“I’m sorry, I’m going to need you to repeat that, because I thought you just saidFucking Narcissamight be the other omega? Surely you don’t mean omega wars Narcissa?” Leigh blurted, horror tilting down the corners of her mouth.
“Unfortunately, I do. I can’t say for sure that it is Narcissa, of course, but the likelihood of two adult omegas in Brielle’s situation at the same time is… minuscule. The enclave has suspicions that Narcissa didn’t actually die during the omega wars. She and her mate, Bran, were bonded with the stone, and when the stone was shattered, they both fell, untouched. I’ve thought a lot about why two bolts shot out of the stone too. One hit me, and I’m now bonded to an omega guardian. The other… well, it would only make sense that it hit her. She was the last one bonded to it, before it was shattered.” I paused, but everyone was still staring in shocked silence, so I continued on with my theory.
“The two of them were then hidden away, but no one knew where. The only working theory is that destroying the stone while they were still bonded to it put them into some sort of… stasis? I don’t know, truly, only that it sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.” Elodie shrugged, shifting anxiously in her seat.
“And the enclave didn’t feel it prudent totell us this?” Kane snarled, turning on Galyna, who stood at Brielle’s other shoulder, as usual.
“High Alpha, I can assure you that it was not my choice to keep the information from you. But Elodie’s rendition of the information is accurate, given what I’ve been briefed on.”
“I see. Thank you.” He turned away, visibly fuming, until Brielle put one of her hands over his and squeezed.
“She’s doing her job. Elodie is only able to tell us now because she’s been released from her oath.”
“What possible benefit could there be to the priestesses for forcing them to keep this from us, though?”
The door opened with a smack, and Priestess Lisanne strode in, surveying the somber group. “Am I late? And did I hear you all throwing the name Narcissa around?”
Kane shoved to his feet. “Yes, because we were just informed she might still be alive andin Franceas we speak. Why would this information be kept from us? She is the largest threat to peace among supernaturals in history. If she’s alive, we need to prepare!”
Lisanne sighed. “You weren’t informed because it was purely speculation, not fact,” Lisanne glared at Galyna, then Elodie in rapid turn. “We can’t know what happened to Narcissa, not without the stone.” She sighed, and I swear to Goddess, I saw a sad, wistful look flit across her face before she schooled her expression.
“It was me, priestess. I won’t apologize.” Elodie stood, putting herself eye to eye with Lisanne. “Even if we’re not sure, I wouldn’t feel right continuing to keep the news from the packs. The ODL is tracking an omega in France, where multiple smaller packs have fallen out of communication.”
Lisanne studied Elodie, considering. “Sharing enclave secrets you’ve been entrusted with could cause your honorable release from service to be rescinded. Were you aware of that?”
“No, priestess.” Her entire body visibly stiffened.
“Yet this time, I think it won’t be necessary. I agree it’s time the packs had the full knowledge we do. War is upon us. What good are secrets if they save no lives?”
Elodie’s shoulders loosened a fraction, and she unclenched her fists behind her back. She still cared about the maidens’ good opinion of her, probably always would. I understood it; she cared about honor, believed in the sisterhood she’d pledged her life and loyalty to.
It was a hard place, though, between two loyalties which shouldn’t have been at odds.
“Is there anything else you need to tell us, then?” Kane asked, his tone unexpectedly cool, given the way his eyes glowed menacingly with his wolf’s presence.
“Well, there is one thing.” Lisanne’s eyes closed as if the words she was about to say cost her dearly. “I was Narcissa’s personal guard.”
Chapter 57
Elodie
Istared agape at Lisanne, the quietly lethal priestess so many of us maidens looked up to. Her deep brown cheeks were flushed, whether with shame or sorrow was a toss-up. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears when she opened them.
“You had a personal relationship with Narcissa? During the omega wars?” Brielle clarified, using her calm doctor voice.
I was glad someone was calm, because I sure as hell wasn’t. Lisanneknewthe omega who’d nearly broken the world. How the fuck had the enclave managed to keep that connection a secret and survive all these centuries since? It made no sense.
Anyone who had a close connection with Narcissa or Bran was executed in the aftermath.
Understandably so. Narcissa and Bran had committed atrocities that would put human war crimes to shame. Genocide wasn’t too strong a word for how close some of the other supernatural species had come to extinction.
I didn’t know what to think. Lisanne had been a role model for me, a priestess we younger maidens idolized for her ferocity and fighting skills.
Now that I knew she’d honed it in the war at Narcissa’s back, I felt… confused? Maybe even a little disgusted.
“I can practically hear all the hamsters running in your heads right now. Yes, even Narcissa had an assigned maiden. That is our calling and our oath. I was hers. Back then, the maidens weren’t so plentiful that we worked in teams, so it was just me traveling with them. There’s no one else you need to mistrust.”
“We don’t mistrust you, priestess. We’re just shocked,” Galyna whispered.
