Page 34 of Dragon’s Revenge (Irresistible Dragons #7)

Six Weeks Later

“T hat’s it. That’s the last box,” Adar announced as he put down the heavy carton box that contained the last of Delton’s books.

Delton shot him a guilty look. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For the fact that you had to carry all two thousand of my books into our new cabin?”

Adar shrugged, wiping his brow with his sleeve. “My pleasure. I know they bring you joy, and when you’re happy, that’s all I need.”

Delton’s heart melted all over again. Adar had called himself a simple man, but only in the sense that he found profound joy in the smallest things. It didn’t take a lot to make him happy. If Oliver and Delton were good, Adar was too. He rarely asked for anything for himself other than the impact play sessions they now did every other week.

Delton opened another box, careful to not cut too deep and damage any of his books. He was carefully shelving them in the built-in bookcases that Leon, one of the former Murphy omegas who’d come with Fallon, had built. He’d proven to be a remarkably talented carpenter, and he’d been immediately put to work, much to his own joy. “Thank you. They do make me happy.”

“I know.” Adar grinned. “That was clear when you started unpacking these first, even before we set up the bedrooms and the kitchen.”

Oops. Delton immediately put the book down he’d been about to place on the shelf. “You’re right. I should do that first.”

“Nope, we’ve got that covered. Oliver is handling the kitchen with Fallon, and Yitro is making the beds. You focus on your books and your office, baby. You need that to feel at home.”

Delton couldn’t resist. He stepped close, his mate immediately opening his arms and pulling him close for a hug. “Thank you,” Delton whispered against his chest. “For understanding me.”

Adar kissed the top of his head. “Always. I’m so grateful we could make this happen.”

He took a moment to enjoy being close to his mate, then, with reluctance, let go again. If he wanted to get organized over the weekend so he’d be up and running again on Monday, he’d better keep going.

“I’m gonna put Oliver’s bed together,” Adar said, heading into the smallest room in their cabin, which would be Oliver’s.

A cabin of their own had not been guaranteed with so many newcomers needing a place to sleep. And Servas still being sick as a dog from his pregnancy and unable to lead the construction guys had been an extra complication. But everyone had stepped up, including guys from the Hayes pack, and new cabins had sprouted up in rapid succession. Luckily, the weather had cooperated. Severe frost or snow would’ve made all this impossible, but the winter had been mild so far.

They’d been assigned the cabin Oliver had shared with two other omegas, who’d been moved into one of the newer cabins. Those were smaller and less suitable for families, especially if said family needed separate bedrooms like the three of them did, plus a large office where Delton could do his sessions. It would get tight if they decided to have kids—Oliver hadn’t made up his mind yet if he wanted biological kids, but fostering and adopting were options too—but Sivney had assured them that if necessary, they’d build an extra room. Delton had no worries. The pack always did what was needed to make things work.

Delton unpacked one box of books after the other until he had a whole pile of empty boxes and a wall of filled bookcases. He blew out a breath. Adar hadn’t been wrong. Delton did need his books to feel at home. His office had been freshly painted in a soothing color scheme of forest green with pastel yellow, and the cream-colored carpet was soft and fluffy. Comfortable chairs were placed around a low coffee table, and he had a love seat, too, for when he did couples therapy. Everything looked inviting and warm, but it hadn’t felt like home until he’d put all his books on the shelves. Funny how that worked.

“Dinner’s ready!” Oliver called out, and a deep joy surged inside Delton. The fact that Oliver was not only using his voice but was actually shouting was nothing short of a miracle, and Delton was so, so grateful for it. Oh, the omega still had bad days, even horrible ones, and he’d had more flashbacks, but he was fighting his way through it with remarkable and admirable tenacity.

When he stepped into the homey kitchen, he blinked. Instead of the half-unpacked boxes he’d expected to find, the kitchen was spotless, everything well organized, and the round table was set for three. “Wow, this looks amazing.”

Oliver beamed. “Fallon and I worked hard to get it done. And Lev brought over his hearty barley soup for us to eat, with freshly baked bread.”

Delton’s mouth watered. “That sounds amazing.”

“It smells amazing too,” Adar said, inhaling deeply. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled, and they all laughed.

Oliver served them all a bowl of soup and sliced the bread, handing Adar two big slices. The man literally ate twice as much as Delton and Oliver combined.

“The bedrooms are all done,” Adar said. “I put the beds together and Yitro helped me unpack all the bed linens, then made the beds. All our clothes are in the closets too.”

Delton frowned. “What still needs to be done then? Because the kitchen looks perfect, and my office is done too.”

Adar shrugged. “All the boxes are unpacked.”

“You’re telling me we moved and unpacked everything in one day?”

“I guess so. We had a lot of help.”

“I think everyone knew this was important to us,” Oliver said softly. “We had to wait a while for this.”

“Six weeks isn’t that long,” Delton said.

“It is in this pack. Things usually move fast here,” Adar pointed out.

True. And Delton had been impatient to start the next phase of their lives. Now that he’d finally found happiness with his mates, he wanted to be with them as much as he could. They all felt that way, which made Delton even more grateful.

