Page 113 of Moon Cursed

“What kind?”

“He was a god of destruction, Daze, and Luame was a goddess of creation. Opposites. Yin and yang. But”—she slapped her hands together—“perfect for each other, because together they made something perfect—us.”

“Wow,” I replied, wishing I could think of another word. “A god of destruction? Really? I wonder why no one ever told me.”

“For the same reason no one ever told you who you are. Daze, your power is no accident or trick. You have so much more purpose than screwing your mates on a rock one night and then going home. The werewolf race only exists because of you.”

“Yeah, I know—”

“No,” she cut off, eyes intense. “I’m not talking about all that mother wolf stuff. I mean it’syou, Daze. Gods and goddesses are nothing without belief but who can believe in a floating memory in the sky? It’s you that we see. You that we trust, and you we believe in. You’re not here because of Luame. Luame only survives because we believe in you.”

“Uh, okay—”

“And it’s because you loved six men so fiercely and so absolutely that you wished for your children to be all of their children in every way. Not one father, but six. And because you, the living goddess of creation, did that, your children were born with all the powers the seven of you were meant to create. And again because it’s impossible for a human to have more than one power, you wished them immortality and”—she snapped her fingers—“Hope was born.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “That all sounds nice, but that’s not how it went. I didn’t even know Badr, Nyx, Paxton, Orion, or Edric when I got pregnant with Hope. I hardly wished for her to also be the children of five guys I didn’t know.”

“Daze, come on.” She gave me a knowing smile. “So what, you didn’t know them then. Do you really think chronological time matters to a goddess?”

“I’m not a goddess, Nia. I’m just a werewolf with no belly button.”

Now she laughed. “Oh, Daze. It pisses me off so much thinking of all the lies you’ve been told. You’re so powerful, your blood can heal, but all of that was hidden from you. You were told you needed strong mates to birth a strong generation, but you could’ve mated with a broomstick and it wouldn’t have mattered.Youare the reincarnation of the goddess of creation. The next generation of wolves is whatever you want it to be, and it would’ve been whether you mated with your mates that night, or if you killed them all.

“Youwanted the next generation to be stronger—powerful—because you were forced to spend day after day listening to the horrible things that are done to omegas on a daily basis. From that disgusting filth Mason to Odin Hayes.

“You hated how powerless you were to help us, and you hated how powerless we were to help ourselves, and so...” She reached forward, taking my hand. “You gave us power, Daze.”

“Nia.” I slowly slipped out of her hold. “Why are you talking like this? What did that person tell you on the phone?”

She threw up her hands, chuckling. “Sorry. I know I’m being super intense, but I just want you to know how much I admire you. You’re a good person, Daze, and I’m proud to call you my friend.”

“Aww.” My smile returned. “I’m proud to call you my friend too.”

“You’ve done so much more for me than you realize,” she continued, taking something out of her pocket. “You’ve fought for omegas more than anyone ever has.”

My grin dimmed seeing the piece of paper she smoothed out on the desk.

“Certainly more than any other high priestess did—”

“Nia,” I broke in. “Why do you have a sketch of the shadow? Have you seen him before?”

She nodded. “When vampires broke into our home and killed my parents, the dirty leeches burned it down. It was all I could do to get my brothers out safely. I couldn’t take any photographs with me. But thanks to you, Daze, I can finally see his face again.”

Nia stroked the sketch gently. Almost—

Lovingly.

“My father.”

A buzzing sounded in my ear.

“What did you just say?” someone asked.

I think it was me.

“I said he’s my father,” Nia repeated, nonchalant like we were talking about the weather. “He’s not some madman or some shadow. His name was Armond Dogo, and he’s been gone for a long time.”

“But— But—” I couldn’t breathe. “If he’s dead, then that means—”

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