Midlife Dragon Daddy (Midlife Shifters Book 10) Page 19

  “Are you sure you’ll be all right? I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone with them.”

  “It’s all right,” Ryker said, looking down at the broken man before him. “I’ve got this situation under control.”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  RYKER

  “He needs help,” Quinn said, her voice barely above a hiss. “He needs medical care. Bandages. You can’t make me stay here while he bleeds out, for fuck’s sake.”

  It wasn’t true, though. Ryker could see that the bleeding was already beginning to slow. “He’ll be all right until the others arrive,” he told Quinn, keeping his voice cool and steady. “When there are more people here, I’ll let you go for bandages.”

  “If he dies, you’ll be responsible.”

  “If I wanted to kill him, Quinn, he would already be dead,” Ryker said.

  Quinn was shaking with rage, but there was nothing she could do. Ryker’s order had her effectively held in place.

  “Don’t worry,” Ryker said quietly. “I don’t want him dead, Quinn. I didn’t come here to kill anyone.”

  “You mutilated his wings! You ruined his life!”

  Ryker looked down at Shane. He was pale white, trembling on the floor.

  “I think he might be going into shock,” he said. “You have my permission to go and sit with him. Check his pulse. Let me know if it’s abnormally slow.”

  Quinn hurried to her mate’s side and dropped to her knees. “Shane,” she murmured. “Can you hear me? Are you all right?”

  Shane let out a low groan.

  Quinn looked up at Ryker, tears in her eyes. “You could have killed my mate,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “You were trying to kill mine,” Ryker said steadily.

  “She shouldn’t have been part of this fight at all.”

  “Neither should you,” Ryker said. “This was an alpha fight. The two of you should have stayed out of it. But you got involved, and I’m proud of Haley for doing the same when she saw that I needed her.”

  “I could have taken her,” Quinn said, baring her teeth. “I should have killed her when I had the chance.”

  “You’ll never get the chance again,” Ryker said firmly.

  They stayed like that, staring at each other, the room thick with hatred, until they were interrupted by the sound of people moving around on the upper floor.

  “Down here,” Haley’s voice came down the stairs. Ryker recognized a tightness in it that wasn’t usually there and felt his stomach clench. She was in pain.

  The dragon stirred. We could still kill Quinn.

  Ryker forced the dragon down. There had been enough violence tonight.

  Haley appeared at the foot of the stairs, followed by several other council members. Ryker counted as they emerged. Seven. It would be enough for a quorum. They could make the decisions they needed to make tonight.

  “What’s happening, Ryker?” one of the men asked. “I didn’t expect to see you back here so soon.”

  “I challenged Shane to a battle for alpha dominance,” Ryker explained. “As you can see, I won the fight, and I’m asserting my claim to the alpha role. I need the quorum to verify it.”

  “This isn’t the way it’s done,” the councilman said. “If you wanted to challenge for authority, you should have done it in front of the whole council. You don’t break into the alpha’s house and fight him in the middle of the night.”

  “You see?” Quinn practically shrieked. “I said the same thing! He’s a monster! He knew that he couldn’t hope to face Shane in a fair fight, so he snuck up on him and attacked him when he wasn’t prepared! It was an evil trick. Don’t let him get away with it!”

  Ryker fixed his gaze on Barty, who was standing in the corner. His friend flushed and turned away.

  “I’m sure you’ll all remember that I did try to come before the council,” he said quietly. “I called a meeting, as procedure demands. I brought evidence in the form of my son. And I was the one who was ambushed. Shane here tried to kidnap both my mate and my son. I would have been killed that day—not in a fair fight, but by a squad of betas carrying out Shane’s will. Did you expect me to come before the council again after that?”

  Uncomfortable glances were exchanged.

  “I’ve taken the alpha position,” Ryker said firmly. “I’ve already demonstrated my authority over Quinn. Tell them,” he barked firmly at her.

  “He has,” she said, her tone deeply resentful. It couldn’t have been more obvious that she didn’t want to acknowledge his authority. It was only his order that compelled her to.

  “You can go get the bandages now,” he told her, and with one last angry look in his direction, she got to her feet and hurried away.

  “I ask this quorum to acknowledge my claim to power,” Ryker said.

  “Acknowledged.” The murmur went around the room. Ryker couldn’t be sure how they felt about it—did they accept him happily, or did they wish Shane was still in charge? But it didn’t matter. They recognized his authority, and that was enough for now.

  “Shane has confessed to the murder of my father,” Ryker said.

  Another murmur, this one a little more shocked. Ryker didn’t bother trying to discern what was being said. He didn’t care.

  “I don’t like the idea of exiling strong members of this clan,” he said. “But I can’t allow him to stay after such a vile act. My first ruling as alpha will be to exile Shane from our clan. As for his mate—if she chooses to leave him, to stay with us, I will give her a chance to prove that her loyalty has changed. But I want it known that she tried to kill my mate tonight. I won’t be quick to forgive that.”

  “Quinn won’t leave Shane,” someone said. “They’re too devoted to each other.”

  “Fine,” Ryker said. “So much the better. We’ll be rid of them both.”

