Chapter 56

I felt bad, but I had to defy Iris once again. My strict bedtime schedule, as important as it was, was going to have to take a backseat tonight.

Tonight, Matt was in the casino. Alone.

Obviously neither Jordan nor myself were able to sit still, consumed with worry for our friend. I could hardly focus on anything other than the minutes slowly dragging by, just waiting for 2 AM. I just prayed he stayed safe until then.

I paced back and forth in my office while Jordan anxiously worked on some embroidery to keep her hands busy. I was sorely tempted to stress-bake, but the possibility of Elroy waking up and coming to see what the noise was kept me confined to my office. I’d been stuck in my office a lot lately.

The phone ringer was shrill in the silence, making us both jump. I leapt for it, heart pounding. “Hello?”

“It’s me,” Matt said, and relief flooded my body. “I’m safe. I’m in the car, on 4(th) street, and I’ll be back in 20 minutes tops.”

I finally slumped into a chair, tension draining out of me as I sent Jordan a smile, letting her know that Matt was fine.

“Perfect,” I said, sending a thank you to the Moon Goddess. We’d had a plan in case things went south, but he’d called on time and hadn’t used the safe word that meant he was in danger, and I was just so grateful. “Drive safe, Matt, we’re waiting for you.”

Twenty minutes later the three of us were gathered in my office, and after about five minutes straight of just ensuring Matt was settled and comfortable the report began.

"It was... seedy," Matt said, running a hand through his hair. "Not in a dangerous way, I don’t think, but you could sort of tell there weren’t enough resources to get the building in perfect shape. Cobwebs in the corners, faded paint, that sort of thing.”

I nodded, having somewhat expected that. Even from the outside it was clear they were doing what they could to match the shiny high-life image of a casino and not quite making it. They were probably barely breaking even.

“Otherwise, I mean, everything worked. I did a few slots to blend in, watched some roulette—it was all pretty typical of a lower-end casino, you know?”

I leaned forward, my wolf senses on high alert. "And the clientele?"

Matt shrugged. "Nothing special. Everyday people, mostly, nothing to write home about.

“Their security guards did mean business, though. One woman tried to make a scene and they had her on the sidewalk in seconds flat.”

I hummed, brows pinching together. Casinos and bars always had fights breaking out, so of course there would be security, but I hadn’t expected them to be high-level. They were probably spending a pretty penny, and with their apparent financial situation there had to be a reason for it.

“Anything else?” I asked. Matt grinned.

“Why yes, in fact,” he said proudly. “A man at the roulette table got lucky, and I offered to buy him a drink to celebrate. That’s when things got interesting.”

I sat up straighter. “What happened?” I asked. Jordan leaned closer.

“Well, I happened to casually mention that it was my first time at this establishment,” Matt said, “and that caught the bartender’s attention a little. She started eavesdropping after that, so I told my new drinking buddy that I’d found the place by overhearing my Omegan sister talking about it.

“Sure enough, the bartender came right over once Mr. Lucky took his leave and started chatting with me about my sister. She said they rarely ever saw Omegas in here so it stood out to her, and I said something like ‘Yeah, she’s trying to make some more money for some reason, but I wanted to scope it out first, make sure it was safe for a lone Omega woman.’”

My eyes lit up, recognizing what an expert move that was. In one sentence he’d let it slip that an Omega needed money bad enough to consider gambling, that her family didn’t know why, and that she’d be there alone—an easy target. “And what did she say?” I asked, thrilled that we might finally be getting somewhere.

“She perked right up! Said the owner was hoping to ‘tap into the Omega market,’ and if she saw my sister she’d look out for her.”

“That’s not creepy at all,” Jordan cringed.

“It wouldn’t be if we didn’t know what we do,” I said, even though I firmly agreed with her. I could see why somebody would take that offer as a promise of safety, and that was the most chilling part.

“There’s more,” Matt said. “The bartender told me that there’s an upcoming casino event, and that the owner would be there if I wanted to bring my sister.”

My heart raced. This could be it. "When?"

As Matt rattled off the date, I was already reaching for my laptop. My fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up the casino’s social media page.

Jordan leaned over my shoulder, watching intently. "What are you thinking, Olivia?"

"I'm cross-referencing the dates," I murmured, my eyes scanning the screen. "We thought the Omegas went missing on random dates, but what if…”f

And there it was. Several of the missing Omegas were last seen on the night of a major gambling event at the casino. My stomach clenched.

"It matches," I whispered, more to myself than the others. "Almost every one."

“But the dates are so scattered,” Matt said, eyes wide. “Who sets events at unpredictable times like that?”

“Maybe that’s the point,” I muttered, scanning the calendar on my screen. “It’d be a lot easier to connect the dots if Omegas always went missing on a specific day of the month.”

Jordan’s voice cut through the tension. "So what now? We can't just storm the place."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. My wolf stirred within me, ready for the hunt. When I opened them, my decision was made.

"I'm going in. Undercover."

"Olivia, no—" Jordan started, but I held up a hand.

"I’ll go in disguise,” I promised, placing a hand protectively over my still-flat abdomen. The room fell silent as the others noticed my gesture.

"Olivia," Jordan said softly, "the baby..."

I met her gaze, steeling myself. It felt like there were eels squirming in my guts, but I knew I had to do this.

"The baby will be safe, and so will I,” I declared. “My Alpha aura is strong enough to overwhelm the entire high council at once, it can subdue multiple attackers if it comes to it. .I won’t even have to engage in a fight—just use my aura, take the victim, and run.”

Matt ran a hand through his hair, clearly conflicted. "There has to be another way. We could—"

"No," I cut him off, my voice firm. "The danger is lower for me than anyone else, and if we’re right, another Omega will go missing that night. Even my wolf agrees we have to act.”

Not that she was happy about it, but then again, neither was I. The last thing I wanted to do was take risks with my baby, but I couldn’t sit by and do nothing while another pack member was stolen away.

The room buzzed with tension as I began to outline my plan. "I'll need a disguise. Something that won't draw attention but will make it difficult to recognize me after the fact.”

"I know a guy," Charles offered, his tone lighter despite the worry in his eyes. He clearly knew I wasn’t going to back down. "He can get you top-quality colored contacts by tomorrow."

I nodded, grateful for his support. "Perfect. And I'll need a wig."

“A short one,” Jordan suggested. “It’ll make your face look like a totally different shape.”

As we discussed the details, I couldn't shake the nervous energy coursing through me. My hand remained on my stomach, a silent promise to the life growing within. We had three days to get everything ready.

I promise, I vowed, hoping my child could hear me, I'm going to keep you safe.