The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Sage

–

The messenger’s black and silver uniform catches my eye first – Blackthorn colors. I freeze in the hallway, heart hammering against my ribs. He’s speaking with one of Alaric’s guards, but all I can focus on is the familiar crest on his jacket.

Memories surface like drowning things: Daphne’s cruel smile, Cassius’s gentle lies, the pack’s jeering faces as he rejected me. The corridor suddenly feels too small, the air too thin.

“Sage?” Iris touches my arm, making me jump. “You’re white as a sheet.”

–

I try to speak, but the messenger turns slightly, and something in his profile reminds me so much of Cassius that bile rises in my throat. A flash of memory hits me – finding him in his study late one night, hunched over strange vials, speaking to someone in hushed tones. He’d seen me and smiled, but there had been something wrong about it, something I’d been too naive to recognize.

“Just tired,” I manage, but Iris’s frown says she doesn’t believe me.

The messenger disappears into Alaric’s study. I should walk away, should focus on my duties in the healing wing. Instead, I find myself drifting closer, drawn by a sick sort of fascination.

“-attacks along the border,” the messenger’s voice carries faintly. “Alpha Blackthorn sends his regards and wishes to discuss-”

A flash of movement makes me stumble back. Through the study’s partially open door, I glimpse a map spread across Alaric’s desk. Red marks dot the border territories, forming a pattern that tickles something in my memory. “Interesting view?”

I whirl to find Victoria watching me with calculated interest. “I was just-”

“Spying?” Her perfect eyebrows arch. “How convenient that attacks began shortly after your arrival. And now here you are, lurking near private meetings…”

“That’s not-”

“Leave her alone, Victoria.” Alaric’s voice cuts through the tension. He fills the doorway of his study, power rolling off him in waves. “The messenger brings news that concerns everyone in my territory.”

Victoria bows slightly. “Of course, my King. I simply worry about… security.”

She sashays away, but the damage is done. Other wolves in the hallway eye me with fresh suspicion.

“Sage.” Alaric’s voice softens slightly. “A moment?”

Inside his study, the messenger stiffens at my presence. Something about the way he watches me raises the hair on my neck.

“Sweetling.” Alaric says quietly, “have you noticed anything… unusual lately? Anything that reminds you of Blackthorn?”

Yes, I want to say. Something feels wrong, like those nights at Blackthorn when the shadows seemed too deep, when whispers carried through alls that should have been empty. The same creeping dread that used to wake me in the night.

But that’s crazy Paranoid. And adinitting I recognized anything about Blackthorn would and Vind

Chapter 38

+25 BONUS

accusations.

“No,” I lie. “Nothing.”

Alaric studies me for a long moment. I think he knows I’m lying, but he doesn’t push.

The messenger clears his throat. “If that’s all, my King?”

“Go,” Alaric commands. “Tell your Alpha I’ll consider his… proposal.”

Something in his tone makes me shiver. When the messenger leaves, Alaric’s hand settles on my shoulder. “You’re safe here,” he says softly. “You know that, right?”

I think of Victoria’s accusations, of the suspicious looks, of the shadows I sometimes glimpse at the edge of my vision. “Am I?”

He starts to respond, but a commotion erupts in the hallway. Garrett bursts in, breathing hard.

“Almost like they were waiting for us,” Alaric finishes grimly.

A chill runs down my spine. The word “waiting” triggers something – a memory perhaps, or just old fear – but I push it away. I’m seeing threats in shadows because of the messenger’s arrival. Because anything connected to Blackthorn makes me feel like prey again.

“Go,” I tell Alaric, forcing a smile. “Your pack comes first.”

His fingers brush my cheek before he leaves, a gesture that would normally make my heart flutter. But all I can think about is how quickly safety can become danger, how easily peace can shatter.

Later, in my room, I trace the crescent moon on my pendant and try to calm my racing thoughts. The day’s events have left me raw, exposed. First the messenger, then Victoria’s accusations, how another attack. It’s too much.

A knock at my door makes me jump.

“It’s just me.” Iris enters with a tray of tea. “Thought you might need this.”

I accept the cup gratefully, letting its warmth seep into my cold hands. “Thank you.”

She settles beside me on the window seat. “Want to talk about what really happened in the hallway today?” “Nothing happened.” The lie tastes bitter. “I’m fine.”

“Sage.” Her voice gentles. “You looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

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