  He turned to Barty. His friend was pale.

  “You betrayed me,” he said. “But I admit, I gave you reason to doubt. Do I have your support now?”

  “Yes,” Barty said. “I was wrong. And I’m with you.”

  “I’ll give you a chance to prove it,” Ryker said. “For now, at least, you’re still one of us.”

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  RYKER

  “This is our house?” Danny asked.

  “This is it,” Ryker said. “And your bedroom is at the top of the stairs. The first door on the right. Think you can find it?”

  “Yeah!” Danny set off at a run, with Sarah following at his heels.

  “This place is really something,” Valerie admitted, looking around the kitchen. “These are all new appliances, aren’t they?”

  “An indulgence,” Ryker admitted.

  “You really spent your money on new kitchen appliances?” Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. “You don’t cook, Ryker. What were you going to do with kitchen appliances?”

  “Hey, I cook some things. I heat up frozen pizzas.”

  “Yeah, ovens from the 1970s do that.”

  “Well, the refrigerator makes ice,” Ryker pointed out. “Besides, you do cook, so I don’t know what you’re complaining about. Now you have a nice kitchen to do it in.”

  She grinned and stood on her toes to kiss him. “You’re just looking forward to me cooking for you again. When was the last time you had a decent meal?”

  “Oh, roughly ten years ago,” he said with a smirk, leaning his forehead against hers. “Unless you count that vending machine meal I scrounged up for us while we were staying at the motel, that is.”

  “Oh, yeah. Fine dining.” She eased herself down into one of the kitchen chairs.

  Ryker watched her, concern gripping him. She was healing well, he knew, and quickly, but he couldn’t help worrying after the damage that Quinn had done to her. He was beyond happy that Quinn had chosen to leave with Shane. He didn’t want either one of them anywhere near his family.

  “Ryker, why don’t you show Valerie which rooms are going to be hers and Sarah’s?” Haley
suggested.

  “Oh, no, don’t do that,” Valerie said. “Stay here with Haley. You can just point me in the right direction, Ryker. I’m sure I can find my way.”

  “I’m okay, Valerie,” Haley said.

  But Ryker agreed with Valerie. He didn’t want to leave Haley’s side right now. “Top of the stairs for you two as well,” he said. “There are two rooms at the opposite side of the hall from Danny’s. You can choose which one is yours and which is Sarah’s.”

  Valerie smiled at him. She really seemed to have come around on him over the past twenty-four hours. “Thanks, Ryker,” she said. “I really appreciate you letting us come to live here.”

  “You’re part of the family,” Haley said.

  Ryker nodded. Even though he had only met Valerie and Sarah very recently, he’d seen what they meant to his mate and their child. It wouldn’t be right to tear them apart now.

  And besides, the fringes of society just weren’t safe for shifters. They never had been. Now that Ryker was reforming the clan, he would be able to make it a safe place for a pair of wolves.

  “There are some clan members who aren’t going to like it,” Haley murmured as Valerie disappeared up the stairs. “Bringing wolves to live among us.”

  “They’ll deal,” Ryker said. “I’ve been very forgiving about the way a lot of the members of our clan have handled themselves in recent years. I only exiled one person when I took over this clan, even though a lot of them were complicit in helping Shane with his reign of terror over the less powerful clan members.”

  “That’s true,” Haley said.

  “It’s good for us, as a clan, to have alliances with other shifters,” Ryker said. “If we prove that we’re loyal friends to wolves, the wolves out there will see that and be loyal friends to us.”

  Haley nodded. “I’m just glad to have her here,” she said. “The one thing I felt badly about, in all of this, was leaving Valerie behind. She’s done so much to help me over the years.”

  “You did plenty to help her, too,” Ryker said. “You did buy her that house.”

  “And that was a massive improvement over Shifter Town,” Haley said. “But Danny and I left that house and came here because we knew the clan was a safer place to be. Knowing that, how could I leave her behind? She’s like a sister to me.”

  “I get that,” Ryker said. “And I’ll always consider her a part of my family too, Haley. She’s one of us now.”

  “I can’t believe you let Barty stay,” Haley said. “After what he did?”

  “I was thinking of you when I made that choice, actually,” Ryker admitted.

  “Me?” Haley raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “You were able to forgive me for what I did to you,” Ryker said. “And if you could see past that and give me a second chance, I can do the same for Barty. He’s been a loyal friend of mine for a long time. It’s strange, but I feel as if I can understand the choice he made, even though it was wrong. He was trying to protect the clan. He had lost his trust in me.”

  “You can understand that?”

  “I know what it feels like to lose trust in someone you should be keeping your faith in,” Ryker said, looking at Haley. “You forgave me when I made that mistake. Now it’s my turn to do the same for Barty.”

  Haley sighed. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “You’re a good man.”

  “You think so?”

  “Always have.”

  Ryker pulled a chair up beside her at the table, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into him. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly.

  “I’m so glad to have you home at last,” he said. “It feels like a fucking miracle that I found you after all these years.”

  “Imagine if I hadn’t answered your ad,” she murmured.

