To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 375

Chapter 375: The Reunion

CIAN

The infirmary felt too small for the number of people packed inside it.

My mother sat on the edge of one of the cots with her hands folded in her lap. She was trying to look composed, but I could see the tremor in her fingers. The way her shoulders stayed just a little too rigid. There was a slight pallor in her cheeks that had not been there this morning.

Fia stood beside her with one hand resting lightly on my mother’s shoulder.

Maren moved between them both with quick, efficient steps. She checked my mother’s pulse. Then she pressed the back of her hand against her forehead.

"How do you feel?" Maren asked.

"Fine," my mother said.

Her voice came out steady, but I knew better. I had known her my entire life. I could hear the lie underneath.

Maren frowned.

"You should still be resting now. The white moss is keeping you upright but it will not last long. Your body needs time to process what you put it through."

"I understand."

"Do you?" Maren asked quietly. "With respect, my lady, the white moss is only delaying the strain. If you push yourself too soon, your body will give out when it matters most."

My mother met her eyes.

"I will not collapse."

Maren looked like she wanted to argue, but she held her tongue. She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.

I moved closer and crouched down in front of my mother so I could see her face more clearly.

"Maren is right. You do look pale. I feel selfish pushing you like this."

"I am fine, Cian."

"Well... that is what you keep saying."

She reached out and touched my cheek. Her hand was warm against my skin.

"I promise you. I am fine."

I did not believe her but I nodded anyway.

Fia shifted beside us. Her hand left my mother’s shoulder and she turned toward the door.

"Someone is coming," she said quietly.

I stood and looked toward the entrance.

She was right. Footsteps echoed down the hall outside. Multiple sets and they were getting closer.

My mother moved immediately. She stood from the cot and smoothed the front of her dress. Fia stepped beside her and the three of us positioned ourselves near the center of the room.

Maren moved to stand with us.

We waited.

The door opened, and Thorne walked in first. He was carrying a small leather case in one hand. Behind him came Elder Pryce. The older man’s expression was carefully neutral but his eyes swept the room with the kind of attention that missed nothing.

Thorne stopped a few feet inside the infirmary and nodded to us.

"Alpha Cian. Grand Luna Morrigan. Luna Fia."

I nodded back.

"Elder Thorne. Elder Pryce."

Thorne held up the case.

"We got it," he said. "A fresh sample of Beta Ronan’s blood."

Elder Pryce stepped forward slightly. "I will stay to ensure there is no hanky panky."

His tone was polite but the implication underneath was clear. He did not trust us to run the test without oversight.

It was the rule anyway. So I had no issue with it.

I kept my face neutral.

"That is no problem at all."

Maren moved toward the elder and gestured for him to follow her.

"This way," she said. "We have everything set up in the back."

Thorne and Elderr Pryce followed her deeper into the infirmary. Elder Pryce walked slower. For some reason, his sight was fixated on me. But his fixation did not last as he reache dthe corner. His boots clicked softly against the stone floor as they disappeared through the doorway that led to the smaller examination room.

The door closed behind them.

I turned back to my mother.

She had sat down again. The brief burst of energy she had summoned to stand and look presentable had already faded. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

I crossed the room quickly and pressed my hand against her forehead.

She was warm. Not feverish exactly but warmer than she should have been.

"You are burning up."

"I am fine," she whispered.

"You keep saying that."

She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"What you did was reckless," I said quietly. My voice came out harder than I meant it to. "More than reckless."

"I know."

"You could have died."

"I know. But I had to do it. I had to be the one to put that monster down, regardless of how it could have gone." She sighed. "I did know I was in no real danger, considering my daughter-in-law is a talented healer herself. I do wish the bastard had just died in his cell, though. The small moves he seems to be able to pull even now unsettles me."

I pulled my hand back and sat down beside her on the cot. "You should have just waited for me to make my moves."

"You do not know what we feared was going to happen."

"Fia told me," I said. "Eventually. She told me everything."

My mother’s lips curved into a faint smile as she looked at Fia, then back at me.

"Good. She should have told you sooner. But I understand why she did not."

I looked at her.

"You really thought poisoning him was the only option?"

"I thought it was the safest option." Her voice was quiet. "For Fia. For you. For this pack. For everyone who stands to lose if that man walks free. Or survives this."

She reached over and took my hand in hers. Her fingers were cold now. The warmth from before had faded.

"It seems the goddess is by our side today though," she said softly. "I have a feeling this is the moment when we win over that monster."

Now that... I did believe. I had made all the moves for it to happen. For Skollrend and me to finally have some fucking peace.

Though I also wanted to feel the certainty my mother seemed to carry in her voice.

But all I could think about was how close we had come to losing her. How easily Aldric could have turned the tables. How much still hung in the balance.

I squeezed her hand gently.

"I hope you are right."

She smiled.

"I always am."

Fia moved closer and sat down on my mother’s other side. She did not say anything. She just sat there with us while the sounds from the back room drifted faintly through the closed door. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The minutes stretched.

I tried not to think about what was happening in that examination room. Tried not to imagine Elder Pryce standing over Maren and Thorne while they worked. Watching every move. Questioning every step.

Maren would certainly be pissed about having her work questioned.

Then there was a knock on the door. Loud and urgent.

All three of us turned.

The door opened before I could respond.

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