Chapter 19

DOMINIC'S ROOM The interrogation room was dimly lit, the air thick with tension. The Omega servant sat trembling in the metal chair across from me, her hands gripping the hem of her ragged dress so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. I stood before her, arms crossed, my presence looming over her. The weight of my dominance filled the room, pressing down on her like an unseen force. She flinched under my gaze, her breathing shallow and uneven. She knew why she was here. She had tried to flee the pack’s borders. And now, I wanted to know why. “Look at me,” I commanded, my voice low but sharp. She hesitated before slowly lifting her head, her eyes darting around as if searching for an escape. Her entire body was trembling. Omegas were naturally submissive to authority, but this was something else. This was fear. “Why were you trying to run?” I asked, my tone even, controlled. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her gaze flickered to the guards at the door, as if debating whether they would intervene if she refused to speak. I leaned in slightly, watching her closely. “I don’t have time for games. If you know something about Elder Alyosha’s death, you need to speak now.” She swallowed hard, shaking her head. “I—I can’t,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean, you can’t?” Tears welled in her eyes. “If I say anything… they’ll kill me.” They. My stomach twisted. “Who?” I demanded, my voice sharper now. She shook her head violently, her entire body trembling. “I can’t—please, Alpha, if I talk, I won’t live to see another day.” Her fear was real. Palpable. But I needed the truth. I exhaled slowly, then took a step closer. The weight of my aura intensified, pressing against her fragile frame. Her body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. “I am your Alpha,” I said, my voice laced with command. “And I command you to speak the truth.” She gasped sharply, the force of my words making her grip the chair as if she might collapse. Omegas were too weak to resist an Alpha’s command—it was an undeniable, inescapable order. “If you refuse to speak,” I continued coldly, “then you will die here for defying me.” Her breath came out in strangled gasps, her body trembling like a leaf in a storm. The internal battle within her was evident, the primal instinct to obey clashing with the terror of revealing whatever it was she had been hiding. And then, she broke. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, her will shattering under the weight of my command. “I saw her,” she choked out. “I saw Evelyn enter Elder Alyosha’s chambers that night.” A sharp, unnatural silence filled the room. My heart pounded in my chest. “What did you just say?” She sucked in a shaky breath, her voice cracking. “I—I saw Lady Olivia walk out of the Elder’s room. But after her… after she left… I saw Evelyn go in.” No. That wasn’t possible. My mind reeled, trying to process her words, trying to reject them. “You need to speak carefully,” I warned, my voice dangerously low. “Are you saying Evelyn was the last person to see Elder Alyosha alive?” The Omega nodded frantically, fresh terror overtaking her. “Yes, Alpha! I swear it! I didn’t say anything before because… because I was scared!” I stared at her, my breath coming in slow, controlled exhales, but inside, my world was shifting. Evelyn. The woman I had sworn to protect. The woman I had trusted above all else. She had been the last person in Elder Alyosha’s chambers before his death. The dots started connecting in my mind. The sudden change in patrol duties that night—suggested by Evelyn herself. The way she had desperately pushed for Olivia’s execution, as if she needed her gone as soon as possible. The way she had refused to meet my eyes when I asked her if she had seen Alyosha that night. The way she had conveniently reappeared just as Olivia was being framed. My blood ran cold. No. It couldn’t be. And yet… the pieces all fit. My hands curled into fists. I wanted to deny it. I wanted to believe this was a mistake, that the Omega was lying, that this was some kind of twisted deception. But deep down, I already knew the truth. Evelyn had everything to do with Elder Alyosha’s death. I turned away from the Omega, my jaw tightening. “Take her to a secure holding cell,” I ordered the guards. “No one speaks to her unless I say so.” The Omega let out a shaky sob of relief, but I wasn’t listening anymore. My mind was already elsewhere. There was only one thing left to do. I was going to confront Evelyn. And this time—she wouldn’t escape the truth And if our relationship really means that much to her then she will tell me the truth, and if she can’t trust me then maybe we need to rethink our decisions regarding the dynamics of our relationship.