Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

T he next morning, Zane slipped out of Alena's bed in the early morning so he would have time to stop by his own home to shower and change before heading to the Livingstone offices. It was a big day, as he was finally going to come clean with his family and clan about her.

She's my mate.

He had known it, but he'd fought it at some level. It was only this morning, waking up beside her, that he had finally felt it sink in.

He realized he had been afraid to proclaim it, even with her. He was afraid it would only put her in danger. But now they were going to declare it. There was not fighting it, and no turning back.

His dragon practically purred with satisfaction, still reveling in her, their mate's scent lingering on his skin. He reached for his phone, eager to share his newfound resolve with Beth, who had proven an invaluable sounding board. After sharing every step of the way, it just felt like he needed to check in.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice bright and chipper. "Morning, Romeo! How's life in the land of forbidden romance?"

Zane chuckled, pushing himself up to sit against the headboard. "Pretty damn good, actually. But maybe don't call me that, okay? I don't want to jinx it! I mean, you know the story, I assume. But yeah, I am good. So good, in fact, that I've decided to tell my family about Alena."

There was a beat of stunned silence before Beth spoke again, her tone a mix of surprise and concern. "Whoa, hold up. You're going to tell your brothers, the uber-proud dragon shifters, that you're shacking up with a bear?"

"Yep," Zane confirmed, popping the ‘p' for emphasis. "I know it's a risk, but I can't keep living a lie. Alena's my mate, Beth. My future. And my family is going to find out at some point. Why not now?"

Beth let out a low whistle. "Damn, Zane. If you feel that's the right thing, I guess I get it."

"I have to do this," he insisted, his jaw set with determination. "It's driving me crazy to be away from her. If my brothers can't accept her in my life, then…"

"Then what? You'll just walk away from your clan? Your family?" Beth asked gently.

Zane closed his eyes, his heart clenching at the thought. "I don't know. I hope it doesn't come to that. But I have to do what I must."

"Well, far be it from me to stand in the way of true love," his friend said, a smile evident in her voice. "If you think this is the right move, then I'm behind you 100%. Just… be careful, okay?"

"I will do my best, but I am tired of hiding our bond. I don't even know if I can at this point. And I think I can get through to them."

"It's obvious your mind is made up," she laughed. "But good luck."

"Thanks, Beth." An incoming call from Dash interrupted his train of thought. "Hey, speak of the devil. I'll call you later, okay?" After a quick goodbye, Zane picked up his brother's call. "Hey, Dash. I was just about to head over to the offices to talk to you and Striker about something—"

"Not now, Zane," Dash snapped, his voice tight with barely contained anger. "Sorry, tell me later or whatever, but right now, I need you to get downtown."

"What? Why?"

"You know Brandon's shop? Well, he's freaking out and causing a scene, raving about how dragons vandalized his tools or something. I don't know, but it seems he's threatening to storm into our offices."

Zane's brow furrowed, confusion and unease settling in his gut. "Vandalized? What the hell are you talking about?"

Dash let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not sure, but you better get over there and deal with it before things escalate. This is the last thing we need right now."

"Shit, all right. I'm on my way." Zane hung up, his mind racing as he hurriedly threw on some clothes and headed out the door. All thoughts about his grand reveal were pushed aside as he turned his attention to standing with his clan.

When he arrived at Brandon's Mechanics, the tension in the air was palpable. The dragons who had alerted Dash stood outside squaring off against a group of bears, and it seemed more were arriving for both clans. Zane passed into the garage, where he saw Brandon pacing like a caged animal, his face twisted with fury. Archer Savage stood off to the side, arms crossed and brow knitted in consternation.

"What the fuck, man?" Brandon snarled as soon as he caught sight of Zane. "You dragons have some nerve, breaking into my shop and trashing my tools with your goddamn fire!"

Zane held up his hands in a placating gesture, his own temper rising at the accusation but trying to remain calm.

"Whoa, hold up. I have no idea what you're talking about. No one from my clan touched your tools, Brandon."

Brandon scoffed, pointing to a melted heap of metal on the floor.

"Oh, yeah? Then how do you explain that, huh? Half my wrenches and sockets, reduced to slag! And wouldn't you know it, it happened the night before I was set to work on some of the Riders' bikes."

