5. Rowan
Rowan
Nix had been more than happy to comply with Orsen’s order.
He strolled with me through the woodland quietly, watching me fuss over the baby.
“You seem happy,” he commented.
“Babies make me happy. So cute and small.” I sighed. “Plus, this guy is a fighter.”
“He is, isn’t he? Also, I like the move you pulled back there. The whole ‘I’m an Alpha, too’ thing.”
I groaned. “Did I go too far?”
Nix shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, I think you went just far enough. You are going to make an excellent Alpha.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do.” He beamed, looking between me and the baby as I focused on the path to avoid any loose branches that could trip me up. “You care, but you don’t let people push you around—including us.”
His hand rested on my lower back, gently guiding me. After an hour of walking, my arms ached, but there was no way I was going to hand the baby over. Allison had trusted me with her child, and I took that seriously.
Eventually, we made it back to the den, where several enforcers, Nina, and Ma were waiting for us.
Just as we entered the courtyard, we were joined by everyone else who had flown.
They must have been hovering, watching over us to make sure we got back safely, otherwise they would have been back in a fraction of the time it took us.
Walking over to Allison, who was in her mate’s arms, I could see the anxiety melt off her face as I handed her the baby.
“Rowan!” Griff shouted, running up to me and pulling me into a hug. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“I’m fine,” I assured him, doing my best to look sincere.
His hair was a mess, and his eyes were wide. He had been worried about me.
“Never again,” he muttered, pulling himself together.
“You’re just mad you had to run around, looking for me.” I chuckled, lightening the mood.
“Totally,” he agreed, kissing the top of my head. A few of the Alphas growled, but he just leveled them with a glare before turning his attention elsewhere.
“We have… visitors?” Ma asked from nearby, taking in the scene. We’d come up to the back door that led into the kitchen and were now squarely in her domain.
“No.” I shook my head, turning away from the new parents with a smile, utterly avoiding the glare I could feel on the back of my head, courtesy of Orsen.
“Allison and Colin are going to be living here with us. They’re in a bit of a bind with the new baby and all.
Would you help get them settled in? I imagine there’s a spare—”
“Say no more.” She grinned, sweeping over to Allison and wrapping a warm arm around her shoulders. “We’ll have the beautiful new family all cozy in one of the open rooms, with plenty of food and blankets.”
Ma looked around at the younger dragons in the kitchen who were milling about, a little shocked at the less-than-customary situation.
“Well?” She raised her brows, waving at them all. “Get a move on. The room’s not going to ready itself.”
Nina walked over, offering me a frantic hug. “I was so worried about you!”
“I’m fine,” I assured her.
Ma turned to Allison, her tone as sweet as pie.
“Now, Nina is going to help you get settled. If you need anything, which I imagine you will, just ask. We’ve got some baby supplies in our stores, but I’ll send someone to fetch more now that we have an actual baby in our horde. Oh, it’s been far too long.”
Ma and Nina both cooed at the little guy for a moment, wrapped in this new sense of wonder.
Babies had a way of doing that. They were these little balls of potential.
It was hard not to be in awe of them, especially when they were so small.
Still, the new parents needed to get some rest. I didn’t want Allison on her feet, so I cleared my throat, making sure we didn’t get lost in Baby Land for too long.
“Go lie down. For as long as you can. I imagine this one will be hungry again soon. You all need your rest.”
Allison leaned toward me, giving me a sideways hug, and I smiled, smoothing my hand over the baby’s head before they headed off to their new room.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, “I mean it. What you did… Well, we know how lucky we are. Truly.”
“I’m happy to help. It really has been a while since I’ve been around a baby. It’s a nice change.”
Smiling, I waved them off as Nina escorted the family down the hall, the younger dragons now whipped into action by Ma. Still, the moment they disappeared from the room, the mood plummeted as I was left with Orsen, Grey, and Nix—because Bastian was nowhere to be seen.
“Ugh.” Ma threw up her hands, shooing Orsen away from me as she wrapped me in a hug. “I’m just thrilled you’re all right. I was worried sick! God, you must be starving. Well, we’ve got a hearty dinner ready. You can go and eat in the hall. Then I expect you to get your rest. You look tired, Rowan.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling more exhausted with each passing second.
“You’re not wrong.” I sighed, pushing my hair off my face; food, and then a shower, soon. “God, I didn’t realize how long it’d been since I’ve eaten.”
