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“Sort of,” Dylan muttered. “Auntie Mia helped. She even played some Mario Kart with me.”

“Now what’s all this?” Cassidy asked as she entered the house. “Is someone threatening my title of Mario Kart champion?”

“Auntie Cassidy!” Dylan let go of me like a hot potato and charged toward his “aunt”. Even though Harley and Cassidy weren’t related, I knew Cassidy was as close to Dylan as any family member could be. Dylan crashed into her so hard she stumbled back, nearly losing her balance as she laughed.

Cassidy was so small that Dylan was nearly as tall as she was. She hugged him hard for a long moment, then pressed a kiss to his temple. She pulled back and brushed Dylan’s hair out of his face. “Hey, kiddo. You hanging in there?”

Dylan swallowed hard, but he nodded.

“You’re so tall now. And so handsome! Way better looking than your stupid dad.”

“That’s true,” I said with a laugh.

“I had my first shift,” Dylan said with a sheepish grin. “That’s probably why.”

“I bet it is.” Cassidy shook him, like she was so delighted she couldn’t help herself. “Good job. You’re really strong, you know that, right? Just like your mom.”

That made Dylan’s grin fade a little. Tears shone in his eyes. When one fell, Cassidy reached out and rubbed it away with her thumb.

“Don’t worry,” Cassidy said. “Your mom is a lot tougher than she seems. You know that, right? It takes more than one mean old dragon to knock her down.”

Dylan nodded, and Cassidy pulled him into a hug again. “We’ll get her back soon. I promise.”

I put a hand on Striker’s shoulder. He was watching Cassidy and Dylan, riveted. Cassidy was good with him—she obviously loved him a lot. Her words did more than soothe my son. They soothed me, too.

She believed in me. She believed we’d get Harley back.

And damn it, we would

“Dylan, you want to show Cassidy your room?” I asked. “Maybe she’ll play a few rounds of Mario Kart with you, too.”

Dylan nodded, mood lifted again. “It’s really sick! Dad got me a VR setup, too!”

“I’ll skip that one, unless you want me to get motion sick and barf,” Cassidy said.

Dylan laughed as he dragged her up the stairs.

I turned to Striker. He grimaced, then blew out a breath like he’d been holding it for a long while.

“You all right?” I patted him on the back. “How you feeling? It’s a pretty wild sensation, isn’t it?”

“You could tell?” Striker gripped his chest like his heart was hurting him. “Am I that obvious?”

“Not to Cassidy,” I said. “I recognized the signs from when I first met Harley.”

“Jesus. Did it feel like your heart was about to leave your body?”

I barked a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much.” Even though it’d been a decade since I felt it, I remembered that all-consuming sensation like it was yesterday.

It was like being struck by lightning. Like the rest of the world had fallen away, and all that mattered was my mate standing in front of me.

From that very first moment, I knew I’d do anything for her.

Anything to keep her safe and happy and by my side.

Striker was feeling the same inescapable pull toward Cassidy.

“Well, you know Cassidy isn’t going to let Dylan out of her sight for a second,” I said. “She doesn’t trust me to keep him safe.”

“No offense, Ace, but if I were her, I wouldn’t either.”

“None taken.” I’d screwed up every step of the way, and now I had to make it right. “And the threat against Dylan is still out there. I wouldn’t put it past Sean to send his goons out looking for Dylan to finish the job.”

Striker scowled. “I’d expect it, honestly.”

“But I need to make the challenge to bring Harley home,” I said. “Can I count on you to protect Dylan and Cassidy?”

Striker straightened up, his chest puffing out a little bit. “You know I want to be with you to challenge Sean. After everything he’s done to hurt this clan…” Sean trailed off, shaking his head. “But you know what I’m going to say.”

“You can’t bear to take a step away from Cassidy right now,” I said with a half-smile.

“Exactly. I’m happy to stay close and keep an eye on her.”

“Not just her, though. Sean doesn’t even know about Cassidy. Make sure you keep Dylan?—”

“Ace.” Striker put his hand on my shoulder. “My instincts are stuck on Cassidy, but that doesn’t change my dragon’s loyalty. That kid—your son—is our future alpha. You know I’ll protect him like he’s mine.”

The tightness in my chest lessened. Striker was right.

Even though his dragon had found his fated mate, that didn’t change who his dragon was.

If anything, Striker would be more focused on ensuring the clan and its future alpha were safe.

He loved Dylan. And now, he wanted to make sure the clan was a safe place for Cassidy, too.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Focus on what’s in front of you,” Striker said. “I’ve got this. Go make the call.”

I nodded. My dragon was torn—he longed to rush upstairs and keep Dylan in our sights, and at the same time, he wanted to burst forth and scour every inch of the world until we found Harley.

I had to keep my head on straight. This would all be over soon.

I left the house and headed back to the clubhouse. About half the guys were milling about, just as I’d requested. As soon as I stepped into the clubhouse, Hawk stood up. “You ready to do this?” he asked.

“You guys ready to raise a ruckus?” I asked in return. “He’s gotta buy it if we want this to work.”

