Page 43 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

“The stone was found by an alpha-omega pair centuries ago. Nobody knows where it came from or how it got perfectly polished. All they knew was that the omega was drawn to it, and it grounded her gift. But in addition to helping her control her powers, the stone also amplified them. When in possession of the stone, a mated alpha-omega pair can extend their omega’s gift toallwolf packs. So, in this case, Brielle’s fertility gift, if we find the stone, could extend to every wolf shifter in the world.”

“Holy shit,” Leigh swore, eyes wide as she turned to look at Brielle. “Do you know what that could do for the packs? We’ve been in decline for ages.If all our women stopped dying in childbirth… Y’all, that’shuge.”

“More than that”—Reed interrupted, an excited edge to his voice—“if we could tell the other alphas that we’re on a mission to eradicate the deaths of their mates, to save their children and restore our numbers,thatis something we can rally behind as a species. That is a big enough carrot to get even the stubbornest of alphas to rally behind us against the ODL.”

Kane nodded gravely, gesturing for Elodie to continue.

“The problem is, while it could and would amplify Brielle’s amazing gifts, it also amplified Narcissa’s.”

Heavy silence fell over the room, and once again, I was confused. “Who’s Narcissa? I thought Brielle was the only living omega?”

Elodie winced. “Brielle isnow. Narcissa is the one who caused the omega wars, which led to the purge. She was the only omega to ever have the gift of war, and she used it. She picked the most powerful warmongering alpha she could find, Bran Cadogan, and together, they tried to dominate the supernatural world. Pixies were nearly wiped out, Witches were exposed to humans, hanged and burned at stakes, and vampires were sent into hiding to avoid eradication. The omega stone was deemed too dangerous. If she could do that much damage with her own influence, what could she do with the stone? The IGC wasn’t formed yet, but several species worked together to steal the stone from Pack Caelestis, whose omegas had held it safely for centuries. It hasn’t been seen since, and that was in the 1600s during the war.”

Everyone was silent for a beat as we collectively processed the bad news.

“So, it’s hopeless, then? We’re sitting ducks with a failing barrier, we need a stone that nobody’s seen for centuries to stop the damage, and we have no way to unite the packs against the people who want to hunt us down and kill us?” Shay’s quiet question broke the desolate silence.

“Don’t forget the traitors among our own kind who are following Petró Varga in his witch hunt and setting fire to Pack Caelestis’s castle,” Gael added bitterly. “They’ll hunt us down like dogs if we give them a chance.”

“Good thing we don’t intend to do that.”

My head jerked up in surprise to see one of the priestesses standing in the doorway with the bearing of a queen, hands on hips and chin high. “So, have you come to a decision? Will your pack make the sacrifice to find the omega stone?”

“We would gladly undertake this mission if we knew where to look, Lisanne.” The usually quiet Dirge spoke up, eyes glowing with his wolf.

Lisanne grinned, showing off straight white teeth and, to my surprise, elongated wolfish canines studded with diamonds, as if they were always shifted. “Well, you’re in luck, because I’m older than dirt, and I know who has it.”

TWENTY-THREE

Reed

“The dwarven king, Cysernaphus, has a hoard of legendary, mythical trinkets. Last I visited him, he was guarding it beneath the dwarven city of Neftheim, in the Dolomites. That’s where the stone is, and that’s where you’ll need to go. He’s a salty old bastard, though, and while he claims to offer legendary hospitality, whatever he gives youwillcome with a price, and it’s never a good one.”

“The Dolomites? That’s pretty close to here, isn’t it?” Fiona asked in a hushed voice.

“It is. But dwarven cities are notoriously tricky to access without an invitation. When she says in the Dolomites, she’ll meanunderthe mountain range. Dwarves are a subterranean race.” I whispered, not wanting to interrupt Lisanne.

Fiona’s mouth fell into anoof surprise. I could practically see the gears whirring in that beautiful brain of hers. “Subterranean, like, they can’t come above ground, or they don’t want to?”

“Don’t want to, but they are fair skinned as a whole and sunburn very easily.”

“So, it’s not like a vampire thing where they can’t go out into the sun or they fry?”

I shook my head. “Not all vampires fry in the sun, for the record. Vampire sires can day walk.”

She grinned, her enthusiasm for learning about the supernatural world starting to kick in more now that the initial shock had worn off.

“So that’s it, we’re all off to Italy? This sounds like some real Lord of the Rings shit.” Leigh stood, rubbing her back with a wince as she did.

“No.” Kane’s tone was firm, not leaving an inch for disagreement. “We will not all be going.” He pinned Brielle with a look, and she frowned back up at him.

“You expect me to sit here safe and coddled while our pack mates put themselves in danger on my behalf? You heard Lisanne, the dwarven king is going to expect something in return for the stone, and as I’m the one who needs it, I’m the one who should pay the price.”

Lisanne sighed, waving a hand to stop the argument we could all see forming on Kane’s lips. “You can’t leave the enclave, Brielle. I appreciate your bravery in being willing to pay the price personally, but it’s just not feasible. The barrier, struggling though it may be, is the only thing blocking your powers from the ODL right now.”

“I’m not staying locked away like freaking Rapunzel for the rest of my life,” she argued with uncharacteristic venom. “I’m sick of running, sick of everyone else paying the price for whatIam. This is my fight! I’m strong now. My wolf is free. I candothis.”

Kane turned her face to his, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. “You are so strong.Magnificent. And soon, we’ll have the packs behind us, to fight with us. But even I am not strong enough to take on the entire IGC and ODL alone, my love.” Kane seemed aggrieved to admit it, as if the admission that he wasn’t strong enough to protect his mate alone tasted bitter on his tongue. “I need you to stay here and be safe.”

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