Chapter 8
Rowan
There was no way I could hide in the bathroom all night.
Unfortunately. While the two dragons had been negotiating with me, I’d been rummaging through every single drawer in there.
Unfortunately, the bathroom was full of pretty standard stuff.
My hunt had only produced a few bars of soap and a hairbrush initially.
Hardly something I could fight with.
It wasn’t until I started pulling apart the medicine cabinet that I managed to find a razor blade, which I had promptly cut my finger on, under a dusty bottle of deodorant.
Clutching that little scrap of metal like a lifeline, I approached the door.
I had always known there was a chance that my past would come back to bite me in the ass, and this might just have been that moment.
A huge part of me wanted to stay in the room, with the door locked, for as long as I could; the walls gave me the illusion of safety, even though, deep down, I knew I was in a highly precarious position.
Pissed-off dragons didn’t tend to think with their heads—not that anyone pissed off did—and I wasn’t about to risk my well-being.
Unfortunately, I needed to face the dragons sooner or later, and judging by the feral one’s less-than-stellar behavior, waiting them out wasn’t an option.
I sighed. “Okay, I’m coming out.”
With the small blade concealed in my hand, I opened the door a crack, glancing into the room cautiously.
I half-expected the dragons to be right there.
Orsen—or Gropey Asshole, as I called him in my head—was sitting on the bed, staring at me with his chin resting on one hand.
Nix was next to him, arms crossed. He was rocking a mean glower, but it seemed to be directed at the other Alpha, not at me, which was actually sort of reassuring.
At least Nix knew his friend had been a royal ass and a half.
Yeah, your buddy is on thin ice. I don’t care if he is an Alpha.
And stupidly hot.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Orsen offered, his jaw muscles visibly tense.
I narrowed my eyes at him, reassured by the little blade pressing against my palm.
“My cell is over there.” He nodded at the dresser next to me.
The space between him and the phone made a wave of relief wash over me. There was no need to get close to him. I was quick enough for a human, and I had no problem defending myself, but I was no dummy, either. He was bigger and stronger than me; there was no denying that fact.
I scooped up the phone, unlocking it without a passcode as Orsen said, “Most of the names you mentioned have numbers saved in there.”
I flicked through the contact list, recognizing a few people until I came across Luca’s. After pressing the phone icon, I put the call on speaker and held it up, so the other two could hear. This was going to be a group conversation.
Hopefully, one that would go in my favor.
Luca picked up on the second ring. “Orsen! How’s it going, did—"
“Luca? It’s Rowan Doe here,” I interrupted.
“Ro? What are you doing on Orsen’s phone?” A noticeable pause filled the air before Luca continued, his tone so much lower now, obviously worried. “Are he and his clan okay?”
Should have thought of that. A healer calling from his phone is… well, it’s too late now.
“They’re fine, maybe a little feral.” I shot a glance at Orsen, taking the tiniest bit of joy in using the word in front of him. “Me, on the other hand, I honestly don’t know.”
I resisted the urge to break down. I didn’t have time for that, though. “I’m here to heal a child, and frankly, they’ve been behaving like animals. I needed someone to know I was here in case your buddy tries something again.”
“Wait…” I could almost feel the temperature drop, the seriousness in Luca’s tone bleeding through the phone. “Rowan, are you doubting your safety? I can have my second come and get you immediately.”
That, right there, was why I’d called Luca. He was a softie, sure, but when it came down to it, when someone’s safety was on the line, he could be downright lethal.
It also didn’t hurt that I’d helped his grandmother with her arthritis pain, so he adored me.
“No can do, Luca. We need her here,” Nix finally said, glancing from the phone to his clanmate. “Orsen acted out of turn. We’re dealing with it, but we need Rowan to heal the sick boy, Rory. I wanted her to call you to assure her she was safe with us.”
Nix shifted his eyes to me as he spoke, something insistent and almost…
desperate in his stare. I knew they were concerned about Rory, but this felt different.
I couldn’t put my finger on why, nor could I understand why his being upset concerned me in the slightest. I was supposed to be pissed at both of them. I still was, dammit.
“Nix.” Luca’s tone warned, having recognized his old friend’s voice. “You fucking vow to me that Rowan will be safe and unharmed, or I will personally collect her tonight.”
Luca was a puppy dog, usually, but he could stand his ground when the situation called for it.
He controlled one of the strongest hordes in the area.
While his might have been smaller than this one initially, they were rising up the ranks, especially since this horde had been dwindling for several years now.
Looking right at me, Nix put his hand over his chest. “She’s safe, I assure you. She’s not going anywhere.”
I started to bristle at his words, but Luca cut in.
“Hate to point out the obvious here, but then why the fuck is she calling me?”
Nix bit back a retort, ducking his chin as he exhaled hard. “It’s a long story. We were taken by surprise, but…”
His eyes came to me again, holding them with such intensity that my fingers trembled.
“… I give my vow that I will not harm this woman in any way, that she will be safe under my protection, and you have my full permission to declare war on my horde if I go against my word.”