“I was born for this,” Hawk said with a grin. The other dragons lounging around on the couches laughed in agreement.

I leaned against the bar. My clan members fell silent—their attention fixed on me as I pulled out my phone. Taking a deep breath, I called my brother.

“Ace,” Sean drawled as soon as he answered. “So, you’ve come to your senses?”

My dragon bristled at his tone, but I shoved him down.

If this was going to work, I had to lure Sean in.

I had to do the last thing I ever wanted to do—play to his ego.

“Sean.” Instead of my usual hard tone, I let my voice waver.

“You’ve gone too far taking Harley from me.

She’s… she’s my mate, Sean. I’m nothing without her?—”

“You know what you have to do,” Sean said. I could envision his greasy smirk in my mind. “It’s a simple trade. Give me Dylan, and you’ll have your mate back.”

“You don’t want him,” I said, in a weak voice. “I know you don’t.”

“You know what I want,” Sean snarled. “And your son is in my way.”

“Harley’s my fated mate?—”

“Yeah, you’ve made that clear.”

“—and she and Dylan are the most important things in my life. I’d do anything for them .”

Sean growled, and I wondered what he was thinking. The anger was good. I needed him to think I was breaking down. That he’d finally pushed me over the edge.

“I can’t trade my son,” I said, making sure to let my voice crack. “I can’t. But I can give you what you want. We can make an even exchange.”

“I’m listening,” Sean said. He sounded hungry. It was like I could hear the drool dripping from his fangs.

“I’ll sign over the clan.”

Hawk stood up and shoved a chair over, so it clattered to the ground. “Ace, what the fuck?”

“If you give me back my fated mate and leave me my son, you can have the clan,” I continued. “As long as I’ve got my mate and my son… You can take the clan. Be the alpha you claim you can be.”

Hawk waved his hands at the clan members in the clubhouse.

Everyone stood up and started shouting in disbelief, calling my name and thumping their fists against the couch.

I grinned and nodded my approval at the display.

They were loud enough that there was no way Sean couldn’t hear them over the phone.

Perfect. I needed him to think I was going against my clan members. That they didn’t trust me anymore. That they were ready for a new alpha to swoop in and take control.

Sean laughed. “That’s all it took? You’ll give up everything you have for a woman?”

“She’s not just a woman. She’s my mate. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re damn right I wouldn’t,” Sean said. “If I had known this was all it would take, I would’ve taken her a lot sooner.” He laughed again. Behind me, the clan members kept causing a ruckus, shouting their disbelief.

“So, what’s your answer?” I snarled. “Is that a good enough trade for you?”

“It is.”

I flashed a thumbs-up to the clan members, and Hawk fist-pumped in victory.

“You’ll come to my compound tomorrow,” Sean said. “I’ll send the location. We’ll make the exchange. Your woman for the clan. I expect you to bring the contract that signs the role of alpha over to me.”

“Consider it done,” I said. “But only if Harley is unharmed.”

“She is,” Sean said. “But if you even think about trying to play me, Ace, I’ll slit her throat right in front of you. I won’t fucking hesitate.”

I squeezed my phone so hard I felt the case crack. My dragon’s rage burned my insides. He was so close to the surface I exhaled smoke. If Sean laid a single finger on her, I’d tear him to pieces. I only wished I could say that to him now.

But now, I needed him to believe I was weak. Broken.

That he had won.

“Deal,” I said through gritted teeth and ended the call.

Hawk and the clan members all fell silent and stared at me expectantly.

“He bought it. We’re on for tomorrow.”

“Hell, yeah!” Hawk said, and everyone exchanged victorious high fives.

I didn’t feel the same sense of elation. I took a deep breath, trying to settle my thrashing dragon. I rubbed my temples as I strode out the door for some fresh air.

I stepped onto the back deck and braced my hands on the railing.

The air was crisp and cool around me, the lake was still, and the sun beat down on the back of my neck as I tipped my head forward.

Exhaustion crashed over me like a wave. Logically, I knew this was a good plan, but my dragon loathed every part of it.

It made my skin crawl to speak to Sean like I was bowing to him.

It nauseated me to even suggest that I’d be willing to leave the clan in Sean’s hands.

And all of this was the lead-up to something even worse: my brother’s death at my own hands.

“Hey.” Hawk stepped out on the deck and slid the glass door closed behind him. “You did good.”

“I know,” I said, without looking up. “He bought it.”

“You think he’ll be surprised when you challenge him?” Hawk asked. He stood next to me and propped his forearms on the railing.

“Even if he expects it, that doesn’t mean he can beat me.”

“Guess not,” Hawk said. “But all the pieces are falling into place.”

“Yeah. It’ll be over soon.”

“God, I’m ready for that,” Hawk admitted. “I know this is hard for both of us.”

I nodded. Hawk was the only one who realized how difficult it actually was.

“But it’s the right thing to do. And it has to be done.” He knocked his shoulder against mine. “We’ll get through this.”

“We will,” I promised.

Hawk needed my strength. Harley did, too. I looked out over the still surface of the deep blue lake. If only I could channel some of that calm into my own soul. As exhausted as I was, I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest—not until my mate was back in my arms.