Rowan
“Achallenge? Why did you have to go and get yourselves locked into a freaking challenge?” I paced around my bedroom, glowering periodically at the four Alphas who were sitting in various places around the room.
As soon as the intruders from Birch Creek had left, we retreated to our rooms. Well, technically, they were my rooms, but there was no denying how my mates had started moving in.
Now that I was away from prying eyes, the panic was well and truly settling in. Orsen could die—a challenge was no joke. My chest was tight as I stomped around the room, my body and mind so amped up I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to.
“We will be fine. Do you want some tea?” Nix asked, walking over and grasping lightly at my upper arms.
I batted his grip away. “No, I do not want tea. I want my mates not to put themselves in danger for a few days!” I hissed, resuming my pacing.
“It’s one small fight with an old man. Orsen can do that with his eyes closed,” Grey reassured me.
“An old dragon. I don’t know if you know this, but dragons are fucking dangerous!” I ranted, running a hand roughly through my hair.
Bastian chuckled, and I whirled on him. “What are you laughing about?”
“I don’t know if you know this, but we all happen to be dragons. Stop freaking out, mate.”
I snarled, “I am freaking out! I love you stupid idiots. I don’t want any of you hurt! I am sick and tired of having to patch you guys up!”
Orsen tugged me into his arms. “I will be fine. I promise, mate. We love you too much to leave you.”
“You know you’re quite adorable when you’re freaking out,” Nix commented.
My hands reached for the first item I could find, which just so happened to be a throw pillow, hurling it at his head.
“If you think this is cute, you’re about to think I’m downright adorable,” I hissed, lunging toward him—only to be stopped when Orsen wrapped an arm around my waist from behind, holding me in place.
“Rowan. Mate. Please, let’s not maim any of our clanmates.” He buried his head in my hair, and every ounce of fight left me as I sagged in his arms.
“I’m scared,” I admitted in a small voice.
“Rowan…” Orsen turned me in his arms.
“The last time I saw a challenge, Griff nearly died.”
“Shit…” Greylen trailed off.
I sniffed. “How much do you know about what happened to him?”
Orsen sat down, dragging me onto his lap. “We know it was a challenge gone wrong, but he’s not told us many details. By the time he came back, he was still healing. That has to be some of your best work, by the way.”
I snorted lightly. “Thank you. He got into a challenge over something dumb, but the assholes decided not to play by the rules. It was three against one, and their claws were poisoned.”
Those months of healing Griff had been difficult. He had been grumpy and belligerent the first few weeks while the venom worked out of his system, but eventually he became the Griffin I know and love.
“That wasn’t a real challenge; it was a sham.”
“What’s to stop Byron from pulling some underhanded shit like that, though?” I asked, voicing my worst fears. “He must have something up his sleeve to willingly enter a fight with a much younger, stronger dragon.”
“Claws will be checked beforehand. There are so many witnesses; there’s no way he will try to do something underhanded. Both the hordes will be in attendance, watching closely.”
“For some reason, that isn’t comforting,” I muttered.
Bastian grimaced. “I think you should stay at the den when the challenge happens. There could be some stray dragon fire shots.”
My chest went cold.
Dragon fire.
Usually, my instinct was to avoid it at any cost.
Only, my mates were going to be there. I knew for a fact there was no way that Nix, Bastian, and Grey would let Orsen enter a challenge on his own. They would be standing on the sidelines, watching over him, protecting him.
“No.” I shook my head. “You need a healer there. There has to be a healer present at every challenge. I don’t trust whichever healer Byron brings with him. For all I know, he’s going to bring another Jenkins, who is more likely to hurt rather than heal.”
“Thank the gods above that the actual Jenkins is dead.” Bastian chuckled.
Usually, each side brought their own healer, but it was an unspoken rule that a healer would help either party once the challenge was over.
I didn’t exactly like the idea of helping Byron, and I really didn’t want to, but if it meant I got to be there to take care of Orsen if he needed it, I would accept the duty.
Then again, if he brought his own healer, I was off the hook.
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?”
I ran a hand through my hair, looking around the clinic. In the space of an hour, I had managed to turn it into a complete shambles as I ran around like a tornado, gathering different herbs and remedies.
“There are a few in the woodland nearby. Samuel is with my guys, sparring. They want to make sure they’re ready for tonight.”
More than anything, I wished Griffin were with us. He was still off patrolling, and there wasn’t enough time to call him back.
Then again, it was probably a small mercy; I doubt he wanted to witness a challenge involving his close friends after what he had been through himself.
“That would explain the crashing I heard earlier. I’m pretty sure one or two of them accidentally knocked down a few trees.”
“That sounds like them.” Although I’d wanted to be there with them while they practiced, I knew I was more useful at the clinic.
“You know what? As it’s a quiet day, maybe I should take the time to show you how to set up a healer’s kit—kill two birds with one stone.”
“Please!” Nina stepped forward, an eager look on her face.
Truthfully, I was thankful for the distraction. Teaching had a way of diverting my mind.
And I desperately needed a diversion.