Her eyes were already full of tears, and he ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek as one slipped down. “What’s wrong?”
“I know it must’ve been so hard growing up and feeling people’s fear of you. Growing up different and never feeling like you fit in. And I know the dragon is still hard to manage. I watch you struggle with Changes, Torren’s overprotectiveness of you, and Nox’s stress when he tries to stop your Changes. I know it might always be like this, but…” She swallowed hard, pulled his hand to her cheek, and rubbed it against his palm. “People care about you, Vyr Daye. You got thousands of shifters to rally behind you and get your sentence reduced. You have the devotion of your crew, and they look up to you, to the alpha you’ve become, and I’m so proud. You never complained about how tough it was for you. You managed the strain silently and without the desire for any attention. You protected those you could. You, Vyr, are really good at this alpha gig.”
“You make me want to be even better,” he admitted low. “And I think that says something good when a person makes you want to be better.”
Movement caught his eye, and Vyr narrowed his eyes at Nox, who was standing over a grill and dangling a long bratwurst from a pair of tongs. He wore the biggest shit-eating grin, along with short shorts, yellow and white tube socks, and a trucker hat that said my balls are bigger than your balls.
“Huh,” Vyr murmured. He scratched his short beard with his thumbnail and wondered aloud, “What is Nox cooking?”
“He spent the electric bill money this month to pay the butcher for custom two-foot-long sausages for this shindig. We’re at serious risk of having the power cut off, but at least he can tell a bunch of dick jokes now.”
“Soooo many dick jokes are about to happen.”
“He also painted the sign,” she muttered, nodding her chin toward a hideous highlighter-yellow sign with pink writing. Vyr, Vyr Needs Six Beers. Poet as fuck. MVP Goes to Nox. Nox FULLER in Case You Fuckers Were Confused. Eat my bratwurst.
“He came up with the name of this party himself. Then he and Torren got in a huge fight, and Torren shot him through the calf with a crossbow. Nevada Changed into her fox and nearly ate the baby swans, and Candace’s newest pregnancy craving is olives dipped in peanut butter for breakfast.” Riyah pursed her lips against a pretty smile. “It’s been an eventful morning.”
He nodded his head in agreeance, but it sounded just about like every other morning to Vyr. As long as he lived, he would never take for granted the antics of his crew. He used to get so angry with their behavior, but then he’d spent six months away from them and missed the hell out of this place.
He shoved his door open, and Riyah met him at the front of the truck. They were swarmed by the crews. He kept looking back at Riyah as they were pulled into hugs. He lost track of how many people touched him, but as he was passed from person to person, something shifted inside of him. And he began to hug them back, hesitantly at first, but then it got easier and easier until he made it to his parents.
Mom was already crying. She looked so happy, red hair the same shade as his, shining in the sun, tears streaking down her cheeks, her arm linked in Riyah’s. Tears had always confused him. Mom was saying something to his mate and it was making the tears come faster. To try and understand, Vyr scratched at Riyah’s thoughts.
Mom was thanking her for bringing her son back.
Her son? But the dragon was separate. She’d never lost Vyr, just the Red Dragon for a day.
And when he switched to his mother’s thoughts, he was overwhelmed. He could feel her love for him. And not just the human side, but all of him. She’d always believed in him and his ability to become the man he was. He balked at her thoughts because his heart felt strange. It felt like it had swelled too big for his chest. There was a dull ache. And as he looked around at all the crews of Damon’s Mountains and beyond, he thought perhaps he hadn’t been the outcast he’d imagined.
Why else would they all come to his aid at the prison? Why orchestrate a nation-wide rally in his defense? Why would the dragons keep him from scorching the earth? Why would they pledge to help keep him out of trouble every three weeks when he had to Change?
“Because you are very loved, Vyr,” Riyah whispered, the words rattling around in his head. Her emotional gaze went to something behind him, and when Vyr turned, his father was standing there, stoic as always, his dark hair gone silver at the temples, his white oxford shirt and gray suit pants perfectly crisp. His eyes though…those were silver, and his Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard. “I don’t always make the right decisions.”
“You don’t have to explain—”
“I do. Wanting you to serve that sentence…it was never about choosing anyone over you, Vyr. Not the humans, not shifters. You’re my boy. My pride and joy. From the moment I held you, I was so damn proud to have you as my son, and I swore I was going to be a good father for you. If they killed the dragon…” His voice faded, and he lurched toward Vyr, pulled him into a tight hug, clenching his shirt with his fists. “If they had succeeded, I would’ve never forgiven myself. Your dragon isn’t a monster. I hope you know that. He reminds me so much of my own dragon, but when I was young, we had wars that quenched that thirst to burn everything. I was hard on you about controlling the Red Dragon, but I sometimes forget what it’s like for you, having so many eyes on you and having that pressure to be perfect all the time. I don’t want you to be perfect. I want you to be happy.” Damon released his shirt, clapped him on the back roughly and then took a step away, slid his arm around his mate, who was looking back and forth between Vyr and Damon with the mushiest smile.
Vyr’s stupid eyes were leaking, and he needed to get out of here. “I need a moment with my mate.” He turned to leave, but changed his mind and uttered the words he felt before he chickened out. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, Son,” Damon murmured through a slow-growing smile.
Now mom was bawling, so Vyr blew out a breath and nodded to Torren as he passed. His best friend gave him an are-you-okay-and-who-do-I-need-to-fuck-up look, but Vyr shook his head slightly. He would tell him all about that little moment when he had time to sit of the roof of the mansion and think on everything.