Page 42 of Redeeming His Omega Mate

I raised a brow, slowly setting my cup back on the counter. “Yeah. Have you seen her before?”

Gina shook her head. “Not exactly, but I’ve heard some things,” she hesitated, her fingers drumming against the counter as if debating whether to say what was on her mind. “People in the slums have been talking about her, saying they’ve seen her around lately. And not just by herself. One said they saw her with a group of Garrick’s men.”

Garrick’s men were known terrors of the slums, so Serena hanging around with them could not be good.

“Word on the street is that she’s paying them off.”

I frowned, confused. “Paying them off for what?”

She nodded. “I mean, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. She hates you. You and Damian clearly have something going on, and she’s supposed to mate with that same man. Everything gives her motive.”

My frown deepened. “Motive for what? What are you talking about, Gina?”

She exhaled and leaned forward on the counter, lowering her voice. “You said the crates of supplies were stolen, right? Well, I think I know who took them. On my way to the lake the other day, I saw a tall, blonde woman with a group of men—men known for terrorizing the slums. At first, I thought they were harassing her. She looked like someone who had never worked a day in her life. But the longer I watched, the more I realized they were negotiating. After they talked, she handed them some money and left.”

She paused, watching my face closely before dropping the final piece. “But that’s not even the crazy part. The men she paid off? They were the same ones who fiercely opposed Damian’s speech and ignited the protest. I thought everyone just wanted to find something bad to say about her when rumors started flying around that she paid Garrick’s men to steal the supplies, but after seeing it for myself, it makes sense.”

I blinked as my thoughts spun in every direction. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up, Gina,” I said, trying to piece everything together. “Are you saying Serena is responsible for what happened at the outreach?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “But why else would she be in the slums?And with those kinds of people? I thought it was shady at the time, but now it all makes sense. She probably wants to make you look bad.”

A storm of emotions swirled inside me. Anger and frustration but also a bitter sense of inevitability. Of course, Serena would pull something like this. It wasn’t just my position that threatened her. It was my connection to Damian, which had become far too obvious these days. But more than that, she was threatened by the very fact that I existed.

My fingers tightened around the cup as I swallowed back the heat rising in my chest. But beneath all that anger, another realization settled in. If she hadn’t sabotaged the outreach, we’d be telling a different story right now. Damian would be one step closer to winning the Omegas.

“You know, despite everything, Damian is insistent on continuing the outreach. The odds against him succeeding just keep rising,” I muttered.

Gina sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Damian is a good man, and I’m sure with time, the people will see it too.” She pursed her lips, then added, “Just tell him to give it some time. A couple more days, at least, for this to blow over. And this time, make sure whatever plans you have stay within a trusted circle.”

I nodded absently, my mind circling back to that vile, vicious woman named Serena and just how far she was willing to go to ruin me. At least with the mating ceremony just around the corner, she’d be too focused on that to worry about me. No matter how much she despised me, she wouldn’t jeopardize her own big day just to make my life miserable.

Chapter 18

Damian

Tala was back to avoiding me. Ever since we kissed on the terrace, she had gone out of her way to keep her distance, leaving the room whenever I entered, speaking in careful, measured tones that set my teeth on edge. It wasn’t just annoying. It infuriated me.

The only chance I’d had to speak with her alone was the morning of the second outreach day. She had suggested holding it on Labor Day, a tradition in the slums where everyone set aside their work to clean and improve the community. When she spoke about it, there was something wistful in her voice, like those were some of the only good memories she had from her time there. But the second she caught me watching her, she straightened, her face going blank again—just as it had been for two whole days.

“Are you sure about this, Damian?”

Her voice caught me off guard. The guards were loading the trunks with supplies, and I had been standing beside her, hands shoved in my pockets, watching them work. I arched a brow at her.

“Oh? So, we’re speaking again? Must have missed the memo.”

Tala glanced up at me, but the moment our eyes met, she quickly looked away. “I’m serious, Damian,” she said, her voice slipping intothat measured tone that always got under my skin. “We don’t know what kind of adversity we’ll face next.”

“I never expected this to be easy,” I said. “I know there’ll be obstacles. But I’m hopeful that today will be different.”

She looked up at me again, just for a second, but in that brief moment, I could have sworn I saw something close to a smile. A flicker of pride in her eyes. But with Tala, I could never be too sure. She was becoming an impossible puzzle to solve.

She turned away. “I just want you to be prepared for whatever we may face today.”

I shifted to face her fully. “I can handle whatever they throw at me. Literally. What I can’t handle is you avoiding me.”

She didn’t even flinch. Didn’t even look at me when she said, “Damian, this is not the time or place for this conversation. I’ll go cross-check the supplies.”

And just like that, she walked away.

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