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to imagine that,” he said. “I just want to enjoy the fact that you’re back here with me.”

  “Promise we’ll never be apart again,” Haley whispered.

  Ryker pressed his lips against the crown of her head. “I promise,” he said quietly. “We’re mates for life. Nothing can keep us apart.”

  Chapter Sixty

  Five Years Later

  RYKER

  “Megan! Bonnie! Come inside now!”

  “Five more minutes!” four-year-old Megan shrieked, running another lap around the perimeter of their front yard.

  “No more minutes,” Haley said firmly. Five more minutes had been a constant refrain from Megan lately, one she had issued forth every time one of her parents asked her to do something. Ryker suspected Danny of teaching it to her, but he hadn’t made any accusations. The truth was his daughter’s stubbornness amused him.

  Bonnie was another matter. The moment she had seen her mother standing in the doorway, she had begun to toddle over. At two years old, she was by far the clingiest of Haley and Ryker’s three children.

  Three children.

  Sometimes, Ryker really couldn’t believe he was the father of three children.

  He watched as Danny, now fifteen, tall and gangly, swooped down and picked Megan up, tossing her gently over his shoulder. Megan screamed with delight and beat her fists against her brother’s back, pretending to struggle to get free. Ryker tossed his son a grateful smile and followed him toward the house.

  In the kitchen, Haley stood over a pot of something that smelled absolutely wonderful. Ryker went over to her and wrapped his arms around her, inhaling over her shoulder. “What’s that?”

  “Beef stew,” she said. “And it’s not for you; it’s for the wolves.”

  “None of it’s for me? Come on, the wolves don’t need all of it,” Ryker protested.

  “Oh yes, they do. Three new wolves are joining the pack tonight. They’re up to ten now.”

  “And they can’t cook for themselves?”

  “You’re the alpha, Ryker. I don’t have to explain to you how important it is that we welcome them graciously, so that our clan can stay on excellent terms with them.” She swatted him gently. “Besides, I’m making a ham for us for dinner. You’re not going to go hungry.”

  “Ooh, ham.” Danny set Megan down on the floor. “That sounds good.”

  “What do you two have planned tonight?” Haley asked. “What time should we plan on eating?”

  “Thought we’d get a little fight training in,” Ryker said. “But we can go out after dinner. I don’t want to miss out on the chance to eat with the girls, and if we wait too long, they’ll get tired.”

  “I will not get tired,” Megan declared.

  Haley laughed. “Might as well eat while it’s hot,” she said. “Go wash up, everyone. Danny, can you help me set the table, please?”

  Ryker followed his daughters to the bathroom and stood behind them while they took turns climbing up on the footstool to wash their hands. “Don’t just get the soap wet,” he advised them. “I saw you digging around in the dirt out there. Really scrub those hands clean. Otherwise, Mom will send us back here to do it again, and we’ll never get any ham.”

  Bonnie giggled.

  “I want to come to fight training,” Megan said.

  “When you’re older,” Ryker said.

  “Why does Danny get to?”

  “Because Danny’s older, silly!”

  “Is he really going to be the alpha one day?” Megan asked.

  “Yes,” Ryker said. “One day. When he’s all grown up, and when I’m too old to do it anymore, then he’ll take over.”

  “And he’ll be the boss of all of us?”

  “I don’t think he’ll be too bossy,” Ryker said.

  “He’s already too bossy!”

  “Part of being a good alpha is knowing how to help people without bossing them around,” Ryker said. “That’s one of the things your brother is learning right now. He’s doing a pretty good job with it, I think.”

  “No, he isn’t.” Megan sulked. “He’s the bossiest brother in the world
.”

  Ryker laughed. “Well, give him some time,” he said.

  “I want to be alpha.”

  “You’ll be a good alpha’s helper,” Ryker said. “Alphas need all the help they can get. If an alpha doesn’t have people on his side, people who trust him and believe in him, he’ll never be able to lead the clan. You’ll be that for your brother one day, won’t you?”

  “I guess,” Megan said, as though Ryker had asked for something wildly unreasonable.

  “Done washing your hands?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Bonnie? Done?”

  Bonnie nodded, wide-eyed, and Ryker was struck anew by how much she looked like her mother. She had the same bright green eyes and pale brown hair, and Ryker thought that in another twenty years, she would likely be possessed of the same beauty Haley had now.

  He picked her up and took Megan by the hand, and the three of them made their way back into the kitchen. Danny was just putting out the last of the silverware. Ryker and the girls took their seats, and Haley pulled a massive ham out of the oven and brought it to the table.

  Ryker rose to his feet and began to carve, handing slices around to Haley and to his children before taking some for himself.

  And as he sat down to eat, he reached over and took Haley’s hand beneath the table.

  This is my family, he thought.

  He had never dared to dream that he could be this happy.

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  EXCERPT FORM CHAPTER 11....

  Cole slept in the next day. He was vulnerable to that sometimes, especially in the summer heat. By the time he rolled out of bed at last, it was almost noon and far too late to start on any of the ranch chores. Though he was usually dedicated to the work, he decided to give himself the day off.