Victor can't sleep. He absentmindedly plays with Ariadne's hair, enjoying the soft texture between his fingertips.The Alpha has never been one for repetition, but the names repeat in his head. He doesn't know if he can ever sleep again, at least not peacefully, until he finds justice for Ariadne.Chester Mason, Felix Cooper, Leonard Parker, Robin Spencer.He knows only one name on this list, so he'll start from there. After, he'll step on whoever he needs to, to find Arthur and destroy him.He plays it over and over.Victor eventually finds the sleep he needs, mind going to those dark places.When Victor wakes up, he's alone.He rarely gets up early enough to find Ariadne sleeping by his side. It's simply not the Omega's circadian rhythm.But somehow, Victor misses it.It's not an experience he's ever even had, a soft body cuddled by his side, something nice and familiar to wake up to.Victor rolls out of bed, bo

"I'll check on those names, boss. We'll find him." Waylon says before following Nathan outside.That 'him' could have meant a superabundance of things, but judging by the look on the Beta's face, Victor knows he's talking about Calvin.The dynamic duo is not dynamic anymore. Waylon's barely been able to talk since everything went down. But every fallout waiting to happen can keep edging at critical until Calvin's found."Do you want to go back to work?" Victor asks Ariadne once they're alone.Ariadne sighs. "I want to go home. I'm done for today.""I'll drive, Ariadne." that's more than understandable. Victor offers his arm, and Ariadne surprisingly takes it.The Omega nods, seemingly aged five years in that hour, eyes drained of vitality. "Okay."Ariadne curls up in the front passenger's seat, pressing her forehead to the window. She's a tiny, lost thing.Victor sees her fragility, but he also sees the strength, not dismissing

Nathan sheepishly scratches at the back of his head. "You can if you want, but I-well, Felix gave us an access point, but the whole thing is encrypted now. It's like Arthur knows he's been crossed."Getting their hands on Arthur's files could be a meaningful breakthrough."Let me see," Ariadne says as if possessed. Nathan leads the way to the desk in the corner."I tried last night, but it was impossible, and..." Nathan sighed. "I don't know how much longer we have. Arthur's probably going to move the data if we-""It's okay," Ariadne says, cracking her knuckles. "I'm an expert at bread trails."Harry stares at Victor, a devil's smile on his face. "I feel like this is a good time for us to talk shop, Alpha Victor."Victor would be in a much more entertaining mood if Harry weren't so openly infatuated with Ariadne.It'd been a day.But to be perfectly fair, Ariadne is just that captivating."Business can wait," Victor say

Victor raises his eyebrow before pulling on a shirt. "Do you want to fill me in there?" "Chester's hiding out in a safe house, swarming with muscle and hired guns," Ariadne says. "Dustin wants to meet up tomorrow to run over schematics." That would be the logical answer, only it's not what the Alpha is looking for. "Not that," Victor elaborates. "I want to know why Chester deserves to be castrated via gunshot wound." A light dims in the Omega's eyes. "I don't want to talk about it," Ariadne says, squirming away, turning over in the bed. Victor reaches forward, hand grazing along the Omega's shoulder. Ariadne immediately shrugs him off and shuffles out from in between the sheets. "I need a shower," she huffs, bathroom door slamming behind her. The water starts running a moment later. Victor pushes back the feeling of how disappointed he is. When Ariadne smells like him, he likes it, but the Omega has other plans.

Alcina steps forward as if possessed. "Did- Did Edward do this?" Edward? Chester lets out a pitiful cry. "He's a demon." "That Omega killed all these people," Waylon gasps with surprise. "He did this to you? You can't be serious." Ariadne crouches down so that she's at eye level with Chester. "Tell me where Arthur and Clavin are." Chester laughs, spitting up blood. "I already told him, that monster. Not that he's getting anywhere near Arthur." Ariadne shrugs. "Then you're dead anyway. Arthur executes talkers, you know that." "Will you let me go after? Untie me if I talk," Chester asks, hopeful. "You're kidding, right," Ariadne frowns. "After what you did to me." Chester whispers darkly. "Putting on a show for your Alpha, Aria? You know you liked it. I've never seen an Omega whine and beg so much." The spot between Victor's eyes starts boiling. He's never wanted to kill someone this badly.