Page 9 of Dragon’s Midlife Secret Baby (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #1)

Beck stopped for a moment and looked up at the large brick house.

The mansard roof was edged with careful corbeling that drew his eye along the mass of the building.

An old wrought iron fence complemented the iron streetlight and the walkway, which was yet again brick.

He could be standing in front of this house at any time over the last couple of hundred years, with the only obvious concession being the electronic lock on the door and Ewan’s sports car parked by the curb.

“I called and told them we were on our way over.” Ewan swung through the small wrought iron gate—decoration more than protection—and strode up to the door. “I hope you’re hungry. It sounded like Lilith started getting pots and pans out the moment she heard.”

“Lilith.” Beck repeated the name softly. Just as with Ewan, it was only somewhat familiar. There was still a blockage in his mind, a wall just as hard as all the brick that made up this place.

Ewan lifted his hand to press his finger to the electronic lock, but the heavy door swung open before he had a chance.

A hulking man with grey hair stared out at them.

He looked angry as he came out onto the landing, but as he took a couple of steps down toward Beck, that anger turned into disbelief.

“It really is you.” He held out one meaty hand.

Beck took it and was immediately assured he was in the right place. He didn’t know this man’s name but knew he was one of his people. “I suppose so.”

The man’s brows pushed together. “You suppose so?”

“Things have happened, and I have gaps in my memory.” It was the simplest way to put it, though so much more could be said.

“Hm. Well, it’s good to have you back. Come inside.

Everyone is waiting to see you.” He turned and led the way into an entry hall with a checkered floor and a curving staircase.

From there, they turned right into a large living room.

The green walls, parquet floor, and dark trim gave the room a cavelike appearance, which was very different from the bright, airy feeling of Maeve and Chelsea’s covenstead.

Several other people were seated around the room, and they rose as he entered.

They clamored with wishes of welcome and joy.

A woman a little younger than him with bright blonde hair came running in from the other room.

She wore an apron with a splash of sauce on the front, although she carefully angled herself as she hugged Beck.

“There you are! I just couldn’t believe it when Ewan called and said he was bringing you back.

I’ve got a huge batch of chili started. It’s not quite done, but I hope you can stay long enough to enjoy it. ”

This must be Lilith, whom Ewan had referenced earlier. “We’ll have to see.”

“Oh, but first, you have to introduce us!” Lilith let go of him and moved enthusiastically over to Chelsea. “It’s nice to meet you. And what a sweet baby boy! Beck, you should’ve told us you had a son.”

It was a lot to take in, and the situation had quickly gotten out of hand. “I would’ve, had I known. You might want to sit down. If you are all who you say you are, then we need to talk.”

The man who’d greeted them at the door narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? Are you going to tell me you don’t recognize your own uncle? I might have an extra gray hair or two, but that’s not bad compared to most humans.”

“I didn’t even know my own name until yesterday.” Beck crushed his palm into his forehead. There was something in him—his dragon, he supposed—that knew these were good people. He knew he could tell them, but how? He was still figuring so much out for himself.

Chelsea slipped her hand into his and squeezed his fingers. He squeezed back, appreciating the reminder that he wasn’t alone. His mate had literally come with him into the dragons’ den, facing whatever might come right alongside him.

“Tell us,” Ewan said as he flopped down onto a sofa. “Two years might not be very long for us, but it’s long enough to make us curious.”

Still holding Chelsea’s hand, he brought his family over to an empty sofa and tried to get comfortable.

“Much of my memory has been erased,” he said slowly.

“I believe I was taken prisoner and held captive. There’s very little I can tell you because I don’t understand it all myself.

Even being here only rings a few faint bells for me.

Believe it or not, that’s progress considering how little else I know.

” As quickly as he could, he recounted washing up on shore and Jace finding him.

“So you don’t know me,” the older man concluded with a grunt. “I’m Kendrick, your uncle. Your father was my younger brother. My sister was Griffin’s mother.” He nodded toward another man who was lingering near the window. “You’ve already met Ewan out in the street, and this is Lilith.”

