To ruin an Omega - Chapter 456: The sitting game 2

Chapter 456: The sitting game 2

CIAN

He shifted his stance.

“And even if Aldric did send information to them, we do not know what he said or how they will respond. They might dismiss it entirely. They might not even care. Attacking them now could be the very thing that convinces the world that Luna Fia is a dangerous threat who has done something to a rather rational Alpha and caused him to start a senseless war.”

I listened. Let him speak without interruption. This was what I needed from a Beta. Someone who would push back. Who would force me to examine my decisions from every angle instead of charging forward on instinct and rage.

“But I understand your reason,” Garrett said finally. “I understand why you have to do it.”

His expression hardened with resolve.

“So I stand by you, Alpha Cian.”

The door opened then.

Fia walked in.

She looked terrible. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Her face held that hollow, fragile quality that came after breaking down completely. But she stood straight, and her gaze found mine immediately.

“What are you planning?” she asked.

Her voice came steady despite everything written across her features.

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words stuck. How did I tell her I was about to start a war in her name? How did I explain that fear for her safety had pushed me to the edge of something dark and bloody?

Garrett glanced between us, clearly uncertain whether to stay or leave.

Fia stepped further into the room. She looked at Garrett, then back at me.

“I heard part of it,” she said. “The door was not closed all the way.”

Of course. She would have heard. Would have caught enough to understand what I intended.

“Fia—”

“You are going to attack Lily of the Valley.” She stated it as fact, not a question. “In two days. During heat season.”

I nodded.

“Because of what Aldric might have told them about me.”

“Yes.”

She crossed her arms. The motion looked defensive, but her eyes stayed locked on mine.

“And you think killing their Alpha and his bloodline will solve the problem.”

“It will eliminate the threat before it spreads further.”

“Or it will start a war that destroys both our packs.” Her voice sharpened. “The council will not stand for an unprovoked attack. The royal werewolves will demand what they call justice. You could lose everything.”

“I could lose you.”

The words came out raw and unfiltered.

Fia’s expression cracked slightly. Emotion bled through despite her best efforts to stay composed.

“You will not lose me,” she said quietly. “Not like this.”

“You do not know that.” I moved toward her. “If the council learns what Aldric has sold them to believe that you are, if they decide fleshcraft taint makes you dangerous—”

“I am not tainted by fleshcraft.” Her interruption came fiercely. “You said that yourself. You said it did not matter.”

“It does not matter to me.” I stopped in front of her. Close enough to touch but not quite reaching. “But it will matter to them. The laws are clear. Anything created through forbidden magic is to be destroyed.”

“I was not created through fleshcraft.”

“I know. But Aldric’s tall tales will cause them to believe that your bloodline carries the mark of it.” I hated saying the words. Hated giving them weight. “That might be enough.”

Fia stared up at me. Tears gathered in her eyes but did not fall.

“So you will slaughter an entire family to maybe prevent a threat that might not even come.”

Put like that, it sounded monstrous.

Maybe it was.

“I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe,” I said.

“Even if it means becoming the monster they fear?”

The question hung between us. Heavy and impossible to answer.

Because she was right. If I did this, if I attacked Lily of the Valley without provocation and murdered their Alpha’s bloodline, I would become exactly the kind of threat the council existed to eliminate.

But if I did nothing and they came for Fia, I would never forgive myself.

“Yes.”

“It will never come to that.” Fia’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. She spoke with certainty that had no business existing, given everything she had been through today.

“You should not start a war.” She stepped closer. “Whatever needs to happen needs to happen.”

I stared at her. “Did you see something?”

“No.” She shook her head. “My mother did, and she assured me it would be fine and to stop you from this senseless war.”

I could not help the way I looked at her then. I could not control the expression that spread across my face. Fia caught it immediately, and despite herself, despite the tears still clinging to her lashes and the exhaustion weighing down her shoulders, she laughed.

“You are looking at me like I am crazy.”

“No,” I said it too quickly. “That is just a mouthful put together.”

Her laugh came again. Lighter this time. More genuine.

“Trust me, I know.” She reached for my hand and took it in both of hers. “But I trust my mother, and I hope you will trust me and, in doing so, her too.”

Questions crowded my throat. How could her mother have seen this and shared this with her, considering she was long dead? When? Had she known I would plan this attack before I even thought of it myself? What else had she seen?

But Fia looked at me with those eyes that had seen too much pain already. She waited for my answer without pushing. Without demanding.

I trusted her.

With everything in me, I trusted her.

“Alright,” I said.

The word came easier than I expected. The tension bled out of my shoulders. The rage that had been building since Aldric’s capture loosened its grip on my chest.

Fia’s expression softened completely. Relief washed over her features, visible and raw.

I pulled her into my arms and held her close. She melted against me, her body fitting perfectly against mine the way it always did. The bond hummed between us. Steady and sure.

Garrett cleared his throat quietly. I had almost forgotten he was still there.

“Alpha?”

I looked at him over Fia’s head. “Forget about the preparations.”

“Understood.” Garrett moved toward the door, then paused. “For what it is worth, I think you made the right choice.”

He left before I could respond. The door clicked shut behind him.

Fia pulled back slightly and looked up at me. “Thank you.”

“Do not thank me for not starting a war,” I said.

“I will thank you for trusting me.” Her hand came up to rest against my chest. Right over my heart. “That means more than you know.”

I covered her hand with mine. “Your mother really said it would be fine?”

“She did.” Fia’s smile turned sad. “She planned everything. Every step. Every choice. All to make sure I ended up here. With you. Safe and happy.”

“She must have loved you very much,” I said quietly.

“I know.” Tears gathered in Fia’s eyes again. “I just wish she had loved herself half as much.”

I had no answer for that. No words that could ease that particular pain. So I just held her. Let her cry if she needed to. Let her stand there in silence if that was what helped.

After a long moment, she took a shaky breath and stepped back.

“I should rest more,” she said. “Today has been…”

“I know.”

She moved toward the door, then stopped and looked back at me.

“Cian?”

“Yes?”

“Whatever Lysander does at Lily of the Valley.” Her expression went serious. “Let him do it. My mother said provisions have been made. That he will handle things.”

The name sent a cold spike through my chest. Lysander? Alpha Wenzel’s important son? Did she know him? Why did she say his name like they were pleasantly acquainted?

Goddess… I threw my strange petty jealousy aside. There were more important concerns.

“What is he going to do?”

“I do not know.” Fia shook her head. “But my mother trusted him with this. So I will too.”