All Chapters of The Omega's Deception: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

MIRA'S POV I'm the only one left in the laundry room. The other Omegas that were also assigned here with me have done their part and left. As I fold some linens, my eyes drift to where Selene's clothes have been placed to be folded. Selene’s laundry smells faintly of cedar and iron. I sigh, she's been fighting again. She has a pattern these days. Sometimes she trains with the warriors in the morning, and in the afternoon she does chores and then vanishes for hours until it is almost nighttime, and then she comes back quieter than before. I tell myself that I don’t notice anything, that it's not my place to ask. But as I pick up Selene’s clothes, my fingers brush something rough under one of the fabrics. It makes me pause. I remove it from the rest and keep the others aside. It’s a patch of old cloth. It’s a bit stiff and has uneven stitchings. I lift it up to my eye level, and the air seems to still. It’s a sigil, a crescent moon entwined with thorns, faded from age but unmis

I feel something older and wilder, the same kind of power that was said to have lived in my ancestors blood. A faint golden glow surrounds my body just as the rogues get to their feet. They stand frozen, staring at me in shock. It all stops when Caden bursts through the treeline, startling all of us. The rogues hesitate for half a breath. Just long enough for Caden to move. He's almost a blur, a storm given form. He slams into the nearest wolf with bone-breaking force. The cracking sound echoes through the forest. I don’t wait for orders. I leap forward into the fray. My claws flash, my body answering a call older than instinct. We fall into a rhythm before thought can catch up. He blocks a strike that was meant for me. I pivot under his arm and rake my claws deep into the rogue’s thigh. Caden digs his hand into the rogue’s hair and pulls, taking the head away from the body. Blood splashes over my clothes, and for a moment I’m startled. Okay,I didn’t know we were going f

Sleep refused to come that night, not like that’s a new thing, but this time around it’s not only the thought of rogues, the missing pup, or how Caden had moved beside me as we fought side by side. Nyra also urges me to go out, and she’s persistent about it once again. The pack is quiet, wrapped in the kind of silence that follows too much noise and worries. I can hear the crackling flame of the fire burning low outside. Somewhere a pup whimpers in his sleep, and the mother murmurs soothing words. But apart from this, the whole place is still. Nyra won’t let me rest; she continues to pace back and forth within my mind. Clicking her claws against the mental walls in an attempt to irritate me. It’s working, though. I look outside through the window; the moon is high and bright in the sky, and every part of me aches to move. I rise from my mat and step outside, closing the door softly behind me. Outside, the air is cold and fresh, tinged with the scent of damp earth and pine; it c

By midmorning, it's gotten worse: the stares. Normally I get them a lot, but some are starting to look outright hostile. Whispers follow me everywhere I go. Wherever I walk, conversations stop. Heads tilt, eyes track me in that half-fearful, half-curious way, like they can’t decide whether I’m a threat or some kind of fascinating creature. It started much earlier this morning. I had cleaned up the laundry room and discarded the knife before coming back to the kitchen, trying to look normal. The cook gives me trays piled with food to take to the dining hall, along with a few Omegas. The place was filled with rowdy and loud werewolves when I get there, most pausing their conversations to stare at me. As I am passing by the table of the warriors, I hear one say, “The pup isn’t making up stories, that’s for sure. When we got there, I swear I saw her eyes flash gold for a second.” I place a plate of baked bread and stew on a nearby table, keeping my face calm. I refuse to give any

“That’s enough,” Caden says quickly—he seems to be repeating himself these days. His voice cuts through the rising murmurs like a blade. “Until I say otherwise, no one points fingers.” The silence that follows is deafening. He can feel the judgment and fear in the air. His hands clench into fists as he stares at a smug-looking Ryken. He should have done something about him; now he’s causing chaos in the pack. His gaze shifts to Selene, and their eyes meet. For a heartbeat, the room fades away until he can see only her—then she turns and walks out without a word. He lets her go but sends for her later. She comes without hesitation, but there is no warmth in her eyes when she enters his office. He stands up from his desk and rounds the table so he is only a foot away from her. “I know you didn’t do it,” he says, his voice coming out quieter than he had meant it to be. “But you need to tell me what you’re hiding; if not, I can’t protect you.” Her jaw tenses, but she refuses to