Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Daze, come on.” She gave me a knowing smile. “So what, you didn’t know them then. Do you really think chronological time matters to a goddess?”
“I’m not a goddess, Nia. I’m just a werewolf with no belly button.”
Now she laughed. “Oh, Daze. It pisses me off so much thinking of all the lies you’ve been told. You’re so powerful, your blood can heal, but all of that was hidden from you. You were told you needed strong mates to birth a strong generation, but you could’ve mated with a broomstick and it wouldn’t have mattered. You are the reincarnation of the goddess of creation. The next generation of wolves is whatever you want it to be, and it would’ve been whether you mated with your mates that night, or if you killed them all.
“You wanted the next generation to be stronger—powerful—because you were forced to spend day after day listening to the horrible things that are done to omegas on a daily basis. From that disgusting filth Mason to Odin Hayes.
“You hated how powerless you were to help us, and you hated how powerless we were to help ourselves, and so...” She reached forward, taking my hand. “You gave us power, Daze.”
“Nia.” I slowly slipped out of her hold. “Why are you talking like this? What did that person tell you on the phone?”
She threw up her hands, chuckling. “Sorry. I know I’m being super intense, but I just want you to know how much I admire you. You’re a good person, Daze, and I’m proud to call you my friend.”
“Aww.” My smile returned. “I’m proud to call you my friend too.”
“You’ve done so much more for me than you realize,” she continued, taking something out of her pocket. “You’ve fought for omegas more than anyone ever has.”
My grin dimmed seeing the piece of paper she smoothed out on the desk.
“Certainly more than any other high priestess did—”
“Nia,” I broke in. “Why do you have a sketch of the shadow? Have you seen him before?”
She nodded. “When vampires broke into our home and killed my parents, the dirty leeches burned it down. It was all I could do to get my brothers out safely. I couldn’t take any photographs with me. But thanks to you, Daze, I can finally see his face again.”
Nia stroked the sketch gently. Almost—
Lovingly.
“My father.”
A buzzing sounded in my ear.
“What did you just say?” someone asked.
I think it was me.
“I said he’s my father,” Nia repeated, nonchalant like we were talking about the weather. “He’s not some madman or some shadow. His name was Armond Dogo, and he’s been gone for a long time.”
“But— But—” I couldn’t breathe. “If he’s dead, then that means—”
“It means...” Cold, dimming eyes met mine. “The shadow is me.”
I jumped up, shooting between her and Hope. “Nia, what the fuck is going on!?”
“You would need to ask that.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Gods, it makes me so mad that they kept so much from you. All your life you’ve only been told about high priestesses like you. Children of Luame who birth the next generation and keep the werewolves alive. But what no one ever told you is every hundred years, another child is born on the same day and at the same minute as the child of Luame. Another high priestess,” she said. “A child of Ola.”
My mind latched on one single word. “Priest-ess.”
“That’s right. A girl—now woman.” She threw out her hands. “Hi, sis.”
I breathed hard, sucking lungfuls in too fast to hold on to them. All I was thinking was one thing—I wouldn’t be able to shift and hold Hope, so what would I do if Nia did shift to stop us?
“Thinking about running away?” Nia asked, quirking a brow. “There’s no need for that. I mean you no harm, Daze. If I did, don’t you think I would’ve killed you a long time ago? Well, I almost did after you landed me in the hospital, but in the end, I forgave you because you were checking me out just like I was checking you out. We both passed the test.” She beamed at me. “We earned each other’s respect.”
“I don’t understand this.” My throat was too strangled to do more than whisper. “You’re a soul stealer? How?”
She shrugged. “Your mother gave you a special power. My father gave me one too. Not that big of a surprise.”
Our mother and father. She wasn’t speaking of the ones who raised us. She was talking about Luame and Ola.
“Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out already,” she continued, cocking her head. “I came right out and told you that I was in the room when they killed Rici. Do you really think the alpha council would’ve let little old omega me run around with a secret like that in my head, without bashing it in? Of course I had to be special to them in some way.”