Aren't they our allies? The point of having allies is to have someone else at your back, ready to help if need be.
Rhydian didn't reply right away. Ideally, that should be the case. However, no one living could remember a time when the dragon clans in the UK had asked one another for help without strings attached, jumping up to assist simply because another clan needed it.
True, Stonefire and the Scottish clan, Lochguard, were growing ever closer to that scenario. But those two clans had had lots of inter-matings between them, which made their close alliance natural. Snowridge, on the other hand, had very few inter-clan matings.
Although he, as well as the other UK leaders, hoped to change that eventually.
There were whispers of a plan to bring a large number of dragon clans together to talk and hopefully make treaties or alliances. However, that was nothing more than an idea at the moment. In the present, Rhydian still needed to be strategic when it came to relying on the help of other clans.
Especially now, when some inside Snowridge were willing to defy him so openly.
Finally agreeing with his dragon about needing a distraction, Rhydian opened his laptop and did some busywork. From experience, he knew that if he did something menial or tedious, it often allowed certain parts of his brain to work on refining the ideas he, Delaney, and his Protectors had thrown about earlier.
Hours flew by as he answered emails, filled out DDA paperwork, and other administrative duties. When the battery on his computer was nearly dead, Maelon finally entered the private waiting room. Rhydian quickly closed his laptop, stood, and asked, "How is she?"
"She seems to be fine. Preliminary tests came back negative. However, I want to keep her here for a few more days, just to be certain." Maelon paused a second before adding, "But if I were a betting male, I'd say the person who wrote that note either didn't think of poisoning her or didn't want to."
The difference between the two scenarios was huge.
Focusing on the doctor for now, Rhydian said, "The Protectors will remain outside her room until she's discharged, Maelon. As much as I trust you, I don't want to risk her life if I can help it."
The doctor nodded. "Of course. But she wants to talk with you before you rush off to do anything else. Although given how you've been here the whole time, I don't think you'll be rushing away if you can help it."
He growled. "She's my future mate. Of course I'm going to wait for her."
Maelon raised an eyebrow. "And this sort of behavior will end up encouraging the dissenters. Since I'm mated myself, I know how hard it can be to fight your inner dragon's instincts. But sometimes we have to fight them in order to do our jobs well. If you only think of protecting her, it might not end well, Rhydian. I'm telling you this as your friend."
The doctor was mated to one of the nurses, and saw her all the time, whereas Rhydian was still getting to know his future mate. Staying away from Delaney was a lot bloody harder because of it.
However, Rhydian wasn't going to be petty and bring that up. "Take me to Delaney. After I talk with her, I'll think about what comes next."
Maelon studied him a second before replying, "I'll start by saying I do like her, Rhydian. But the human female staying long-term will cause problems. I hope you have enough fight in you to ride it out."
From anyone else, Rhydian would bark that of course he did.
However, Maelon was more than a doctor—he was his friend and sometimes confidant. There was something about the male that made everyone want to chat with him. That worked to his advantage as a doctor. "I'm not backing down like when I was younger. I want her as my mate, and I'll do what it takes to ensure it happens. And it's not just for me, either. The clan as a whole needs to be more accepting of humans. Otherwise, we won't last."
"I know." Maelon opened the door. "Come. I'll take you to Delaney and give you a few minutes of privacy before I lay down the rules for you both about how we're going to proceed until she's discharged."
At the steel in the doctor's voice, Rhydian merely followed him down the corridor to the quarantine section of the surgery. Maelon was one of his trusted circle, and Rhydian would save his anger and frustration for those who threatened his mate and not waste it on his friend.
Chapter Ten
It was three long days before Delaney was allowed out of the surgery.
Three days of not seeing Rian, not being able to explain things to him, or to even hug him.
The only positive was that she'd had a lot of free time to work on some design projects and read. One of the teachers had brought a tablet filled with as many of the dragon-shifter-related books as she could find, to help Delaney get up to speed with their history, customs, and how inner dragons worked.
While some might think receiving homework wasn't exciting, it was more than merely a willingness of the teacher to share information. Rhydian, and at least some of the others, wanted Delaney to fit in as much as possible. And given how humans rarely received so much information so quickly from dragon-shifters, it definitely encouraged her to keep fighting.
However, once she signed her release form and met Rhydian in a private waiting room, the anger in his gaze made her blink. "Now what's wrong?"
Since they were alone in a most likely secured room, he didn't hesitate to reply, "Rian is having trouble at school, to the point I have to keep him from going to class for a while."
She resisted the urge to clench her fingers into a fist. "What happened?"
"Some of the children are calling him names, pushing him around, and trying to make him unhappy. Thank fuck for his cheery disposition, although I do wonder how he's hurting inside."