There was a pause again. When I finally pulled my attention off Nix, it unfortunately settled on Orsen, and the expression on his face made my pulse flutter. He hadn’t said the words, but everything was right there in his eyes as he nodded at me.
“Have you got your phone, Ro?” Luca asked.
“Back in my room,” I confirmed, forcing myself to blink.
“Whose room are you in now?” Luca asked, voice suspicious, which thankfully served to remind me that I was angry right now.
“Some fucking bedroom a feral Alpha dragged me into after pummeling my best friend and pinning me in place so he could kiss me. Without my permission.” I didn’t mince my words, and Luca let out a string of expletives.
“Nix! What the fuck, dude?! Where the fuck are Bastian and Greylen?”
I mentally filed those names away. Were they the other clan members? How many Alphas were out there thinking I was their mate?
“I promise, this is a misunderstanding that we will clear up. Orsen will not be touching Rowan again. You have my word on that.” Nix shot Orsen a look, which was met with a cold sneer.
“She is safe. Just give us a chance to clear the air and figure out what the hell is happening because… Well, there’s some weird shit going on, if I’m honest. But we’re all just going to talk. And behave ourselves. Right, Orsen?”
Orsen clenched his jaw, his deep blue eyes staring daggers at Nix. “Yes.”
Luca sighed audibly. He was in a difficult position.
On the one hand, I was sure he wanted to come get me right away and keep me safe; on the other hand, I was technically unharmed.
If he did that, he’d increase tension between the hordes.
“Okay. For now. Give Rowan her cell phone. I’ll be calling at random times throughout the day.
If she doesn’t pick up, I’ll be there within the hour. ”
Nix nodded, even though Luca couldn’t see it.
“And, Rowan, call me if you need me. Nix is a man of his word. I have no clue what’s going on there, but I believe he doesn’t mean you any harm.”
“If you really think so, I’ll trust your word,” I told Luca.
Nix muffled a small whine as he looked down at the floor. The sound was so quiet, I almost didn’t believe I heard it. His brows furrowed as he bobbed his head. What was it about my words that distressed him?
Luca and I spoke for a moment longer, mainly exchanging pleasantries and inquiring after members of his horde I’d healed. Talking to a friend solidified the shaky ground I was standing on.
Or, at least, slightly more than twenty minutes ago.
Still, I couldn’t stay on the call forever; it was late, and Luca had his own horde to look after.
After hanging up, I turned to the two Alphas, straightening my spine and doing my best to act like the confident healer I was, rather than the scared human who really wanted to flee to the bathroom again.
“Okay, so where’s Griff?” I raised my brows at the Alphas.
“He’s with the doctor,” Orsen said.
“No.” I shook my head. “Your doctor is a purist idiot. I don’t want him treating Griffin, I’ll do it.” That old bastard was more likely to hurt Griffin than help him. “Take me to him now.”
Orsen sighed, standing from the bed. “Fine. But this conversation is far from over.”
“I’m taking care of Griff first. He’s my family.”
The way Orsen pulled back, a whispered grunt leaving him as if I’d physically punched him, let me know that my words had hit home.
Good. He’d been a complete ass. These Alphas needed to understand that, despite whatever they believed, they were nothing to me.
And it was going to stay that way. Griffin was family.
They were aggressive strangers causing me problems.
Orsen gestured to the door. “I’ll take you to Griff.”
“I could use a pair of jeans first.”
“Griff’s room is on the way.” He opened the door and indicated for me to go first.
I didn’t say anything, shoving past Orsen without looking at him.
I hurried down the hallways, which were especially empty, devoid of any horde members, likely because of the fight.
I stayed a few steps ahead, trying to focus on anything other than his eyes burning a hole into the back of my skull.
I didn’t know where I was going, but Orsen thankfully guided me from behind.
When we got to Griff’s room, I slipped inside and stopped immediately.
The room was a mess, furniture thrown everywhere, and blood splattered on the floor and walls.
The sight made me nauseous, my stomach doing flip-flops as the worry over Griffin skyrocketed.
It took a moment to find my things in all the carnage, while Orsen stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, watching me, and Nix searched for my phone.
From my bag, I pulled out the first pair of jeans I could find.
Nix turned his back to give me some privacy.
The same could not be said about Orsen. Even if I didn’t look his way, I could feel his eyes on my skin.
I should have called him out for it, but something stopped me—something I didn’t understand or trust. But I chalked it up to the rising exhaustion in the wake of all that adrenaline.
As I pulled on the pants, I made sure to tuck the razor blade, which I’d still been clutching tightly, into my pocket before we headed to find Griffin. Dressed, I marched up to Orsen, unwilling to back down or cower, despite my instincts screaming at me.
“Well, lead the way. Griffin needs me.”
The barest flicker of hurt haunted Orsen’s stare. But as soon as I clocked it, it was gone. Maybe I was seeing things, wishing for some type of remorse. It didn’t matter. I had work to do, and as soon as it was finished, I’d be sprinting off these horde lands.
No more asinine Alphas for me, thank you.