11. Rowan
Rowan
Going through my minimal possessions, I took my time organizing what little clothes I owned, laying them out across my bed.
Packing light was second nature to me, but in the last few weeks, I’d gathered more belongings than I knew what to do with.
But I had this place now, a home where I could store things without feeling too terrible about accumulating them.
Weird, huh. Who would’ve thought?
And even more, the horde members of North Oak kept gifting me things.
Baked goods, throw blankets, soft hand-knit cardigans.
It was mainly the women who were welcoming me with open arms, but I’d had the occasional little something from my male patients, too, people who wanted to show they were grateful for how I’d listened, which was the least I could do.
I was starting to put down roots, whether I liked it or not. And if I were honest with myself, it was tending more toward liking it.
After pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I searched through my contacts, looking for a familiar number. I’d been meaning to make this call, and with this lull in activity, now seemed as good a time as any.
“Rowan!” Luca’s kind voice crackled through the phone, and I smiled as I sat on the end of the bed. “How’s it going?”
“I’m alive.” I chuckled, silently knowing there was a lot more to it than that. “How’s your family?”
“We’re all good. But seriously.” Luca’s tone changed. “How are you doing over there? Do you need me to come get you?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. It looks like I’ll be staying here for a while, actually.”
Silence hung between us for a moment, and I could just picture Luca shaking himself. “Wait. How come? Is the kid you’re healing getting worse?”
“Far from it.” I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see it. Rory was doing amazingly. I had checked in on him a few times, and he had been taking it easy, watching plenty of superhero movies and whining over his mother’s fussing like any teenager would.
“So?”
“To cut a long story short, their healer was terrible and making everyone sicker so the Alphas booted him and now I’m trying to clean up his mess.”
Luca let out a low whistle. “That’s rough. They’re lucky you’re there.”
I smiled, turning down the corners of my mouth afterward. “They are. Thankfully, they’re being kind and paying me in candy.”
“Has there been any more… miscommunications?” he asked, curiously, the innuendo clear.
“No, there hasn’t.” I dropped my stare to the floor. “Well, not any that I didn’t want.”
“If you wanted it, it wasn’t a miscommunication, was it?” Luca laughed. “I mean, that’s just… Well, you know, fun?”
“Okay, point out the obvious, why don’t you?” I chuckled, tucking the phone under my ear as I folded a blanket. “Actually, I should tell you something.”
“What?” Luca’s voice took on that older sibling tone I was all too familiar with.
“No, no. There’s no need to get all worried. It’s just… So, my past kind of came back to bite me in the ass. I’m the mate who went missing all those years ago,” I confessed, my cheeks heating.
“Wait, mate? Like Bastian’s mate?” Luca sputtered.
“Yep. And Orsen’s. And Nix’s. And Greylen’s. Your girl roped four Alphas in total. At least, that’s the standing theory. I still don’t remember anything from before waking up in Kiki’s hut, but apparently, I was very friendly with them, if you catch my drift.”
Luca was quiet for a moment, then burst into laughter again. “Oh my Lord. You’re going to run circles around them! They better have their heads on a damn swivel.”
“Thanks for the concern!” I tried to sound offended but failed miserably, a laugh sneaking through as I set the blanket I’d been messing with on the bed.
“I’m sorry, Rowan, but if any human is suited to be part of an Alpha clan, it’s you.”
That warmed me more than I wanted to admit, so of course, I tried to deflect. “You don’t know that many humans.”
Giving up any hope of multitasking while I was on the phone, I sat down and leaned against the headboard, content to talk this out.
“Oh, and I was kidnapped for a second, but it’s fine.”
“Rowan!” Luca practically screamed into the phone, and I heard shuffling in the background. “Way to bury the lede! Do you need me to come get you? Fucking hell, kidnapped? I swear, if those Alphas just let you get stolen, I’ll—”
I sat up, holding out my hands to soothe Luca, even though he was miles away.
“Whoa, whoa. No need to sound the alarm. I’m fine.
It was a misunderstanding, for real this time.
There was a dragon and his mate. They were desperate.
She’d been in labor for days. I was the only healer around who could help. ”
“Rowan,” Luca breathed. “That’s… Okay, I can understand why he needed you, but hell, you can see how that’s not acceptable, right? He could have asked you for help, asked the Alphas.”
“They’re rogues, Luca. He was terrified,” I countered, even if I was understanding more and more how serious the situation had been. On the positive side, it was resolved now.
“Oh hell. But you’re okay? It’s taken care of?” Luca couldn’t hide the worry, and I was grateful he was so concerned for me.
“Yes.” I nodded to myself, tucking my legs under my chin. “It’s all good. They’ve actually been welcomed into the horde. I mean, I think there’s some work to do there, but I’m okay. I’m home and safe.”
“That’s better than nothing. Are you sure you don’t want me to come get you? It’s no trouble. You know my grandmother would be ecstatic if you came back.”
Orla was a sweet older woman who suffered from arthritis. I had helped her last time I was at Clover Valley, and ever since then she had doted on me.
“No, I-I want to stay. There are so many people here who need my help. And”—I sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly—“I’m kind of happy here. I love healing, and the Alphas, well, they’re growing on me.”
