Page 18 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

Gael was already shaking his head. “Absolutely not. We’re pack, man. We stick together. And from what Kane was telling us, your girl’s got the mark, just like Leigh and Oli. She needs protection from the ODL too.”

“Apparently, she needs protection from random male wolf shifters, not just the ODL.” I said the words with more of a growl than I intended. Even the memory of the four males following her still pissed me off.

“What do you mean?” Leigh asked, sitting up straighter in Gael’s lap.

“That’s how we met. I was drinking at a hole-in-the-wall nearby, and she ran through the doors with four assholes on her heels. They chased her through the woods in wolf form. She thought she was going to die.”

Leigh’s eyes went wide as she glanced at Gael, then back at me. To my surprise, she pushed herself to her feet and crossed the room to where I stood. “I don’t think we told you guys because of everything happening so fast… but something similar happened to me when the castle got attacked. I was on a walk out in the forest, and when the attack happened, six males broke off from the main group and followed me.”

Shit. That would have been the clean-up call Gael made while we were evacuating the castle, though he hadn’t said much about why. I’d just assumed it was because he’d run into part of the invasion force.

“So, what the fuck is making these random males chase our women? We assumed it was the pregnancy making Leigh smell attractive to them.” Gael’s lip lifted with disgust, an emotion I mirrored. The idea of random males coming after my mate made me want to set things on fire.

“You guys really don’t know?” Galyna asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Know what?” I asked.

“It’s the marks. If an omega-marked female is unbonded, she’s basically flies-to-honey to any shifter male nearby.”

“That’s not true,” I interrupted, shooting a glance at Olivia, who sat on the edge of Brielle’s bed, fidgeting. “Olivia’s marked, and she hasn’t had any issues, right?”

Olivia nodded then ducked her head as if embarrassed by the whole conversation.

“Has she been out of the pack’s protection? It doesn’t happen to males in the alpha-omega pair’s pack. Their influence protects you as much as the females, which is why none of you pounced on Olivia or Leigh when they showed up with the omega seal. You’ll only react to the female if she’s your mate, like Gael and Leigh. But to malesoutsidethe pack…” Galyna shrugged. “They’re basically catnip once the omega seal changes their scent, until they’ve got a bonding bite. Wherever Fiona was out in the woods, she must have wandered into Brielle’s range. Or, perhaps, uh, Brielle was getting a… fresh charge from Kane at the time? Her powers could have spiked. It’s really hard to tell with her powers so drained most of the time.”

I thought back, trying to piece it together, when I realized what she meant.

Ahh. Kane fed Brielle’s powers through physical contact. If they were having sex after the bonding ceremony and her use of the lovelace on Leigh… Yeah, I’d say she was charged up around the same time Fiona’s mark appeared out in the woods.

“It’s as good an explanation as any,” Kane offered, arm around a blushing Brielle. “Leigh and Olivia didn’t get immediately marked either.”

“That’s true,” Leigh mused, looking down at her own palm. “They showed up kind of randomly for us on the same day. But with Shay feeding Bri’s power too, she’s stronger than she’s been in a long time.”

I looked back at Galyna. “So you’re saying that if Fiona goes home, any local shifters are going to hunt her down and try to, what? Claim her?”

“Not necessarily. Some might think it’s the mate bond and try to claim her. Most will just try tobreedher, for lack of a more delicate term.”

My hands started to shake, pure fury pulsed through my veins instead of blood. “Over my dead body,” I said, voice raspy with my wolf’s presence.

Galyna held up her hands in apology. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I’m not one to beat around the bush. The fact that you’ve all managed to stumble around safely this far is kind of a miracle, with how little you know about omegas.”

“Brielle and I have discussed this at length, and it’s time that ends,” Kane said solemnly.

Brielle squeezed his hand and nodded. “I think I’m ready to lift the curse.”

Several gasps sounded around the room.

“But, Brielle… If you do that, you’ll be a beacon to the ODL. They’ll come after you night and day until you’re wiped off the map,” Shay said, pleading with her friend.

“I know, Shay. I know. But we’ve tried to go about things the right way, we’ve asked the IGC for fairer treatment, and got attacked inside our own pack home. We’realready not safe. I can’t keep hiding. Maybe with my powers unlocked, we can prove that I’m not a threat, and therefore, the next generation of omegas on the way isn’t a threat.” Brielle looked at Leigh, misty-eyed and voice choked with unshed tears.

“I am high alpha of the nine great packs. My mate is an omega. The goddess clearly has her hand on our pack for a reason,” Kane said, nodding at each of the omega-sealed females around the room, and then finally at me. “I’m done hiding. The ODL can try to take us down, but we won’t be unprepared. War on our pack is war on all wolves. And I intend to make it clear that that’s the case to any wolf who thinks otherwise.”

Shock rolled through me, but I could also see how it would grate on the strongest alpha wolf in the world tohideinstead of standing up and fighting. It wasn’t his nature. It didn’t sit well with me either, but it wasn’t my call.

Did we stand a chance, though?

I didn’t know, and that was chilling.

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