7. Rowan
Rowan
“So, are you ready for your first day as the official healer of North Oak?” Nina asked, placing a handful of files onto the growing pile that I’d reorganized after everything that had happened with Colin.
That question felt particularly loaded, and I hummed in response.
I’d been a healer for years—that wasn’t new—but I’d never stayed in a place long enough to be an “official healer.” I was emotional about it, but I couldn’t quite decipher those feelings.
I was excited to get back to work because it was familiar, my purpose.
Healing was who I was, and getting back into a routine sounded lovely.
Still, there were flutters in my stomach that I had to assume were tied to the fact that I was going to be responsible for an entire horde for the foreseeable future. Letting out a deep breath, I took in the sight before me. “This is going to be a lot, isn’t it?”
Nina jerked her head in confirmation, her chipper mood not faltering.
“It will be, but I’ll be here all day, and Ma is nearby.
Just say the word, and she’ll help with snacks and refreshments.
Plus, if anything’s too much, we can tap the Alphas up for assistance.
One of the younger dragons is wandering around nearby to keep an eye on things. ”
I raised my brows, heartbeat skipping. “There’s a dragon patrolling? Why?”
“Because you were kidnapped?” Griffin said in a tone that suggested I was being particularly obtuse, walking into the clinic and leveling me with a firm look.
“I don’t need a guard!” I insisted.
Griffin folded his arms. “I don’t care.” Usually, my best friend was more concerned about my opinions, but I could tell from his firm stance and no-bullshit glare that nothing was going to make him budge.
“Griff—”
“Nope. You were kidnapped from our lands. I can assure you it won’t happen again. Several others and I will be patrolling regularly.”
“Alphas’ orders.” Nina smiled and shrugged. “They’re not keen on letting someone with bad intentions into the clinic, I imagine. Can you blame them?”
“Still… I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to,” Griffin replied. “But it’s happening. Oh, this is for you.” He handed me a brown paper bag I hadn’t noticed before.
“What’s this?” I asked, already opening the bag.
“Some of those leather-bound journals you like for making notes. I assumed, with all the new patients, you could use them.”
“Griff… Thank you.”
My best friend smiled. “Any time. Now I need to go and creep up on the dragons patrolling. I may even give them a test or two…” He grinned, nodding at Nina before leaving the room.
“He’s going to torment those poor youngsters, isn’t he?” I asked.
“Totally, but it’s for the best,” she assured me.
I shook my head. “I guess it makes sense. It’s just…”
“Well, don’t worry about that. Pretend he’s not there.” Nina pulled on her shirt hem, straightening as she turned up the wattage on that smile of hers. “You’re here for the patients. Healing them like the gift to dragon-kind you are. Ready?”
A laugh broke free, and I grinned back. “Have I told you how grateful I am for you? Because this would be way too much without your help.”
She waved off the compliment, heading toward the door. “Oh, none of that. I’m happy to help. You’re one of us. You need something, just ask.”
I beamed at her. It was impossible not to feel warmed by her presence. “I will. Okay, I think I’m ready. Go ahead and open up, Nina.”
She gave me a mock salute and headed to the front entrance to unlock it.
Before long, the clinic was bustling with people.
For the most part, it was standard stuff: a sprained wrist, a woman with a fever, a few cuts and scrapes here and there.
It all felt so normal; it didn’t take me long to get back into the swing of things, using the system I’d put in place to keep everything organized and easy to follow up on.
As the day progressed, an older dragon came in, presenting with a pretty nasty gash on their leg after taking a spill outside when they were gathering vegetables for the kitchen.
I inspected the wound, careful not to aggravate the torn skin.
The dragon hissed, flinching as I determined how deep it was.
“All right, I don’t think you need stitches, but we’ll need to clean it out and bandage it, which will need changing every day to make sure it’s not getting infected. I can follow up with you in forty-eight hours.”
The older dragon, Simon, bobbed his head along with my instructions, clutching a hat he’d been wearing while working. In nearly a whisper, he asked, “Is it true, you’re going to be our full-time healer?”
“I’m here for the foreseeable future,” I told him, trying not to grimace.
Part of me had been eager to dive into healing, and doing what I did best had felt so good today—a natural, welcome routine.
Helping an entire horde was a lengthy project, though, and while I was excited for it, that lingering nervousness about being the sole healer here hadn’t quit since this morning.
“It’s so nice to have someone who really listens.” I looked up at Simon, smiling as genuine relief took hold. “I can tell you’re not like Jenkins, and that’s enough for me. The fact that you’re so competent, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have the entire horde in love with you by day’s end.”
I blushed, patting Simon’s hand. “You’re too kind. I’m just doing my job. Still, I’m very glad to hear that I’ve been helpful. It means the world to me.”
Simon nodded again, and I helped him down from the exam table so he could rest. “Of course, Ms. Rowan. I’ll let you get back to it. So I should come in later to have it checked?”
“Yes, I’ll have another peek to make sure it’s healing properly.
” I walked him to the door and looked outside to my empty waiting room.
It appeared that I’d finally caught up. We said goodbye, and I had Nina schedule a time for Simon to come see me again.
Once I was all done with my paperwork, I decided it was a good time to check on Allison.
