To ruin an Omega

Chapter 120: Shattered Faith 1

FIA

I walked back to the Infirmary. My steps were faster now. Harder. Each footfall echoed in the hallway.

The Omega trailed behind me. I could hear her breathing. Trying to keep up.

My mind wouldn’t stop racing. Aldric’s words played on repeat. That smile. That gesture across his wrist. The absolute confidence in his voice when he told me to run or die.

He thought he’d won.

He thought I would crumble. That I would break and flee like a scared animal.

But he was wrong. So incredibly wrong.

I reached the Infirmary doors and stopped. My hand gripped the handle. Behind me, the Omega’s footsteps slowed.

“Stay here.”

“Luna, I—”

“Stay. Here.”

My voice came out flat. Final. I didn’t look back to see if she obeyed. I just pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Thorne stood near the counter. Vials and equipment spread before him. Maren hovered beside him, watching as he worked. They both looked up when I entered.

“Luna Fia.” Maren straightened. “Is everything—”

“Is it done?” I cut her off. “The cure. Is it ready?”

Thorne held up a vial. The liquid inside caught the light. Golden. Just like before. “Almost. Just finishing the last step.”

I moved closer. My eyes fixed on that vial like it was the only thing in the world that mattered. Because maybe it was.

Maren shifted. Her gaze darted between Thorne and me. “Are we sure about this? If we’re wrong—”

“We’re not wrong.” I said it with more certainty than I felt. But I needed to believe it. Needed them to believe it too.

Thorne didn’t respond. He just continued his work. His movements were precise. Steady. Like he’d done this a thousand times before.

The silence stretched. Maren crossed her arms then uncrossed them. She also rubbed at her temples.

Finally, Thorne capped the vial. He held it up to the light. Examined it. Nodded once.

“It’s done.”

He turned toward Luna Morrigan’s bed. Each step was measured. Deliberate. He reached her side and looked down at her still form.

“Here goes nothing.”

He uncapped the vial. His hand moved toward her feeding tube.

“Wait.”

Maren’s voice stopped him. She stepped forward. Her eyes found mine. “Did you get something? From breakfast? Anything we can use?”

My jaw clenched. I could still feel Aldric’s fingers around my wrist. Still see him deleting that recording. “No.”

“Nothing?”

“I tried to record him.” The words tasted bitter. “He figured it out. Deleted everything.”

Maren’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh goddess.”

“But he did reveal himself.” I continued. “He admitted he’s the one. That he wanted to punish me. That was why he did this.”

“He said that?” Maren’s voice dropped to barely a whisper. “He actually said it?”

“Yes.”

She turned to face the wall. Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath. “Everyone trusts him. We all trusted him. He’s been part of this pack for decades. Cian thinks of him like a father.” She looked back at me. “How do we fight that?”

Thorne spoke before I could answer. “We make things right. One step at a time.” He gestured to the vial in his hand. “If we can wake Luna Morrigan, it will show we made a real medical discovery. It will give Luna Fia stronger credibility. And it will ruin whatever plans Aldric has.”

The logic was sound. Simple. If Luna Morrigan woke up, everything changed.

Maren stepped aside. Her arms wrapped around herself but she nodded.

Thorne turned back to Luna Morrigan. He inserted the tube into her feeding line. The golden liquid disappeared slowly. Drop by drop. We watched it drain until the vial was empty.

Then we waited.

Luna Morrigan didn’t move. Her chest continued its steady rise and fall. Her eyes stayed closed. The machines beeped their constant rhythm.

Nothing changed.

I counted the seconds in my head. Ten. Twenty. Thirty.

Still nothing.

“It might not be immediate.” I heard myself say. “Last time there was a delay before she responded. I wasn’t here when it must have happened after all.”

Thorne nodded. “That’s true. We should give it time.”

So we waited more. The seconds ticked into a minute. Then two. Then three.

My heart started to sink. That familiar weight pressed against my chest again.

Maren moved to Luna Morrigan’s side. She checked her pulse. Her pupils. Her vitals on the machines. “She’s not having an adverse reaction.” Her voice was careful. Clinical. “But it’s not like this did anything either.”

I looked at Thorne. He stared at Luna Morrigan with furrowed brows. Confusion painted across his face.

“This doesn’t make sense.” My voice cracked. “If it worked before… It did work before. I saw it. You saw it. Why would it not work now?”

“We can wait longer.” Maren suggested. “Maybe it just needs more time to—”

“No.” I shook my head. “This isn’t working. It didn’t work.”

The words felt like stones dropping from my mouth. Heavy and final.

My throat tightened. I swallowed hard against the pressure building behind my eyes. “Nothing worked.”

Maren stepped toward me. Her hand reached out. “Luna Fia—”

I turned and walked toward the door. My vision blurred at the edges. I couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t stand in this room and watch Luna Morrigan lie there unchanged while my world collapsed around me.

The door swung open. I pushed through it. The hallway stretched before me. Too long. Too narrow. The walls pressed in from both sides.

I needed air. Space. Something.

My feet carried me forward. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t particularly care. I just walked. Past doors and corners and windows that let in too much light.

The estate opened up around me. I found myself outside. The morning air hit my face. It was cool and the air had a sharp bite to it. It filled my lungs but didn’t ease the tightness in my chest.

I kept walking. My feet found a path. I felt the stones beneath my shoes. The grass on either side.

I didn’t stop until water appeared before me. A pool. Large and still. The surface reflected the sky above. Blue and cloudless.

I hadn’t been here before. I didn’t even know this existed on the estate grounds.

I stopped at the edge and stared down at my reflection. The woman looking back at me seemed like a stranger. Her face was pale. Her eyes were too wide. Too lost.

Footsteps approached behind me. Soft against the stone path.

“Goddess.” My voice came out rough. “I need some space please. I need to breathe.”

“I’m sorry, Luna.” The Omega says and I heard her retreat. I heard her steps move back several paces.

I closed my eyes and drew in another breath. I let it out slowly.

My heart rate started to settle. The pressure in my chest eased just slightly. Enough that I could think. Enough that I could—

My thoughts got muddled because I started to hear footsteps again.

They were heavier this time. Most likely because they were faster.

I turned. “I said I need—”

But when I looked, it wasn’t the Omega.

It was Elara and she strode toward me. Her face was twisted with barely contained fury. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. Her eyes blazed.

“Is something wrong?”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t slow down. She just charged straight at me.

Her hand came up fast. I registered the movement but couldn’t react in time.

The slap connected with my cheek. Hard. The sound cracked through the air. My head snapped to the side. Pain bloomed across my face. Hot and stinging.

I stumbled back. My hand flew to my cheek. The skin burned beneath my palm.

“What the hell—”

“You bitch.” Elara’s voice shook. “You absolute bitch.”

I stared at her. My cheek throbbed. My thoughts scattered. “What are you—”

“You think I don’t know?” She took another step forward. “You think I’m stupid?”

My heart hammered. I dropped my hand from my face. “Know what?”

“Don’t play innocent with me.” Spit flew from her mouth. “You think you are tough shit now because you have risen to the ranks of Luna? You think that gives you the right to threaten my father?”

The blood drained from my face. “What?”