Dean looked around and found himself in an underground chamber, not too dissimilar from the Council one. This one was smaller and had a freaky-looking altar in the middle. Dean did not want to think about what happened there. Silas used dark magic, but he only worshiped the moon as all shifters did, and he didn’t practice any freaky rituals.
This was an actual coven of dark mages. Dean hid his shudder, he didn’t want to be rude to their hosts.
He turned his attention to the people greeting them. One was a young omega with long, dark hair down to his waist. Large, vivid green eyes stared at Silas adoringly. Clearly in full fangirl mode. Dean bit his lip to hide his grin. He loved his mate’s infamy. It was like being married to a superstar.
The other person in the room was a huge alpha shifter with short brown hair and a glowing tan. Dean bristled. His wolf growled. The alpha’s scent was everywhere. Dean stood up straighter and squared his shoulders. The other alpha did the same. They glared at each other.
“Dean!” admonished Silas at the exact same time as the other omega snapped, “Erik!”
Both omegas rolled their eyes.
Dean sheepishly backed down. Erik did the same and then offered his hand.
“Welcome to Derwent coven. It’s not my territory, Luca rules here, so I can’t formally invite you but um… Alpha Darkstar, you are welcome to enter my second home.”
Dean grinned and took his hand. “Thank you Alpha, I come in peace,” he said, as if he had been formally invited into the other Alpha’s territory, and just like that, the tension eased. Both their wolves were appeased.
Silas gave Dean a quick approving smile, and then Luca was leading them somewhere. The omegas walked side by side, already deep in conversation. Dean fell into step with Erik as they trailed behind them.
Dean watched Luca curiously. Another omega who had thrown off the shackles of what society thought an omega should be and risen to great power. Derwent Coven was famous and feared. And very wealthy. Dean looked around at the marble floor and high ceilings decked with chandeliers. The wealthy part was certainly true, he concluded.
Luca led them to a study. It was all dark wood paneling, plush red carpet, and had an enormous marble fireplace. Luca went to the huge antique desk and turned on the computer. He pulled up another chair for Silas, and still chatting, the omegas started looking at whatever was on the computer screen.
Erik gestured at a plush red settee facing the desk. Dean took a seat.
“Wanna beer?” asked Erik.
Dean nodded.
Erik wandered over to a mini fridge that was cleverly hidden in the paneling. He took out two bottles of beer, opened them and walked over to Dean. Dean took one and Erik sat down beside him on the settee.
“Cheers,” said Dean, taking a sip of the beer. It was delicious.
He watched Silas and Luca. They were a similar height, and they both had glorious night dark hair. Luca’s eyes were a startling emerald green, unlike Silas’s divine dark eyes, but they both had killer cheekbones.
“They look alike, don’t they?” said Dean.
“Yep,” agreed Erik, sipping his beer.
They both watched the omegas in silence for a moment.
Erik spoke first, “Is Silas’s wolf black?”
Dean nodded. It was too much of a coincidence. They had to be related, there were just too many similarities. Dean tried to puzzle it for a moment. Silvanus couldn’t have any more pups after Silas and Luca looked a little younger than the necromancer. But Dean was rubbish at guessing people’s ages.
“How old is Luca?” Dean asked.
“Twenty-five,” answered Erik. “His father was Vincent Derwent, a human mage.”
So, not Silvanus then. “His mother?” asked Dean.
Erik took a swig of his beer. “An omega that Vincent kept captive. He murdered her when Luca was a baby.”
Dean shuddered. How awful. Silas’s mother had been sent away when he was a baby and never seen again. Could she have ended up here and born Luca a couple of years later? It was awful if it was true. Poor woman. What an unfortunate, tragic life.
“Was she called Delilah?” asked Dean. Edie had told him Silas’s mother’s name once, when he had first taken over the pack.
Erik shrugged. “Luca is not ready to find out about her. So I don’t know.”
