To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 457

Chapter 457: Icarus 1

HAZEL

I reached for the door handle and stopped.

The thought of Laslo stepping inside again made my skin crawl. I had been trying to think of ways to get him out, to reclaim even a sliver of privacy in this nightmare, when I heard his footsteps stop behind me.

I turned, and that was when he bowed.

I stared at him. My hand was still on the door handle. My mouth opened, then closed.

"What is happening?" I asked.

"This is a thank you from Alpha Wenzel, Mistress Hazel," Laslo said. His voice was even, formal. "He believes you deserve some privacy."

I nearly scoffed. The sound caught in my throat, and I forced it into a smile instead.

Manipulation. That was all this was. A favor that was not a favor. A gesture designed to make me feel indebted. Like he was doing me some great kindness by not having me watched every second of the day.

"I thank him," I said.

"I will make sure he knows."

I hesitated. The words were already forming before I could think them through.

"I apologize for being forward," I said, "but can I have Delta here?"

Laslo did not react. He simply nodded.

"Of course, Mistress Hazel."

"Thank you."

He turned and left. I stepped inside and locked the door behind me.

The silence pressed in. I leaned against the door and exhaled slowly. My hands were shaking again. I pressed them together and tried to steady my breathing.

Pauline...

I pulled out my phone and tried her number again.

The call failed.

I tried again.

Failed.

Frustration clawed at my chest. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw the phone across the room and watch it shatter. But I did not. I just stood there, staring at the screen, willing it to connect.

It did not.

So I called my mother instead.

She picked up on the third ring.

"Hazel..."

Her voice was wrong. Too soft. Too fragile.

"Mother," I said. "Grandmother is practically useless. She is not fond of keeping her word. I am in a bind here. I feel abandoned, and she is the reason I am even in this mess. Can you fucking call her... Perhaps she is ignoring my calls or something... But..."

I kept talking. The words spilled out faster than I could stop them. Anger, fear, and desperation all tangled together.

Then I noticed... My mother was crying.

That sort of stopped mid-sentence.

"What is wrong?"

There was a pause. A long, terrible pause.

"She is dead," my mother said.

The words did not land right away. They hovered in the air, distant and unreal.

"What?"

"My mother is dead." Her voice cracked. "Word got to me not too long ago. She took her life."

Goosebumps spread across my skin.

"I cannot just believe this," my mother continued. "She was so strong. She was—"

I hung up.

My hand dropped to my side. The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the floor.

Pauline was dead? Pauline was dead...

Pauline, who had promised to protect me. Pauline, who had sent me here. Pauline, who had sworn she would pull the strings, get me that drug, and keep me safe.

She was dead.

The universe was telling me something. It had to be. This was a sign. A warning. My scheme would fail. Everything would fail.

Delta’s voice came from the doorway, but it sounded distant, like it had to travel through water to reach me. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Come sit," I said.

My voice came out wrong. Too thin. I cleared my throat quickly, forcing a small smile that did not quite reach my eyes.

"Come sit," I repeated, softer this time, steadier, as though the first one had not happened.

Delta stepped inside, closing the door behind her, but she did not move immediately. There was hesitation in the way she held herself, like she was waiting for something else, some explanation I had not given.

I could feel it. That pause. That expectation.

It scraped against my nerves.

"Please sit," I added, a little sharper than intended.

I inhaled again, slower, careful this time, making sure my chest rose the way it should. Making sure it looked normal.

Everything had to look normal.

We sat on the bed. I reached for her hand. She flinched, but she did not pull away.

"I know I have been mean to you," I said. "But I need your help, Delta."

She looked at our hands. Her fingers were cold.

"What help?"

"We are kin from the same pack," I said. "We need to protect ourselves here."

Delta did not respond.

"This pack scares me," I continued. "I am sure it scares you, too."

Her jaw tightened. For a moment, I thought she might pull away.

"If everyone does their part and does not break the rules," she said slowly, "we are all cogs needed to make the machine work."

I squeezed her hand.

"Please," I said. "I am begging you. Shed that nonsense. We both know we do not believe it. Neither does anyone here, if we are being frank. They are afraid. They are all afraid."

Delta looked at me. Really looked at me.

"I am too," I said. My voice dropped lower. "But I have a plan."

"You are not a kind woman to be trusted," Delta said.