Page 115 of Moon Cursed

“I’ve lied to everyone,” she hissed. “Not even my brothers know what I am or who I was born to be. It had to be that way because children of Ola are smothered in their cribs the day they’re born.”

I lurched back, eyes huge. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. They feared us. They feared us and our power just like Luame feared Ola. Luame betrayed her mate, locked him in an eternal prison, and erased his true story. When werewolves formed the first packs and the alphas took over, they decided if getting rid of Ola was good enough for Luame, it was good enough for them.

“A goddess of creation who gives everyone wonderful powers—yay,” she mocked. “But a goddess of destruction who rips your soul out of your chest? No, thanks.

“The secret police searched all the hospitals on the night you were born, but my parents never made it,” she said. “They broke down on the side of the road and Mom gave birth to me in the woods. That saved my life.

“After that, they moved out of that forest community and into another. They lied about the day I was born, and even told people I was their niece to be safe. Anything to get the secret police off their trail. That worked for a long time until some rapey, alpha perv commanded me to strip and give the wolfball team lap dances.” Her lips twisted. “He filmed the whole thing, put it on Loop Garou, and just for a second you can see—”

“—that you don’t have a belly button.”

She nodded. “Just like that, they found me and brought me before the alpha council. I was sixteen. My parents were gone. My brothers needed me. I begged for my life by offering to work for them instead and... they took the deal.”

“You don’t have some mega-jacked omega power, do you.” It wasn’t a question. “People can’t attack you because of what you do to their souls.”

“People can’t attack me because their souls start dying whenever they’re around me,” she corrected chirpily. “Matter of fact, too long in my presence and they drop dead. But don’t worry,” she added quickly at the look on my face. “It takes days. No, for right now, your wolf is just being lulled into a deep sleep that she won’t wake up from. And a sleepy soul is not a ragey, attacky soul.

“But even so, it’s not a perfect power. Some souls are so fucking rotten, there isn’t anything more I could do to kill them.

“Mason,” we said at the same time.

She nodded, face tightening. “I thank you again for that, Daciana. You saved me. You risked yourself to protect me, and that’s when I made up my mind to never hurt you.” Nia held out her hand to me. “We’re both victims in this world that’s done nothing but keep us down and try to control us. We shouldn’t be enemies. We’renotenemies. I want us to be allies in this fight, just like we have been.”

“What fight?”

“You made Paxton co-leader of the clan. I was hurt by that,” she admitted. “You should’ve chosen me, but now that you know the truth, it will be me. We will lead the clan and then all of Wolf Nation.”

“Lead them to what, Nia?”

She blinked like she just noticed I was speaking. “To true freedom, of course. The end of alpha dominance. The end of werewolves skulking around in the woods, hiding from creatures who should fearus. And the end of Luame worship.

“It’s time for Ola to rise again and lead the wolves out of the dark.”

“I see.” I reached behind me, grasping Hope’s juicy little thigh and reassuring myself she was safe. “And how exactly would we do that?”

“Not by forcible breeding and murdering thousands of babies,” Nia cried, rolling her eyes. “Gods, the alpha council were a bunch of psychopaths. You could knock all their heads together and you wouldn’t come up with one conscience.

“No, we won’t be doing anything so genocidally horrific.”

“Well,” I said slowly, releasing Hope. “That’s something at least.”

“Of course.” She laughed. “What? Do you think I’m insane? I would never sacrifice thousands of innocent babies. I’d only sacrifice one baby.

“Hope.”

I went very still. “Excuse me?”

“We’d only need to sacrifice Hope,” she repeated—still light and casual like we were talking about nothing important. “She’s perfect, Daze. She’s the most powerful being in the world. More powerful than even the fae. And if that wasn’t enough, you blessed her with immortality.

“When we sacrifice her in the ritual to summon Ola, he’ll be able to slip right into the body her soul will vacate. A powerful, immortal body that can contain a god without burning to ash.”

My claws extended.

“Okay, wait,” she said, seeing my hands. “Just listen. I know it doesn’t sound ideal, but right now all the gods are just floating whispers in the sky. They’re useless. When Ola walks the earth again, he’ll have true power. Not just to take the planet back from the mundanes, leeches, fae, and demigods. But the power to take the alphas’ command ability, and give it to the omegas.” She held her hands out to me, eyes glittering with something I should’ve seen before.

Madness.

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