“Rory Gerrard. Twelve years old. He got a stomach bug about two weeks ago, but it’s not getting any better. Our horde’s healer isn’t exactly the best, though. I had to fight tooth and nail with Alpha Wood to get him to agree to you coming here.”
“Your Alpha wasn’t keen on the idea of another healer?” I asked, my tired muscles tensing. I only offered my services to hordes and clans who requested me. The last thing I needed was to head into the horde lands if I wasn’t wanted.
Griffin grimaced as he threw the car into drive and sped out of the rest stop. “Yes and no. We have four Alphas who lead our horde, but they’re absent. Two of them aren’t even in the state at the moment, some sort of bullshit diplomatic visit with another group. They hate the idea of outsiders, but I vouched for you, told them what you did for me while I was away. They accepted that we needed you.”
“Sounds… odd. Every horde I’ve worked with only has one or two Alphas. How are yours not tearing each other apart?” Leaning forward, I turned on the heat. It was a cold evening and, being a human, I didn’t run as warm as Griffin.
Sure, I was fairly knowledgeable about local hordes. Severaltimes, I had worked with neighboring hordes. But Griff’s wasn’t one I had encountered before, despite it being one of the largest.
“The Alphas all have the same mate—or, at least, did. She died several years ago, and they haven’t really united since. They mustered up the strength to take over from the last Alpha when he got old and started to struggle, but they’ve never been the same.”
“That’s…sad,” I mused. Losing a mate was a sentence worse than death for most shifters. And for one person to mean so much to so many… that felt especially unfair.
“How many hordes have you worked with?” Griffin asked, turning to look at me.
Noticing the way I was rubbing my arms, he glanced around the car, reaching back and grabbing one of my blankets. He kept one hand on the wheel and passed it to me.
“Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve been around humans.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m exactly anormalhuman.” I chuckled. That was an understatement, to say the least. “As for how many I’ve worked with, it must be at least sixteen at this point. I like to keep moving, and I always end up helping wherever I land. Over the last few trips, I’ve had Alphas reach out to me personally for my help. I know the Alpha who borders your lands to the south, Freddie Lucas. I worked with him in Montana last year.”
Griffin whistled. “You’ve been getting around, Ro. They’re going to love you at the den.”
My stomach shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the den. “I’m only staying at the den because I trust your dumb ass—I tend to avoid them.”
Usually, I would have been given a small house near the horde while I assisted. The space was useful and made me feel a hell of a lot safer.
Griffin quirked an eyebrow at me, studying my expression before flicking his gaze back to the road. “Why?”
Before I could even open my mouth, his face lit up in understanding, brows shooting up after being furrowed over those brown eyes. “Of course. You never know whether the dragon who hurt you lives there.”
I nodded, my stare falling to the floor while mychest pinched. “Though, would I even know if I came face-to-face with the bastard?”
“Ignorance is bliss?” Griffin laughed, shrugging one shoulder as he smirked at me.
“If you weren’t driving, I would stab you,” I grumbled, only making him laugh harder.
Griff beamed. “Luckily, I’m sitting next to a healer who can patch me up!” His laughter died down, and his expression dropped as he stared out at the road. “Do you think you’ll ever find them?”
“Hopefully not.” I absentmindedly ran a hand under my T-shirt, tracing the jagged scars that crisscrossed my skin. “Whoever did this to me wanted me dead; it’s probably a blessing that I don’t remember.”
I sighed, sinking into my seat as exhaustion screamed louder behind my eyes, a headache settling in.
“If I knew who it was, I would kill the fucker.” Griff’s voice was even, conviction ringing through his words.
“Get in line.” I sighed, tilting my head as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I haven’t gone near the west coast since it happened, though, so hopefully there are several states between me and whoever the hell it was.”
It was strange to think it had been six years since a dragon tried to kill me. And here I was, helping shifters, despite the fact. The problem was, I had zero memory of the bastard who’d left me for dead in a ditch.
Worse, I didn’t know if they would come to finish the job.
Rowan
The North Oak Horde lands were impressive. Even in the dark, I could make out several large, cabin-style buildings that dotted the landscape. Only, they were far grander than the usual log cabins you would expect to see in the deep countryside. Several smaller buildings surrounded a courtyard, with a large main house sitting to the north. Behind the buildings, dense forest stretched out at every angle. Quite the spot to hide away from prying eyes.
We had driven down small woodland roads for a good forty minutes until the trees finally gave way to this place. It was confined and well-hidden from the world.
“There are twelve bedrooms in the main building, which also houses the bar, guest space, horde meeting rooms, and more. You’ll be staying with me in my room—is that okay?”
