Page 28 of Dragon’s Midlife Secret Baby (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #1)

Beck reached forward with his torch and touched it to his uncle’s. As the flames caught, Beck and Kendrick both contributed to them with steady streams of their dragon fire, symbolizing their contribution to the efforts of every Alpha who had come before them.

“And now, as the new Alpha of the Alexander clan, I leave to you the task of the initiates.” Kendrick returned his torch to the wall and stepped back so that he was a part of the circle.

That left only Beck in the center. A dragon’s smile wasn’t as obvious as a human’s, but Chelsea still knew it was there. “Chelsea Wright, do you request to become a part of the Alexander clan, to uphold its laws and protect its members?”

I will do this. Only Beck could hear her message, so she bobbed her furry head to let the others know.

“And do you accept this responsibility on behalf of your son?” Beck asked.

Corbin was too young to commit to anything.

He sat between Chelsea’s front legs, sitting on his haunches with his back feet sticking out and his wings tickling her belly every time he fluttered them.

He would become a part of the clan automatically, simply because he was Beck’s son, but they’d all agreed to make it official.

I will do this.

Beck lifted his head proudly. “We welcome you.”

The rest echoed the sentiment. “We welcome you.”

“We now resume our forms that the world sees us through, though we can all see each other for our true selves. And so it is done.” Beck put his torch in the wall next to Kendrick’s.

Kendrick left his reptilian form and returned to his human one, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms. “This basement has always been the safest place for our ceremonies, but I think it’s about time our new Alpha took on a little responsibility and found us a place with a little more wing room. ”

“Hey, now!” Beck retorted. He slipped an arm around Chelsea. “Our previous leader didn’t seem to have a problem with it. You wouldn’t want to disrespect him, would you?”

“Not if you’re going to talk about me like I’m dead!” Kendrick laughed. He reached out and shook Beck’s hand. “I’m proud of you, Beck. I know this was what you were always destined for, but it still feels good to see it happen.”

Beck squeezed Chelsea. “I know a thing or two about destiny.”

She felt warm as she looked up at him, but it was no longer that hot in the room now that she’d shed her wolf coat. It was purely the love she felt for her mate, a man she could be proud of.

Griffin stepped up to shake his hand as well. “Our clan will be the better for having you at the helm.”

Beck held tight to his grip. “Only if you’ll stay on as our new beta.”

This caught him off-guard, and Griffin took half a step back. “Are you sure?”

“If you are, then yes,” Beck promised. “I didn’t want to make it part of the ceremony until we’d discussed it and you’d had a chance to think about it, but there’s always next time.”

Now Griffin shook his hand in earnest, his hand pumping up and down. “Yeah. Thanks, Beck. Really. I should go talk to Kendrick.”

Ewan and Lilith stepped up next. “It looks like all the business has been taken care of, but what are you going to do about that?” He pointed to Corbin.

The boy was the only one who’d retained his animal form. Though he’d sat still for the ritual, soaking it all up, he was now galloping around the room. Sometimes, he paused to poke his claw into the dirt or to scratch his scales on the brick.

“I think I have an idea, if you don’t mind,” Lilith volunteered. “Corbin! It’s time for cake!”

He flipped so quickly back into his human that he fell forward onto the floor. Fortunately, he was a tough little thing. “Cake?” he asked excitedly.

“Yep. Upstairs. And it’s chocolate,” Lilith told him.

“Let’s go! Come on, Mommy! Come on, Dadda!” Corbin grabbed his parents’ hands and dragged them toward the stairs.

Though the ceremony had been a solemn affair intended to make them all focus on the future of the clan, the mood changed completely when they went upstairs.

Lilith went straight to the kitchen, and Ewan followed her to help.

Champagne was served, and toasts were made.

The alliance between the dragons and their singular wolf member grew that much stronger as they laughed, talked, and ate like kings.

After a while, Beck pulled Chelsea aside. “Are you really okay with all of this?”

She hadn’t had much champagne, but what she did have was making her feel bubbly. It wasn’t unlike the energy of the ley lines, except it made her laugh. “Don’t you think it’s a little late to be asking me that?”

“Maybe so,” he agreed, “but I just want to make sure you’re happy. I know this is a big change.”

She laid her hands on his muscular arms. “It is, but the biggest one is the best one. And that’s the fact that you, Corbin, and I will all be under one roof. I love that idea, and I love you, too.”

He kissed her, his lips still reminding her just how much he desired her. “I love you, too.”

THE END

If you enjoyed Chelsea and Beck’s story, read on for a preview of Maeve and Kendrick’s story, Dragon’s Golden Mate!