Page 23 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

Rowan looked up at me, eyes lidded, her breathing short. “And who’s that?”

“Yours.”

With my lips crashing against hers, I embraced the moment, feeling like a damned teenager again as I made out with my mate against my truck. As far as dates went, I really liked where this one ended up.

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 keptgiftingme 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. “Howareyou 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? LikeBastian’smate?” 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 wasveryfriendly 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.”