Page 62 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

“Umm, sir, that is way more important a headline than me deciding to work on my powers. How long will it take us to get there?”

“A couple of hours, but a lot of that is security more so than distance. We chose this hotel because it’s the closest to the tunnel road down to Neftheim. I’d recommend wearing your warmest clothes and packing an overnight bag. It’s pretty chilly underground.”

“You’ve been to the city before?”

“I’ve been toadwarven city when I was a kid. But not this one. They’re pretty special. I think you’ll enjoy the trip.”

“And the king—do you have any ideas what he might ask for in exchange for the stone?” I had been trying not to worry about it, but everyone’s reactions when Lisanne had said there would be a price had made me nervous.

The waiter arrived just then with our plates, and we both thanked him and took our first bites before Reed answered.

“It’s more likely to be a task than it is a monetary price. The dwarven king is older than dirt and richer than Croesus. He doesn’t need more gold. It could be anything. Something he needs, or even just something difficult he thinks we won’t be willing to do, if he doesn’t want to give us the stone. Dwarves are often reticent, wary of outsiders.”

I nodded, soaking it all in. “Do you think it will be dangerous, this task?”

“It could be, or safe but highly unpleasant.”

“Like what? I feel like I know so little about your world, I can’t even imagine.”

He smiled, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand. “Ourworld now. He could want us to bargain with the pixie king, secure him trade route access in the north through the tundra, or—and this is the one I think is most likely—he could want some kind of personal treaty with Kane. A new high alpha is an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often. Kane’s father ruled for nearly five hundred years, his grandfather a full thousand. The fact that Kane is young and unencumbered by ties to other species yet means the dwarven king could be one of the first to form an alliance with the superpower of the shifter world.”

“All things considered, that doesn’t sound too bad. But you say shifter world—aren’t there other species of shifters? Surely wolves aren’t it.”

Reed grinned at me. “Very perceptive, mate. Yes, there are many other types of shifters. Felines, avians, bears… It’s actually an impressive list. But most of them are loners, without the kind of pack structure wolves have. Bears are the second-largest shifter society, but they’re a hundredth the size of the wolves.”

“Wow. Okay, so Kane is actually a pretty big deal in the supernatural world?” He seemed so normal. Even I could tell he was powerful, but thus far, I hadn’t seen him flex any of it, aside from the little bit in the courtyard when he ordered the females away from Reed.

“A very big deal. That’s why Petró Varga wants to take him down and usurp his position as high alpha.”

“Don’t wolves just fight if there’s a question about who should lead? Can’t Kane challenge him to a duel or whatever the wolf equivalent is?” I scraped the bottom of my plate of delicious fresh pasta bathed in savory tomato-sauce goodness, then moved on to the bread and plate of tiny scrumptious cheeses they served with every meal here. I was learning so much, I didn’t want the meal to end.

“If it weren’t for Brielle, that’s exactly what he would do. But Petró started a rumor that Brielle is an omega, which means everyone is hunting our pack right now.” His expression turned dark at the reminder of his pack’s grim situation.

“Hence the reason she can’t leave the enclave, and he can’t leave her to deal with Petró.”

“Exactly.”

“So, we get this stone, she reins in her power, and then…what? He comes out of hiding, wipes the floor with Petró, and everything’s just gravy?”

“Not quite. Petró is only the first in a line of issues. We tried to get the IGC to adjust their laws on omegas, give them a chance to grow up and prove they were not a threat to society. But when Petró came out with his accusations, they threw out our petition. Brielle’s existence is still illegal. Kane is working on getting the other packs on our side as we speak, call by call with the other Alphas who’ve already pledged loyalty. But once Petró’s taken care of and the infighting stops, the packs are going to be up against all the other species who want omegas to stay dead.”

I sat back in my chair, saddened by all of it. It was nothing short of genocide to wipe an entire designation off the planet, and hurt the whole species as a result.

“What if they don’t listen, won’t bend?”

He tapped the table, staring down at the empty plates between us. When he looked up, his eyes glowed icily with his wolf.

“Then we fight.”

THIRTY-ONE

Fiona

We left in the early hours the next morning for the city of Neftheim. To my surprise, we were traveling on foot, carrying our overnight packs. Elodie took her sword out of its padded case after about an hour of walking, strapped it to her back in plain sight, and hid the case behind a rock.

The mountain range loomed high and imposing overhead, and the temperature had dropped several degrees as we got closer to the base of the nearest outcropping.

My fingers were practically numb by the time we finally stopped for a water break, and Leigh was muttering under her breath. “Definitely some Lord of the Rings shit.”

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