Page 83 of Dragon's Revenge

Erwan buried his face in his hands. “I’m so scared, you know? Scared of the world I would bring my kids into. Scared of all the evil that’s out there.” He looked up again. “We’ve seen what people are capable of. If nothing else, the Murphys have shown us the worst of humankind. One of the omegas who was rescued was with egg, conceived in one of the many times he was sexually assaulted and raped in the red tent. He chose to abort.”

Abort? Jermon hadn’t even known that was an option for dragons. For wolves, yes, since they carried a fetus, not an egg.

“Abort?” Valdis asked, apparently having the same thought.

“He was given herbs that triggered his body into delivering the eggs early. They didn’t survive.”

Another silence descended. How many more omegas had been forced to carry eggs from the very alphas who had raped and abused them? Jermon couldn’t even imagine.

“How can I forget about that when I consider having another child? I’m scared enough about Ainle as it is, and now I want to bring another kid into this world?” Erwan’s voice was barely audible. “How do I get past all the horrible things I’ve seen and heard, all the atrocities committed? Just the thought of something happening to my kids…” He choked up. “I can’t. I just can’t.”

On impulse, Jermon got up, then sat on the armrest of Erwan’s chair, wrapping his arm around his brother. “You’re wrestling with the same things every parent has struggled with. I wish I could give you an easy solution, but there isn’t one. There will always be things we can’t keep our kids safe from, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have them. Even if the worst were to happen, the moments I’ve had with them would be worth it.”

Erwan put his head against Jermon’s shoulder for a moment, and a deep sense of gratitude filled Jermon. After what he’d done to his brother, he hadn’t expected to grow this close, and he was so, so thankful they were. Erwan’s heart was big and his capacity for forgiveness even bigger.

“Thank you for sharing that,” Erwan finally said. “I needed to hear that.”

“In less serious news…” Nadiv could always be counted on to bring some welcome relief from heavier topics. “I hear some rumors about Hakon and Ainle?” He wiggled his eyebrows, bringing a welcome laughter that released the tension. Jermon returned to his own chair.

“What happened?” Valdis asked, apparently not as tuned in to the gossip mill.

“Gods…” Erwan shook his head, smiling. “I couldn’t believe my ears. We were all waiting in the meeting barn for Rhene to come home, and I had Ainle on my knee. Hakon casually strolled over and, after some chatting, declared he was gonna marry Ainle when he was older.”

Valdis’s eyes widened. “Marry? Was he serious?”

“Oh yes. Dead serious. When Palani raised the possibility that Ainle might not agree, we got a little alpha growl. The apple did not fall far from the tree with him.”

Jermon leaned forward. “I thought Hakon had DNA from all four of his dads.”

Erwan nodded. “He does, but Lidon’s genes clearly dominate. That kid is one hundred percent alpha and a born leader.”

“Huh…” Valdis scratched his chin. “Hakon and Ainle… Aren’t they technically family?”

“I had the same thought,” Erwan said. “I can’t remember the exact distribution of his DNA, but even if he is twenty-five percent Palani’s—and I’m pretty sure it’s less than that—it’s still not an issue since Ainle is fifty percent Rhene’s. They’d be, like, second cousins or something. Besides, neither of them is an omega, so it’s not like they’d have issues with fertility or mixing genes.”

“Do you remember what Emma said right after Ainle was born?” Jermon asked. “When she blessed him?”

“She said that one day, he’ll unite the White Dragon and the True Alpha of his generation,” Erwan said.

“If Hakon is the next True Alpha, it stands to reason that your son would be the next White Dragon… So what if Ainle will be mated to them both? I know it’s a little weird to discuss this, considering he’s a baby, but I can’t help but wonder.”

Erwan let out a deep exhale. “Yes, I’ve done that same math. But my mom told Hakon he’d have three mates, like his father. So even if we’re right, there’s still someone missing. And I have to admit, it feels a bit weird because Ainle and the son I might have would grow up together…as brothers.”

“But they’re not brothers,” Jermon insisted. “They wouldn’t share any DNA since Ainle is all wolf and your son would be all dragon.”

“If nothing else, I think we’ve learned that being brothers isn’t always about sharing blood…” Erwan said softly, and Jermon had to admit he was right there.

Valdis hummed in agreement. “By the way, did you see there’s a pack meeting tonight?”

“I did,” Jermon said. “Any idea what it’s about?”

Erwan nodded. “We’re being asked to approve Zack becoming Sivney’s right hand, the official third-in-command.”

Jermon’s eyebrows rose sky-high. “Zack? That new omega?”

“The one and only. With all the new people arriving, Sivney is overwhelmed…and he’s pregnant.”

“He’s pregnant? Aw, that’s amazing.” Jermon’s heart went soft again at the thought of more babies in the pack.

---