To ruin an Omega

Chapter 171: Need 1

HAZEL

The car rolled through SilverCreek’s gates and I watched the familiar landscape blur past my window. Pack members lined the streets. More than usual for this hour. Word had spread fast. Of course it had.

The sentinel killed the engine with more force than necessary. The silence that followed felt alive, breathing with all the things none of us wanted to say.

“Keep your fucking head down while I try to fix your fucking mess.”

His words hit like stones. Each one sharp and deliberate. He didn’t even look at me as he climbed out, slamming the door hard enough to make the whole car shake.

Mother turned in her seat. Her hand reached for me but I was already moving, pushing open my door before she could touch me again. The cool night air wrapped around my bare shoulders and I wanted to disappear into it.

My hand felt so much better now.

“Hazel, wait.”

I didn’t wait. My heels clicked against the pavement as I rounded the car.

Mother hurried after me, her fingers catching the fabric of my dress.

“I will escort you inside.”

“No,” Father’s voice stopped us both. He stood by the hood, his face cast in shadows from the estate lights. When he looked at me, there was something in his expression I’d never seen before. Something that made my chest tight.

“She’s not a child.” His lip curled. “A plotter like her can take care of herself. Join me. The elders circle will want blood.”

Mother’s grip on my dress loosened. She looked between us, her mouth opening then closing. Hesitation flickered across her face.

“Go.” The word scraped out of my throat. “I can manage.”

She studied me for another moment before nodding. Her heels clicked as she crossed to Father’s side. They walked away together, their figures growing smaller as they headed toward the elder’s hall. Neither of them looked back.

I stood there until they disappeared around the corner. Then I turned toward the house.

The front steps felt longer than they should. Each one seemed to stretch as I climbed. The door opened before I reached it and I slipped inside, focusing on the marble floor beneath my feet. I just needed to get to my room. That was all I needed to do right now.

But… Whispers followed me down the hallway. Soft at first. Then louder.

Disgusting.

How could she?

Poor Milo.

My hands curled into fists and my fairly healed bones screamed in protest. The semi small stinging pain was good. It gave me something to focus on besides the voices that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

An Omega stood near the entrance to the west wing. She was cleaning one of the decorative vases, her movements slow and careful. Her eyes cut to me as I passed.

“Vile creature.”

I stopped. The words rang clear in my head, sharp and condemning.

“What did you say?”

The Omega’s hands froze. She looked up at me, her eyes wide. “I didn’t say a thing, Luna Hazel.”

“I heard you.” My voice came out low. Dangerous. “You called me a vile bitch.”

“No, I—”

My hand moved before I could think. The slap cracked through the hallway and her head snapped to the side. She stumbled backward, her shoulder hitting the vase. It wobbled but didn’t fall.

“Luna, please—”

I hit her again. And again. Each strike felt like releasing poison from my veins. She tried to shield her face and I grabbed her hair instead, yanking her head back.

“Don’t you dare lie to me. You fucking lowlife! Who do you think you are?”

My other hand found her throat and squeezed.

Her eyes went wide instantly. Her mouth opened, but only a broken, panicked sound came out. Her nails scraped uselessly at my wrist. Weak. Pathetic.

Good.

Let her feel it. Let her understand what it was like to be powerless while everyone else watched.

Footsteps thundered down the hall.

Two sentinels rounded the corner at a run. They did not hesitate. One grabbed my arm. The other reached for her, trying to pull her free.

I reacted on instinct.

I shoved them both back with a surge of power that rattled the walls. The girl collapsed to the floor, coughing violently as I turned on them, eyes blazing.

“Touch me again,” I said, my voice low and shaking with fury, “and I will have your heads on the gates before morning.”

They froze and that was enough for me to try to hurt the Omega bitch again. I went for her.

“Luna Hazel.”

Baruch’s voice cut through the red haze. His hand closed around my wrist, firm but gentle. “You have to stop.”

I looked down at the Omega. Her face had gone purple, her hands clawing weakly at my grip.

When had that happened?

When had I started squeezing so hard?

I released her and she collapsed to the floor, gasping and sobbing. Baruch pulled me away, his body blocking my view of her. The two sentinels finally moved, one helping the Omega up while the other shot me a look I couldn’t decipher.

“Come on.” Baruch’s voice was soft near my ear. “Let’s get you to your room.”

He guided me down the hall. My legs felt disconnected again, moving without my permission. We climbed the stairs to the second floor and he led me to my door, opening it and ushering me inside. The click of the lock sounded too loud in the quiet room.

I dropped my clutch on the bed and ran for the bathroom. My stomach heaved and I barely made it to the toilet before everything came up. The taste was bitter and wrong and I retched until there was nothing left.

The dress. I needed to get this dress off. My hands fumbled with the zipper but my healing hands wouldn’t completely cooperate. The fabric felt like it was suffocating me, crushing my ribs until I couldn’t breathe.

“You seem out of it.”

Baruch stood in the bathroom doorway. His expression was worried but not afraid. Not disgusted. Why wasn’t he disgusted?

“Doesn’t everyone already know why?” I yanked at the dress again. The zipper wouldn’t budge.

“But it isn’t true.”

I laughed. The sound was harsh even to my own ears. “Being gullible is not always hot.”

“Hazel—”

“You should abandon me while you can.” I turned to face him. “I could end up getting you killed too. Who knows?”