Chapter 56
Valens
My mind was admittedly elsewhere as we walked into the prewar council. Mainly on why the sword hadn’t bonded to Elodie.
I was certain it would, but perhaps it required something extra? I had no clue what, besides possibly a bond. I’d felt the pull, and she hadn’t yet. So it could purely be a matter of timing. Tonight, I would dig into the journals I’d been conveniently ignoring since finding the chest.
I wasn’t a huge reader, admittedly, and the tiny, hand-scrawled pages made my vision swim. But… if something in there could ease our transition into our roles as guardians, it would be worth making the effort.
Regardless of the sword, I was eager to bond, but didn’t want to push Elodie into discussing it. She was going through a lot of change right now, so I was trying to wait a while. Let things settle, then make a plan that felt right to her. Let her lead it at her own pace.
The last time I assumed I knew what she wanted, I’d royally fucked it up. Live and learn, and don’t do the same dumb shit twice. Words to live by.
“Welcome, welcome,” Reed said, gesturing for us to take the two seats next to him and Fiona.
Elodie did, nervously tucking her hands under her thighs after she sat.
I wrapped my arm around the back of her chair, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She glanced my way, so I mouthed, It’s going to be okay.
A nervous smile, but then she was back to business, focusing on what Reed was reporting.
“We’ve had a good response from the packs, but not complete.”
“Still?” Kane asked, leaning forward, rubbing his face wearily. “Who’s missing?”
“That’s the thing. It’s mostly smaller packs from one geographic area. Mostly in and around France, but we’re not getting responses as far east as Austria.”
“France?” Kane repeated. “Have we done something to anger the French packs, or…” He trailed off with a sigh. “Are they angry at any of the packs already here? I don’t keep up with wider European politics as much as I should.”
Dirge snorted from his seat. “Who does? Boring.”
“Duchesses are not boring,” Shay said, elbowing him in the ribs.
“As far as I’m aware, there are no current dustups, political tensions, or wars that should prevent them from coming.
But further, they would typically be answering the phone and very loudly telling me what they’re upset about.
Currently? Radio silence. It’s like they’ve fallen off the face of the planet. ”
“Something’s happened there. Keep trying, and give me an update every twelve hours until the missing packs arrive or are in contact.”
“Consider it done.” Reed whipped out his cell phone and went back to work as the meeting moved on.
“Any update on the stone?” Lucien asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Brielle answered, pulling it out of the pouch at her belt she now carried it in.
The stone was angrily pulsing, which seemed like an escalation from preheat, when it just looked fractured.
Now it seemed like a war was being waged within.
“Hey, guys…” Leigh said, pausing to bite her lip and look anxiously around the room.
“The packs in France have gone dark, the stone is angry, and the PackNet news said they’re tracking two omegas.
We assumed the second one was Poppy.” She protectively dropped a hand to her belly.
“But why is PackNet reporting an ODL operation happening right now in France?”
“What?” Reed spluttered, squinting at the screen she held up.
There was a live raid happening, some reporter filming as one of the pack mansions in the French countryside was raided by uniformed enforcers in broad daylight.
“It’s not Poppy they’re after, then,” Fiona said, shooting Leigh a triumphant grin. “You’ve still got time.”
“So it would seem. But who’s the other omega?” Leigh asked, genuinely confused like the rest of the pack.
“I think I might know,” Elodie said softly at my side, and the room fell silent. Across the room, Galyna stiffened, and I knew she knew what Elodie was about to say. I studied her, watching the internal struggle play across her face in real time. In the end, she stayed silent, resigned.
“I… wasn’t allowed to tell you before, and honestly?
Probably still not supposed to, but… I’m not a maiden anymore.
I was planning to ask about officially joining the Hungarian pack,” she said, nodding to Lucien and Oli, who grinned from ear to ear at the news.
“But I wouldn’t feel right joining and holding back what I know. ”
“It’s okay. Do what you have to do,” I murmured, and felt her straighten under my arm. That’s my girl.
“It may be Narcissa.”
Silence fell over the room as thick as a down quilt, suffocatingly thick.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to need you to repeat that, because I thought you just said Fucking Narcissa might 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 to tell 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 and in France as 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.”