Page 48 of Rook

Inari’s polished demeanor doesn’t waver, but there’s a flicker of something—interest, maybe—in her eyes. She smooths a non-existent crease from her dress.

“Assassins?” Her tone is laced with skepticism. “Gunnar and Nero have been playing the long game, Aisling. I don’t buy it. They wouldn’t risk tipping the scales, not when they’re just starting to balance in their favor. It smells like a setup.”

“Thought as much myself,” I admit, although part of me had wanted to believe otherwise. Part of me wanted an excuse to rage at them, to blame them for the chaos swirling around us. But that’s my fear talking, not my sense.

“Let me worry about finding who’s really behind this,” Inari says, rising fluidly from her seat. The authority she commands fills the space, makes the walls seem to lean in closer. “I have resources. People who can sniff out the truth.”

“And until then?” I ask.

“No one will touch you here,” she replies. “You’re safe within the walls of Oasis, no matter where you go. Trust me.”

“Why?”

“Consider it a gesture of good faith,” Inari continues. “If we’re going to work together, we need trust between us. And that starts now.”

“Right.” I stand, feeling the weight of her gaze like a tangible thing. “I should get back to my pack.”

“Consider my offer, Aisling,” Inari says. “If you truly want to change this world, we could do it together. You have influence over powerful alphas, and their loyalty to you is…unprecedented.”

“Is that what this is about?” I challenge, but there’s a part of me that thrills at the idea. “You think I can control them?”

She gives a soft laugh, more air than sound. “No, I think you inspire them. And that’s far more potent.”

“Maybe.” Doubt gnaws at me. Inspire or manipulate—it’s a line I’ve been tiptoeing for too long, and it’s starting to blur.

“Think about it.” Inari steps forward, extending her hand for a shake. “Not just for power or politics, but for the possibility of something better. Isn’t that worth fighting for?”

“Maybe,” I say, but my mind is racing. This game, these moves—Inari plays them like she was born to it. And maybe she was.

Me, though? I’m still learning the rules.

I know this one though—that you accept it when a potential ally wants a handshake.

I reach out and we clasp hands, then I turn and do the same with Isla. It feels like a deal with the devil—even as I remind myself that these are fellow omegas, women who have clawed our way into the halls of power. I have more in common with them than any of the men whose company I’ve kept these past few months.

And yet…

…there’s something off about this whole thing.

“Hotel security tells me that your pack are all back in their rooms,” she says. “There was a bit of a tussle downstairs—but I trust they’ll tell you all about it.”

My heart picks up a beat with concern. “A tussle?”

“I think Mr. Vega will fill you in,” she says. “And if you want it…”

She slips something into my palm, then, and I look down to find not one, but two room numbers. I frown. “What is this?”

“Where Mr. Finch and Mr. Rossi are staying, respectively,” she says. “Your choice if you want to go talk to them. Now…good night, Ms. Faye.”

“Good night,” I murmur.

Then I’m making a bee-line for the elevator, past the priceless art and away from the city lights. My heart pounds even at the sight of that elevator—and I remind myself I’m not trapped here, that this isn’t the cage of Dreamland.

Here, omegas rule supreme.

And they might be vipers…but at least they think I’m one of them.

Chapter twenty-two

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