Page 48 of Shrine of Fire

As I watched this new development with interest, I caught the scent of alpha. I froze, my eyes widening. One of the old woman’s men was an alpha, and the other two were betas. I looked more carefully and saw that all four of them had the silvery scars of old bondmarks on their necks.

“Yes, I’m an omega.” The woman sat down heavily. Wrinkles creased her weather-beaten face, and her gray and white hair was pulled back into a simple braid. “Haven’t seen another omega in years. Wanted to see how you fared.”

She studied me, and I sat up straighter.

“You’ll do,” she said finally, and everyone around us relaxed. “Strong magic, though, so you’ll need to get that under control and soon.”

“Yes ma’am.” I nodded my head, feeling oddly like I was talking to one of the Sisters at the Omega Sanctuary.

“I expect you’ll want to see the Shrine of Rolling Clover?” She looked at Chief A’Cuiric.

“We are making arrangements,” the Chief replied. He gestured at the woman. “This is Liafa, a wise woman who provides us with much-needed counsel.”

“And the occasional slaps of common sense when required.” Liafa cackled. “This is my pack: Muar, Siam, and Ragnit.”

“It’s good to meet you,” I said, and introduced Stefan, Hashir, Aki, and Kalahar. The men all nodded their respect, and I couldn’t help but watch how Liafa’s pack treated her with reverence.

I didn’t see older omegas with their packs often. Settled omegas didn’t usually have a place in society, so it was nice to see in Fairuin that they valued omegas beyond their ability to go into heat and anchor alphas.

“We are well met, then.” She slapped the table. “Now, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

Servants brought in trays, and soon platters covered every inch of the table. There were tureens of rich vegetable soup, a long platter of roasted ducks stuffed with onions, carrots, and potatoes, and several large silver dishes filled with mashed parsnips, green beans, and pearl onions in a white sauce. Baskets of rich dark bread, and light yeasty rolls, along with flat fried bread, with three different types of jams and honeys, covered the table, and I felt myself feeling hungry for the first time since I had lost my pack.

We helped ourselves, adding food to our plates until I wasn’t sure I could eat it all.

Stefan offered me food before serving himself. It was a sweet gesture. It showed the world he was an attentive fiancé, but I didn’t feel like he was doing it for appearances. I touched his shoulder, relieved he was here to help me through the weirdness of our mission.

After draining his goblet and belching loudly, Cuan filled his cup again and raised it to me. “I hope you have an adventurous palate, my lady. We have brought some of our finest delicacies for you to sample this evening.”

“Our guests are free to eat whatever they wish,” Chief A’Cuiric told his son. His craggy face did not look amused. “It would be poor hospitality indeed to have them dine on anything that looked less than appetizing.”

“I haven’t been this hungry in ages.” I smiled. “Did you have any recommendations?”

Cuan gestured at a large platter of greyish meat swimming in brown gravy. “Then you must try our Sheep’s Delight. It is the tenderest part of the sheep, the brains, which has been marinating in a brine of beer and vegetables for three days.”

“Sounds delicious.” Hashir had added a little bit of everything to his plate, I was pleasantly surprised to notice. “When I traveled to Ikaulix, I tried a similar dish, only it was made with monkey brains and used tropical fruits.”

“Fruits.” The Chief rubbed his chin. “An interesting thought. We could stuff the roast with apples, pears, and cranberries. I shall ask the cook to experiment.”

I took a sample from the platter of Sheep’s Delight. “I like trying new things.”

“Thank goodness for me, yes?” Cuan winked at me and took a long guzzle from his goblet.

“Stop being so boorish,” the brown-haired man next to him said, elbowing his side.

“I am merely trying to get to know my intended, Kili,” Cuan said. “This is my shield mate, Kili, my brother in arms. He can be a bit of a stick in the mud at times, especially at feasts.”

Kili rolled his eyes but didn’t respond.

“I have a question, my lady, about your pack.” Cuan cocked his head toward me as he leaned his arms on the table. In the candlelight, his golden hair almost glowed. There were several thick scars across his massive forearms. He was tall, taller than even Hashir, and built like he was made from the same stone of the fort.

I brought my mind out of the gutter before I could wonder if other parts of the big beta were extra-large.

“Please, call me Nova.”

“Then you may call me by my boyhood name, Cuan.” His eyes twinkled with mirth. “Forgive my ignorance, for we do not have many alphas or omegas here. I was wondering, how many men are you planning on adding to your pack?”

The conversation around us stumbled, and even Lord Baylin paused his conversation with one of the chiefs.

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