“I’m going to check on the new arrivals, Nina. Send for me if someone shows up and can’t wait, okay?”
“Sure thing!” She saluted again, full of all that oddly welcome energy after such a busy day, and I left with a wave.
“Hey, Mama, how are you and the little munchkin?” I asked, padding into Allison’s room, keeping my voice low in case the baby was sleeping.
The woman was in bed, looking a damn sight better than the last time I had seen her. Ma had clearly fed her and ensured she’d gotten a hot bath, her hair was clean, and there was a relaxed smile on her face as she rocked her baby.
“We’re doing good. He’s feeding and sleeping tons, so I think all is well.”
“That’s a very good sign,” I confirmed, gazing at the sleeping newborn. “Do you have any concerns?”
Allison shook her head. “No. Ma has been amazing, helping me figure out the early stuff—like latching and sleeping. I didn’t realize it would be so often—for both.”
I grinned, a chuckle escaping me. “Oh yeah, it’s what most new babies do. Ma is basically the mother of the entire horde, so if anyone here has a wealth of information, it’s her.”
Allison smiled at her baby boy, and my chest squeezed, so glad they were both okay. She smoothed her hand over her son’s face, and the little guy cooed in his sleep, making the most adorable sounds.
Still, when she looked back up at me, Allison’s brow crinkled as she chewed on her lip.
“Are your mates really okay with giving us sanctuary?” she asked in a small voice. “I mean… I know what Colin did. And while I appreciate it, I also know that wasn’t the, umm, best way to go about getting help.”
My heart ached for her. No mother should have to worry about the safety of their child, but it was obvious in the tight grip that Allison had on her baby that she was terrified.
“Colin made a rash decision.” I looked over at him, dozing in a chair next to the bed. Clearly, he’d been up overnight helping Allison as much as he could. “But the Alphas and I will help however we can. We all know there’s a baby involved, and that’s a big deal.”
“I’m just”—Allison glanced over at Colin—“We left a bad situation, and I’m worried it’s going to follow us.”
“You think your father will cause problems?” I asked gently, taking a seat next to her on the bed.
“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted with a grimace. “Part of me thinks he believes I won’t make it as a rogue and will come crawling back, and he would still be able to marry me off.”
“Surely he can’t marry you off if you have a baby?” My brows were up as I glanced between Allison and her son, nervous shock reverberating through me.
Allison grimaced. “My father… He’s a bastard. I have no doubt that, if I went back, something terrible would befall my son.”
I repressed a shudder. “Oh my God, Allison—Which horde are you from?”
Squeezing her arm, I probed gently because I knew this was shaky ground. Dragons were territorial on a good day. If she was running from her old horde, I worried that she was right, that they’d come looking.
Allison shook her head vigorously. “No, if I say—”
“We can’t protect you unless we know who you need protecting from.”
She turned to her baby, sleeping peacefully, oblivious to all the drama, and Allison sighed.
“All right.”
Sometimes I had good ideas, sometimes I had terrible ones.
After Allison had told me which horde she had come from, I had gone straight to the Alphas.
Actually, I had gone straight to Bastian.
He was the first one I’d found, sitting in his office. Even though we weren’t close, I thought I could talk to him about this, but he’d immediately gone on the defensive. I glared at him as he sat behind his desk.
“She’s the daughter of an Alpha!” Bastian blurted out in a strangled voice. “Are you kidding me? Keeping her here could have serious political ramifications for us! The Birch Creek horde and us have had a good relationship for decades.”
Simply put, Allison’s father was an ass and had no right to control a horde. Even a small one.
“Are you kidding me?” I hissed. “Are political connections all you care about? They’re in danger. Allison was seriously concerned that her own father might hurt her son.”
“I know you just jumped in feet first with them, but we have to consider these things when the health and well-being of an entire horde is in your hands. I have to ensure everyone under my care is looked after.”
I snorted. I couldn’t help myself. With what I knew from Griffin, what I’d seen with Jenkins, the well-being of the horde had been in trouble for a long time.
“What do you think I’ve been doing? Treating everyone here, looking after dragons who’ve asked for our help. I’m taking far better care of your horde than you have in a damn long time,” I hissed, crossing my arms.
Bastian growled, anger radiating off him as he lowered his head. A moment later, he was up from his seat, walking around the desk toward me. He took my arm and guided me to the door as I tried to yank myself away.
“What the hell? We need to talk about this!” I finally pulled myself free, but I was already at the door, Bastian sneering down at me, angrier than I’d ever seen him.
“I will deal with this, as the true Alpha of this horde. I know Byron well enough, and I will be the one to determine how we go about cleaning up your mess.”
Gaping at him, I scoffed, rage coursing through my veins. “You’re being ridiculous. I brought this information to you so we could help them.”
After getting me on the other side of the door, Bastian began to close himself into his office, and all I could do was stand there, seething.
“You’re new here. You don’t understand our rules, our traditions. You’ve put me in one hell of a situation. Stand aside while I fix it.”
The door closed. If it weren’t for the fact that I knew it wouldn’t do me any good, I would have screamed and pounded on the damn thing until he let me in. It wouldn’t help, but I had a feeling I knew the only thing that would. So, I stomped off down the hall, intent on finding some backup.