Page 83 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

There was something jolting about seeing Bastian so close to me. That smile—carefree and happy—was so unlike the man I’d gotten to know since my return. Was he still in there? Was the dragon the only softness I was going to see?

“Well, there’s no denying who I used to be,” I said, holding the photo for Griffin to see.

“Was there ever any doubt?” he asked, looking up from the dusty shelf he was inspecting.

“I suppose not, but this is still more evidence, which feels… like something.”

For the better part of an hour, I wandered around the cabin, imagining what my life had been like. The nights spent in front of the fire, cooking with my mates, then sleeping in the back room, where two king-sized beds had been pushed together.

As the sun started to set, I walked out onto the small jetty at the front of the property. Probably meant for fishing or some other water activity I didn’t remember, it stretched several feet into the lake. Once I reached the end, I sat down, dangling my feet over the edge. They skimmed the water’s surface as I looked out over some of the most stunning scenery I’d ever seen.

And I had seen a lot.

All the while, the photo stayed tightly clutched in my hand. I didn’t even remember bringing it with me. Clearly, my memory was shit, no matter what I was focusing on. My own thoughts stung. I knew I was being pessimistic and crabby. I knew this was just a place, and I had control over my future, so I could make it whatever I wanted.

But it didn’t feel like it.

“I never really missed my old life,” I said when I heard Griffin’s footsteps behind me.

“You didn’t?” His voice was quiet, moving carefully, not to disturb the hushed atmosphere out here.

I shook my head. Despite my best efforts, tears gathered in my eyes, a familiar ache burning in my chest.

“No. Because I never knew what I’d missed out on.” I held the photo aloft. “Seeing this… Seeing this place… It makes me realize that I missed so much. That I’veforgottenso much. That the last six years of my life could have been something completely different if I’d been here, if I’d remembered. I tried to moveforward, to always press on, but I can’t deny that it feels like something precious was stolen from me. So much more so now that I’ve seenthiswith my own eyes.”

The words dissolved into a sob as I sagged forward, wind drifting across my legs from the lake. The wooden boards creaked as Griffin sat down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and letting me cry into his chest.

I cried for myself. I cried for my mates. I cried for the past I’d forgotten and the future I never got to have.

“What do you want to do now?” he asked after a while, not letting go, not rushing.

“I think… we need to go home,” I said softly.

“Do you mean that?” he asked. I turned my face up to him, searching for meaning. “Do you really think of North Oak as your home?”

I paused, considering. For once, I didn’t reject the first thing that hit me. I just went with it. “I think… I think the whole reason I wanted to come out here and see this place was because I realized something. I was chatting with Luca at the diner, and he asked me if I wanted to go home with him.”

“He did what?” Griffin asked, startled.

“He didn’t mean it in a ‘come home with me and be my mate’ kind of way,” I assured him, smiling as I shook my head. “He meant it in a ‘let me keep you safe’ kind of way. But when he said those words, it dawned on me that there was no way in hell I could ever leave.”

A watery smile tugged at my lips, and I sniffled. There was no more hiding now. I needed to be honest with everyone, particularly myself.

“I’ve fallen in love with those dragons—all over again. I love being in North Oak. It’s… Yeah, Griff. It’s my home.”

“The bond of fated mates is hard to deny,” Griffin said quietly. “I know you’ve often thought of what happened to youas a rebirth, but it didn’t erase your past. Youareconnected to those four eternally.”

He paused, then nudged my shoulder, letting out a little chuckle through his nose. “My condolences about Bastian.”

I laughed through my tears, playfully nudging him back. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Anytime, Rowan. I mean that. You say the word, and I’m here to help. But I think if we don’t get you back to your Alphas soon, they’re going to freak out. And I don’t want to get punched again.”

“Haha. Yeah, okay.” I looked back toward the cabin, chest heavier, not lighter. “I just wish…”

Griffin squeezed my hand. For a moment, I let him anchor me, soothing away the fact that sometimes you just didn’t get what you wanted.

“I know. This would’ve been a lot easier if it had jogged your memory.”