“You mean after getting kidnapped?” Orsen shot me a look, but it quickly disappeared as Ma swatted at him and shooed him toward the door. “Hey!”
“If you’re not going to be any help, you can go and ensure our new residents are settling in. Or better yet, figure out where the heck Bastian is. I’ve heard him growling up there like a wounded deer for at least twenty minutes. He’s going to scare away the locals. Go sulk together.”
Orsen looked shocked, but it was Nix who let out the first sound, snorting quietly as he failed to hide his amusement.
Even so, I wasn’t any better, rolling my lips and squeezing damn hard so I didn’t burst out laughing.
Grey raised his brows at Orsen, shrugging in that “Ha, told you so” kind of way.
“You’ve all lost your damn minds. She was kidnapped”—Orsen threw a hand out toward me—“and we’re just, what? Fine with it?”
“Extenuating circumstances, Orsen. We’ve been over this.” I tried to maintain my glare, but a yawn broke through; one so big that my jaw popped. “Can we do this later? All I want to do is eat and sleep.”
In an abrupt shift, Orsen straightened, furrowing his brow as he looked me up and down. He was quiet for a moment, but then nodded, even if it was so tiny I could hardly tell.
“You did a lot back there. I have a feeling if it weren’t for you, the outcome would have been very different.”
I was surprised to hear him admit as much, but the compliment affected me, nonetheless, letting a small smile break free.
“Yeah, I think it would. So… do you, maybe, get it now?”
Orsen narrowed his eyes and turned around, calling out over his shoulder as he left the kitchen, “I’ll find Bastian, but I’m not promising to bring him back anytime soon. Go eat, Rowan.”
I scoffed, knowing, even if it didn’t seem like it, that was Orsen’s way of saying “yes.” He was such a grump most of the time, all bound up in knots of his own making, but I had to admit, when it came down to it, he was willing to do whatever he could to ensure I was safe.
There was something undeniably appealing about that.
He’s still not off the hook, though.
“Come on,” Nix started, looping his arm through mine and dragging me toward the dining hall. “You heard the man. Let’s eat.”
I just laughed as he tugged me along, Grey following as we found a spot at one of the tables. The moment my ass hit the seat, my legs ached all the harder. It’d been a long walk back from the cabin, and while Nix had stayed with me every step of the way, I had carried the baby.
Thankfully, due to the late hour, the hall was fairly empty.
There were a few dragons milling around, getting a late dinner, but thankfully they gave us our space.
Ma had prepared stew. After ensuring we all had bowls full to the brim, she kissed the top of my head and insisted I dig in before I passed out at the table.
“I’m not going to fall asleep right here.” I shook my head, scooping up some of the stew and taking a large bite. A moan slipped free, and I sagged into myself, so blissed out by the delicious food. My stomach grumbled loudly, and I stopped paying attention to what the guys were saying as I dug in.
“Rowan?” I looked across the table at Grey, slightly panicked because I hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “Thoughts?”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
He laughed, shaking his head. “You know what? Talking about how to convince Orsen and Bastian to pull the sticks out of their asses can wait. Enjoy the stew.”
My cheeks heated, but I smiled and didn’t argue, taking another bite because I was too famished to care.
“You were so impressive back there.” Nix leaned his elbow on the table as he sat facing me. “I’ve never seen a baby being born. That was… something.”
I chuckled. “I’m surprised the word gross isn’t getting thrown around.” I took another bite, then set my fork down. The stew hit the bottom of my stomach and started the beginning of what I knew was going to be one hell of a food coma.
“Look, I’m not going to lie to you.” Nix raised his brows so damn high, his stare fixed on something in the distance, and both Grey and I laughed.
“Yeah. You both know what I mean, but that’s not the part I’m going to focus on.
The way you swooped in and knew what to do was incredible.
You saved their lives, a little baby! Rowan, you have to know how cool that is! ”
I beamed, as I said, “Why, thank you.”
Grey and Nix started talking about the birth, things they remembered, and there was something about the sound of their voices.
It was soothing, along with the potent scents that surrounded me.
My mates, as much as that was still so new, were here with me, and being wrapped up in both their scents was undeniably calming. It felt like… I really had come home.
Smiling along, occasionally laughing quietly, I began to lean more and more onto Nix’s shoulder, resting my head on it as the food warmed me from the inside out. After another moment, it was impossible to keep my eyes open, then the background noises got farther and farther away.
I’d told Ma I wasn’t going to fall asleep at the table, really believing that.
I was wrong.