Archer stepped forward, his expression guarded. "Let's not jump to conclusions here, Brandon. We don't know for sure that dragons were behind this."

"Oh, come on, Archer!" Brandon exploded, throwing his hands up in frustration. "It was obviously dragon fire!"

Zane pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache blooming behind his eyes. This was bad, really bad. "Look, Brandon, there's no way my family had anything to do with this. We've been working with the Riders ourselves, remember? It wouldn't make sense for us to—"

Brandon cut him off with a bitter laugh. "Working with them, huh? Is that what you call it? More like budding in on our territory. You dragons can't stand the idea that the bears might get a leg up on you, huh? No, god forbid. You've got to keep us down, isn't that right?"

The accusation hung heavy in the air, the weight of decades of distrust and animosity bearing down on them all.

Zane shook his head vehemently. "That's not what this is, Brandon."

"Bullshit," the bear mechanic spat. He jabbed a finger at Zane's chest, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage. "You dragons better watch your backs. ‘Cause if I find out you were behind this, there will be hell to pay!"

Archer placed a restraining hand on Brandon's shoulder. "Enough," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "Throwing around threats isn't going to solve anything." He turned to Zane, his expression serious. "I think it's best if you leave now. And I seriously hope none of your clan are behind this."

Zane wanted to argue, to defend his clan's honor, but the steely look in Archer's eyes told him it would be futile. Unless he wanted to kick off a full-scale war, he had no choice but to retreat. With a curt nod, Zane turned on his heel and stalked out of the garage, his dragon roaring with impotent fury beneath his skin. The accusation stung, even more so because a tiny, traitorous part of him wondered if there could be some truth to it. Had one of his own acted without his knowledge, so intent on gaining an edge over the bears that they'd resorted to blatant sabotage? He shook off the thought as soon as it surfaced. No, he had to believe in his clan, in his family. They were better than that. With a heavy heart, Zane pulled out his phone and dialed Dash.

His brother picked up immediately, his voice tight with tension. "What's the situation?" Zane relayed the confrontation, the accusation of dragon fire and destroyed tools. Even over the phone, he could practically feel Dash's frustration radiating through the line.

"Those fucking bears," Dash growled. "Always so quick to point the finger at us. Do they think we are idiots? ‘Cause it's either that, or I swear, they're just itching for a reason to start shit."

Zane sighed.

This is the last thing I need right now.

"I don't know, Dash."

He had to choose his words carefully. He wanted to say what he knew in a way Dash might actually hear him. But was that even possible?

"You don't know? What are you talking about? You said Brandon totally got in your face! And he is accusing us of destroying his tools!" Zane practically spit.

"Yeah, but what if someone else is trying to just rile us up?" Zane pointed out cautiously.

"Oh, come on, man, are you gonna start telling me again about how the Forsaken Riders are to blame? Why do you have it in for them?"

Zane felt his dragon hiss with displeasure. "I overheard some of them talking."

"You overheard? Look, Zane, we have been clear. We need this deal with the Riders to work, okay? We need that money to fund this new Lone Reach resort. You got that? Unless you have proof, I don't want to hear any more of your theories about the Forsaken Riders. I thought we were past this," Dash retorted.

Zane bit his tongue. He knew enough not to waste his time trying to talk to Dash when he was in this mode. His brothers had a lot to gain from the deal they were working out with the bikers, and the more he saw, the more Zane suspected they were allowing it to cloud their judgement.

There was no point in trying to get them to see the light. Not about the Riders, and definitely not about Alena. At least not now.

"We put you in charge of dealing with Misty Brews. I will keep in mind your theories, but at the moment, our problem is the bears. Until I see proof, that's the way I see it. Striker and I have too much on our plates getting this resort project off the ground, not to mention planning for the community center. Handle it, whatever it takes."

Dash's tone left no room for argument. And Zane couldn't have argued had he wanted to, as the call disconnected abruptly, leaving him standing there with the weight of his family's expectations bearing down on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.

And to think he had actually begun to believe things were coming together for him. For them. The idea that he could have told them about Alena felt like a joke now.

He did his best to remain calm, but his dragon wasn't having any of it. He bellowed fire deep inside him in a show of helpless fury.

Dammit.