Page 103

She patted my chest. “We’ll see.”

Dylan hurried back downstairs in his slightly wrinkled shirt. “What now?” he asked.

“Now it’s time to put this on,” I said. “It’s going to be a little big for you.”

I picked up a garment bag I’d left on the couch. It lived in the very back of my closet. I hadn’t used it since my introduction as alpha, and part of me had thought it might never get worn again.

I unzipped the protective garment bag and pulled out the robe inside.

“Whoa,” Dylan said. “Am I gonna be a wizard?”

“Kinda looks that way, doesn’t it?” The robe was a thick, lush green, made of sturdy cotton and embroidered with delicate gold thread. I’d worn it, my dad had worn it, and his father before him. Now my son was going to wear it, too.

I turned the robe around. The clan crest was embroidered on the back. It showed two dragons, their necks intertwined, with a mountain range around them.

“This robe is for the next alpha of Lakeview,” I said. “It’s special.”

Dylan swallowed. He held his arms out, and I helped him into it. It was made for an adult dragon, so the sleeves fell to cover his hands, and the bottom of the robe pooled around his feet. He looked more like a kid playing dress-up than a strong alpha, but that was fine. Hewasjust a kid. And the robe might be too big for him now, but as he grew up, he’d learn to fit it perfectly.

“Looks really good, Dylan,” Harley said, her voice wavering a little. “You look so handsome and grown up.”

“Mom, stop!”

“I remember when you were a chubby little toddler running around at your grandpa’s house.” Harley scooped Dylan into a hug and squeezed him hard. “You’re so big now.”

“Moooom!” Dylan struggled against her. “Quit it! I’ve gotta be the alpha now!”

Harley and I started laughing. She let Dylan go, and he started laughing, too.

“All right, Harley, you’re sure you’re okay with meeting us there?”

She nodded. “I’ve got to get dressed, anyway. You two take your time.”

“All right, kiddo,” I said to Dylan. “Let’s ride.”

23

HARLEY

“This is gonna be really cool,” Mia whispered. “Don’t look so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” I said nervously. I smoothed the skirt of my yellow sundress down. I was standing in the immense backyard behind the Lakeview clan clubhouse, with what looked like every single other member of the clan. Over a hundred dragons had gathered: men, women, kids, old folks. Everyone was dressed a half-step nicer than I was used to seeing them. Nice jeans with no rips, and button-downs instead of T-shirts. I was glad to be standing with Mia and Bella. Hawk was on the deck with Tank and a few other clubhouse members, working three different grills at once to ensure there’d be enough dinner to feed everyone. The atmosphere was quiet and excited. The sun was low in the sky. It was about an hour before sunset.

Stephan was supposed to arrive at any moment.

After a few more minutes passed, I started to get nervous. Had something happened at the house or on their way from the alpha house to the clubhouse? Where were they? Stephan had said before sunset?—

“Dada!” Bella shouted. She tugged at Mia’s sleeve and pointed up at the sky. “Look! Dada!”

Mia laughed. “That’s not your daddy, honey. Daddy’s grilling burgers. That’s Uncle Ace.”

Overhead, an immense pair of wings spread across the sky.

The sight nearly took my breath away. The silhouette of Stephan’s dragon was large enough to cast a shadow over the clearing. The clan members around me fell silent. Stephan dipped down and soared low over the lake, close enough that the wind beneath him sent ripples flowing over the water’s surface. Dylan sat right at the base of his long, shining neck, and the robe whipped in the wind behind him. It was the same color as Stephan’s scales.

Stephan beat his wings hard, slowing his pace. Then he landed in the clearing, his four claws digging into the ground. The clan members made a half-circle around them, everyone straining to see the little shifter on his back.

Our son.