To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 338

Chapter 338: The Pulley

ALDRIC

I needed to see that room.

I pushed off the desk and crossed the room in four strides. My hand closed around the door handle and I yanked it open. The hallway was empty. Good. I didn’t need anyone else stopping me right now. I didn’t need more questions or more wounded looks or more people trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

I walked fast. My footsteps echoed down the corridor and I didn’t care. Let them hear me. Let them wonder where I was going and why I was moving like this.

The guest wing was at the far end of the second floor. I took the stairs two at a time and turned left at the landing. The carpet muffled my steps here but I could still hear my own breathing.

It was sharp. Too fast.

I forced myself to slow down. I forced myself to look calm even though no one was watching.

The door to Madeline’s room was closed. I stopped in front of it and stared at the wood grain. My hand hovered over the handle. I didn’t know what I expected to find. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. It still wouldn’t stop me from looking like a paranoid fool though.

I pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

Not just empty. It was clean. It was stripped. Like no one had ever been there at all.

I stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind me. The bed was made. The pillows were fluffed and sitting perfectly against the headboard. The nightstand was bare. There was no phone charger. No book. No glass of water. Nothing.

"No fucking way."

I crossed to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer. It was empty. I pulled open the second one. Empty. The third. The fourth. That too also had nothing. Not a scrap of fabric or a forgotten earring or even a receipt. Just bare wood and the faint smell of the cedar lining.

I turned to the wardrobe and threw the doors open. Hangers. That was it. A row of empty hangers hanging perfectly spaced on the bar. I shoved them aside and they clattered against each other. I looked at the floor of the wardrobe. Nothing. I looked at the shelf above. Nothing.

I stepped back and looked at the room again. My chest was tight. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides.

"How the fuck is this even possible?"

I walked to the bathroom and flipped the light on. The counter was spotless. The towels were folded and stacked neatly on the rack. The mirror was clean. I pulled open the medicine cabinet. Empty. I yanked open the drawers under the sink. Empty.

She was gone. Every trace of her was gone. Like she had never existed here at all.

I walked back into the bedroom and stood in the middle of the floor. I turned in a slow circle. I looked at the walls. The windows. The corners. There had to be something. Some sign. Some clue.

I stepped back into the hallway and looked both ways. No one. I walked toward the corner and stopped when I saw movement. Through my peripheral vision, I made out a sentinel. He was standing at the far end near the stairwell. Young. Maybe mid twenties. I didn’t recognize him.

"You," I said. My voice carried down the hall. "Come here."

He turned and walked toward me without hesitation. He stopped a few feet away and straightened his posture. His face was neutral. Respectful.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"How long have you been here?"

"This morning, sir. I started my shift at dawn."

"Did you see the witch guest? Madeline. Did you see her leave?"

He shook his head. "No, sir. I have not seen her."

I stared at him. "You are certain?"

"Yes, sir. But she could have left much earlier than that though. I had breakfast before stationing myself here. So I don’t know."

Useless.

I didn’t respond. I just turned and walked back into the room. The door clicked shut behind me and I stood there breathing. My hand went to my pocket and I pulled out my phone. The screen was cracked on one corner from where I had slammed it onto the desk earlier. I stared at Ronan’s name in my contacts. I pressed call.

It rang once. Twice. I held my breath.

He picked up.

"Hello?"

Relief hit me so hard I almost laughed. "I’m sorry."

There was a pause. Then Ronan’s voice came through. Quiet. Careful. "I understand."

"No." I ran a hand through my hair and turned to face the window. "I know how those words would have hurt you. You never really had a father figure. Not after your mother’s affair with me was discovered."

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