The blonde woman gave a little finger wave, confirming Beck’s suspicions.

“I’ve been rude. This is my mate, Chelsea, and our son, Corbin.” It was strange to introduce one group of virtual strangers to another when they all knew him individually. Beck felt he was at the hub of a universe he simply didn’t understand.

Lilith perched on the arm of the sofa, not far from Ewan. “This is all so terrible to hear, but how can you suddenly have a mate and a son if you’ve only been back for such a short time?”

“Chelsea and I had met before I was captured.” Beck recounted how Jace had brought him back home, only to find his mate was right there.

“If that’s not fate for you, then I don’t know what is!” Lilith said, clapping her hands a little. “I just love it. That’s better than all those romantic comedies they put on TV.”

“Those are crap anyway,” Griffin snarled. “I don’t see why you watch them.”

Lilith’s narrow chin lifted sharply. “Some of us like to have a little joy in our lives.”

“Some of us are busy running the clan,” Griffin shot back. “I’ve had to step into Beck’s place while he’s been gone.”

“It’s not like he’s been partying on the beach,” Ewan reminded him casually. “And don’t act like you’re so burdened. We’re a small clan. We’re not exactly high maintenance.”

Beck tried to keep track of the conversation happening around him. “What do you mean, step into my place?”

“You’re next in line to be Alpha,” Kendrick explained. “I don’t have any surviving heirs of my own, and your father has been gone for quite some time. That just leaves you.”

“Alpha?” Beck repeated. His higher self, which Maeve contacted through hypnosis, had said something about his uncle being the Alpha, so all this lined up.

Still, it was different to hear it from another member of his clan.

He hardly felt qualified to run his own life at the moment, much less manage a clan. “I don’t know about that.”

Kendrick clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry. I’m eyeing retirement, but it’s not like it’s going to happen tomorrow. We’ll get you fixed up, and then everything will be right again.”

“How are we going to do that?” Griffin asked. He moved away from the window and came over to lean on the back of the sofa where Ewan and Lilith were sitting. His dark hair was shaved down to the skin on either side, matching the darkness of his eyes.

Though Griffin had asked the question, Kendrick’s answer was directed at Beck.

“I was thinking about that while you were telling us what’d happened.

It’s an unusual situation, for sure. If there’s any precedent, then I don’t know of it.

What I do know, is that if this was a result of some sort of injury or drugging, then shifting into your dragon form ought to fix it. ”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” Lilith enthused, her eyes wide and her mouth pursing.

“What, here?” Beck asked, seeing how expectantly everyone was looking at him.

Kendrick went to sit in an armchair near the fireplace. He lifted one hand and held it palm up. “I’m not going to say it’s ideal, but there aren’t very many places where it’s safe for one of us to show our other form. There’s enough space in here, and I do think it’s worth trying.”

Beck sighed. He could see the sense behind the idea, but he felt very exposed.

He glanced at Chelsea, who had a remarkably patient Corbin on her lap.

The boy had changed into his other form for the very first time in front of Beck, a man who was a stranger to him.

Somehow, the little beast in him had known its family, just as Beck’s dragon knew these people around him were his family.

If he didn’t try, he’d never know. “I haven’t done that at all since I’ve been back,” he said.

“It’s just like riding a bike,” Lilith said.

“I lived right in the middle of Paris, and you couldn’t stick your elbow out without hitting someone.

I had to stay in my human form for years.

Do you remember that?” As soon as she said it, she pressed her fingertips to her lips. “Sorry. I guess you don’t.”

“No, but that’s okay. I’ll take any clues about my past I can get.”

“Then I suggest you go find your own,” Kendrick urged. “I know it’s easy for us to sit around and tell you what you should do, but it’s likely your best bet at the moment.”

“All right.” He still felt a little odd about it, but what was he going to do? Just not try? Beck didn’t know himself as well as everyone else did, but he was fairly sure he wasn’t the kind of guy who just gave up.