To ruin an Omega

Chapter 123: Easier

FIA

“You’re wet.” Cian’s voice pulled me back to the present. His hands were still on my face. Warm against my cold skin. “We should get you dry.”

The Omega who had been assigned to watch over me appeared at his side. She held out a towel without a word. Her eyes were fixed on the ground.

Cian took it and wrapped it around my shoulders. The fabric was soft. Warm. It soaked up some of the water that clung to my skin. He rubbed my arms through the towel. Trying to warm me up.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Are you sure?” His brow furrowed. The concern in his eyes was genuine. “I don’t want you to catch a cold or something.”

I nodded as I pulled the towel tighter around myself. The weight of my wet dress was uncomfortable. It clung to every curve and it made every movement feel heavier than it should.

Cian’s jaw tightened. He glanced back toward where Elara had disappeared. Then his gaze returned to me.

“What was that about?”

The question hung in the air between us. I could feel the bond humming with his curiosity. His anger had cooled slightly but it still simmered beneath the surface. Ready to ignite again if I gave him reason.

I considered telling him. All of it. Every suspicion. Every piece of evidence with no definite proof I had gathered. The truth sat on the tip of my tongue.

But I sighed instead.

“Elara believed I threatened her father.”

Cian’s eyebrow rose. “Why would Elara even think that?”

“I really do not know.”

The lie tasted bitter. I hated it. Hated that I had to hold back when part of me believed he would see reason. That he would understand. That he would help me bring Aldric down.

But Cian’s anger made him blind. I had seen it myself. The way he lashed out. The way he defended the people he trusted without question. Maren had warned me. Thorne had warned me. Even my own observations had shown me the truth.

I wanted to take the risk. I wanted to trust him with this.

But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when one wrong move could let Aldric slip free. Not when it could make Cian doubt me instead.

I swallowed hard. “I guess I did sort of imply that he was the last one in the room with her and it didn’t make sense that the cure had that bad of an adverse reaction on her. Elara must have heard that and gone with it.”

Cian’s expression shifted. The concern gave way to something else. Confusion maybe. Or disbelief.

“Why would you think that? My uncle would never do that.”

There it was. The answer I had been scoping for. The blind trust I needed to see confirmed.

Cian still believed in Aldric. Completely. Without question.

“You shouldn’t trust anyone that deeply,” I said. My voice was quiet but firm. “Take it from me. Question everyone and everything.”

“I do.” His response was immediate. Defensive. “I try to at least.” He paused. Looked away for a moment. “But you cannot be a one man army. You need a support system.”

“Not every support system is built to last.” The words came out sharper than I intended. “Take it from me. I was deceived into taking my sister’s place and betrayed in the worst way possible.”

His hand found mine and he squeezed gently. “I guess that’s why you would be distrustful of most people.”

He guided me toward the estate. His arm wrapped around my waist. Keeping me close to his side. The warmth of his body seeped through the damp towel and into my skin.

“I did try,” I said. My voice softer now. “But even I wasn’t invisible. When you need someone in your corner, you tend to attract the worst of people.”

We walked in silence for a few steps. My wet shoes squelched against the stone path.

“I trusted Bo.” The admission hurt. “Bo was one of the first people to show me kindness here and it turned out she was working for your other uncle.”

Cian stopped walking. His grip on my waist tightened slightly. “Is this what you didn’t want to tell me yesterday?”

“I guess.” I looked up at him. Met his gaze. “It still feels like there are enemies close to you.”

His jaw clenched. “You suspect my uncle?”

“I did.” I paused. Let the words settle. “I’m sorry if that offends you.”

“Of course not.” But his tone had shifted. Grown colder. More guarded. “But I can beat my chest and tell you that Uncle Aldric would never do that to me.”

I stayed quiet. Let him continue.

“A lot of people do not know this but his brother Gabriel got close to annihilating me. Aldric was who saved me.” Cian’s voice carried weight. The kind that came from deep conviction. “If he wanted me dead at any time, there are ample opportunities to kill me. But he did not. He was my biggest ally in securing my father’s legacy. He is no beast.”

I smiled. Small and tight. “I realize that now.”

The lie felt heavier this time. But I kept it in place. Kept my expression neutral. Kept my heartbeat steady.

“I do apologize for my cousin,” Cian said. “She has always been this way. She is a lot like her mother.”

“What happened to her mother?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged. “She and Aldric just drifted apart.”

“It was not a match of fate?”

Cian shook his head. “No. It was a chosen bond and the goddess did not bless the bond. Not like with us.”

I nodded. Absorbed the information. Filed it away for later use.

It would be difficult to convince Cian of anything truly. The blind loyalty ran deep. Deeper than I had initially thought. So I needed to find another way to show him Aldric’s true colors rather than tell him.

But now that we were close to the house, my mind shifted. It drifted back to last night. To the way his hands had felt on my skin. The way his lips had moved against mine. The way my body had responded to his touch.

My heartbeat picked up. Heat flooded my cheeks despite the cold water still dripping from my hair.

“What is wrong?”

I looked up to find Cian watching me. His face was full of concern. His eyes searched mine for answers.

“Nothing.” I tried to sound casual. “I’m cold I guess.”

“You should shield the bond more if you are going to lie.”

My cheeks burned hotter. “Well, if I did, you would figure I wanted to keep a secret regardless.”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “I am free today. So would you like more dancing lessons?”

The question hit me like a physical blow. My face felt like it was on fire. The memory of his hands guiding me. The closeness of our bodies. The way he had looked at me in that moment.

“Oh.” The word came out breathless. “Yes.”

“We should get you changed then.”

He led me inside. Through the hallways I was starting to call home. Past servants who bowed their heads as we passed. Their eyes lingered on my wet dress. On the water trail I left behind.

But I barely noticed them. My mind was too full. Too distracted.

Cian’s presence beside me felt different now. Charged in a way it hadn’t been before. The bond hummed between us. Warm and insistent. It pulled at something deep in my chest.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” His voice was gentle. Patient.

“Yes.” I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Just processing everything I guess.”

He nodded. Seemed to accept that answer. “Elara won’t bother you again. I will make sure of it.”

“Thank you. But I can fight my own battles Cian.”

“Well, I don’t want you to.”

My heart skipped a beat when he said that. That had to mean something deep. Right?

We reached my chambers. Cian pushed open the door and guided me inside. The room was exactly as I had left it. Though the bed was made now and Bo’s blood was scrubbed clean from all the surfaces.

“I will give you a minute to change into fresh clothes,” Cian said.

He turned to leave but I caught his arm. The movement was instinctive. Unplanned.

“Cian.”

He looked back at me and waited. “Yes?”

“Thank you. For pulling me out. For standing up for me.”

Something softened in his expression. “It is not a problem.”

The word settled over me like a promise. Heavy, warm and terrifying all at once.

He left then and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

I stood there for a long moment. Dripping water onto the floor. The towel still wrapped around my shoulders. My heart still racing from something that had nothing to do with being pushed into the pool.

This was getting complicated. More complicated than I had anticipated. The bond made everything harder. Made separating my new mission from my feelings nearly impossible.

But I couldn’t afford to lose focus. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by the way Cian made me feel. By the way he protected me.

I had a job to do. A monster to expose. A pack to save from its own blindness.