CHAPTER 28: MILO’S RUIN 1

HAZEL

I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Milo’s face when I’d told him the truth. The way his hope had shattered. The way he’d looked at me like I was something rotten.

I told myself it didn’t matter. He’d fall in line eventually. They always did.

But something gnawed at me—a feeling I couldn’t shake.

I sat up in bed and reached for my phone. Scrolled through my contacts until I found the name I needed. Delta. One of the omega servants who’d been loyal to me since I was sixteen. She owed me favors. Big ones.

I typed out a message.

Need you to watch someone for me. Sentinel Milo. Report back if he does anything suspicious.

The reply came fast.

Of course, Miss Hazel.

I set the phone down. Tried to relax. This was just insurance. Just me being careful. Milo wouldn’t actually do anything stupid. He was hurt and angry but he wasn’t suicidal.

Except.

Except he’d looked at me with tears in his eyes and said he loved me. Past tense. Loved. Like it was already over.

My phone buzzed twenty minutes later.

You were right to be concerned. He’s packing a bag. I overheard him say he’s going to Skollrend tomorrow to tell Alpha Cian everything.

I read the message three times.

My hands started shaking.

No. No, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t be that fucking stupid.

I called Delta.

She picked up on the first ring. "Miss Hazel?"

"Are you sure?" My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. "You’re absolutely sure that’s what he said?"

"I heard him on the phone with someone. Your sister, I think. He kept saying he was going to fix it. That he’d tell the truth tomorrow and take whatever punishment came." Delta paused. "He sounded determined."

My stomach dropped.

Milo was going to destroy us both. He was going to walk into Skollrend and confess everything to one of the most powerful Alphas in the region. An Alpha who could crush Silver Creek without breaking a sweat if he wanted to.

"Miss Hazel?" Delta’s voice pulled me back. "What should I do?"

"Take me to him." I was already out of bed. Already pulling on clothes. "Now."

"Are you sure that’s wise? If anyone sees you going to the sentinel quarters at this hour..."

"I don’t care." I grabbed a jacket. "Meet me at the side entrance in five minutes."

I hung up before she could argue.

My mind was racing. Milo couldn’t go through with this. He was my accomplice. If he went down, I went down with him. Worse, actually. Because I was the one who’d planned everything. I was the one who’d orchestrated Fia’s downfall.

And Milo was apparently the type to destroy himself for love. For guilt. For whatever twisted sense of honor he thought he still had.

I felt sick.

Delta was waiting when I got to the side entrance. She didn’t say anything. Just led me through the dark paths toward the sentinel quarters. The buildings were squat and functional. Nothing like the main pack house where I lived.

We stopped outside Milo’s door.

"Wait here," I told Delta.

She nodded and stepped back into the shadows.

I knocked. Three sharp raps.

I heard footsteps. Then the door opened.

Milo stood there in sweatpants and nothing else. His eyes widened when he saw me. "What do you want?"

I pushed past him into the room. It was small. Sparse. A bed, a dresser, a single chair. Everything a sentinel needed and nothing more.

"Hazel, you can’t just..."

"Are you stupid?" I spun to face him. "Are you actually stupid enough to think you can walk into Skollrend and confess to Alpha Cian?"

His jaw tightened. "I’m doing what’s right."

"Right?" I laughed. The sound was harsh even to my own ears. "Right for who? Fia? The girl who you helped me destroy? Or is this about you feeling guilty now that you realize I don’t actually love you?"

"Don’t." His voice was low. Dangerous. "Don’t make this about that."

"But it is about that." I moved closer. "You’re throwing a tantrum because I hurt your feelings. You’re willing to destroy both our lives because you can’t handle the truth."

"The truth is that we lied." Milo’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. "We manipulated Fia. We tricked her into taking your place. We ruined her life for our own gain."

"Our gain?" I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you gain, Milo? Because from where I’m standing, you got to fuck me a few times and now you’re crying about it."

He flinched.

Good.

"Do you know what Alpha Cian will do to you?" I kept my voice steady. Reasonable. "He’ll kill you. Or worse. He’ll make an example out of you. Show every other pack what happens when you lie to an Alpha."

"I know the risks."

"Do you?" I stepped closer again. Close enough to see the conflict in his eyes. "Because I don’t think you do. I don’t think you understand what you’re throwing away here."

"I’m not throwing anything away." But his voice wavered. Just slightly. "I’m fixing what we broke."

"You can’t fix it." The words came out flat. Final. "It’s done. Fia is with Cian now. They’re mated. Nothing you say will change that."

"But it will give out the truth." Milo’s eyes met mine. "Alpha Cian deserves to know we manipulated her. That it wasn’t her fault. Do you know the hell she is going through over there?"

"And what about me?" I let my voice soften. Let a hint of vulnerability creep in. "What happens to me when you tell him everything? What happens to my father, the Alpha who is supposed to have your loyalty? This pack? What happens to us? You know what will happen right?"

"You’ll face consequences too."

"Consequences." I shook my head. "Milo, I’m a woman. A Luna’s daughter. Do you understand what that means? I don’t get to choose my fate the way you men do. If Cian comes after our pack, if he demands retribution, my father will hand me and you over without blinking."

Something flickered across his face. I had cut into something. "We pay for our crimes."

I pressed the advantage.

"Crime? I had to play games to avoid marrying Cian in the first place." I moved closer. Close enough that he could feel my breath. "I had to scheme and manipulate because I don’t have the luxury of just saying no. That’s how it works for women like me."

"Hazel..."

"I just wanted to get out." My voice cracked. Just enough to sound real. "I just wanted a choice. And yes, I used you. I used Fia. But what else was I supposed to do?"

He was listening now. Really listening.

"Please don’t do this." I reached up. Touched his face. Let my fingers trace the line of his jaw. "Please don’t throw us both away because you’re hurt."