Their past actions, being distant from their horde, suddenly made sense to me in a whole new way.

“Are you sure you want to be there?” Orsen asked, cupping my face.

I smiled up at him. “There’s no way in hell I am letting you do this alone, Orsen. You’re my mate, and I love you. We’ll do this together.”

“A team.” He sighed, kissing the top of my head.

***

“I hate this,” I grumbled, pouring a liberal amount of creamer into my coffee.

The guys and I had hardly slept, staying up half the night talking about anything other than the upcoming challenge.

“I don’t like it, either,” Ma admitted, shaking her head. There were dark circles under her eyes, and I had a feeling she had managed to get less sleep than I had.

“What am I supposed to do today?” I asked, slamming my mug down a little too hard, the liquid spilling over.

“Treat today like any other day. If you act strange, it’ll make Orsen off-kilter,” Ma pointed out.

Crap. I hadn’t thought about that.

“But it’s not a normal day,” I replied lamely.

“All we can do is prepare.”

“I don’t think I can do this,” I admitted, my voice watery as tears gathered in my eyes.

Ma’s face fell, and she rushed over to me, pulling me into a warm hug. In that moment, it occurred to me that, since coming to North Oak, I had received more hugs than I had in the last six years. Sure, I wasn’t totally deprived of hugs. Griffin wasn’t opposed to one, but generally, I never let myself get close enough to people to get cuddly.

“I know it may not feel like it right now, but you are an Alpha. You can handle this. I promise. Life has thrown so much at the five of you so young, but you guys will get through this.”

“You’ve got more faith in me than I have in myself,” I whispered with a sniff.

“Leading a horde isn’t easy. Cyrus may have made it look easy, but that was because he was rotten to the core. His father was a good dragon who worked tirelessly for this horde. He was one man. You have four mates to shoulder the burden with.”

Four mates. Four men I was deeply in love with, and terrified of them being hurt.

“This sucks,” I grumbled, pulling back and wiping my tears.

Ma laughed, tears filling her own eyes. “Yes, it really does suck, doesn’t it?”

We stood there for a moment before Ma turned around and grabbed some foil-wrapped packages. “These are for your lunch and Nina’s. She is already at the clinic, waiting for you. It’s just a few sandwiches, but it’s better than nothing.”

I took the food. “Thank you.”

At the clinic, I started pulling out numerous jars and vials. I wanted to be prepared in case Orsen was injured. The thought alone made my stomach turn. A large part of me wanted to bury my head in the sand and pretend it wasn’t happening, but the healer in me knew that being prepared was the best thing I could do for my mate.

Nina had cleared my schedule. There was no one who urgently needed medical attention, and everyone understood that today was about the challenge.

“Is there anything I can do?” Nina asked from the doorway. “You shouldn’t be working.”

“I’ve got to,” I said, rummaging through the glass jars. “I need to make sure my healing kit is ready to go for tonight.”

Nina grimaced. “Is there anything I can do to help? Also, where are your guards?”