Page 39 of Sinful Shifters

And we aren't the only ones moving in his direction. All around the town, werewolves come out of their houses and finish their business, headed straight towards him. Our escort seems eager to do the same.

Ali tugs on his sleeve and asks him, "What's going on?"

He explains, "The savior has come to us in our time of need. The Steward of the Sky, our alpha. Just as he was meant to be, foretold centuries ago by the god himself."

Shifting to human form, I find myself jostling shoulders with the crowd to get close to Lucian. He sees me and motions for them to let me through, then reaches out to take my hand and pull me up with him.

As I adjust to the wind beneath my feet, he draws me against his side and raises his voice to the crowd.

"This is Caterina, my fated mate and intended, who will soon be your leader as well," he says to a hushed audience. "I will be your alpha, and she will be your omega—as it was always meant to be."

I hear the wordomegago up in the crowd, and worry that Lucian has made a mistake. This pack may be isolated and different from the other packs, but they're still modern. They may not believe in omegas, or want one in their midst.

Thale meets my eyes, and I can see the same worry reflected in his face.

But to my shock, a moment later, a cheer breaks out.

And I hear people shout my name."Caterina! Caterina!"

It's a very different reception from the one I've received from my own pack. Feeling a knot unwind in my chest, I wonder if we could actually be lucky this time around.

Maybe everything doesn't always have to be a battle to survive.

Chapter30

Rina

The Sky Pack is eager to have a new alpha. Their last alpha, a man named Gabriel Wing, had three different mates in his long life, but none of them bore children. His warriors are mostly older, in their forties at the youngest, and the pack in general seems to have very few young couples or children.

When we ask one of the warriors, Devin Storm, what the story is, she explains with sadness in her voice. "For years, we've been losing young wolves to the lowlands. They desert us to become lone wolves or form loose packs without a true alpha."

"Why—what draws them away?" Everett asks, his tone concerned.

"Many of our mating ceremonies have been going wrong. They produce only weak mating threads, if any at all. And when we do join mates together, they struggle to conceive. We haven't had a baby in years. A good half of the lone wolves in the area were once pack members."

Thale rumbles, murmuring to me, "Some of the warriors I folded into Mountain Pack have Sky Pack runes. They must be who she's talking about."

"Will it get better once Lucian is alpha?"

"It should—though they'll need to recruit fresh blood. And it'll be years before their mating threads are strong enough to bear healthy children."

Unease spreads through me as we get a tour of the pack lands. They're beautiful, but you can feel the sadness of a pack without children.

Ali is excited, pointing out gorgeous buildings carved into the stone. "Those columns! And the overhang—it's all so gorgeous. Are these marble tiles?"

"Yes, hewn from marble found here," Devin declares, seemingly glad to speak of something less sad than lost mates and children. "All our architecture is a nod to the old ways, and was hand carved by the pack over the years."

As we walk up the mountain, through a commercial district hewn into the rock itself, Everett pauses and tilts his head. "Is that water I sense beneath our feet?"

"An underwater spring!" Devin grins with pride. "We have fresh, clean water, even when the long winter keeps us away from the lowlands."

They seem to be enjoying the tour, but all I can see is the worried faces.

Maybe we got lucky, coming to this pack just after their alpha died, without any opposition. Or maybe Teller didn't bother to invade because he knows how weakened this pack is. Their wellspring may not be worth the effort for him, especially with Fury Pack and River Pack still out there unprotected by the gods.

If Lucian is able to restore the wellspring here, that'll all change. But not overnight. Meanwhile, the pack will be vulnerable, even with a god at the head.

I share my worries with the Wind God as we ascend the stairs to the Mating Circle. "There are so few warriors left in Sky Pack. The ones that are here all seem to be in their forties or fifties. They're strong and loyal, don't get me wrong—but what happens in the next twenty years?"

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