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“I will make a trip to see her. She can be… difficult when asked direct questions.”

Zeke rolled his eyes. “Oh, goddess now she sounds like a Seer from the wolf pack. Or like a fae. They never just answer a question.”

“Speaking of fae, you also have Arian and Orion and all those other types of creatures at the guardian house. Perhaps someone there has heard of it.” Cade was on a roll.

“I’ll ask them, but we have discussed the problem with them already a few times. Especially when someone tried to take Penny.”

“And for now the stated problem, at least by this black dragon, was the ysidri.” Brayden steered the subject back onto track. “Harden is very determined to keep his ysidri safe. He will take action, if he has to.”

Harden wasn’t particularly peaceful at the best of times…

“I have to wonder why so many interesting things are happening,” Cade pondered aloud, and Tyson shrugged.

“I think that’s pretty straightforward, to be honest. The veil opened and closed. That’s a major shift, and if it happened here, it has to have happened in other places, so there was a big influx of energy, and that’s what’s creating interesting situations.”

Brayden nodded, because it made perfect sense to him. “There’s just a lot. Just think: if we came through, there has to be so many more. If every dragon on earth came through, how many solo ones are there? How many other families? I imagine things are going to be hinky for some time to come.”

Zeke blew out a frustrated breath. “In my experience people have trouble with new things. And those who decide how stuff needs to be handled are old men being scared that something new is coming.”

They nodded to each other. If you were in power, it was difficult to give it up and allow it to disseminate.

“So we’re just going to have to admit the fact that there are dragons and other creatures out there who are unhappy about this influx of new energy into the world. They want to control it, and if they find special children like Penny, they’re going to want to take them along for the ride, want to control them.”

Brayden looked at Zeke, and Brayden felt a little bit of awe because maybe he just wasn’t that deep but Zeke had a real grasp of things. He was like, big-picture guy.

Don’t stress it. Sloan chuckled silently. I think maybe part of it is that he’s an alpha for this huge group — five alphas, five omegas. I don’t even know how many children, possibly something like thirty. Once the new guys came, Zeke and Tyson joined together with Grant, but nobody had to deal with all of them like Zeke, it’s just—he’s special.

He really is. He has this energy about him that’s kind of wild.

Tyson cleared his throat. “Anyway, we’re really just going to have to set up a schedule to watch over everyone more carefully until we get things like Harden’s ciucui in place.”

Riley piped up, I’ll fly between you, Sloan, and Fredda’s house, and keep sure that everything is good in this area.

“Riley’s going to take to the west of us. I’ll take from my place to the village.”

Brayden thought that was an amazing idea. “I’ll take from the village north and along the river.”

Cade obviously did too. “I’ll take the southern woods to the village.”

“And we’ll take the mountains.” Zeke and Tyson spoke as one.

“Sounds like a plan,” Brayden said. He liked having a plan. He liked it when things were laid out for him and he could just know what his part was. This way they all had something reasonable and feasible they could do and still have their families and kids and some down time.

“I will arrange night shifts. There are young alphas eager to prove themselves to their mates.” Cade was obviously amused.

“That works. One of us can always be just a call away.”

“I can help with that at night,” Riley put in. “I don’t have the kids or the omega.”

“Thanks, bro.” He laughed at the idea that he was a family man now.

Is it hard to get used to? Sloan’s chuckled was too amused. You’ll get it. You’re good with Melissa. You’ll be great with yours.

Are you as excited to meet mine, as I was to meet your Melissa?

Oh yeah, being an uncle’s going to be way more fun than being a dad.

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