To ruin an Omega

Chapter 396: Your Power 1

HAZEL

My phone felt heavier than it should have when Laslo finally handed it back.

I turned it over in my hands. The screen was dark. Clean. Like it had been wiped down while they kept it from me.

“Thank you,” I said.

Laslo nodded once and turned to leave.

There was no point waiting since he trailed right behind me before I unlocked the screen

Thirty-two missed messages.

My eyes widened, and I felt something in my stomach drop.

I opened the thread from Aldric first.

The earliest message was the one from yesterday. The one I had seen before they took my phone. The one I had not answered because I did not know what to say.

I saved your life, and now you owe me. Bagging the Lily of the Valley Alpha is no small feat. Since you know nothing about your half-sister Fia, a nice alternative would be spying on your grandmother for me. I want two things. How did she bend Lily of the Valley to her advantage, and what exactly did she use to try to kill Fia? If you do disappoint me or prove to not be worth your keep, you find out quite quickly how your new fairytale life can go poof in your face. I would ask you to be selfish like your grandmother and pick yourself in everything you do. It’s good policy.

I had read it a dozen times when it first came in—had stared at it until the words stopped making sense.

Spy on my grandmother.

Report back to him.

Betray Pauline to keep myself safe.

He was not wrong. Even if I had not answered.

I had told myself I would figure it out later. That I would find a way to navigate this without burning every bridge I had left.

But now there were more messages.

Eleven more.

Each one sharper than the last.

I need an answer, Hazel.

Do not make me remind you what happens when people ignore me.

You are not in a position to play games.

Your silence is noted.

Time is running out.

The last one had come in seven hours ago.

This is your final warning. Answer me, or I will assume you have chosen your side.

My hands started shaking.

I scrolled back up through the thread and read them again and then again.

He was going to retaliate.

He was going to come after me.

Or worse. He was going to tell Wenzel I was working with him. That I was a spy. That I could not be trusted.

Anything that would send that man into deciding I was not worth my keep.

And Wenzel would not hesitate to get rid of me.

The betrothal had saved me from one execution. But it would not save me from that man.

And Silvercreek or even Nocturne were not strong enough to protect me from that fire.

I looked up when I entered the room.

Laslo was still standing near the door. He had not left yet. He was watching me with that same blank expression he always wore.

“It is quite hot in here,” I said.

My voice came out steadier than I felt.

Laslo frowned slightly.

“The temperature has not changed.”

“I know. But I… feel hot. I want to shower again.”

He looked at me like I had said something absurd.

“You showered not too long ago.”

“I know. But I feel gross. Please. Just give me some privacy.”

Laslo did not move.

I set the phone down on the bed and started pulling off my gown. I knew how shit worked around here.

His eyes widened when I made the move.

“What are you doing?”

“Preparing to shower. Like I said.”

I pulled the gown over my head and dropped it on the floor. Then I reached for the hook of my bra.

Laslo turned immediately and walked toward the door.

“I will be outside,” he said stiffly.

The door closed behind him.

I stood there for a moment. Half undressed. Heart pounding.

Then I grabbed my phone and pulled my gown back on.

I scrolled to Aldric’s contact under the name Gabriel and pressed call.

It rang once. Then two times.

When it rang the third time, it went to voicemail.

I hung up and tried again, only to get back the same result.

I called a third time. Then a fourth time.

Even a fifth time.

Each time it rang and rang and then dropped to voicemail.

He was not picking up.

Or he was refusing to pick up.

Either way, I was running out of options.

I stared at the screen for a long moment. Then I scrolled to Pauline’s contact and pressed call.

She answered on the second ring.

“Yes… Hazel?” Her voice was clipped. It made it clear she did not have time for theatrics. Not that I was about to give one.

“Grandmother. I need to talk to you.”

There was a pause.

“What is wrong?”

“I am scared that Aldric will retaliate against me.”

There was another pause. It was longer this time.

“What did the bastard demand from you?”

I hesitated.

I could not tell her the truth. I could not admit that Aldric wanted me to spy on her. That he was asking questions about how she had bent Lily of the Valley to her advantage… About what she had used to try to kill Fia.

If I told her that, she would know I was caught in the middle. That I was a liability.

And I could not afford to be a liability. Not to her. Not to anyone.

So I lied.

“He wants me to monitor Lily of the Valley for his advantage. Reporting back to him about what happens here. Who is loyal to Wenzel. What weaknesses the pack has.”

Pauline let out a sharp breath.

“Pay him no mind anymore.”

“But he keeps messaging me. He says time is running out. He says—”

“His cup has run over and he will be dead soon enough if he is not already dead.”

I felt my breath catch.

“What?”

“There was a trial at Skollrend. Aldric and his followers were exposed. He is either dead or will be very soon. Either way, he is not in a position to threaten you anymore.”

Relief flooded through me so fast it made my knees weak.

Dead…

Aldric was dead…

Or as good as dead.

I would not have to answer his messages. I would not have to choose between betraying my grandmother or betraying myself.

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

“Do not thank me yet. Too much contact with anyone from Skollrend could put you back on their radar. Especially when you need to stay quiet and stay invisible. So all of your mess can blow over.”

“I will. I promise.”

“You called the bastard. You are definitely back on their radar.”

There was a brief silence.

I did not know what to say. She was right. I hated that she was right.

Then Pauline’s voice softened slightly.

“How is Lily of the Valley?”

I looked around the room. At the thin, pretty walls. The small, vast windows. The door that Laslo was probably leaning very closely against.

“It is insanely misogynistic here.”

Pauline did not sound surprised.

“That is their way. Considering that Wenzel married into the royal family. He needed to feel powerful in some way.”

I shelved that somewhere because it felt important. Still, I had bones to pick.

“There are rules that sound right out of the dark ages. Women are not allowed to leave the estate without permission. We cannot hold positions of authority. We are expected to defer to our husbands or a man of authority in all things.”

I paused.

“Did you know about this?”

“I knew.”