To ruin an Omega

Chapter 197: Dark Horse

CIAN

The door closed behind Fia with a soft click that I felt more than heard.

I stood there longer than I should have. Staring at the closed door like I could will it back open. Like I could reverse the decision she had made and bring her back to where I could actually protect her instead of trusting protocol and neutral escorts to keep her safe.

My hands flexed at my sides.

She chose this. I had to respect that. But respect did not mean I liked it. It did not mean the primal part of me that screamed at separation was suddenly quiet and understanding. It was not. It was loud and insistent. In fact, every instinct I had demanded I follow her. Make sure she arrived safely. Make sure no one laid a finger on her.

I forced myself to turn away.

There were other matters that needed my attention. Things I had set aside while the emissaries were here. Things that would not wait just because my mate had left for Silver Creek.

My mother.

I needed to get her back to her room. She had been in the infirmary long enough and Maren had been clear about her recovery. She had rest. Proper rest. Now, she needed to be in her own space where she could live without the clinical atmosphere of medical observation weighing on her.

I moved through the halls with purpose. The estate was quieter now. The morning was still early enough that most of the pack had not fully woken yet. The silence suited me. It gave me space to think.

The infirmary doors opened before I reached them. One of the younger healers stepped out carrying linens bundled in her arms. She saw me and immediately bowed her head.

“Alpha.”

I nodded once and stepped past her into the infirmary proper.

The space was nauseously bright. It did help that the morning light filtered through the high windows and cast everything in soft gold. It made the harsh white light less monotone.

But something felt off.

I scanned the room quickly. The bed where my mother had been was empty. The sheets were now pulled tight and neat.

There was also no sign of her anywhere.

Elder Thorne stood near the far wall organizing supplies on a shelf. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard my footsteps and straightened immediately.

“Alpha Cian,” he said. “I did not expect you back so early.”

“Where is my mother?” I asked.

He blinked at me. Then frowned slightly. “She left.”

“Left?”

“Yes.” He set down the jar he had been holding and turned to face me fully. “Some time ago actually. She said she was feeling well enough to return to her room and did not want to be coddled any longer.”

I felt my jaw tighten. “How long ago?”

“Perhaps an hour? Maybe more.” He tilted his head slightly. “Is something wrong?”

I did not answer. I turned and walked back out the way I came. My strides were longer now. Faster. Something cold was settling in my chest. Something that felt too much like dread.

From our conversation the night before, it was clear that mother had woken with fear in her eyes. Fear about Madeline. She had made it clear the second she could speak that she did not want Madeline here. She did not want her anywhere near me or this pack. And now she was up and moving around when she should have been resting.

I knew exactly where she had gone. But first, I needed to confirm.

The walk to my mother’s room felt longer than it should have. The halls stretched and twisted and every second that passed tightened the knot in my chest. I reached her door and pushed it open without knocking.

The room was chaos.

Not the broken kind. There was nothing smashed or overturned. What did have was uncoordinated movement everywhere. Omegas filled the space, crossing paths with rags in their hands, buckets at their feet, brooms scraping softly against the floor. The room has long lost it’s herbal scent and now smelled sharp and clean.

Also, The giant herb capsule that had dominated the center of the room was gone, leaving empty space where it had been. The floor beneath it was being scrubbed clean by two Omegas on their hands and knees.

Another was wiping down the windows with careful precision.

They all looked up when I entered. Their eyes went wide with surprise.

“Good morning, Alpha Cian,” one of them said quickly. The others echoed the greeting in a scattered chorus of voices.

I waved a hand absently. “Is my mother here?”

They exchanged glances. The one closest to me straightened and shook her head. “No, Alpha. She left.”

“Left where?”

“To see your guest,” another Omega said from near the window. “Lady Madeline Blossom.”

The words hit me like cold water.

My blood went cold. Actually cold. Like ice spreading through my veins and freezing everything in its path.

If my mother had gone to see Madeline then I was right. Mother would have an agenda going to see her first thing in the morning. And considering how vocal she had been about her fears the second her eyes opened, I knew it was not going to be anything good.

I turned and left without another word.

The guest wing was on the other side of the estate. Far enough that it gave me time to think. To prepare. To figure out what I was going to say when I got there. But my mind was moving too fast. Racing ahead of itself. Imagining confrontations and arguments and my mother saying things she could not take back.

When I reached Madeline’s door, I did not stop. I did not knock. Neither did I announce myself.

I simply forced it open.

The door swung wide and I stepped through expecting to see my mother mid-conversation. Mid-tirade. Mid something that would require damage control.

But it was just Madeline.

She was standing near the bed wrapped in a towel. Just a towel. White and damp and clinging to her in ways that made my brain stutter for half a second before I processed what I was actually seeing.

Her hand flew to her chest. Gripping the towel tighter even though it had not been in danger of falling.

“Cian!” Her eyes went wide.