To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 395

Chapter 395: "The end is here" 2

GABRIEL

More than that, I hadn’t even thought it.

The realization landed hard, sending a cold ripple through me that had nothing to do with the water still clinging to my skin. My eyes flicked back to the mirror, locking onto my own reflection as if it could give me an answer.

It didn’t.

I looked the same. Pale, drawn, the kind of hollow you don’t shake off easily after years of being locked away from everything that made you human. There were shadows under my eyes, a sharpness to my cheekbones that hadn’t been there before, but none of that was new.

I knew this version of myself.

Or I should have.

Because something was off.

It wasn’t obvious at first. Not something I could point to immediately. But the longer I stared, the more it pressed in, quiet and insistent.

My eyes.

They were mine. I recognized the shape, the color, the way they should have looked after everything I’d been through.

But there was something sitting behind them that didn’t belong.

Something watching.

The thought made my stomach twist.

I tightened my grip on the sink, my fingers curling until the pressure bordered on painful, grounding myself in something real. My hands trembled despite it, small, involuntary movements I couldn’t quite stop.

No.

The word formed in my head before I could push it away.

No, this wasn’t right.

This wasn’t happening.

It couldn’t be.

"Get a grip," I muttered, more to fill the silence than anything else.

I dragged a hand down my face, exhaled slowly, then looked up again.

At first, it was the same.

Then it wasn’t.

There was movement behind me.

Not in the room. Not something I could hear or feel. Just a shift in the reflection, subtle enough that I almost missed it, like a shadow that didn’t belong to anything in the space.

My breath stalled.

I didn’t turn around.

I kept my eyes on the mirror.

The space behind me stretched empty, the pale walls of the infirmary exactly where they should be, the door closed, everything still. But in the reflection, something lingered just at the edge, just out of focus, like it didn’t want to be seen fully.

A shape.

Tall. Familiar.

My chest tightened before my mind could catch up.

No.

That wasn’t—

The air in the room didn’t change, but something in me did. Every instinct I had sharpened at once, my body going rigid as that shape stepped closer, clearer now, no longer hiding at the edge of my vision.

I knew that silhouette.

I knew it in a way that went deeper than recognition, deeper than memory.

My stomach dropped.

Slowly, like I was afraid of what I’d find, I lifted my gaze to meet the reflection properly.

He was standing right behind me.

Not in the room.

Only in the mirror.

My brother.

The word hit before I could stop it, heavy and disorienting.

And he was smiling.

Not the kind I knew.

This one was wrong.

Too wide. Too sharp. It stretched across his face like it didn’t belong there, like it had been forced into place and left to sit.

My throat went dry.

"You’re—" My voice cracked, barely there. "You’re dead."

The words felt useless the moment they left me.

He tilted his head slightly, slow, almost curious, like he was studying me, like I was the strange one here.

Then his lips parted.

"Found you."

The voice was his.

But it wasn’t.

It echoed, layered over itself in a way that made something in my chest twist, like there were too many versions of it speaking at once, slightly out of sync.

Cold shot down my spine.

I jerked back instinctively—

But by then, it was too late.

***

ALDRIC

The rune soul transfer had been hindered.

I could feel him still. Gabriel. My weak pathetic brother.

He was alive inside me. Trapped somewhere deep. Clawing at the edges of my consciousness like a rat trying to escape a cage.

But he was not in control.

I was.

I looked at the reflection in the mirror and felt disgust twist through me.

Gabriel’s face stared back. Gaunt and pale and marked by years of suffering I had inflicted on him. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

This was not the body I wanted.

This was not the face I wanted to wear.

But it was mine now.

At least temporarily.

I smiled.

The expression looked wrong on Gabriel’s face. Too sharp. Too cruel.

But it was mine.

And that at least felt good.

The Omega had interfered.

When she had placed her hands on Gabriel’s throat and poured that goddess-blessed light into him, it had disrupted the transfer.

The rune magic I had activated with Gabriel’s blood and the ring should have been clean. Should have pulled my soul completely into Gabriel’s body while his soul was shoved into mine.

A perfect swap.

My dying body for his newly healed one.

But the light had tangled everything. It had bound Gabriel’s soul too tightly to his own flesh. Made it impossible to fully dislodge him.

So now we were both here.

Two souls in one body.

But I was the one holding the reins.

Apparently, I had been right about her. She was special.

A healer. What were the odds?

I flexed Gabriel’s hands. Felt the muscles respond. Felt the strength returning to limbs that had been wasted by years of starvation.

The healing had worked.

Stay quiet, brother.

This is my show now.

I looked at Maren.

"Where is Cian now?"

"In his chambers with Luna Fia. They are resting."

Perfect.

"And my sister-in-law? Morrigan?"

"She is back in her room now. She used white moss to force herself upright during the trial. Her body is recovering now."

I nodded slowly.

"And the pack? How are they handling everything that happened?"

Maren hesitated.

"Shaken. But relieved. Aldric’s death has brought a sense of closure. People are starting to believe things will get better."

I smiled.

"That is good. They deserve peace after everything Aldric put them through."

The words tasted like ash in my mouth.

But I said them anyway.

Maren smiled back at me. Genuine and warm.

"It is good to have you back, Alpha Gabriel."

"It is good to be back."

Liar.

Thorne pushed off from the wall.

"I will go tell the Alpha you are awake."

"Thank you."

He left without another word.

The door closed behind him.

I sat there on the edge of the bed and let the silence settle.

Maren went back to organizing supplies. She hummed softly while she worked. Some tune I did not recognize.

I watched her for a moment.

Then I looked down at my hands. Gabriel’s hands.

They were clean now. The dirt and grime from years of imprisonment washed away.

But I could still feel the blood on them.

Metaphorically.

All the blood I had spilled. All the lives I had taken. All the damage I had done.

It was still there.

And soon there would be more.

I had lost my body. Lost my face. Lost the power and position I had spent years building.

But I had not lost.

Not yet.

I was still here. Still alive. Still in control.

And I was inside Skollrend now. Inside the heart of Cian’s territory. Surrounded by his people. His family.

He had no idea.

None of them did.

I smiled again.

Gabriel’s face was not as satisfying to wear as my own. But it would do.

For now.

I did not intend to gain trust or build my way back up. The cute reveal that Fia was a healer brought a wonderful idea at the back of my mind.

The idea for a perfect show. One that would involve the royals.