To ruin an Omega - Chapter 349: Ignorance is a wine

Chapter 349: Ignorance is a wine

ALDRIC

I stepped outside because I needed air. Real air. Not the recycled kind that circulated through the estate’s halls carrying whispers and lies and the stench of paranoia that I couldn’t seem to shake off anymore.

The grounds were quiet. Peaceful even. The kind of peaceful that felt too good to be true. Like the calm before a storm that everyone knew was coming but still pretended not to see.

Because… Well… Ignorance was bliss.

I walked along the stone path that wound through the gardens. My hands were in my pockets. My shoulders were loose. To anyone watching I probably looked relaxed. Like a man simply enjoying the weather and taking a moment to himself.

The truth was different. Starkly different.

This felt like a last hurrah. A final breath before everything went to hell. Before I had to make the call that would either save me or destroy me. Before I had to decide if this game was worth playing or if I should just cut my losses and run.

My phone buzzed.

I pulled it out and looked at the screen. The message was short. Choppy. Whoever sent the text, it was clear that it had been sent when they were in a hurry or scared or both.

“We hve been compromized by mad wrlocks. Thy r killing us. I mangd to hid.”

I read it twice. Then I smiled.

Warlocks.

That was interesting.

Very interesting.

There were not many warlocks who would want me in a predicament. Actually there was only one. Valentine Blossom. The supreme who I had made my little bitch in his Armani expensive suits. The man who had a daughter I had leverage over and who definitely hated me for it.

He hadn’t made a move before. But if power was moving, the weak follows the currents.

It was starting to piece together now. The whole picture was becoming clearer, sharper even.

This was a game. Cian’s game.

The boy was using pawns now. Actual pawns. Moving pieces on a board I hadn’t even realized we were playing on. I didn’t think he had it in him. I really didn’t. But apparently in that thick headed skull of his there was a competent mind after all.

I had to give him credit for that.

Still…

There was something I didn’t understand. Something that didn’t quite fit.

What could Valentine possibly want from my estate? Did he think there was a file there to ensure his vile secrets didn’t come out at the end of the day?

Then it occurred to me. Quick and sharp like a blade between the ribs.

Gabriel. They had already learned Gabriel existed in my grounds.

Of course. But I needed confirmation.

I typed out a message and sent it back to the sentinel who was supposedly hiding from mad warlocks. “What do they want?”

I waited. The seconds stretched out. Then my phone buzzed again.

“Thy r goin down.”

Going down.

To the basement.

To where I caged my brother.

I smiled again. It was wider this time. Then I laughed. A small sound at first. Just a chuckle that bubbled up from my chest. But it grew and it turned into something louder. Something that probably sounded unhinged to anyone who might have been close by and listening.

I looked down at my hand. At the blood stoned ring sitting on my finger. The red stone caught the light and gleamed like a promise.

“I guess it might be time to play after all.”

“Aldric?” I heard a voice say which caused me to turn.

Morrigan was walking toward me. She had a bottle of wine in her hand and a smile on her face. That warm, genuine smile that she always seemed to wear. The kind that made people trust her. The kind that made them think she was harmless. The same one I had adopted to use to my advantage.

I knew Morrigan well. Very well I would like to think. So I knew there was no way my sister in law could be this cool headed if she knew anything about what was happening. If she had even the slightest clue what I had done to her or the very dangerous play that her son was orchestrating at the moment, she would have flipped.

But that wasn’t the case. She didn’t see me as an enemy.

Cian must have kept her in the dark.

Smart boy.

It was pathetic to see though. How she would stay blissfully unaware to the very end.

I smiled back as she reached me. “What’s the wine for?”

Morrigan looked down at the bottle as if she had just remembered she was holding it. “Oh. Well… I feel at peace mostly. So I just wanted to have a good time and enjoy it at the parasol. Care to join me?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“Nonsense.” She waved her free hand dismissively. “We deserve it.”

