37. Nix
Nix
“One of us should have gone with her!” I whined, flopping onto the couch. When I learned that, after possibly the best night ever, Rowan had left on a healing job, I was thoroughly disappointed. Hell, I could admit it: I was downright heartbroken. I wanted more of that precious time with her.
And not just because it’d been filled with orgasms.
Still, she’d seemed perfectly content after everything we’d done, so I doubted she was running.
I was finally starting to grow on her, Orsen and Grey, too.
It was impossible to miss the attachment.
I knew our mate well enough to understand that she simply wanted to help people and would do that no matter what, even if it made me pout somewhat.
Orsen grimaced, sitting on the couch next to me. We’d all decided to gather in one of the meeting rooms in the den to discuss Alpha things. Unfortunately, we couldn’t just wallow while Rowan was traveling. We had work that needed to be done.
“I agree, but the last thing I wanted was to smother her. She’s only going to the East Lake Horde to provide some medications and help with a pregnancy. Griffin is with her. We need to trust her.”
Our mate had been gone for two days, and I was missing her terribly. Hell, we all were.
“The fact he’s with her is the only reason I’m not chasing after her right now,” I said pointedly. “Don’t you fucking hate this?” I lifted my head from sulking to look at him questioningly.
Orsen sighed and shrugged. “Of course I do, but if we refused to let her leave, she would feel trapped. We want her to be here because she wants to be here. She’s her own person. We’re not her prison guards.”
After what we’d done the night of the horde dinner, well, I was somehow even more of a goner for her, but I was starting to get the impression that she also had those feelings for us.
For the first time in years, everything was starting to feel right, and I was sure that was because of Rowan.
Yes, Bastian needed a kick up the ass, but I was sure our mate would rise to the challenge.
Eventually.
“She’s always going to travel to help other hordes, given how good a healer she is,” Bastian pointed out, taking a bite of his protein bar. “Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be discussing cabin distribution this morning?”
That had been why we’d planned to meet over breakfast. For the first time in a long while, our horde was starting to grow.
All the cabins had been allowed to sit untouched for so long, and they needed refreshing.
The space that Baby Rowan’s family had wasn’t good for an infant long-term.
Celia was pregnant, too, and apparently doing very well, meaning that, in the future, she and Tanner would definitely need a bigger cabin as well.
The result? We had a lot of work to do.
“Well, now that we aren’t paying through the teeth for expenses, thanks to Jenkins, we can put more money into rebuilding,” Greylen suggested. “Rowan has assured me she needs a fraction of what we gave him. That’ll free up quite a bit of funds.”
Orsen bobbed his head. “We have plenty of dragons who would happily take on the extra work if we can pay them, too.”
“The guys who have been working on Griff’s new cabin will happily do more,” Bastian agreed, taking a swig of his coffee. I couldn’t help but eye him as he mentioned Griff’s cabin. He’d been pissy about it in the beginning but now seemed… I wasn’t sure.
“So, the question is, which cabins first?” Grey asked, phone in hand, as he undoubtedly looked at the notes he kept on there.
“The families, for sure,” I said. “Babies and children should be a top priority.”
Orsen nodded. “That makes sense. Celia’s and Allison’s families both need cabins with at least two rooms.”
“Maybe three or four. Given the change in our fertility situation, I imagine more babies won’t be too far off.
” Bastian shrugged, staring into his cup.
“We have those old cabins south of the den. You know the ones I mean? There’s even a playground nearby.
It’s not close to any rivers, so it’s safer for families. ”
Families with multiple kids… It had been so long since we had that.
I could vaguely remember horde events and cookouts where kids were running around, causing chaos.
It was the best kind of carnage, and I wanted it all back in full swing.
Kids livened the place up in a way we hadn’t experienced in years.
“Those cabins would be perfect,” Orsen agreed.
“Grey, if Nix and I get you a list of what supplies are needed, could you order and let us know timeframes? Some of those cabins are going to need a complete structural overhaul, and some of them just need the walls refinished and floorboards replaced.”
“Sure, can do. If there’s a few in good condition, I say we prioritize getting them fixed up over the next week or two.
That way, Celia and Allison can move in sooner rather than later.
It’ll be nice to have them living near each other, too.
They’re both going to have babies. I’m guessing they’ll end up leaning on each other a lot. ”
Bastian hummed to himself before adding, “The pair of them seemed to become fast friends at the cookout.”
As the only young mothers in the horde, it was only natural that they would have a lot to talk about. They could relate, after all, and nothing beat firsthand experience when someone was looking for advice.
“Now that’s taken care of… Do you think it’ll be too much to call Rowan again?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
I missed our mate, dammit. I knew it was stupid, but we’d gotten so close, so comfortable, and having her around felt so damn good. I couldn’t help but be jonesing for it.
“She texted us this morning,” Orsen pointed out. “She’s probably busy. Her work is in high demand.”
“I wish we could keep a closer eye on her,” I whined, throwing my head back.
Greylen’s ears turned red, which was rare enough to make me sit up. “Actually… we can check where she is.”
“What did you do?” Orsen asked, turning slowly to look at our embarrassed clanmate, a low growl rumbling through his chest.
“I may have placed a tracker on her… just in case of emergencies.” Greylen shifted his gaze between us and the coffee table. “Look, I didn’t want to take any risks after she was kidnapped. I’m not letting that happen again.”
Bastian’s brow rose. “Smart man. But she’s not going to like it.”
“Oh, she’ll be pissed. Wouldn’t looking at that be an invasion of privacy?” I rebutted, cocking my head to the side.
“No, we would just be… ensuring she got there safe…” Orsen trailed off. I could hear it in his voice; he was trying to convince himself it wasn’t, when we all knew it was.
“I want to know. Open it up,” I instructed, clambering over the couch to Grey, who was already unlocking his cell.
He didn’t need telling twice. Pulling out his phone, he tapped on the screen a few times, bringing up an app I didn’t recognize. “Wait…” He frowned at the screen, his brows pinching together as his stare darkened.
“What?” Orsen was already on edge, and my stomach clenched. “Is it working?”
“According to this, she’s not at East Lake.” Grey glared at his phone, messing with the app like it would change what he was seeing.
“Then where is she?” Bastian asked sharply, sitting straighter, his body visibly tensing. The fucker may have pretended not to care about Rowan, but the moment something wasn’t right, he was just as panicked as the rest of us.
“Apparently, she’s at the cabin,” Grey said in a thin voice.
The cabin.
The place we had started our relationship.
The same place where Emmeline had died.
“Why the hell would she be there?” I asked, craning my head to look at the screen.
I personally never wanted to set foot in that place again. Sure, it was home to some of my best memories, but also the worst. Those early days of searching for Rowan after she vanished were the most soul-crushing moments of my life.
“I don’t know…” Grey trailed off.
“Come on.” Bastian’s voice was firm as he stood, heading toward the door.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Orsen shot him a look of annoyance. We’d all been on Bastian’s ass about how he’d treated Rowan, but especially Orsen. I knew he wanted our clanmate to open up, and instead, he was just rushing off like he had before.
He looked back at us. “To the cabin. Coming?”