Lila practically dragged Elara back toward the Omega Dormitories. The encounter with Marcus had been terrifying, but the confrontation with Harry and Rose—the hero and heroine—had been worse. She had just sold her soul, and her research, to the Male Lead, and he had bought it with an icy, skeptical stare.
"You need to hide that book, Elara. And find that neutralizer, fast," Lila whispered, her voice tight as they reached the intersection of the Alpha and Omega corridors.
Elara nodded, clutching the heavy book like a life raft. "I'll ask around for a Beta-grade scent block. They use them for sensitive supply runs. I'll leave a note at the service door tomorrow morning with the time and place."
"Use a completely different cleaner this time. And burn that paper the second you read this," Lila instructed, her mind already racing ahead. She then gave a sharp, confident nod that masked the frantic screaming in her head. "Go. And don't look back."
As Elara scurried away, Lila adjusted the collar of her dark cloak. I'm not a villainess, she thought bitterly. I'm a toxic biohazard with dormant magic, and my life depends on smelling like an old cleaning rag.
She made her way back up the maintenance stairs, her heart beating a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She was a reader, not a plotter! In the book, the villainess had a team of loyal servants and resources! Lila had a terrified Beta and an antique book that confirmed she was literally allergic to the Main Villian.
She stepped off the stairs and into the lavish, silent hallway of the Third Floor Suite. The security guard was gone.
Adrian Wolfhart was waiting for her.
He was standing in the archway of his private study, leaning against the dark wood frame, bathed in the soft, flickering light of an actual, oil-fed lamp. He wasn't overtly threatening, but his posture—relaxed, yet coiled—was infinitely worse than any aggressive stance. He looked like a patiently waiting cat who had already swallowed the canary.
"Back so soon, Blackwood?" His voice was low, carrying a faint, chilling rumble.
Lila dropped her mask of urgency and snapped back into the cold, defensive Blackwood persona. She stripped off the cloak and tossed it onto a nearby chair.
"I returned as soon as I secured the research," Lila said, meeting his gaze. "I told you, your lineage file requires highly specific Omega texts, and I am the only Omega with access to the full Academy archives, even the restricted Pack Biology section."
Adrian pushed off the frame and slowly approached her. "An excellent summary of the problem, Lila. And an even better summary of the lie you offered Alpha Westwell and Omega Williams."
Lila swallowed hard. The breath caught in her chest, but she refused to step back. Don't show fear. Don't show the blue flash.
"I was running interference for you," she countered, her voice steady despite the tremor in her knees. "I cannot conduct your research if I am being harassed by Marcus. Framing it as your command secured my immediate safety and scared him off. You should thank me for handling your petty rivalries."
Adrian stopped just a foot away, forcing her to look up into his cold, gray eyes.
"You show surprising initiative for a creature whose primary defense mechanism is to faint," he murmured, a hint of something that might have been amusement flashing across his face. "But that is not why I am displeased."
He reached out and, with slow, deliberate precision, ran one fingertip lightly over her cheekbone, dragging it down to her jaw. Lila froze, every muscle in her body tensing, remembering the threat of the Elemental Seizure.
"You left the floor without permission," he finished, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You broke the terms of our arrangement. And that deserves correction."
Adrian stepped back abruptly, breaking the agonizing tension, and turned toward his study.
"Come," he commanded. "Since you are so interested in my work, let me tell you about the problem you are currently attempting to escape: The Trials."
Lila followed him into the study, which was lined with books older than the Academy itself. Adrian gestured to a worn map stretched across a large oak table.
"The Academy Trials are not a school competition, Lila. They are a mandated, ruthless culling process that occurs once every decade." He tapped a section of the map labeled The Sunken Maze.
"Every Omega and Alpha who is designated 'Heir' or 'Prime Asset' must participate. It is a series of three events—physical, mental, and social—designed to test every weakness of their lineage."
Adrian turned to look at her, his eyes devoid of warmth. "It determines everything: who receives territory, who controls political power, and, most importantly, who gets mated to whom. Weak Omegas, like those who fail the physical challenge, are stripped of their names and assigned as breeding stock to low-ranking packs. Weak Alphas have their bloodlines diluted and their futures curtailed. It is a matter of survival and dynasty."
