Page 29 of Hunting Their Omega

Isolde

What will you offer our pack besides lying on your back and pushing out pups?

The words were well-crafted spears forged and sharpened from years of disappointment. I stared at the beautiful blond before me and forced myself not to rear back from her scorn. I refused to reveal she’d hit her mark. I didn’t know the answer to her question because I’d never been told I could offer anything else.

Winnie’s icy blue eyes met mine. She had warned me this would happen. I found strength in her hardened stare—unspoken encouragement to let them see my fire. So, I showed them.

My lips pulled down, and I imagined Laris as the Den Mother, the Governesses, and the Council officials who belittled me.

My voice was soft as I asked, “And what do you do, Laris?”

Her brow furrowed, and her lips curled in outrage. “Excuse me?”

“What do you do?” I slowly repeated, as if she needed time to understand my words. “Since you can’t lay on your back and push out pups, how do you fill your time? I’d be happy to join anywhere that’s needed. Does anything come to mind?”

Winnie looked at me with relief and pride. I could have insulted Laris, but that tactic would bear no fruit when it came to winningover the rest of the females. I needed to make her look needlessly cruel and foolish.

A rosy hue crept over Laris’s face. “Well, there are too many for me to name at the moment.”

“Regardless, thank you for your input,” I said with a gracious smile. “I’m sure I’ll have no trouble finding a job that will benefit the pack.”

She huffed, sparing a glance around the room and going pale at the shocked, displeased, and disgusted expressions of the pack. She sat down without another word.

But I wasn’t finished. “I’m not here to replace anyone. Many of us aren’t given a choice in the role we play, and mine isn’t better or worse than yours. We’re all trying to find our place and survive after the Black War.” I directed my gaze toward the females, hoping they could see my honesty. “Maybe that would be easier if we worked together.”

Wynn darted to my side, appearing so suddenly I gasped. Our eyes met for the briefest moment before he turned his attention to the room. His approval shot straight down my spine, warming me from the inside out.

“Any last questions?” Wynn asked.

A few more males spoke up, and Wynn thoughtfully answered their questions, ensuring no one was overlooked. I couldn’t help but notice that there were no young people. Every pack member seemed to be mature, at least in their twenties. I stored that information for later. Maybe they didn’t have young pups at these sorts of things. The room settled, and our bond pulsed in my chest like a second heartbeat.

Bishop’s hand settled on the small of my back, grounding me in the present, and his breath tickled my ear as he leaned in and murmured, “Clever little mate.”

I preened at the compliment. “Only when I’m backed into a corner.”

“Useful skill to have.”

The bond flickered, and my muscles loosened as I turned back to the pack.

It couldn’t be that easy to fall for them, could it? Was I fooling myself, seeing kindness in every action because I’d never experienced it?

They are our fated. They will not harm us, my wolf reminded me.

My stomach lurched. I’d denied those words when Wynn first uttered them, but were they true? Was that the reason for my overwhelming need?

Most people thought fated mates went extinct alongside Alpha and Beta female fertility, but if that wasn’t the case, what did it mean for Omegas and the Hunt?

Dread snaked through my veins.

Could the Council be purposely keeping the Omegas away from their fated mates?

Bishop’s hand slid over mine, and he laced our fingers together. The scent of cinnamon and musk surrounded me as Alaric leaned against my back, keeping his body close as he lazilygripped my hip. Their touches were comforting, and I realized I had to become better at not advertising my emotions.

“It’s almost over,” Alaric said. “Then you can tell us what’s rolling around in that pretty head of yours.”

That was what I was afraid of.

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