33. Greylen
Greylen
When Ma said she could pull something together in twenty-four hours, she wasn’t kidding.
The trees were decked out with fairy lights, and the den’s gardens were bustling with dragons.
A massive bonfire had been lit in a protected stone ring, and younger dragons were dancing around the enormous flames.
It was clear several horde members were well on their way to being tipsy, swaying as they laughed and practically frolicked.
I wondered how long it had been since we’d thrown such a lively party.
The horde needed it more than I realized.
The winding path in the garden led to the kitchens and main hall, which had all been opened up, with trays of food on every surface imaginable.
I didn’t even know what half the dishes were, but they were so colorful, surrounded by vegetables and fruit, that it didn’t matter.
Everything looked delicious, and I was more than ready to dig in.
Even more, the horde’s energy had shifted, the celebration in full swing. It was infectious, making me smile as I watched people gather and talk.
“This is something.” I whistled low, looking over at Bastian, who was deep in conversation with Samuel, a few feet away from where the other Alphas and I were standing.
“My mother is a miracle worker,” Orsen agreed, beaming with pride.
“That, she is. I think the only thing she’s ever made that wasn’t amazing was your dumb ass.” I laughed, bumping my clanmate’s shoulder.
“I’ll have you know, she says I’m the best thing she ever made,” he said smugly, but I knew he was talking out of his ass.
Instead of a formal sit-down dinner, we had opted to have a cookout.
In the large clearing beside the den, we had set up several barbecues and the bonfire, picnic tables had been laid out with little sun umbrellas.
In the early evening air, the view was spectacular.
The sun was just starting to dip below the trees surrounding the house, casting an orange glow over everything.
Allison and Colin were sitting at one of the picnic tables, Baby Rowan in his mother’s arms. They were in conversation with several horde members who were all fussing over the baby.
They looked admittedly adorable, but my stare shifted to my Rowan, who was sitting with Nina, having an animated conversation with Rory.
The kid looked amazing; it was hard to believe that he was at death’s door only a few weeks before.
I admired the way the sunset illuminated my mate from behind.
She was angelic; there was no other way to describe her.
Wearing a sundress, blonde locks flowing down her back, she was beautiful.
It was enough of a distraction to have me pause for a moment, but we all needed to stand by Orsen as he kicked things off.
Once he had given his speech, I could go be with my mate.
“Thank you all for coming!” Orsen announced, raising his hand and getting everyone’s attention. “I know we’ve had a rough few weeks—maybe longer—but we have a lot to celebrate. We have welcomed a new family into our horde, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them grow with us.”
Several people turned to look at the young family, who were beaming, radiating happiness. Now they knew we were going to offer them protection. I could only imagine how much weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
“So, for the reason we have gathered here today, we have visitors from the Clover Valley Horde, Alpha Luca and his family members. I am thankful so many of you have come tonight to greet them.”
The horde clapped and hooted, making us Alphas laugh.
Damn, it really had been a while since we’d done one of these.
My chest pinched, and I considered how much had, quite frankly, sucked before the recent change.
I knew Rowan was a big reason we had so much to look forward to in the future for once.
“And, as I’m sure all of you now know”—Orsen turned toward Celia, who was smiling brighter than the sun, doing a little wave as others looked on knowingly—“we’ll have another new member of our horde with us in no time.”
Everyone cheered, and Celia pulled Tanner next to her with a grin.
“It’s about time, isn’t it? And we all know who we have to thank for the horde’s recovering health. Rowan, wanna give us a wave?”
She turned bright pink, but Nina was all too happy to hype her up, getting Rowan to stand and do a little bow. She was adorable, and none of us Alphas could keep from smiling. Hell, I even saw Bastian fighting back a grin.
“To Rowan!” Nix toasted, raising his glass. We all followed suit, full of gratitude for the incredible woman who’d already done so much for our horde—and for us Alphas personally.
One hell of a mate, all right.
“We have so much to look forward to. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!” I added. I wasn’t much for public speaking, but I could chip in here and there when I needed to.
It didn’t escape my notice, however, that toward the back of the clearing, Cyrus was sitting on one of the picnic benches, looking like he’d sat in shit.
He probably thought Bastian should have been the one giving the speech, probably thought that toasting to Rowan was a disgrace.
For a guy I’d never been particularly fond of, I really hated him right now.
Bastian was the last person who should have been giving a public speech, though.
He was grumpy, and his charisma was at an all-time low with everything that had been going on.
I loved the guy, but he’d have been a downright buzzkill if we had him making the speeches.
He needed to get his head out of his ass already, but I knew when it came to change and growth, that idiot moved at a snail’s pace.
“All right, enough of all that!” Nix stepped forward, a smile stretched proudly across his face as he raised his glass again. “Let’s get this party started!”
The horde cheered, laughing and joking as Ma stepped up and called out, “Get your plates, people! There’s plenty of food!”
It was warm and joyful. Yet again, I was in awe of how different it felt tonight.
We’d been sorely lacking in big social functions for the past few years.
