To ruin an Omega - Chapter 374: One way or another 2
Chapter 374: One way or another 2
ALDRIC
He walked past Thorne and the guard without looking back.
But just before he disappeared around the corner, his hand moved one last time. A single tap against the side of his leg.
It was an acknowledgment and confirmed that he was going to be by my side no matter what.
Then he was gone.
The guard followed. Thorne went last. The sound of their footsteps faded down the corridor and then there was nothing but silence again.
I stood at the bars and let my hands drop to my sides.
The chains rattled softly.
Behind me Ronan shifted against the wall.
“What was that?” he asked quietly.
I turned and looked at him.
“Insurance.”
He frowned.
“What does that mean?”
I walked back to the bench and sat down. The cold stone pressed against my back through my shirt.
“It means that when we go back up there, we will not be going quietly.”
Ronan stared at me.
“You are planning something.”
“I am always planning something.”
“Is the coup finally coming on,” he said. The word came out flat. “Is that it?”
I looked at him.
“Like I have said… Only if they force my hand.”
“They are going to find me and you guilty,” Ronan said. His voice was quiet now. Almost resigned. “The DNA test will confirm what Madeline said. And when it does, they will convict both of us.”
“Maybe.”
“Not maybe. They will.”
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes.
“Then we make sure they do not get the chance.”
Ronan was quiet for a long time.
When he finally spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“What if I do not want this?”
I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“What?”
“What if I do not want a coup,” he said. “What if I just want this to be over?”
I studied his face. The doubt was still there. Sitting in his eyes like something that had taken root and refused to leave.
Madeline had done more damage than I realized. And Teagan’s little confession in the cell had not helped.
But I knew even Teagan would not like this. She gave me a look that would have taken me out if looks could kill.
Teagan let out a quiet breath in front of her son.
“You sound tired,” she said.
Ronan did not look at her. I am sure he hated that he had to even acknowlege her presence at all. “You would be too.”
“I am,” she replied simply. “But I am not stupid enough to confuse being tired with being finished.”
That got his attention.
He turned his head slightly, just enough to look at her.
“And what does that mean?”
“It means you are standing here talking about endings like you do not have a choice left,” she said. Her voice stayed even, but there was something hard underneath it now. “You do.”
Ronan let out a dry laugh. “Do I?”
“Yes,” she said. “You just do not like what it requires.”
Silence stretched between them.
I watched her carefully. Teagan was not reckless. She chose her words. Every single one. She gave me a dirty look one more time and I realized this was going to be about tossing me under the bus again.
Ronan shook his head. “They are going to convict us. That is not something I can talk my way out of.”
“No,” she said. “You cannot talk your way out of it.”
He frowned.
She held his gaze now, steady, unflinching.
“But you can walk out of it.”
His expression shifted. Confusion, then suspicion.
“What are you saying?”
Teagan tilted her head slightly. “I am saying you are acting like you and him are the same.”
Her eyes flicked to me for a fraction of a second before returning to Ronan.
“You are not.”
Ronan went still.
“You worked with him,” she continued. “Yes. You made choices. Yes. But do not stand there and pretend you are the one who built this whole thing. You only wanted a father figure and that sick fuck manipulated you. You are not alright. Mental helatgh matters does it not? There are salad words you can see to get some pity. If you help in Aldric’s persecution, mercy will be granted I am sure. I will get the guards to bring Cian back here… It will be alright… Just…”
“That is enough, Teagan.” I cut her off.
I then stood and forced myself into the space between us. I stopped in front of him, blocking her access from him and then I crouched down so Rona and I were at eye level.
“You are my son,” I said quietly. “And I will not let them destroy you. No matter what you want. No matter what you think you deserve. I will burn this entire pack to the ground before I let them take you from me.”
Ronan’s eyes searched mine.
“You mean that.”
“I have never meant anything more in my life.”
He looked away.
I reached out and gripped his shoulder.
“When we go back up there, you stay close to me. You do exactly what I tell you to do. And when the moment comes, when you get a weapon in your hands again, you do not hesitate.”
He did not respond.
I squeezed his shoulder once and then stood.
The hour was running out.
Soon they would come for us again. They would drag us back up to that hall and put us in front of that circle and read out the results of their tests.
And when they did, I would be ready.
Pryce would be ready.
And Cian would learn that cornering a wolf did not make it weak.
It made it dangerous.
Behind me, Teagan let out a sharp breath.
“You see?” she said.
I ignored her.
“This is what he does,” she continued. Her voice did not rise, but it cut clean. “He makes it sound like love so you do not question it.”
Ronan’s fingers curled slightly at his sides.
“He tells you he will protect you,” she said. “But listen to what that protection actually looks like. Violence and lots of blood. A path of darkness and with no way back.”
“Silence, Teagan.” I retorted.
“No,” she said.
That word sat in the room, firm and unmoving.
“He is not saving you,” she said, her eyes fixed on Ronan. “He is making sure you go down with him.”
Ronan’s breathing shifted again, turning slow and uneven. “You still have a choice,” she added, quieter now. “But not if you keep letting him decide what you deserve.”
I squeezed his shoulder once and then stood.
Rona’s eyes flicked around and went to Teagan first.
There was something there, something fractured. Not quite anger. Not quite regret. Just enough hesitation to make it dangerous.
“You always do this,” he said quietly.
Teagan stilled.
“You make it sound simple. Like it is just a matter of choosing the right thing and everything else will fall into place.”
Her lips parted slightly, but she did not interrupt.
Ronan let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh, but there was no humor in it.
“It is not simple,” he continued. “It has never been simple.”
His gaze shifted then. Back to me. And this time, it did not waver.
“You think I do not know what he is?” he asked her.
Teagan’s expression tightened.
“You think I have not seen it?” he went on. “The way he pushes. The way he decides. The way everything bends around what he wants.”
I said nothing.
Ronan’s voice dropped. “I know.”
That hung there for a second. Long enough to matter.
Teagan took a small step forward to reach him but he pulled away by just a fraction. “Then you know this does not end well for you.”
Ronan’s jaw clenched.
“Maybe it does not,” he said.
“Ronan—”
“But at least it ends on my terms.”
That stopped her completely.
He straightened slightly. “I am not pretending he is innocent,” he said. “I am not pretending any of this is clean. But neither am I.”
His eyes flicked to me briefly, then back to her.
“But I am not walking into that room and tearing him down so I can still be kept there and beg for mercy like that is any better.”
Teagan shook her head slowly. “It is not about begging. It is about surviving.”
“And doing it your way?” he asked.
She held his gaze. “Doing it alive.”
Ronan went quiet again.
Then he smiled. “I know what you are trying to do,” he said. “I do. Saving me to redeem yourself of your own sins.”
His voice softened, just slightly.
“But you are too late.” he added.
Teagan’s face fell, just a fraction.
Ronan turned fully toward me then.
And this time, there was no hesitation left in him.
No doubt. Just decision.
“I will always choose my father’s hand over yours,” he said. “Anytime. You should know that before all.”
