To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Cottonwood 1

CIAN

The alarm ripped through the quiet of my study. Sharp. Piercing. I reached out and slammed my hand down on it. The sound died.

My body ached everywhere. The chair I had spent the night in was not designed for sleeping. My neck was stiff. My back protested when I tried to sit up. Every muscle felt tight and wrong.

I pushed myself to my feet. My joints cracked. The room spun for a second before settling. I rubbed my face with both hands and looked at the time. Six in the morning. The sun would be rising soon.

I walked to the door and pulled it open. The hallway was empty except for one person. Ronan was walking toward me. His steps were purposeful and as direct as the Beta he has grown to be.

"So you avoided her," he said when he reached me.

"Priorities, Ronan," I said.

He shook his head but did not argue. "A small army is ready," he said instead. "The best and most ruthless sentinels we have."

"Good."

"They are loading up the vehicles now."

I nodded. My mind was already moving ahead. Planning. Calculating. But there was something I needed to do first.

"I want to see my mother before we go," I said.

Ronan’s expression softened. "Of course, Alpha."

We walked through the corridors together. The pack house was waking up. Sentinels changed shifts at their posts. Staff moved through the halls carrying trays and supplies. Everyone moved with purpose. Everyone knew something big was happening.

The infirmary was quiet when we entered. The smell of antiseptic hung in the air. Clean and sharp. Maren was at the monitoring station. She looked up when we walked in.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Stabilized," Maren said. She stood and gestured toward the room where my mother lay. "Still not conscious. But her vitals are holding steady."

I walked to the doorway and looked in. My mother was exactly where I had left her. Pale. Still. The oxygen mask over her face. Tubes running from her arms. Machines beeping in steady rhythm.

She looked so small in that bed. So fragile. Nothing like the strong woman who had raised me. Who had led this pack with grace and strength. To know she was fighting fucking poison instead of some godforsaken disease made me even angrier. I needed that anger.

"I’ll get the antidote," I said. My voice came out rough.

"We’ll be waiting," Maren said behind me.

I stood there for another moment. Just looking at her. Memorizing every detail. The way her hair spread across the pillow. The rise and fall of her chest. The pale color of her skin.

I would fix this. I would bring her back.

I turned away from the door but something propped in my mind before I could leave and I looked at Maren.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"Of course," she said without hesitation.

"Could you be by Fia’s side?" I asked.

Maren blinked. "Oh."

"What?"

"We aren’t really close," she said slowly. Her tone was careful.

"But you are both women," I said.

Maren’s eyebrows rose. She crossed her arms and stared at me. "We are both women?"

I realized how that sounded now that she said it. "I didn’t mean it that way."

"Then what way did you mean it?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. This was not going the way I had planned. "Just be by her side," I said. "We will be attending Alpha Julius Knight’s wedding soon enough. And I am sure her wardrobe is beautiful. But it is not anything grand. You are a fashion girl. Go shopping with her and have fun."

I pulled out my wallet and withdrew my Amex black card. Held it out to her. "Go wild even."

Maren looked at the card. Then at me. Then back at the card. A slow smile spread across her face.

"Now you’re talking," she said. She took the card from my hand and examined it like it was a precious gem.

"We will have the wildest time," she said. Her eyes were already distant. Planning. Plotting whatever shopping adventure she was going to drag Fia on.

"Good," I said. "Take care of her."

"Oh, I will do."

I nodded and left the infirmary. Ronan fell into step beside me. We walked in silence through the corridors. Down the stairs. Out through the main entrance.

The front courtyard was full of activity. Ten black vehicles were lined up. Sentinels loaded weapons into the trunks. Checked ammunition. Strapped on protective gear. Every face was hard. Focused. Ready for violence if it came to that.

I recognized most of them. Warriors who had proven themselves time and again. People I trusted with my life. With the pack’s future.

The lead car door was open. Waiting for me. I walked toward it. Ronan grabbed my arm.

"When we get to the witch’s shop, I think I should get in there first," he said.

I looked at him. "We can do that together."

"Five minutes," the driver said.

I sat up straighter. Rolled my shoulders. Cracked my knuckles. The wolf inside me surged forward. Ready.

The trees grew thicker. The road became rougher. We were deep in the forest now. Deep in territory that belonged to no one and everyone.

Then I saw it. A small cottage. Tucked back from the road. Smoke curled from the chimney. Herbs hung drying from the eaves. A garden sprawled in front. Wild and untamed.

"There," I said.

The driver slowed. The convoy came to a stop on the side of the road. Doors opened. Sentinels poured out. Silent. Efficient. They fanned out around the cottage. Creating a perimeter. Blocking all exits.

I got out of the car. My boots hit the dirt road. Ronan was beside me in an instant.

"Let me go first," he said again.

"Together," I said.

He sighed but did not argue. We walked up the narrow path to the cottage. The garden was full of plants I did not recognize. Strange flowers. Twisted vines. Things that probably had magical properties.

The door opened before we reached it.

A woman stood in the doorway. She was older than I expected. Gray hair pulled back in a loose bun. Sharp eyes that missed nothing. She wore a simple dress. An apron. She looked like someone’s grandmother.

But I knew better.

"Ophelia Cottonwood?" I asked.

"Depends on who’s asking," she said. Her voice was rough. Like gravel.

"I am Alpha Cian of Skollrend," I said. "This is my Beta, Ronan."

She looked us over. Her gaze was calculating. Assessing. "I know who you are."

"Then you know why we are here."

"I can guess." She leaned against the doorframe. Completely at ease despite the armed sentinels surrounding her home. "You want something from me."

"My mother was poisoned," I said. "You made the poison. Now you are going to give me the antidote."

Ophelia smiled. It was not a kind expression. "And if I refuse?"

My wolf snarled. I felt my control slip just slightly. Just enough. "Then this becomes unpleasant for everyone."

She studied me for another long moment. Then she pushed off the doorframe and stepped back. "You better come in then."