To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 303

Chapter 303: Not your design

ALDRIC

I sat in my room and watched the door close behind the sentinel. The latch clicked into place with a soft sound that somehow felt too loud in the silence.

"Speak," I said.

The sentinel straightened his shoulders. His hands clasped behind his back in that military stance they all adopted when reporting to superiors.

"I have been watching the witch Madeline all morning, Alpha. She doesn’t seem to be acting suspicious at all."

I leaned back in my chair. The leather creaked under my weight and I studied the man’s face. His eyes met mine for a moment before darting away. Then back again. Then away.

Interesting.

I stood and walked toward him. Each step measured and deliberate. The sentinel’s posture stiffened even more if that was possible.

"Remember," I said. My voice stayed level and calm. Almost gentle. "This is for the safety of our Alpha."

I stopped directly in front of him. Close enough that he had to tilt his head up slightly to maintain eye contact.

"If there is something you saw that you believe you didn’t look deeply enough into, you can mention it now. I’m not going to hold it against you."

His eyes flickered. Left, then right, then down to somewhere near my shoulder. The classic tells of someone holding something back.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

"I know you are hiding something from me."

"I’m not, Alpha." The words came out too quickly. Too defensive. "I swear I’m not hiding anything."

The lie sat between us like a third presence in the room. Obvious, crude and insulting in its transparency.

I felt something shift in my chest. A coldness that spread outward from my core and into my limbs. My hand moved toward the table where several books lay stacked. My fingers wrapped around the spine of the thickest one.

I lifted it. Tested the weight. Turned back to face the sentinel who still stood there with his pathetic lies hanging in the air.

I swung.

The book connected with his face and the impact sent a satisfying jolt up my arm. His head snapped to the side and a grunt of pain escaped him.

I hit him again and again. The spine of the book bent with each strike. His cheek swelled. Blood trickled from his nose and split lip. His eyes watered but he didn’t cry out. He didn’t beg me to stop.

Good. At least he had that much dignity.

I raised the book one more time and brought it down hard against his temple. He stumbled and caught himself against the wall, looking up at me with those watering eyes that finally showed fear.

I blinked.

The sentinel stood in front of me completely unharmed. No blood. No swelling. No fear in his eyes. Just that same dodgy expression from before.

The book sat on the table where I’d left it.

My hand rested at my side. Not reaching for anything.

It was nothing but a fantasy then.

I took a slow breath and let it out even slower. The coldness in my chest remained but I pushed it down. Buried it under layers of practiced control.

Not here. I couldn’t lash out like that here. Not in Cian’s temporary territory and not after the reputation I had built for myself. I had to stay perfect, calculated and measured.

"Thank you," I said instead. My voice came out pleasant, almost warm. "That will be all."

The sentinel’s shoulders relaxed. He bowed low and backed toward the door. The relief on his face was almost comical.

He left and I returned to my chair.

My phone sat on the desk. The screen dark and silent as if mocking me in its lack of notifications.

I picked it up and opened my messages and scrolled to the conversation with Hazel. The last several messages were all from me. Questions about what I needed to know. Reminders that I needed information. Instructions to report back immediately.

But I had gotten nothing in response.

Fucking radio silence.

I set the phone down and drummed my fingers against the desk several times.

She had until tomorrow. That was the grace period I’d decided on. After that I would have to show her that ignoring me was not an option. That treating my instructions like suggestions would have consequences she wouldn’t enjoy.

But I couldn’t just sit here and wait. Doing nothing felt like admitting defeat and I didn’t do that. Ever.

I needed to understand what was happening. All the pieces were there but they didn’t fit together the way they should.

Fia had survived an accident designed specifically to kill her. Not just survived too. She had walked away without a scratch. Meanwhile the sentinel assigned to protect her throughout her journey still limped around with bandages and bruises and cracked ribs this morning.

Ronan had mentioned most of it to me. He’d said something felt off about the whole situation. His instincts were good and when he said something didn’t add up I paid attention.

The sentinel had injuries. Fia had none. The odds of that happening naturally were astronomical.

Then there was the delicate girl and her burning eyes. A phenomenon even I hadn’t heard of.

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