Even after they’d accepted they were mates, he’d feared being the odd one out, the third wheel, but he wasn’t. Somehow, they’d truly become a threesome, all three so very different yet equal and connected to each other. They had to work for it, but that was to be expected. Nothing good ever came without effort. But they’d learned to communicate, to talk, and they were getting better at it.

“Speaking of things moving fast,” Adar continued. “Isam renovated the shed we always use for our…sessions.”

Delton raised his eyebrows. “He did? I didn’t know you’d put in a request for that.”

“I didn’t. He took it upon himself to do it. He made a new bench, a little higher than before, so it would be at the perfect height for you to use.”

Warmth filled Delton. “That’s so sweet of him.”

Adar rolled his eyes. “He’s an alpha. He’s not sweet.”

“I beg to differ, but we’ll call the gesture sweet if that makes you feel better. It was nice of him, is what I’m saying.”

“It was. He somehow also found a new couch for the aftercare and installed a bathroom so we can shower after if we want.”

A shower? Now there was an improvement Delton could applaud. “That’s amazing. And he did all of this without even talking to you?”

Adar hesitated.

“You don’t need to tell me more if he asked you not to,” Delton said quickly.

“He didn’t. He didn’t say anything, but I suspect someone else will use it as well. Not Isam, but I don’t know who.”

Delton let that sink in. If someone else was using it or wanted to, chances were they didn’t want anyone else to know, just like Adar wasn’t keen on the pack finding out about his needs. Delton did have a suspicion about who it could be, but he kept that part to himself.

“We should make a sign-up list,” he said. “A simple clipboard with a monthly calendar where you can block dates you want to use it. No names or anything, but maybe different colors? That way, no one needs to out themselves, but we’ll all know when we can use it.”

Adar’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant solution. I’ll make that happen.”

And he would. Adar’s promises were worth gold. If the man told you he would do something, he did. “Thank you.”

“I think I’d like to watch the next time you have a session,” Oliver said softly.

“Yeah? You think you’re ready for that?” Delton asked.

The omega nodded. “And if it’s too much, I can always walk out, right?”

“Absolutely. But maybe you could ask Fallon to stand by? Because I won’t be able to be there for you, not in the middle of a session. Adar needs me.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to. And yes, I can ask him tomorrow. He’s coming with me to talk to Enar again. Enar asked if I was okay with Sando being there as well.”

Sando, an omega from the Hayes pack, was a scientist and a researcher focusing on issues that affected wolf omegas. He’d developed breakthrough medicines to ameliorate the effects of heats on omegas with the Melloni gene, the gene mutation that made their heats so much more severe.

Delton sat up straight. “Oh, that’s a brilliant idea. He may have some ideas on how to block heats in dragon omegas.”

Enar had provided another dragon omega with heat blockers developed for wolf omegas, and while they’d softened the impact of the heat, it had still come. That was bad news for Oliver, who was hoping for an effective medication to block his heat.

Oliver nodded. “Enar warned it would take time, so it’s not gonna be available for my next one or the one after. But even if it takes a while before he figures out what works, it’ll be worth it. Not just for me but for every dragon omega who wants those blockers.”

Delton patted his hand. “I agree, and I’m glad you can see that perspective.”

Adar’s phone beeped. Delton’s heart skipped a beat. By now, he recognized the sound for a Code Orange for the guards. Adar checked his phone, then paled.

“What’s wrong?” Delton asked, instinctively reaching for Oliver’s hand.

Adar swallowed before looking up and meeting Delton’s eyes. “Duff Bás has disappeared…and so has Fergal.”

“H-he kidnapped King Fergal?” Oliver whispered.

Adar sighed. “I don’t know, but the fact that they’re both missing does seem to suggest their disappearances are connected.”

“Do you need to report?” Delton asked.

“Not yet, but we have been put on high alert, so when you guys go to bed, I’ll probably head over and see what the status is.”

“We understand if you have to leave,” Oliver said. His voice was thin and fear flooded his eyes.

“Thank you, angel. I don’t, but it means a lot to me that you understand that keeping the pack safe is my job. I want nothing more than to be with my two mates, but duty has to come first.”

His kiss for Oliver was careful like it always was. He was still fragile, their little dragon, though growing stronger every day. “I love you, angel, and I will always love you.”

“I love you too,” Oliver whispered.

Adar then leaned in to kiss Delton tenderly. “I love you, my strong beta, and I will love you until my dying day.”

He’d made it a habit to tell him that every day, as if he wanted to make up for forgetting it that first time. “I love you too. Be careful when you head out.”

“Always. I need to come home to my two loves.”

They held hands as they finished their meal, much more subdued now.

Love meant holding close…but it also meant letting go. It meant holding on to that love, working for it, fighting for it. It meant trusting that everything would work out. It meant believing they would have their happily ever after because they were mates.

Fate had brought them together, but it would be love that kept them going, no matter what obstacles and challenges came their way.

Strong, fierce, undying love.

Everlasting love.

* * *

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