75

75
LUCIAN
“I saw the omega in my dreams,” I said to Kade as we took a walk around town that evening.
“Who? Ella?” Kade asked without meeting my gaze.
“Yes. Do you have these dreams too?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“Why would I? I don’t spare her any thought. You’re probably thinking about her— that’s why she’s showing up in your dreams.”
“The only thing I’m thinking about is how to keep everyone safe while this phase blows over. She’s run off to someplace I wouldn’t care to find, but she keeps coming up in my dreams.”
“Maybe you should think about why she’s on your mind,” he replied, and I groaned.
I knew exactly why I was still thinking about her. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was worried for her safety. She had run off with that new guy, but she was still a member of the pack.
And we’re only as strong as our weakest link. If anyone found out that the weak link had run off and we hadn’t gotten her back, it might set off a chain reaction—one that could have everyone believing they were better off on their own. We couldn’t let that happen.
But at the same time, going after her would imply that I cared about what she did or where she was.
I didn’t.
And I had to show that by ignoring her existence.
But then, how was I supposed to do that if she kept popping up in my dreams?
It was all very confusing and annoying. I needed a solution. That’s why I had decided to talk to Kade.
Maybe he was having the same problem—or maybe he’d be able to offer a solution to this dilemma.
“This stupid connection we share,” I said and sighed. “It makes it hard to get her off my mind.”
“Maybe we need to find some other solution for this problem.”
“I think I know someone that can help us…” I began, but Kade shook his head.
“No. I’m not going to see the council. If we do, they’ll know she left the pack, and that would complicate things.”
“Not the council—they can’t help with this. We need a seer, and I know the right one to go to,” I said.
“I hate visits to the seer. There’s always something alarming to note or something that needs to be done, and I’m not ready for that.”
“We won’t be long, Kade. We’ll just ask what we need to do to get her off our minds and be out of there as quickly as we arrived.”
“Fine—but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you stumble upon something else that troubles your mind,” he answered, but I was just happy he agreed to come with me.
❖ ❖ ❖
“I know why you’re here. I can’t change your mind, but I can tell you that you’re about to make a mistake, one with dire consequences not just for you but for generations to come,” the seer said as soon as we walked through her door.
I had half a mind to turn around and end the entire thing right there, but Kade seemed unfazed by the fact that we had just stepped into her office and were immediately told we were treading on dangerous waters.
“We’ve been through worse and survived,” he replied, sitting down and meeting the seer’s gaze. I followed suit, watching as he remained unbothered. “Since you know why we’re here, let’s cut to the chase. Tell us about this bond with Ella Harper and how we can stop it from taking center stage in our lives.”
The seer took quick strides across the room and picked up two orbs. She walked to where we were seated and handed them to us.
I noticed that there was another orb where she had picked these from—while that one was bright red, the ones she gave us were a light shade of blue, and as we touched them, they seemed to grow colder.
“Your connection with the omega is a peculiar one. You might not see it now, but her bloodline is important for the continuity of this pack.”
“She can barely defend herself from bullies. What in the world would we need her for?” I asked, and the seer shook her head.
“You need to learn that there’s more to people than meets the eye. She might seem weak and useless to the pack on the outside, but she has an advantage you might need in the near future. Your connection with her was meant to unlock new abilities—but your rejection has tipped the scales and activated the prophecy. You paid the piper. Now you have to dance to the tune.”
“What tune?” Kade asked. It was the first time I heard a hint of curiosity in his voice—he seemed more interested in the topic than he had been a few minutes ago.
“Your family swore an oath with the Harper clan years ago. This treaty activated your bond and is the reason why you’ve been fated to the omega. The pact was made to serve both packs, and it did for a while, until someone else who didn’t understand how serious the agreement was took over and ruined everything. What they didn’t know was that there was a clause in the treaty: being with the omega is the only way to navigate through this.”
I turned to Kade, who was shaking his head as the seer spoke.
“We can’t be with the omega,” he said, and I voiced my agreement. “It wouldn’t be a good look for us as alphas.”
“Are you more bothered about public perception than how the clan would fare if you reject your mate?” the seer asked, and we both nodded.
“We’ve rejected her as our mate. We thought the bond was broken the day we did. But somehow, we keep thinking about her, seeing her in our dreams and whatnot. All we need is a way to stop all that from happening.”
“The bond might be broken, but the connection will always remain—because your fate was decided long before your existence. The omega is the only one with the power to completely sever this bond. If she finds another alpha, readily becomes his mate, and willingly puts herself through the rigorous and painful process of cutting ties with both of you… then you’ll have what you want.”
“Why is she the only one with this ability to sever ties?”
“The prophecy, young alpha. What your family has in strength, hers makes up for in divination. Their pact with nature makes them able to do things you can only dream of. Your great-grandparents knew of these talents the Harper clan possessed—that’s why the treaty was made. Breaking it is a dangerous path. I must warn you: it might make you weaker… or change nothing at all. But there are other consequences you need to consider. First, you have to understand the prophecy.”
“Then tell us about the prophecy,” Kade demanded.
The seer sat on the floor, closed her eyes, and began chanting.