While there had been some normalcy, typical birthdays and anniversary-type things, this was the first time the horde had come together to celebrate a guest and the growth of our people in ages.
As far as I was concerned, this night couldn’t get any better.
Unless, of course, I got to spend some time with Rowan.
“Greylen! Orsen! Come see the baby!” Allison shouted, waving us over. I shrugged, bumping Orsen with my shoulder because, in the two seconds I’d looked away, Nix was already over there, cooing and fawning over the little bundle. He was such a sap for babies.
The two of us plodded toward her, shaking hands with some of the other dragons, commenting on the hard work they’d done for the cabin and inquiring about how injuries or conditions were holding up now that they’d seen Rowan.
This was a part of being an Alpha I’d forgotten about these past few years, when all of us were trapped in our depressive moods. It was times like this that I could see how important it was.
“Hey there, cutie,” Orsen said softly to the new baby, and I smiled as the little boy waved his hand and stared up at my clanmate like he was a giant or something. The kid wasn’t wrong.
“Want to hold him?” I wasn’t given more than a second to answer before Allison stood up and settled the baby in my arms. I felt awkward as hell as she coached me through how to hold him, but then Baby Rowan looked up at me with those big eyes, and I actually swooned a little.
“Oh, wow. Umm, hi.” I smiled at him, and the baby cooed, making those specific infant babbles that I hadn’t heard in a long time. “Welcome to the horde, little guy.”
Warmth filled me in a way that would have been deeply embarrassing if it weren’t for the fact that we really did need a baby around here. Instinctively, I looked up, turning toward where Rowan was sitting. She smiled over at me, her eyes softening.
We just stared for a moment, the implications clear. I held eye contact with Rowan, need and desire, and most importantly, something I believed was love stirring deep within my chest. I wanted this with her, and holy shit, I could actually admit it.
Yup, there’s a lot to look forward to.
“Ro-Ro! Come sit with me!” Nix hollered, grabbing our mate lightly around the waist and dragging her down to his lap, where he sat between Orsen and me. Rowan didn’t complain. In fact, she giggled, placing a kiss on his cheek as she wrapped an arm around his neck.
“I can sit all by myself, you know?” she joked sweetly.
“I know, but this is so much better,” Nix insisted with an overly enthusiastic nod.
Bastian stood up. “I need to go talk to Luca,” he grumbled, fleeing.
It was getting late, and most of our horde had already left. The night was coming to a close, but still, Bastian couldn’t find it in himself to relax. Something needed to be done about him, but the moment Rowan’s scent hit me as she leaned into Nix, my focus drastically shifted to nothing but her.
There was something in the air. Maybe it was the celebration, maybe it was the baby vibes infiltrating the horde like wildfire. Whatever it was, I could sense how much all of us wanted to spend some alone time with Rowan.
Even Bastian, but he’d run away for some stupid reason.
“You’re silly,” Rowan teased, but she also didn’t get up from Nix’s lap. If anything, she snuggled in deeper.
“Facts. But he has a point,” Orsen added, smirking as he leaned closer to Rowan and tucked a hair behind her ear. “It’s much better when you’re here.”
Damn, were we really doing this? We’d all had individual moments with Rowan, but since her return, we hadn’t gotten involved as a group. I was for it, of course, but I had to admit I was a little surprised, if only because it felt like it was happening sooner than I’d expected.
Still, we’d grown so much closer, Bastian not withstanding, and the desire to finally have Rowan with the three of us was potent. She was our mate. There was nothing else in the world hotter than watching her prove just that, and I was speaking from experience.
The evening had progressed well past sunset, and I glanced over Orsen’s shoulder to see other couples sneaking off to their own private spaces. There was definitely something in the air, and I, for one, wasn’t going to fight it.
“We might have been celebrating some new arrivals and our guests,” I said, leaning into Rowan’s other side across from Orsen and brushing my lips over her neck, “but you’re the real star of the show. Our horde owes you so much. We do. And I’m sure we’d all love to thank you for it.”
I could smell the flare in her arousal. I peeked up as her eyes went wide before fluttering, her lids heavy, as a tiny moan escaped her.
That wasn’t me. Who…?
I leaned around her slightly, noticing Orsen’s hand trailing up Rowan’s side, his fingers just beneath the curve of her breast. Smirking, I returned to place another kiss on Rowan’s neck, and a gentle hum left her, my heartbeat accelerating.
She shook her head, though, a smile mingling with it as she breathed hard.
“Umm, a room… We should go… Not here.” It was phenomenal to watch her have trouble speaking, and I sat back just as Orsen did. Nix stood up, helping steady Rowan on her feet.
“I think I know just the place.” Orsen took Rowan’s hand, pulling her toward the den house. Nix and I were right on her tail, sharing a grin over the sight of the most perfect ass in history.
Rowan paused, casting a glance over her shoulder at us. “I… Oh… We’re all…”
We waited, letting Rowan decide whether she was ready for this. She looked at the ground for a moment, sucking in a huge breath, and then met each of our eyes in turn.
“You know what? Yes.” A smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Hell yes.”
I beamed right along with my clanmates. Hell yes, indeed.