Chapter 220

Sarah POV

“When did you know about this?” Zane demanded.

“When did I know omegas staffed the Luna Temple, or when did I know Kro was going to announce it?” Ambassador Torrin asked.

“Both.”

“A few years for the first, about a week for the second.”

“Was I the only one who didn’t know Oracles are all omegas?” Delia asked.

“No clue about it here,” Shotz said from his screen. “But then, I’ve never really gotten the wolf hatred for omegas.”

“I think it’s safe to say most of us didn’t know,” Travis said.

I watched as Melissa decided not to speak up. Probably a wise choice.

It had taken about an hour, but we’d managed to assemble Operation Lieutenant in full. Everyone was coordinating with someone else either on their phone or laptop. Most of us were also anxiously watching the news, which was reporting on minor skirmishes and protests that were threatening to become major civil unrest.

Zane and Whitfield had sat themselves together to work on Zane’s speech, which was due to start in about fifteen minutes. Zane had gotten a TV crew in with a helicopter to avoid the crowd that had decided to assemble at the villa’s gate, though they didn’t seem to want something other than just being together.

I imagined the whole world was trying to connect with someone or something right then.

“Connection,” I said aloud.

Zane looked up. “What?”

“You need to stress that we’re all connected with this, we’re all affected. The Luna Temple was this great unifying force for so long, but it became cut off from that role when it became a place for omegas to hide. This is about re-establishing that relationship with everyone the temple used to have.”

“That works fine for wolves,” Shotz said. “But for most humans, the Luna Temple doesn’t really touch them.”

“But it used to,” I said.

“She’s right,” Zane said. “When the Luna Temple was founded by the Order of the Moon Wolves, they were the ones who insisted werewolves need humans, that our souls and destinies depend on each other. Moon wolves brought humans and wolves peace.”

“A peace that’s frayed recently,” Ambassador Torrin said. “Once we lost Clara Maxim, it’s been as if the whole thing has just been falling apart.”

“Who’s Clara Maxim?” Shota asked.

“The last Moon Wolf,” I said, feeling quite uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. “She died about fifty years ago.”

“Do we know much about her?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Ted from her screen. “She died without issue, though there is some debate about it. Some people say she went into the woods and mated some alpha and gave birth to a female who would be the mother of the next order of Moon Wolves.”

Ted looked down at her keyboard. “Here, I’ll pull up a photo of her.”

“I don’t think we need to—” I blurted out, then stopped when a copy of the photo from the auction came up on Ted’s screen.

“What the hell?” Lainey asked.

“She really doesn’t look all that much like me,” I said faintly.

“Janine said you were a Moon Wolf,” Melissa said.

“As you very well know, Janine is a crazy person who probably got the idea from seeing that photo.”

“Oh, dear,” Ted muttered looking to her right where I knew she kept another computer in her home office.

“What?” Zane asked.

“It’s pretty well known I’ve been helping you all with various things, and I have some people online who’ve been keeping an eye on my online activities.” She looked into her camera. “I thought it was just a photo of someone, so I didn’t screen my search.”

“Meaning?” I asked.

Ted shrugged and called up a new image, which was a split screen of me on the left and Clara Maxim on the right. The similarity actually was pretty startling.

I looked away to several pairs of wide eyes.

“Look, I’m 100 percent human. I was tested as a child in foster care.”

“What exactly is a Moon Wolf?” Shotz asked. “You know, other than a founder of the Luna Temple?”

“They’re more dominant than alphas, or they were,” Zane said, still looking at the side-by-side photos of me and Maxim.

“It’s almost time for your speech,” Whitfield said, making some quick notes on his laptop. “Yes, we need to stress connection.” He looked at me speculatively.

“No,” I told him.

“No, what?” Lainey asked.

“I’m not going to stand next to Zane on camera so people think I’m some sort of Moon Wolf.”

“I’m just saying the idea might distract—”

“I said no.” I looked at Zane. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” He stood and held out a hand, which I took. He looked around the room.

“Those of you who can, I’d like you to stay working on all this. Also, I could use feedback about my speech.”

Everyone nodded, and Zane and I left for the kitchen now crowded by the TV and livestreaming crews. Whitfield and Wilson followed us.

Matthew was standing there with Sergi standing beside him. I knew he was supposed to stand there and look official but not speak.

I walked over to the kitchen sink and looked out the window. Chloe and Grace were in jeans and T-shirts playing outside with Selene under Mavis’s watchful eyes. I didn’t disturb them.

“Five minutes,” the TV camera operator said.

“Heard,” said the livestreaming camera operator.

Zane took his place in front of the camera while Whitfield straightened his tie and made some last-minute suggestions about the speech. Lainey and I took position behind the cameras. Once again, we went through the on-air countdown, and then Zane looked into the camera.

“Good afternoon. By now, those of you watching have heard about the revelation made online about the Luna Temple. I have joined with Pack Alphas Orleans and Carlingo in calling out the Territorial Guard to protect our Luna Temples. Also, any violence done against an omega will be considered a hate crime and prosecuted as such.

“But I don’t want to talk about violence right now. Since I have had the honor of becoming Pack Alpha Cavendish, I have sought one thing for the citizens of this territory perhaps above all else, and that is connection. To borrow a term from Pack Alpha Colette, wolves are a fellowship, and to expand on that term, I say wolves and humans are a fellowship united centuries ago by the establishment of the Luna Temples.

“Humans and wolves have allowed ourselves to forget how completely our destinies are tied to each other, fellow guardians of this planet, fellow beneficiaries of the moon and her light, fellow workers united in the goals of raising our families, of bettering ourselves, of bettering our world.

“I call on all of you now to choose with me the future we deserve. In three days, Cavendish Territory will enjoy the new moon, and the Luna Temple of our capital will choose new leaders and a new direction untainted by secrecy, transparent and open.

“Join with me in celebrating this new era for wolves and humans, which I begin with a simple gesture.” Zane turned to Matthew then and held out his hand. Without hesitation, the omega shook it.