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“They came all the way out to these mountains to join the royal brood, and what do they find when they get here? A broken queen, an impending battle with a psychopath, and a disconnected brood.”
“Then fix it,” he said simply. My eyes shot up at his, unsure if he was being cruel, but I should have known better. There was a challenge in his gaze, but there was also pride. “Fix it, Farren. Do what you think is right to connect with your people. They’ll only add to your strength, and I guarantee they will see you far differently than you’re seeing yourself.”
“A meeting with them? Tomorrow?” I suggested.
His grin was back at my words. “Yes,” he agreed. “That will be perfect. Let’s make it for mid-afternoon. I’ll make snacks and drinks.”
“I want it casual, a moment to bring life back to Mountainview. After I talk about the important stuff, of course,” I said firmly. “That way I can walk around and really meet them after the formal talking is done. I’ve been so caught up in everything else that I don’t even know what half of them are doing every day.”
“Working,” he said. “Some help out with the renovations, which is why West is so scarce. We don’t have any check-ins now, so it’s mainly doing supply runs, preparing, fixing this place up, and just existing. With your guidance, I’m sure the rest can find their place here.”
With the excitement came doubt. I was about to face my brood with half of myself missing, and I didn’t know if the half of me that remained could be enough for what they needed.
“Hey.” He reached out for me this time. “You won’t be facing this alone. Your mates will be by your side, for this and everything else we face.”
“Thanks,” I whispered. “It's just hard. I feel like there's all these expectations, and I can barely keep up.”
“Remember what we just talked about? Fuck expectations. We aren’t our parents, and we are going to show our brood that every one of us matters. And not only that, we’re more than just dragons. We’re a mix like fate intended us to be. We are going to end this battle and be a brood we can all be proud of.”
Despite everything that had been going on, I couldn't have picked better mates for myself. Seeing him put so much faith in me soothed the rough edges of my soul, the parts of me that felt inadequate and overwhelmed. He was showing me that I was his partner no matter what—whether I had all my puzzle pieces together or a few still missing. That, to me, meant that we weretruepartners because no matter how much of me I had to offer, it was enough for him.
* * *
Levi
The meeting,or rather gathering, was in just a few minutes. Farren’s nervous energy had me getting up to fidget with the snacks I’d set out. Even West was ready to force her to sit down and stop moving.
Then the first dragons walked in. Alice, Roman, and Beau were at the head of the crowd. My jaw dropped when I saw Angela come in with them. She was very much human. The last thing I expected was to find her hand wrapped around Beau’s. The man seemed almost gentle now, such a crazy contrast to the volatile beta we’d met prior.Good for them.
One glance at Farren told me she’d seen the same exact thing. She barely contained her excitement as she shot the timid woman a grin. Angela blushed and smiled back, a bit more confidence in the expression than we’d seen before.
More and more dragons filtered in, and with each group, Farren grew more tense. I was starting to think she would pass out.
“Hey,” Kane said. His rumbling voice had us all turning around, but it was our girl he was talking to. “You have to breathe. These are your people—friends and family, not the enemy. Breathe with me.” Farren took measured breaths along with him, and some of the tension seemed to fall away, but the moment the door opened again, it was back.
“Okay,” Avi laughed as he reached out and pulled her into his lap. She melted against him despite her mumbled protests about being too heavy to sit on him. “Oh hush, woman.” That had her laughing, at least.
“I think it’s time,” I announced when the room had filled pretty much to capacity. We’d extended the invitation to any of the other supernaturals in town, so more than just the dragons were coming to hear Farren speak.
“Wait, one more group,” Avi pointed out. Coming into the room was Quinn and her pack. They took the last table, and she shot Farren a double thumbs up. Even they knew that this wasn’t her thing. She was happy to head into battle for her people, but being forced to speak to them was the worst thing she could imagine, which was a bit funny because I’d seen her address them before, and she’d sounded perfectly eloquent.
“I’ve got this,” Farren whispered as she stood, straightening out her clothes even though they weren’t wrinkled yet.
“You do,” I confirmed as I watched my dragon mate walk before her people to address them. She stood tall and confident, her auburn hair flowing down around her shoulders. Her face was the picture of cool confidence, and our mate’s beauty was downright breathtaking. The curves we craved were just the icing on the cake.
“I apologize for my absence when most of you arrived,” she started. “It seems my mates’ enemy has become mine.”
“Ours,” someone in the crowd called out. Her lips twisted into a smile, and she relaxed with a chuckle.
“Ourenemy,” she corrected, “has been lurking in the shadows and waiting to strike. We don’t know where he’s hiding or the extent of the damage he’s caused, so if you scent anything like our security team will describe, contact them or us immediately. He isn’t one to underestimate. He took me by surprise and has enough skills to cut me off from all of you. He kills and takes on his victims’ forms and magic. A true monster.”
There was a roar of whispers as everyone talked amongst themselves. Angela was tucked closer to Beau now, and he glared protectively out the window like he could spot the man. Everyone here had a reason to be wary. If they weren’t motivated before, they would be now.
“We can’t simply stop living as we prepare. And I’m sure West can give renovation updates in a moment,” she continued, her voice loud enough to quiet the chaos. “But just know we aren’t taking this threat lightly. Our borders are warded to the best of our abilities, and our teams are vigilant. We will make it through this and create a stronghold here that our ancestors would have been proud of.”
“Hear, hear!” Kylan shouted, and glasses raised around the room as our brood followed his lead. Farren blushed a deep scarlet, nodding once at the crowd before stepping out of the center stage. She didn’t make it back to us, though. Each time she started to walk to us, she was intercepted by members of her brood who wanted to talk. There was no threat in sight here, so we gave her the time and space to start reforming her connection with her people. As much as she doubted her ability to speak before a crowd, she had done something important today. Times were scary for us here, but her words and confidence had given us what we really needed. Hope.
ChapterEight
