Page 24 of Hunting Their Omega

What did you say?

She is ours, he growled.Our fated mate.I knew from the moment I scented her.

Her powerful scent had drowned out everything around it during the Hunt. Even then, I’d known she was ours.

The knowledge that she was our fated changed everything and nothing.

Isolde still deserved to have a choice.

She needed to choose us.

But if she walked away, did I have the strength to let her go?

Chapter 9

Isolde

A knock on the door jarred me from my panicked thoughts. Embarrassed such an innocent sound had set my pulse racing, I walked over to answer, noting that none of my mate’s scents lay beyond the threshold.

Duh, Isolde. Why would they knock? It’s their room too, I chastised myself.

Curious, I cautiously pried open the door. A familiar pair of glowing blue eyes greeted me, but I didn’t recognize the woman in the hall. She looked to be cut from the same cloth of snow and ice as Wynn, but her heart-shaped face was softer and her mouth more plush. Her white hair was styled into a blunt, angled bob, and the shiny strands danced around her chin as she smiled.

“I don’t mean to intrude, but my brother mentioned that you could use something to wear for the event tonight,” she said in a soft voice.

“Right,” I murmured, stepping aside and waving her into the room. “I’m Isolde.”

“I’m Winnie.” She dropped a stack of dresses on the bed. “I wasn’t sure of your coloring, so I brought a few options.”

Winnie rifled through the gowns as I gawked at the sheer number of choices. There were a variety of lengths, styles,patterns, and colors—some of which I’d never seen before. My fingers curled into my palms, and I shuffled my feet, unsure what to do.

Winnie angled her head to the side, noting my hesitancy. “You don’t have to change if you prefer what you have on.”

My cheeks flushed. “No. I mean, thank you. This is . . . I’ve never worn anything like this.”

Winnie studied me, no hint of emotion in her glacial eyes. “You look sweet.”

“Thank—”

“You’d better grow a backbone—and quick—or the females will eat you alive.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m going to level with you, Isolde. The males are thrilled to have you here; you’ll probably have them wrapped around your pretty little finger in no time. But there will be females who hate what you represent, and they will test you—especially if their wolves are stronger.”

I bristled. “And are you one of those females?”

She shrugged, unbothered by my tone. “I wouldn’t be here if I were.”

“But you don’t like me.”

“I don’t know you. You can think of me as a neutral party.”

Winnie’s words blazed through my mind, fiery and unyielding. They drudged up memories of every nasty look, vile comment, and punishment I’d endured simply because of my birth.

“I won’t beg to be accepted, and I certainly won’t let a few self-righteous bitches break me.” I lifted my chin. “I was born an Omega; I didn’t choose this any more than you chose to be cursed. So I won’t cower or apologize. I have to make the best of the life I’ve been given, and I suggest they do the same.”

Silence stretched between us as we stared at each other.

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