Victoria blinked. "A female head Protector?"
The woman leaned forward. "Is that a problem?"
Jose growled. "Be nice, Cris."
Cris raised her brows. "I can be nice later. Her safety is more important, which means understanding my role here. I can't have her doubting my authority or ignoring my orders, because that might get her killed."
The man to Wes's right sighed. "Ignore Cris. It's not easy being a female Protector, let alone a head one. She comes off as aggressive, but she cares deeply for the clan." Cris growled at him in warning, but the man ignored her. "My name is Troy Carter, and I'm the clan's head doctor. You'll be seeing me more than probably anyone else on PineRock, apart from Jose, of course."
She nodded at the doctor, grateful for his smile and kind eyes. Not everyone would hate her here, it seemed.
The clan leader spoke again. "And just call me Wes, Victoria. Mr. Dalton sounds like my father." He leaned forward and continued, "With the introductions out of the way, let's get down to business. Victoria, you're to stay here until the baby is born. After that, you'll have an option of staying, but only if you convince us three that you truly want to be here, regardless of the consequences. Not even for Jose’s dragon’s sake will I force someone to live with us." Jose tightened his grip on Victoria's shoulders, but the clan leader carried on unfazed. "Which means you'll have to abide by the clan rules above all. There's no halfway point here—you're either with the clan or outside of it. Do you understand?"
Even though Wes's eyes were kind, they were also steely. She could only imagine what happened if someone dared to piss him off.
Which, of course, she had zero interest in doing. She wouldn't stand a chance against an angry dragon-shifter, and that was before they changed into a big, scaled beast.
She nodded. Wes then waved to either side of him. "Cris and Dr. Carter will help coordinate your stay at the beginning. But after that, you'll have lessons with the clan teachers, as well as learn plenty of stuff from Jose and his family. However, if for any reason you feel threatened or in danger, you come straight to me, okay?"
Jose growled. "I will protect her."
Wes moved his gaze to him. "I know that's your intent. But it's just a precaution and the standard protocol. You know that. Even if Victoria is the first human to live on PineRock for quite some time and is your true mate, the rules haven't changed."
She frowned at that, and something hit her. "Are there any other humans here?"
Wes shook his head. "You're the only one."
"Oh." She'd assumed at least some of the dragons had hu
man mates.
Which meant she'd be completely surrounded by a different species, with their own ways and expectations. No one else would truly understand her situation, let alone would she have a friend with whom she could rant a little when she got frustrated.
Sure, she wanted to make this work with Jose, but there were always times when a girl needed to vent a little. And she doubted they'd let her reach out to her human best friend back in Vegas.
Could she handle the isolation?
As if sensing her slightly rising panic, Ashley said, "After a few months, you can have visitors, provided they pass the background check. Not to mention I'll be stopping by often to check on you, so much so that everyone will get sick of me soon enough."
Even though she hadn't known the ADDA employee long, Victoria already liked her. "I doubt that'll happen."
Jose grunted. "Oh, it will."
Ashley gave him a glance before looking back at the clan leader. "I have all the paperwork with me. Shall we go get this the hell over with?"
Wes's lips twitched. "I should report your unprofessional attitude to ADDA."
"But won't. You never did before."
As they shared a look, Victoria wondered at their history.
However, Ashley stood up and everyone else followed suit. Wes looked back at Victoria. "Jose will show you to your cabin, but know that you have appointments with both Cris and Dr. Carter later today. The sooner you know what to expect, the sooner you can try to establish a routine. From what I understand, you'll be working while living here."
She bobbed her head. "I teach online high school classes. They'll be starting up soon, and I want to keep it up."
"As long as you don't divulge secrets, that'll be fine. But the second you cause trouble, you'll have to quit."
His edict rubbed her the wrong way, but she had no choice but to accept it. Her future, the one where she could stay with her child, dangled in the balance. "I understand."