Page 83 of The Omega Thief

Apparently, Flynn had been the name of a fisherman that had shown Fetch how to eel, and then had drowned last year after his boat had gotten caught in a storm. Attiker knew Flynn was going to grow up a good man.

“I want to talk about your wolf.”

Attiker smiled. Over the last day, he’d accepted he couldn’t shift, and to be honest, he didn’t care. If Eldara had to bring him out in an emergency, then he was fine with that. He thought he could feel his wolf. He hadn’t seen him in his mind, but there was a rippling awareness there, and Raz had said his own wolf was content, so that was that.

He wished he’d had the chance to ask about Zaphyra’s dragon daddy, but when he’d woken in Raz’s arms that morning, it was with the memory of a much larger, deep blue dragon, with Zaphyra curled up in between his legs as Eldara launched herself into the sky.

And he loved that. That Daddy was given babysitting duties while Mama took care of business was the best thing he’d ever seen.

“You’re not listening to me.”

Attiker forced himself to concentrate. He adored this woman, but really, they’d had a trying few days.

“There’s a legend.”

Attiker raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t there always? Ow,” he grumbled as Grandmother slapped his hand.

“About the white wolf.”

And suddenly, Attiker was listening very intently. “Does Raz know?” Grandmother shrugged.

“He will have been told, I don’t doubt, but that boy was always more interested in his military classes than his history.” Attiker schooled his eyebrows to remain still so he wouldn’t get another slap.

“How do you know?”

“Because I paid attention to my tutors,” she added dryly. “I’m assuming you met her on Fire Mountain?” But she shook her head. “No, don’t tell me. Not that it won’t get out, and some idiots will look, but she healed your wolf, so I think she can take care of herself.”

“My wolf?” Attiker repeated.

“Grandson, you know you have a wolf even if you can’t shift. You just need to learn to listen to him.” Attiker opened his mouth indignantly, but then a ripple of something almost like humor passed through his mind, which shut him up.

“Supposedly, thousands of years before the Fenrirs, the five kingdoms were the home for dragons. Of course, that was before there were even five kingdoms in the first place. Do you remember Carter telling you about Prince Algred and his tame dragon?”

Attiker gazed at Grandmother, a thought trickling into his head.

She smiled when she realized he understood. “Yes, the dragon was Algred’s omega, but the dragon shifters were forced to keep their identity a secret, so Algred was challenged for the throne in the same manner as you.”

“Why?”

“Because supposedly whoever mated with a dragon was gifted incredible powers, so they were sought out, captured, and imprisoned because of fear or greed or a combination of both.”

“Wait, are you telling me Eldara can shift to a human?” Attiker asked incredulously.

“No, Grandson.” She smiled. “The only dragon shifters were male, and no dragons have even thought to have existed for over a thousand years. Dragon shifters were incredibly rare even then. There were tales that only one would be born every thousand years, but I have no idea if that isn’t simply a story told by people who were deep in their ale jugs.”

“And the dragonet is a girl.”

Grandmother’s eyes widened alarmingly.“A dragonet?”she whispered, then she clasped Attiker’s hand tightly. “You can never tell.” Attiker nodded. “She would be hunted.”

“Why now, though? I mean, I understand before because of the challenge.”

Grandmother sighed. “It could all be superstitious nonsense, but dragons have always been thought to have had strong magical powers, and the man that controls one would be unstoppable. You saw her save your life by making you shift.” And Attiker thought about the way Eldara had just vanished in front of him and agreed.

“So it was about money and power as most things generally are,” he said. “But what has that to do with my wolf?”

Grandmother patted his hand. “Legend tells us that the first ever wolf shifters were created by a dragon because the dragon fell in love with a wolf and created him a form that meant they could be together. The wild wolves were always black or brown, but after the change, the wolf’s coat was pure white.”

Attiker glanced down at himself as if he could almost feel the fur on his skin and expected to see it.

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