To ruin an Omega

Chapter 165: A game of mask

MADELINE

The Sentinel that would be driving us opened the car door for me. I slid into the backseat next to Elara, who was already settled in and adjusting her dress. Through the windshield, I could see Cian lifting Fia into his arms. She looked small against him. Fragile in a way that made my stomach twist.

He carried her to the other car. The one in front of ours. His movements were careful. Protective. Like she might shatter if he held her wrong.

I looked away. Hating how jealous and competitive it made me.

Aldric appeared at the driver’s side window. He tapped on it twice. The sentinel rolled it down.

“I’ll drive,” Aldric said.

The sentinel’s brow furrowed. “Sir, that’s not necessary. I can—”

“I need to.” Aldric’s tone left no room for argument. “It helps me think. Clear my head after these events.”

The sentinel hesitated. His jaw worked like he was chewing on words he couldn’t quite swallow. Finally, he nodded and stepped out. Aldric took his place behind the wheel. The sentinel moved to the passenger seat instead, settling in with visible reluctance.

The engine started. Smooth and quiet. Aldric pulled out after Cian’s car, following at a respectful distance. The estate lights faded behind us as we merged onto the main road.

Elara turned to me, her eyes bright with excitement. “Can we talk about how stunning everything was tonight? The floral arrangements alone must have cost a fortune.”

I smiled. “The centerpieces were impressive. Those roses couldn’t have been local.”

“Definitely imported.” Elara leaned in conspiratorially. “And did you see the ice sculpture? I heard they had to bring in a specialist from the capital.”

“The attention to detail was remarkable.” I kept my voice light. Easy. “Even the napkin rings matched the theme perfectly.”

“Right? And the champagne fountain.” Elara sighed dramatically. “I’ve been to plenty of Alpha gatherings but Alpha Julius really outdid himself this time. I hope this wedding lasts.”

My phone chimed in my clutch. A soft vibration against the fabric. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

The message was from Aldric. Simple. Direct.

’Take out the sentinel and my daughter with a spell.’

My fingers tightened around the phone. I read it twice to make sure I understood correctly. Then I locked the screen and slipped it back into my clutch.

Elara was still talking. Something about the dessert selection and how the chocolate soufflé had been perfection itself. I turned to face her fully, letting my expression show interest even as my mind shifted gears.

“That sounds wonderful,” I said.

Then I raised my hand slightly. The motion was subtle. Barely noticeable. The spell left my fingers in a whisper of power that only I could feel. It hit Elara mid-sentence.

Her eyes went glassy. Her body slumped sideways, head lolling against the seat with a soft thud that was louder than I’d intended.

The sentinel turned around immediately. “What—”

The second spell caught him before he could finish. His eyes rolled back and his body went slack, shoulders hitting the passenger window with a dull thump.

Silence filled the car except for the hum of tires on asphalt.

“What now?” I asked.

Aldric’s eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead. “Something is wrong.”

“What is?”

“When Cian called us out to leave.” He paused. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “There was a way he looked at you.”

The words landed strange. Heavy in a way I didn’t expect.

“Yeah.” I kept my voice steady. “He’s clearly uncomfortable with my presence.”

“That is not it.” Aldric’s tone sharpened. “It is like he is wary of you. Afraid of you.”

My chest tightened. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I know you are not blind, Mads.”

The nickname he used grated. Only Cian could call me that. But I bit back the irritation and forced myself to think. To remember. Cian’s face when he’d looked at me in that room. The way his expression had shifted after I’d finished healing Fia. That flash of something in his eyes that I’d been trying to decode ever since.

“I don’t really know what happened,” I admitted finally.

Aldric said nothing. He just waited.

“It was when I healed Fia.” The words came slower now. More careful. “The look he gave me then felt off. But I couldn’t put my finger on why.”

The car ahead of us made a turn. Aldric followed smoothly, keeping the same measured distance.

“Be on your toes,” he said. “Whatever conversation you have with him now, see it as swords meant to cut. He might be on to you.”

“I haven’t done anything to warrant it.”

The protest sounded weak even to my own ears. Because it wasn’t entirely true, was it? I’d taken Fia’s blood. I’d agreed to have my father perform invasive magic on it. I’d been working with Aldric to manipulate events from the shadows.

But Cian didn’t know any of that. Did he?

“I don’t care whether you believe you warrant this suspicion.” Aldric’s voice cut through my thoughts. “I will try to pry something from him to help you. If not, I’ll find other ways to get information.”

I looked at his profile in the dim light from the dashboard. His jaw was set. Determined. He meant what he said.

“Once Morrigan wakes up,” he continued, “she will not want you there. I hope you have figured out a way to make yourself stay at Skollrend.”

“I have.”

The lie came easily. Too easily. But I needed him to believe I had control over this situation. That I was still useful. Still worth keeping around.

“Good.” He nodded once. “You can wake them up now.”

I reached forward and touched the sentinel’s shoulder first. The counterspell was simple. A reversal of what I’d done moments ago. His eyes fluttered open, confusion washing over his features as he tried to orient himself.

Then I turned to Elara and did the same. She jerked awake with a small gasp, her hand flying to her chest.

“Woah, I must have dozed off,” she murmured. “How embarrassing.”

“It’s late,” I said smoothly. “We’re all tired.”

The sentinel rubbed his face but said nothing. Probably trying to piece together what had happened. Probably failing spectacularly at it.

We drove in silence after that. Elara didn’t try to restart the conversation about the party. The sentinel kept his eyes forward. Aldric’s focus never wavered from the road and from following Cian’s car.

But my mind raced.

Cian suspected something. That much was clear now. The question was what. And how much.

Had I been too obvious in a way during the healing? Had I let something slip in my expression or my movements? Maybe he’d sensed the resistance I’d felt when Fia’s body had pushed back against my spell.

Or maybe it was something else entirely. Something I hadn’t even considered yet.

If Cian was wary of me now, what would he do once he had real proof? Once he knew I’d been working with Aldric? Once he discovered I’d taken Fia’s blood without permission?

No. I couldn’t dwell on that. It wasn’t like I was actually working for Aldric. I was trapped in this and I was playing a game of my own.

Once I could cut this fucking cancer that was Cian’s uncle, I would. Cian was what mattered here. Only Cian mattered here.