Lila finally understood the absolute, deadly stakes. This wasn't a school exam; it was a socio-political death match.
"If I lose, I become someone's incubator," Lila whispered, confirming her worst fear.
"Precisely," Adrian said, nodding approvingly at her grasp of the dark reality. "And if I lose... well, let's just say the results for a True Blood are more catastrophic for the entire continent. You, Lila, are currently the Omega Asset assigned to me. If you fail, it reflects poorly on my capacity to choose and control an Omega mate."
Lila found a desperate, dark humor in the situation. "So, I must survive to prevent the apocalypse, and also prevent your career from being downgraded? Got it. High stakes."
Adrian allowed a flicker of a smile—a horrifying, shark-like flash of white teeth. "Now, to the important lesson of the evening."
He walked over to a small, antique music box sitting on a side table. It was carved with intricate Alpha symbols. He picked up a small, hand-written slip of paper tucked beneath it and handed it to her.
The paper contained three lines written in delicate, scrolling handwriting:
Omega Blackwood left the floor via the service stairs at 10:10 PM.
Wore a dark gray cloak and carried no bag.
Returned at 10:43 PM. Appears agitated but contained.
"You seem surprised," Adrian observed, watching her face as she read the report. "You saw no guards. So, how did I know you left, and exactly when you returned?"
Lila felt a chill that had nothing to do with the "Elemental Seizure." She had been so focused on avoiding Harry and Rose that she forgot the most basic rule of an Academy run by powerful Alpha lineages: Trust no one.
"The guard?" she guessed, remembering the Beta she'd intimidated.
"The guards, the cooks, the cleaners, the scullery maids, the maintenance crew—every low-ranking Beta and Omega on this floor is trained for one purpose: observation," Adrian explained, his tone conversational, yet deadly. "They are unseen, unheard, and they are loyal to whoever signs their pay ledger—which, in this sector, is me."
He picked up the music box again. "When you handed your note to the Beta cleaner this afternoon, she immediately reported to her superior, who transcribed your activity onto a fresh slip, which was delivered to me via the service lift's internal message basket—a mechanism that runs on ancient pulleys and requires no modern power. Your field trip was never secret, Lila. I merely allowed it to see what you would prioritize."
Lila felt a sudden, dizzying panic. She hadn't run from a cage; she'd run through a maze, and Adrian had been watching her on the monitor the entire time.
The music box wasn't a distraction. It was the terminal for his entire surveillance network!
"So," Adrian said, his eyes drilling into hers. "You found your research, and you confirmed your own toxic allergy to me. You also confirmed that you are too arrogant to follow my directives. The good news is, I now know what the 'other' scent is. The bad news is, so do you."
He leaned down, placing his hands on the table, trapping her gaze. "From now on, Lila, any attempt to leave this floor will not be met with a note from the staff. It will be met with immediate, non-negotiable consequence. Your survival depends on me."
Author's note
For those who didn't understand what the trial meant:
In Trials are a Selection Process the True Blood Alpha, Adrian, must ultimately choose a mate (an Omega) from the Academy. The Trials are the official event where eligible Omegas are "tested" and "presented" to the high-ranking Alphas for selection. "Omega Asset Assigned to Me" This means Adrian has publicly claimed Lila as his primary candidate or partner for the mating portion of the Trials. By claiming her, he takes responsibility for her performance and her political value. If Lila performs poorly or fails, it suggests Adrian is a weak leader with poor judgment ("...reflects poorly on my capacity to choose and control an Omega mate."). For a True Blood like him, this could have catastrophic consequences for his power base ("...catastrophic for the entire continent"). Since she is now tied to Adrian, her failure is his failure. The pressure is enormous. If she fails the physical challenge, she is deemed "weak" and is discarded from the high political ranks, potentially becoming "breeding stock" for a lower-ranking pack.
Adrian hasn't chosen her as his final mate; he has chosen her as his proxy and political tool for a life-or-death competition. Her survival and success in the Trials are now directly linked to his reputation and power.
Hope you guys now understand what I meant.