The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Sage

Cold stone seeps through my thin dress, but I can’t stop shivering. The chains Eris insisted upon are too familiar – the same way Cassius bound me before… before…

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block the memories. Different dungeon. Different pack. Same lesson: I’ll never be more than something to be caged.

Footsteps echo on stone. The click of expensive heels, unhurried. Confident.

“Comfortable?” Eris’s voice drips false concern. “I do apologize for the accommodations, but thieves can’t be choosers.”

“We both know I didn’t steal anything.” My voice sounds smaller than I want it to.

She examines her perfect manicured nails in the dim light. “Do we? The evidence seems quite clear. A silver candlestick from the royal vault, found in your possession. Really, what would your parents think?” Her smile curves like a blade. “Oh wait, you don’t know who they were, do you? Perhaps they were thieves too.”

I curl tighter into myself, the chains clinking. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because you don’t know your place.” All pretense of kindness vanishes. “You actually thought you could belong here. A wolfless nothing, presuming to catch the eye of the Lycan King himself.” She laughs, the sound echoing off stone walls. “Did you think he cared for you? That all those little moments meant something?”

Each word strikes like physical blows. I think of Alaric’s gentle “sweetling,” his hands correcting my stance during training, his rare smiles that felt like secrets shared.

“He was being kind,” I whisper. “That’s all.”

“Oh, darling.” Eris crouches down, her designer dress brushing dungeon dirt. “He was being political. Taking in Cassius’s cast–off? Such a noble gesture. Making Blackthorn look cruel while building his own reputation for mercy.” Her voice turns confidential. “But political gestures outlive their usefulness. Surely you’ve noticed his growing impatience? Those conversations about ‘liabilities‘ and ‘difficult decisions‘?”

My heart clenches. The overheard words that sent me running take on new meaning with her explanation.

“Did you really think,” she continues, “that the Lycan King would choose a broken omega over the alliances I bring? The political advantages? The pure bloodlines?” She straightens, brushing invisible dirt from her skirt. “I almost feel sorry for you. Almost.”

“You planted the candlestick.” The realization comes slowly. “You arranged for me to overhear those conversations.”

“Very good!” She claps mockingly. “Though to be fair, you made it so easy. So ready to believe the worst, to run away at the first sign of rejection.”

Tears burn behind my eyes but I won’t let them fall. Won’t give her the satisfaction.

“When I’m Luna,” she says dreamily, “the first thing I’ll do is cleanse the pack of… unnecessary elements. The weak, the broken, the strays.” Her eyes glitter. “You’ll be sent so far away even your pathetic attempts at healing won’t be remembered. Alaric will forget your name within a moon’s turn.”

Something snaps inside me. “If you’re so confident in your position, why go to all this trouble?”

Chapter 33

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Her perfect mask slips for just a moment, showing something ugly beneath. “Because you made him smile,” she hisses. “Because he watches you when he thinks no one sees. Because you’re a threat I won’t allow to grow.”

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