I wasn’t about to detail my sexcapades to Luca. We were close but not that close.
“All right, I respect your decision, but I’m always here if you need a quick out—or anything else, for that matter.”
“I know, and I appreciate it more than I can say.” I looked around my room at all the stuff that still needed to be put away. “But, hey, I need to finish cleaning up. I just wanted to check in so you didn’t worry.”
Luca laughed, and I could imagine him putting his hand on the back of his head like he did. “Keep checking in, Ro. Go do your thing, but if anything gets funky—”
“I’ll call you. Promise.” I grinned to myself, poised on the edge of the bed.
“Good. I expect nothing less. And I know you’ll serve the horde so damn well, Ro. They are very lucky to have you. Don’t forget it.”
“Thank you, Luca. We’ll chat soon, okay?”
“Sounds good, Ro.”
We both hung up, and I set my phone on the nightstand to charge. It was good to talk to him, and I found myself smiling a little easier as I snagged that blanket again and put it in the stack to stuff into the bottom drawer of my dresser.
“Who was that?” Nina asked, standing in my doorway.
“Oh, hi. Alpha Luca,” I replied, “I was just checking in with him.”
She shook her head. “You really are friends with everyone, aren’t you?”
I smiled, picking up a T-shirt and throwing it at her. “Everyone loves a healer. Now, what are you doing here?”
Nina giggled, throwing the shirt back on the bed. “Ma wanted me to let you know it was time for dinner. She worries about you, you know?”
I rolled my eyes. “Ma worries about everyone, and she’s still trying to feed me like I’m a dragon. I’m going to burst one of these days, I swear.”
While I loved the dining hall and ate there occasionally, I had taken to eating in the kitchen, where there were fewer people, more often than not. In the hall, I knew someone would approach me about my work, asking questions or needing help.
“It’s from a place of love. Come on, you can fold laundry later.” I sighed as she looped her arm through mine, pulling me along.
Nina, knowing my preferred location, walked with me to the kitchen, where Ma was sitting at one of the tables, making notes on a pad of paper.
“Rowan!” she greeted me warmly. “Come eat.”
“I’m still pretty stuffed from the giant lunch you made me eat, but I’ll have a nibble,” I assured her with a playful grin. If I didn’t have dinner, Ma would probably have an aneurysm.
I sat at the little table, and Ma presented me with a mound of pasta a moment later. Nina and Ma sat with me, and no sooner did I have my second bite in my mouth than Ma let the bomb drop.
“So… you went into town with Nix yesterday, hmm?”
I nearly choked, coughing as I managed to get the mouthful down while Ma eyed me, her brows raised and an evil, knowing smirk on her face. I was blushing. I knew I was by how damned hot my face was, but I still tried to play it off.
“Yup. Got some supplies and stuff. No biggie.”
Ma chuckled, gesturing at the massive industrial freezer in the corner. “Y’all took up three quarters of the space with ice cream.”
“Oops,” I replied sheepishly. “I guess we’re a bad pair to send out for food. We’ll just get sweets.”
“Sweets, you say?” I looked up at Ma, not knowing where she was going with this but worried all the same. “Yes, I do think I heard something quite intriguing about how ‘sweet’ it got.”
My stomach dropped through the floor, and I looked at my food, not saying a word, choosing to pretend all I had to do was clear my plate and get the hell out of there. After a few more bites, though, who should come into the kitchen but the dragon himself?
Nix. Seriously? Dammit.
Our eyes met, making my heartbeat skitter.
“Hey, Rowan.” Nix nodded at me with a sparkling grin, and I could barely look at him.
“Hi.”
Oh God, is that it? I’m such an idiot.
My cheeks were on fire as Nix headed to Ma, snagging a plate of food before sitting next to me. At this rate, I was liable to burst into literal flames. Ma didn’t miss a beat, of course, continuing her verbal torture as I stared wide-eyed into my pasta.
“Yes, I heard through the grapevine that you and Nix were getting along very well the other day in town.” Ma smirked.
Groaning, I gave up and laid my forehead on the table. Damned dragons were everywhere. One of them must’ve seen us when we were making out like damn teenagers against his truck.
Kill me now.
Nix beamed. “We had an excellent time,” he agreed.
Nix wrapped an arm around me, which only made my pulse flare higher, but that scent of his was a welcome one. The closeness didn’t disturb me, though. In fact, it felt right.
“There was a spy in town.” I raised my brows at him, unblinking as I tried to subtly clue him in. “It appears word made it back to Ma that we were—”
“Necking?” Nina giggled to herself, which only made me glare at her while she laughed hard, waving her hand through the air. “Sorry, sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
“I see. Well, I hope whoever was there enjoyed the show. I know I did.” Nix grinned dopily.
Flames. I was just a ball of flames, but Nix pulled me against his side, kissing the top of my head.
“Aahs” filled the air, and even as the embarrassment threatened to end me, I couldn’t help but be a little thrilled by how open Nix was.
He was happy to let everyone know he was into me. And that was damn flattering.
“All right, heathens. Eat your food.” I laughed, shaking my head while I soothed the mortification with some extremely delicious pasta.
And garlic bread, because you can never have enough garlic bread.