Motion from the corner of my eye drew my attention. Knox turned his back on the omegas, muttered something to Sheba, then began to walk away in the opposite direction. Sheba caught up with him, arguing all the while.
“What are they saying?” I asked Viol, who had a higher vantage point.
He squinted as he focused in on their conversation. “Knox is saying... there’s no point in staying. They lost everything when Konrad died. They’ve wasted all these years tending to his memory by keeping the tundra clan alive, but now it’s dead and rotten. He’s saying it’s time for them to move on.”
I watched their body language as the two bears loped away. Sheba was upset, but I could imagine she didn’t want to lose Knox, the only family she had left, even if it meant abandoning the smoldering wreckage of Konrad’s memory. Within minutes, the alpha polar bears rounded the side of the mountain and disappeared.
“Where did the clan alphas go?” Sorrel asked as he padded up to me. He’d been so distracted speaking to Rorik and Saffronthat he hadn’t even noticed the alphas’ departure. I was grateful for that. It meant he was already moving on.
“I have no idea,” I said truthfully. “But I don’t think they’ll be back.”
Charon walked up beside Sorrel. I noticed how close the omega bear stood to him, so that the tips of their fur brushed together.
“What do we do now?” Charon asked. “I... I don’t want to stay here.”
Sorrel frowned, looking uneasy, but his voice hardened with determination. “Me neither.”
Sensing his presence was finally needed, Jade stepped forward. He shifted to human form so as not to frighten the omegas who were still wary about dragons.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Jade. I’m Viol’s older brother, and family to Rorik as well.”
When the omegas sought Rorik’s confirmation, he nodded. His confidence in Jade was clear in his proud expression, and that confidence reassured his old clan mates.
Jade smiled calmly at the group. “Whether you wish to stay or leave, the choice is yours. I’ve arranged options either way. Please come speak to Rorik and I to discuss them.”
It took a few awkward beats, but Charon and Sorrel broke the ice by leading the way. As they began talking to Jade and Rorik, many others joined behind them.
As I watched the scene with growing calm, a speck of motion suddenly caught my eye. A snowy owl flew low in the sky, its white wings as silent as they were beautiful. The owl suddenly caught my gaze, its yellow eyes piercing and intelligent. Emotion tightened my throat. It was a silly thought, but I couldn’t help wondering if it was a descendent of the snowy owl we’d helped all those years ago.
The owl flew away, and I turned my attention back to my brother and the other omegas. I breathed out in relief. The weight of the world felt like it had been lifted off my shoulders.
But I wasn’t alone. A draconic purr rumbled in Viol’s throat as he nuzzled his face against my cheek.
“It’s all right. They’ve got this under control,” he promised.
I nodded gratefully, too tired to speak.
“You did good, Poppy,” Viol murmured.
Tears brimmed in my eyes for what felt like the millionth time today. I rested my head against my mate, comforted by his mere existence. I couldn’t have done any of this without him.
“Thank you, Viol,” I whispered. “For everything.”
His eyes flashed with emotion. In them I saw a love shining brighter than any star. He didn’t need to say the words for me to hear them.
Let’s go home.
17
Viol
It was a pleasant spring day.The quaint low-rise that stood ahead of us was framed by budding trees, and the air smelled sweet with the promise of new life.
A few months had passed since the tundra clan disbanded. With the clan alphas gone, the omegas were left to their own devices. Thank Holy Drake Jade had come up with a plan, just like Poppy anticipated. I’d never been so damn grateful for my brother’s nosy interventions.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Things were rough in the beginning, while each tundra clan omega decided what they wanted in life. They weren’t a monolith anymore. For the first time, they were able to choose for themselves, and so they fractured into separate groups. Some stayed in the tundra; not as members of the dissolved clan, but as wild shifters, seeking out their own territory and mates.
Others veered in the opposite direction. Downplaying their animal forms, they decided to try living a human life among other humans in the integrated city—with a little financial help from Jade and the rest of us. Of course, urban living wasn’tall about money. Jade hired Winnie—our human secretary—to teach the city omegas all about humans so their choice wouldn’t be a leap of faith.
