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Elias growled in anger. “Anyone we know?” he asked.

I unscrewed the top and took a sip straight from the bottle. “Julian said his coach’s pack signed up. Otherwise, I didn’t recognize any names when I last scanned the list, especially since word has spread and some packs are coming here from elsewhere. I think I even saw a pack from Scotland.”

I didn’t want to know how shifters could mobilize from across the world so quickly and compete. Who the hell did these alphas think they were? They didn’t even know Marlowe. All they’d heard was “omega” and they’d sprung into action, like a bunch of assholes.

“But Megan’s recruited some friends to protest outside of the temple to shame packs as they show up,” I continued. “They’ve managed to help convince quite a few not to go through with it.”

Archer perked up, “Wait, are they protesting us or…”

“The Conclave,” I responded. “Linda’s friends and Megan have been spreading the news about what happened at that emergency meeting, and when word got out that they wanted to nullify her pack bonds to claim her, and that she didn’t even technically have any rights as an omega, a lot of females started getting pretty riled up. I even saw some posts on Facebook from moms with young pups, wondering if the same thing could happen to their daughters if they turned out to be omegas.”

There had always been a gross tendency to commodify omegasin the past due to their rarity. While some alpha males might have been happy to go back to a time when an omega could be purchased or bartered for, most of us recognized how absolutely vile that practice had been. Females and decent males had stronger voices now, and weren’t going to allow us to return to those times if they could help it.

“Well, damn,” Cam replied. “I gotta talk to Patricia, she could probably help, too. I…” he stopped, pressing his lips together in thought before continuing. “I think we probably have a little soul-searching to do ourselves.”

In light of all this mess, I too had realized how much I’d always favored alphas and males as leaders, and had given them more opportunities to spearhead projects or take on new responsibilities. Megan had made some comments about it before, but I hadn’t taken her seriously.

No matter what I did going forward, I had to change the way I treated people. I’d been trying to do so much to help uplift this town, but had ignored how I was still stuck in some pretty backward ways of operating, myself.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Not just for Marlowe, but for all the females here.”

Elias poorly attempted to hide his smirk. “Marlowe would be so proud of you for catching up with the rest of us. Not to brag, but two of my partners are beta females, you know. Regardless, what’s the real plan if Julian loses?”

Cam growled at even the suggestion of that happening, but I held up my hand to stop him from berating us. “I’ve already talked to Linda. We’re going to help her get out of the temple and shift before they can even lay a finger on her. I haven’t really thought beyond that, though. I just want to make sure she escapes first.”

Archer shrugged. “As long as she’s safe from those monsters, it works for me.”

The sight of the females picketing outside gave me some hope as we pulled up to the temple. They marched back and forth in front of the wide double doors, holding signs with a variety of sayings.

Females are not property!

Individual Freedoms for ALL Females!

Down with alpha supremacy!

Equality for all designations NOW!

I wished we could see Marlowe’s face when she arrived and saw how the females of Maiingan Hollow had rallied for her. I had to hide my snicker at the presence of theBetas Against Brutalitymembers, handing out fliers and asking people to boycott the Rite and the Conclave.

If only Seth were still alive to see that his supporters in my recall were now fighting for my omega’s rights.

We all drove in Elias’s SUV, and I sat in the middle row with Julian. His head was back and his eyes were closed, listening to music on his earbuds to get him in the zone.

I plucked one out to tell him we’d arrived, imagining he’d been listening to hard rock, metal, or hip-hop, but my eyes widened in surprise when I heard Vivaldi’s “Summer” leaking through the small speaker.

Julian’s eyebrow shot up in a soft challenge. “What?”

I shrugged, suppressing a smile. This pup was full of surprises. “Nothing, just wanted to let you know we’re here.”

He grunted, putting the earbud back in and following us out of the car.

We walked up to the doors and Megan stopped the march, but didn’t let us pass until she addressed me in front of the group.

“Mayor Wilk, the Omega Redistribution Act and the Rite of Dominion threaten to send us back after over one hundred years of progress. No matter what the results of the Rite end in today, what will you do to ensure this is never allowed to happen again?”

I looked around at all the females, meeting each of them in the eye as I spoke. “I am not perfect, and I’ve made some mistakes when it comes to not only Marlowe’s autonomy, but also the safety and freedoms the females in our community have a right to. Once this whole nightmare is over and Marlowe is back with our pack, the packshechose to join and bond to, I will put together a task force to begin identifying and removing these primitive laws that have absolutely no place in our society today.”

The crowd gave some halfhearted claps, but at least no one booed. I knew my words probably seemed like empty, self-serving promises, but I’d meant everything I’d said.