Technically, I should haveimmediatelyreported what Valens said to Galyna, who was the senior partner. She’d have called the enclave, and they’d have… what? I didn’t even know. Surely they wouldn’t kick me out on suspicion of a mate bond, right?
I’d inspected every inch of my skin before getting dressed. I had no mate marks, no hard proof that anything had changed. On the outside, I was every bit the warrior maiden I’d always been. Inside? I was a mess.
But hiding out in my room wasn’t going to change a thing.
Slinging my blade over my shoulder, I strode out of the room with all the confidence in the world. And nearly ran straight into Galyna’s coffee mug.
She leaned against the edge of our small kitchen counter, contemplative gaze fixed on me. “Something’s off, and I want to know what it is.”
Never one to beat around the bush, my partner.
“What’s off?”
She arched an eyebrow, setting down the coffee cup. It was never a good sign when she put down the coffee.
“You tell me. Is it something about the new pack? Are you still injured from the power strike? If you are, I’m sure Olivia or Brielle would be happy to assess you again. We have to be at our best to protect them.”
My shoulders sagged with relief when she took the wrong path. Guilt gnawed at me for keeping things from her, but I shoved that shit down. I wasn’t hurting anyone, and I wasn’t pursuing the mate bond, so it was a nonissue.
“I slept like shit. But otherwise, I feel okay.”
She nodded, picking the coffee cup back up. “We’ll swing by and ask them to look. We’re meeting again for next steps, anyway.”
I nodded, skirting around her to pour myself a cup. It tasted bitter, but maybe that was just my own guilt.
“How long do you think we’ve got before they find us here?” I asked, taking the first sip before turning back her way.
Her one-shoulder shrug wasn’t reassuring. “Damned if I know. I’m frankly not sure why they’re not already on top of us, but I’ve got that niggling feeling that it’s no good reason.”
“I mean, we won at Wrenchet. Maybe they’re still licking their wounds?”
“We’re not that lucky. The Omega Defense League and Interspecies Governing Council are hugely powerful organizations. If they wanted to, they could bring down a combined force so large, we’d never stand a chance, maybe not even with all the packs on our side, which they likely won’t be.”
My fingertips drummed the side of my coffee cup as I considered. She was right. The ODL was large, but the IGC… It represented the combined might of almost every single magical species on earth. If theyallturned against wolves… we would be wiped out.
They’d ended a wolf threat once before, during the wars. Taken the omega stone and shattered it in the wind. What was stopping them from doing it again?
“Yeah, your expression tells me you’re thinking along the same lines I am. But we don’t have time for that. Right now, we’ve got to check in with our charges.”
Ever practical, she was right. We weren’t responsible for winning the war, just keeping the Goddess-touched females alive. That was a big enough challenge for now.
We met at the front steps of the old mansion, the ostentatious building looming above us, reflecting back the sun from its many windows.
I had to work not to bristle when Valens walked up. He nodded to me politely, but kept his distance.
Somehow, that was worse than him getting in my personal space yesterday. Lucien was right behind him, Olivia tucked under his arm, the happy glow of the newly mated about her. She saw me and waved, ducking out from under his arm to jog over to me.
“Are you feeling okay? Any ill effects from the zap yesterday?” She gestured worriedly to my chest, so I pulled the neck of my tunic aside, flashing her the spot as I turned my head away. She prodded the area with gentle fingertips, patting me lightly on the shoulder when she was done.
“Looks normal. Which is good, obviously. It’s just so strange that it would attack you like that. It’s supposed toprotectwolves, not hurt us.”
“Well, it didn’t feel great, but I survived.” I forced a big, joking smile; the kind that usually came with ease.
“Thank the Goddess,” she murmured, not at all joking. “We’ve had way too many brushes with death lately.”
That was the damn truth.
“You don’t have an omega seal on your palm, do you? You’d tell us if you did?” The question took me completely by surprise, and my face must’ve shown it, because Oli shook her head. “Never mind. I’m sorry. It’s just… There’s something different about you. I can’t put my finger on it.”
