Chapter 9: Black Threads of Blood and Pregnancy
"This is the list of women who were victims of the serial killings, my lord," said Callen, Silas’s assistant and head of intelligence, as he unfurled a dark leather folder and spread the documents across the polished mahogany table.
Grand Duke Silas stared at the photographs. The room was dimly lit since it was almost night, only a few rays of sunlight slicing through the windows, casting shadows on the bloodless faces staring up from the papers.
Each image showed a woman—each one with long black hair, and worse, each one unmistakably an Omega. The last picture was particularly jarring: a young woman no older than twenty, lips parted slightly in what looked like a scream frozen in time.
Silas’s crimson eyes narrowed.
"So it’s true," he muttered, his voice a rasp. "He’s targeting black-haired women?"
Callen’s face remained impassive, though his eyes held a grim sharpness. "Let me correct you, my lord. He’s targeting black-haired Omega women."
Silas leaned back in his chair, fingers laced under his chin. "That narrows the profile."
Callen continued, "Each body was discovered at dawn, placed carefully in public parks. No signs of assault or theft. Just deep, precise slashes across the neck. Clean. Almost surgical. And the strangest thing..."
He slid another folder forward.
"The scent blockers. All of them had scent-blocking patches applied post-mortem. Whoever’s doing this... they don’t want the scent of an Omega lingering."
Silas’s gaze sharpened like a blade. "That’s not just murder. That’s ritualistic."