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Sean was an alpha dragon like me, but he was no longer a clan alpha. He had a bone-deep instinctual drive to lead, but nowhere to direct it. No clan to protect. He was an alpha without purpose. Aimless. And that aimlessness was eating away at him like a disease.

Dad had taught us that the clan kept us sane. He’d made that especially clear to Sean when he’d chosen me to lead as clan alpha. Even though it wasn’t Sean’s role to lead, he was mean to be a part of the Lakeview clan.

He’d let his ego drive him away, and now we were all paying the price.

“I’ll handle this, Levi,” I said. “This is a matter for dragons. Thanks for calling.”

Levi slumped in relief. “Good.”

“Are you going to stay in town?” Hawk asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Levi wrinkled his nose in a doglike expression of confusion.

“You should, if it’s safe enough,” I said. “I might need some additional intel on Sean. We can offer you protection once this is all sorted out.”

“If I last that long,” Levi muttered.

“If you defect, he might chase you down,” Hawk said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Levi glanced around the diner nervously. “With that in mind, I’m getting out of here before someone sees.”

I nodded. Levi scurried out of Lola’s with his proverbial tail between his legs. Hawk took his seat on the other side of the booth.

“We have to handle this before it gets worse,” I said. “We’ve got to bring Sean home.”

Hawk nodded, and the corners of his lips turned down. Whether we’d be bringing Sean home as part of the clan or in a casket, I didn’t know. The latter was looking more and more likely.

I left the waitress her usual cash tip, then drove back toward Lakeview. I dropped Hawk off at his home, and when he invited me inside to say hi to Mia and Bella, I waved him off. My dragon was eager to get home toourmate. I’d see the whole family soon.

I pulled up to the alpha house, still in a low mood from the conversation at Lola’s. It was easy to tell Michel I’d pay in Sean’s blood when I’d seen him solely as a threat. Now, knowing his isolation was wreaking havoc on his mind, my feelings were a lot more complicated.

It was dark, and the windows of the house glowed with welcoming, golden light. It felt a lot more like coming home than it had when it was only me, returning to a dark, empty house.

“Jump! Jump! That way—no—ahh, we died again!”

Dylan’s voice was audible through the front door. The sound of his laughter brought a smile to my face. Couldn’t help it. I loved hearing proof that he was happy.

Inside, Dylan and Tank’s kid, Peter, were in the living room, each wearing a virtual reality headset and waving the controllers in the air. They kept bumping into each other and the couch as they shouted about the game they were playing. I understood why the coffee table had been pushed aside. Tank and Striker were both outside on the back deck, chairs pulled together and chatting. The living room smelled delicious, like freshly bakedbread and sizzling steaks. My chest warmed, and my dragon purred with happiness.

I strode into the kitchen, careful not to disturb the VR adventure. Harley’s attention was focused on the stove. She had headphones in her ears, and she was singing to herself as she turned chicken breasts in the cast iron skillet. Her round cheeks were flushed from the heat, and a few strands of hair had slipped out of her bun to frame her face. The apron cinched around her waist made her look even curvier.

“Am I interrupting the show?” I asked as I stepped into the kitchen.

She jumped, surprised, and then pulled out one of her earbuds. Her flush deepened. “I didn’t hear you come in!”

“What are you listening to?” I asked.

“Just drowning out the virtual-reality chaos,” she said with a laugh.

I snatched the earbud from her hand and tucked it into my own ear. Whitney Houston’s voice rang out, belting out her hit about dancing with somebody. I raised my eyebrows.

“What?” Harley demanded. “It’s a great song. And a great album.”

“I didn’t say anything.” I wrapped my arm around her narrow, oh-so-enticing waist and tugged her into the center of the kitchen. She wound her arms around my neck, and we swayed to the music like two teenagers at prom. “I wanna dance with somebody who loves me,”Harley sang along with the music.

This was how life was supposed to be. My kid laughing in the living room, my enforcers keeping an eye on the house, my mate in my arms, smiling and laughing as I spun her around the kitchen.

I wished it could always be this easy.