To ruin an Omega

Chapter 169: Your Patterns

CIAN

My mother’s gaze then back to Aldric. Her eyes held recognition and something else. Something that looked like surprise mixed with relief.

“When did you even arrive?” she asked.

Aldric’s expression softened. Just slightly. The hard edges around his mouth eased and his eyes warmed in a way I hadn’t seen in years.

“The moment I heard it wasn’t the rot you were afflicted with, I had to come,” he said. “How couldn’t I?”

My mother’s smile grew. It transformed her face. Made her look less like the fragile woman in the hospital bed and more like the strong Luna I remembered well.

“Do not run away this time,” she said. Her voice was quiet but firm. “Please stay for a while.”

Aldric nodded once. Slowly. His jaw worked like he was trying to keep emotion from showing on his face. “Trust me, I’m not leaving anytime soon, Morrigan.”

Something passed between them. Some unspoken understanding that I wasn’t privy to. Whatever history existed between my mother and my uncle ran deeper than I’d realized.

My mother’s attention moved to Fia. Her expression changed again. Became softer. More concerned.

“Dear, you look tired,” she said.

Fia straightened her shoulders. “I’m good.”

“No.” My mother shook her head gently. “I can tell you need rest.” She glanced around the room at all of us. “It’s late even. Everybody needs rest. I’m awake and I am more than great. Tomorrow isn’t running away. Y’all can go sleep.”

“No.” Fia’s voice came out stronger than I expected. “I want to stay.”

I turned to her. Saw the stubborn set of her jaw. The determination in her eyes. But I also saw the exhaustion pulling at her features. The way she was swaying slightly on her feet. The paleness of her skin.

“No,” I said firmly. “She’s right. You do need to rest.”

Fia opened her mouth. I could see the argument forming on her lips.

“I’m collecting no buts,” I said before she could speak. I kept my voice gentle but left no room for negotiation. “I can tell you’re a bit worried for my mother.”

I paused. Let the words settle between us. Because it was true. I could see it in every line of Fia’s body. The way she kept glancing at my mother. The tension in her shoulders. The concern in her eyes.

“I find that endearing,” I said quietly. “But I’ll stay with her.”

Something in Fia’s expression shifted. The fight went out of her shoulders. She looked at me for a long moment and then nodded once.

I turned to Ronan. “Help her to her room.”

Ronan moved forward immediately. He came to stand beside Fia and offered his arm. She took it after a moment’s hesitation. Her fingers curled around his forearm and she leaned into him just slightly.

Aldric stepped forward. “Goodnight, Luna Morrigan,” he said. His voice had returned to its usual measured tone. “Rest well.”

“Goodnight,” my mother said.

Elara came forward next. She dipped her head in respect. “Sleep well, aunty.”

Madeline was the last to approach. She still looked uncomfortable. Her hands twisted together in front of her and she wouldn’t quite meet my mother’s eyes.

“Goodnight,” she said softly.

“Goodnight, dear,” my mother replied. “And thank you again.”

Madeline nodded quickly and then turned away. The three of them moved toward the door. Ronan guided Fia after them. She glanced back at me once before disappearing through the doorway. Then they were gone and the room felt suddenly much emptier.

Dr. Maren and Elder Thorne had retreated to the far corner of the room. They were speaking in low voices. Giving us space but staying close enough to intervene if anything happened.

I moved closer to the bed. Pulled the chair that was already there even nearer and sat down heavily. My legs felt weak now that the adrenaline was fading. Now that the reality of the situation was settling in.

My mother was awake. She was talking. She was here.

I reached out and took her hand in both of mine. Her skin still felt too cold but her grip was stronger now than it had been when I first touched her.

“I’m glad to have you back,” I said. The words felt inadequate. Too small for what I was feeling. But they were all I had.

She squeezed my hand. “I’m glad to be back.”

I looked up at her face. Really looked at her. And that’s when I saw it. The way her eyes had changed. The way her mouth had tightened just slightly at the corners. The way she was looking at me like she wanted to say something but was holding back.

“What is it?” I asked.

She didn’t answer right away. Her gaze dropped to our joined hands. Her thumb moved across my knuckles in a slow rhythm. Back and forth. Back and forth.

“Cian?”

“Yes?”

She took a slow breath. I felt it through her hand before I saw it in her chest. Careful. Like she was choosing every word.

“I was scared when I went unconscious,” she said quietly. “Not of dying. Not really. I have made my peace with that more times than you know.”

My throat tightened but I said nothing.

“It was the one thing on my mind,” she continued. “Worry for you.”

I frowned. “For me?”

“Yes.” Her eyes lifted back to my face. Clear. Too clear. “You and Fia did not seem as close then as you do now. I saw the distance. I felt it even from a bed like this. And I was afraid you would do what you do best.”

A short breath left me. Almost a laugh but there was no humor in it. “What do I do best?”

She did not hesitate. “You hold it in. You turn it inward. You hate yourself for feeling anything at all. And when it gets too heavy, you lash out.”

The words landed clean. No accusation. Just truth.

I looked away. Fixed my eyes on the wall for a moment. “That is not fair.”

She squeezed my hand again. Firmer this time. “It is accurate.”

I swallowed.

“You had me when your father passed,” she said. Her voice softened at his name. “You were young. Angry. Lost. But you had me. I was there to stand beside you even when you pushed me away.”

Her thumb kept moving over my knuckles. Slow. Steady.

“If I had passed from the poison,” she went on, “I did not know who you would have had by your side.”

My jaw tightened. “You are here now.”

“Let me finish,” she said gently.

I nodded.

“I thought of Ronan,” she admitted. “And I know you care for him. I know he would have tried. But I feared he would not be enough. Not for the parts of you that turn sharp when you are hurt.”

That stung more than I expected.

“You can be callous when you are in pain,” she said. “Not because you are cruel. But because you believe it is safer to be cold than to break.”

I exhaled slowly through my nose.

“And the one I feared for the most,” she added, her gaze steady on mine, “was Fia.”

My head snapped back to her. “Fia?”

“Yes,” she said. “Because you tolerated her before. I didn’t think this… you and her… I didn’t think it would happen anytime soon.”

“That is not what happened,” I said quickly. Too quickly. “None of that happened. You are here. Fia is here. Everything is fine.”

The words sounded hollow even to me.

My mother watched me for a long moment. Really watched me. The way she used to when I was a boy and thought I was hiding things well.

“Is it?” she asked softly.

Something cold slid into my chest.

“What does that even mean?” I said. My voice came out sharper than I intended. “You are alive. The poison is gone. The danger passed. What more do you want me to say?”

Her eyes did not leave mine.

“Madeline,” she said.

The name sat between us like a blade laid carefully on the table.

I stared at her. “Madeline?”

“Yes.”