Page 27 of Hunting Their Omega

A scent hit me, swift and sour. Aggression.

It was subtle but unmistakable, buried beneath curiosity and eagerness.

“How many wolves live in the pack?” Isolde whispered.

Thepack, notourpack. We’d have to work on that.

“Two hundred, with another fifteen on patrol.”

Her face went white.

I pressed my lips to her hand, and her blue eyes snapped to mine. “Don’t worry, this is only a meeting. You’ll get to know everyone in time.”

She nodded and turned toward the crowd, taking deep breaths.

“Ryr hlak it'hry,” Wynn announced.

The pack is all.

The ancient language of our ancestors rolled off his tongue like gravel and rain and called to our wolves, reminding us of what was important.

“Ryr hlak it'hry” the members of the pack responded.

“This is the start of a new era for the Hidden Creek pack,” Wynn announced. “We are the ones who survived years of withering numbers due to the cruel actions of previous generations. We made it out of that darkness, believing there was a better way. I called this meeting today to discuss the future of Hidden Creek and determine how to support the entire pack, males and females, moving forward.”

The crowd began to murmur and shift in their seats. It had been twenty years since that horrible, bloody night smeared shame across Hidden Creek’s name and left the pack without an Omega.

“As many of you know, we have a new pack member—my unit’s mate.”

There was a pause, and my heart lurched. Indecision slithered through the bond. The conversation from earlier came floating back to me. The strength of our bond, the integral shifting on amolecular level, indicated she was no chosen mate, and I knew that revealing that information could have many outcomes.

“We’d like to introduce Isolde,” Wynn continued. “Our fated mate.”

Bishop held up his hand, silencing the questions before anyone could ask.

Fated mates were rare. When males participated in the Hunt, most expected to find a chosen mate, not one determined by the Goddess.

They were a thing of legend. At one point, it was every shifter’s goal—the highest blessing—to find the person born to be yours. Anyone could create a bond by marking someone and beginning the process of binding souls, connecting, sharing life forces, and feeling their presence. However, this bond could be broken or tainted.

A fated mate was an intrinsic part of oneself. When one came across their fated mate, all others paled in comparison, and their world narrowed down to a singular focus. They balanced one’s soul. And when bonded, the bond would follow them in death. If a fated mate died, so did their partner.

These blessed unions were magnified by the abilities that came with solidifying their bond. They could heal one another, call each other through thought and feeling alone, and when they were separated, they would always find their way back to one another.

By introducing her as our fated mate, Wynn had dissuaded the pack from hurting her without uttering a single threat.

A male’s mate was everything, and there were no lines he wouldn’t cross to protect her.

I rubbed at the unbreakable tether in my chest, taking comfort in my mate’s presence at the other end.

The air in the room shifted as males glanced toward Isolde to see if it was true.

“Omegas will be like every other pack member,” Wynn said. “They are free to walk around, work with the pack, get to know us, and join our runs. Isolde is only the first. Omegas have never lived among a pack, and there will be things they do not understand. Do your best to act with respect and provide help when needed. Additionally, there are many falsehoods we’ve been told regarding Omegas, and we will need to learn the truth to understand each other. Hidden Creek does not tolerate abuse of any kind—each of you will do your best to remember that.”

Wynn turned and held out a hand for Isolde. She stood without a trace of fear in her scent and laced her fingers with his.

Good, my wolf growled.Our mate should never fear our pack.

Wynn and Isolde faced the pack as one, and I joined them, angling my body toward our mate.

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