"The other ferals," Stone said eventually. "The ones at the Healing Center. Will they..."
"The council is reviewing all feral cases," Vince replied. "I’ve asked for all records to be thoroughly re-examined."
"What does that mean for them?" Cal asked.
"It means more resources. More research into reversal techniques. And..." Vince looked at me. "More involvement from Lumi, if she's willing."
"Of course I'm willing."
"It won't be easy. Some of those wolves may have been in feral states for decades. The damage might be too extensive to repair."
"But some might recover," I said. "Like Gray. Like Ben. If there's even a chance..."
"Then we try," Rae finished. "That's what this program was always supposed to be about. Helping wolves who need help the most."
"Before Twilson tried to get it shut down," Kade muttered.
"I think we need to expand." Rae set down her fork. "New protocols. New staff. A genuine focus on recovery instead of control."
"With Lumi at the center," Silas said quietly.
Everyone looked at him. The white wolf had been silent throughout the meal, watching and listening with those knowing eyes.
"The Omega is the key," he continued. "She always was. That's why Emory's people worked so hard to eliminate them—not because they were dangerous, but because they made the council's control mechanisms obsolete."
"What do you mean?" Neal asked.
"Council authority has always rested on the ability to sever bonds. To break connections when wolves becomeinconvenient." Silas's gaze found mine. "But Omega bonds can't be severed. Wolves who bond to an Omega are beyond the council's reach. Permanently."
I thought about the rings around my mates' eyes. The marks that branded them as mine, as unreachable by any force any council could bring.
I looked around the table. At the five men who were already bound to me. At Rae and her massive pack. At a family that had formed despite everything working against it.
"I'm already responsible for the ferals in some way," I said. "I have been since the first day I walked into the Healing Center and Gray sat down at my feet. Whether there are formal bonds or not, they're mine. I can't abandon them."
"No one's asking you to abandon anyone," James said gently. "We're just trying to understand the scope of what we're dealing with."
"The scope is whatever it needs to be." I met his eyes. "I'm an Omega. Apparently the first one in thirty years. I can help wolves that no one else can help. So that's what I'm going to do."
Stone's hand found mine under the table. Squeezed.
"We'll do it together," he said. "All of us."
The others nodded. One by one, around the table, my pack confirmed their commitment. Not just to me—to the ferals. To the work that needed to be done. To building something better from the wreckage of what Twilson and Emory had created.
"Well," Ash said, breaking the solemn moment with a grin. "I guess dinner parties at our house are going to get a lot more crowded."
Alexandra bounced in her seat. "More friends for Lulu?"
"Something like that, sweetheart."
"Can I help? I'm good at being friends."
I reached over and ruffled her hair. "You're the best at being friends. We're going to need you."
She beamed.
The rest of dinner passed more easily. The heaviest revelations had been shared; now we could breathe. Luca brought out dessert—some kind of chocolate thing that Alexandra declared "the best ever"—and conversation drifted to lighter topics.
