"Leave the paperwork for tomorrow," I said. "Bossy." But there was a smile in his voice. "Someone has to be." I squeezed him gently. "Come to bed. The real bed. You need actual sleep."
He turned in my arms, cupping my face in his hands. "Stay with me tonight?"
"Always." He kissed me—soft and sweet and full of promise—and then took my hand and led me upstairs. Tomorrow, we would deal with Trinity and restraining orders and all the complications that came with building a life together. But tonight, we had each other. And that was more than enough.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Trinity
They thought I'd given up.
That was the funniest part, really. All of them, the pack, the town, that pathetic little omega who'd stolen everything from me, they all thought I'd tucked my tail between my legs and run away. "Visiting family," I'd told the few people nosy enough to ask. Let them think I was licking my wounds somewhere far away, too broken to fight back.
They had no idea.
I sat in the dim light of my childhood bedroom, surrounded by the remnants of a life that should have been so much more. The wallpaper was peeling at the corners, faded pink roses that had once seemed so elegant now just looked sad. Pathetic. Like everything else in this house.
Like everything else my life had become since she arrived.
Daphne.
Even thinking her name made my stomach churn with hatred. That mousy, unremarkable omega who'd waltzed into town with nothing, no family, no connections, no breeding, andsomehow managed to steal the pack that was supposed to be mine.
I'd done everything right. I'd grown up in the bigger town about thirty minutes from Heaven’s Rest, attended all the right events, cultivated all the right relationships. I'd made myself indispensable to Oliver and his pack, positioning myself as the obvious choice for their omega. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they claimed me. Everyone.
And then she came along.
I picked up the photograph from my nightstand—the one from the harvest festival three years ago. Oliver stood in the center, looking distinguished and powerful, with Garrett's solid presence on his left and Levi's bright smile on his right. Micah stood slightly apart, as always, but still clearly part of the group.
And there I was, positioned just behind Oliver's shoulder, close enough to suggest intimacy without being presumptuous. I'd worn my best dress that day. I'd smiled until my face ached. I'd laughed at every joke, agreed with every opinion, made myself into exactly what they needed.
It should have worked. It would have worked, if not for her. My fingers tightened on the photograph until the edges crumpled. I forced myself to set it down before I destroyed it completely. I needed to stay calm. Focused. The plan only worked if I kept my head.
The plan.
I'd spent the past few weeks perfecting it, researching, acquiring supplies, mapping out every possible scenario. The public confrontation at the market had been a mistake, I could admit that now. I'd let my emotions get the better of me, let everyone see the rage I usually kept so carefully hidden.
This time would be different. This time, I would be smart. I crossed to my desk, where a small vial sat innocuously among my makeup and perfume bottles. Such an innocent-lookingthing, clear liquid that could have been water or eye drops or any number of harmless substances.
It wasn't harmless.
The beta who'd sold it to me had called it "omega's bane"—a synthetic compound designed to mimic the symptoms of heat sickness. Fever, disorientation, weakness. In small doses, it would make an omega feel like they were coming down with something. In larger doses...
Well. That was the point, wasn't it? I picked up the vial, rolling it between my fingers. The plan was elegant in its simplicity. Daphne had been staying at her cabin most nights, only visiting the pack house during the day. She was alone out there, isolated, vulnerable. All I had to do was get close enough to dose her water supply or her tea or whatever she kept lying around that trusting little kitchen of hers.
Then I'd wait. The compound took a few hours to fully take effect. By the time she realized something was wrong, she'd be too weak to fight back, too disoriented to call for help. And that's when I'd make my move.
I wasn't going to kill her. That wasn't the plan—not exactly. I just needed her to understand. To see that she didn't belong here, that she never had, that the pack would be so much better off without her dragging them down.
Ff she happened to get hurt in the process... well. She should have thought about that before she stole my future.
A knock at my door made me jump, quickly sliding the vial into my pocket.
"Trinity?" My mother's voice, thin and querulous. "Are you coming down for dinner?"
"In a minute, Mother." I spoke, keeping my voice soft.
"You've been up there for days. People are starting to talk—" She talked through the door, my irritation growing at her words.
