Page 37 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

“Oh God. I’ve never been more thankful for the fact we’re a clan than right now.”

“I feel you.” Bastian turned down the corners of his mouth in a grimace, getting up and pulling Orsen into a manly hug. “No pesky hierarchy issues to deal with. We all take care of this horde.”

He opened his arm toward me, gesturing for me to join in the hug. I didn’t argue, finding I needed the confirmation that they were both okay with all this.

“That includes you, Rowan.” Bastian kissed the top of my head, Orsen wrapping an arm around my side.

“We’re all meant to be here together. Cyrus couldn’t stop it then, and he most certainly won’t stop it now,” Orsen declared.

And I really wanted to believe him.

Rowan

“Tell me, how are you really feeling about all this?” I asked, spitting out my toothpaste and rinsing my mouth.

Bastian and I were in my bathroom. He was leaning against the counter, with a far-off look in his eyes, while I got ready for bed. It’d been a long day, and I was more than ready to crash. All my head had to do was hit the pillow.

“I honestly don’t know,” Bastian admitted, his tone decidedly devoid of emotion. “Everything I thought I knew was wrong, and I’m not mad about it. I’m thrilled Orsen and I are related, but… there’s something…”

I wiped my face with a towel, turning to him as I set it down again. “It’s okay to feel weird about it. It’s going to take a bit of time to come to terms with it all.”

Hands grasped my hips, and one moment I was standing, the next, Bastian picked me up, spinning us so I was perched on the counter, him standing between my legs.

He narrowed his eyes at me with a grin. “You really are shockingly relaxed about this.”

“I’m too tired to freak out at this point.” I chuckled sleepily with a shrug. “You guys are all good at heart, and I think you’ll figure it out.”

“We will. All of us, you included.” Bastian leveled me with a look. “The horde looks to you just as much as they look to us four. We’re all crucial parts of the picture.”

I grimaced, sticking out my tongue as I shook my head. “I’m not a leader, Bastian. I’m just a healer.”

He snorted, rolling his eyes. “Are you kidding me? Who took charge and put Jenkins in his place?”

“Bastian, that doesn’t⁠—”

“Who stood up to Cyrus and the horde when you knew taking in Allison was important?”

“I—”

“Who told me exactly where to shove it because I was being an ass?”

“All right!” I playfully swatted at Bastian’s chest. “I see your point.”

“Rowan”—Bastian held my chin, making me look at him as he stared directly into my eyes, the rest of the world disappeared—“you are the only thing holding us all together. I know you don’t see it, but you’re an Alpha here, too. You stand up for those who need it, and you have everyone here’s respect. Plus, that healing you waved off has done more good for this horde than the four of us did in years. We owe all the improvements to you. You make our clan better people. You make me a better Alpha.”

I raised my brows, smiling as I nudged him in the chest. “Well, your tune certainly has changed.”

Bastian shrugged. “I’ve seen the light.” We both laughed at that. “You know what I mean. Even if I have to spend the next twenty years proving to you just how wrong I was, I’ll do it. In a heartbeat. Every damn day.”

He looked at me, his gaze so steady that I didn’t doubt a single word he said.

I reached up and rested my hand on his face, searching those dark eyes, not for anything in particular, just mapping them, committing them to memory.

“I guess”—Bastian let his stare fall, his eyes eventually closing as he exhaled, his breath fluttering the hair around my face—“deep down, I feel like I’ve lost the only thing that made me important? I know that’s an insane thing to say, but I always saw myself as slightly more important than my clanmates, just by way of birth, which I’m learning I leaned on a lot more than I realized. Finding out that Orsen is technically the true heir, so to speak… I’m happy for him, genuinely, but there’s this weird sense of… loss,” Bastian admitted.

I cupped his face, getting him to focus on me. “Bastian, you have to know a title doesn’t really mean anything about who a person is.”

“Sure, technically. It’s only… What’s my purpose, then? I’ve carried that extra weight, always been the one to shoulder just a bit more of the burden, because that was my job, that was who I was. Without it… What am I even here for?” He looked down, his face unreadable, his hands squeezing my hips. “That sounds terrible, but yeah… My identity was wrapped up in what I was to the horde, what I could do for them. If I’m not needed like that, if I don’t have as much to offer them… Well, where do I find my value? Who am I supposed to be?”