We walked together toward the parasol. It was set up near the edge of the garden. A white canopy that cast soft shade over two chairs and a small table. The view from there was beautiful. Rolling green hills. Trees in the distance. Sky so blue it almost hurt to look at.

Morrigan popped the bottle. The cork came out with a satisfying sound. She took a sip straight from the neck and then handed it to me.

“It’s just as beautiful as I remember it.”

I took the bottle and drank. The wine spread across my tongue in a slow, velvety wave. Dark cherry and ripe plum came first, deep and sweet, followed by a hint of oak and warm spice. The finish lingered, smooth and full, with a trace of cocoa and something earthy I could not quite name. It was the kind of wine that demanded you slow down and taste it properly.

“Why are you being sentimental?” I asked. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to say at the time since I didn’t remotely care to have a deep conversation with her.

Morrigan leaned back in her chair. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon. “I almost died and I’m back like nothing happened. I’m allowed to be sentimental, Aldric.”

She paused. Her fingers traced the edge of the table.

“I simply wish… I wish he was here you know.”

I drank a little more. It was easier to hide the scoff that way. Easier to keep my face neutral when all I wanted to do was roll my eyes and tell her that her precious husband had been a weak fool who got himself killed because he couldn’t make hard choices and underestimated me.

At least the wine would dull my senses. With the game Cian was playing now, with him having figured me out, I wasn’t sure I could keep up appearances anymore. Not without help from wine.

I passed the bottle back. “I’m sure my brother is watching you from above and protecting you. You and Cian.”

Morrigan nodded. “Sounds like him.”

She took another drink. Then she looked at me. Really looked at me.

“I’m sure he’s doing the same to you. You always were his favorite.”

My stomach twisted. A sharp, visceral reaction that I couldn’t quite suppress.

That wasn’t favoritism. That was pity. My brother had pitied me. He had looked at me and seen someone broken. Someone who needed saving. Someone who couldn’t save himself. A pet bunny and his personal project.

I gave a louder sigh than I intended. “But more than he loved and favored you.”

Morrigan chuckled. A soft, sad sound that made her sound even more pathetic. She poured more wine down her throat. When she lowered the bottle her eyes were glassy.

“I hope the monster who did that to Fia is caught and this pack can just have a moment of fucking peace. It’s been a while don’t you think?”

“I’m sure everything will fall in order.”

“I bet too. I bet too.”

She passed me the wine again.

I knew the only way this conversation of sentimentality and fucking memories would end was if I downed the whole thing. So I did. I tipped the bottle back and let the wine pour down my throat. It burned in that pleasant way alcohol did when you drank too much too fast.

“Woah. Easy.”

I pulled the bottle away from my mouth. “Don’t worry about it, Morrigan. This pack will see great days again. Skollrend will be great again.”

I put my hand in my pocket and pretended to check my phone even though there was no new message. “Oh. Business calls.”

I looked at Morrigan. She was watching me with those kind eyes. Those trusting eyes.

“Enjoy the view Morrigan. Rest your heart. It will be fine.”

She smiled at me. Wide and genuine. “You’re so right. Thank you, Aldric. I needed that.”

I smiled back. Then I turned and walked away.

My head felt light. The wine was working faster than I expected. Or maybe it was just the exhaustion. The stress. The weight of everything that was about to happen crashing down on me all at once.

I headed back toward the main estate. My feet carried me across the stone path. Through the garden. Past the flowerbeds and the fountain and the perfectly manicured hedges.

Then I saw them.

Cian. Valentine. And Madeline.

They were standing near the entrance. Cian had his hands in his pockets. Valentine was smiling that infuriating smile of his. And Madeline…

Madeline was present. Very much so.

I stopped walking for a second.

My brain was trying to catch up. Trying to process what I was seeing. Trying to make sense of it.

Because that was quick.

Then Madeline turned to face me and shuddered. Oh, the act has reached its climax.

Hadn’t it?