To ruin an Omega

Chapter 377: Bite 1

ALDRIC

The guards came for us exactly when I expected them to.

The cell door swung open, and two sentinels stepped inside. They did not bother with formalities anymore. One of them grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. The other did the same to Ronan.

The chains stayed on.

We were walked out of the cell and into the corridor. The stone walls felt colder than they had before. The dampness had settled deeper into the air.

Ronan’s mother shook the bars as Ronan disappeared from her line of sight.

I looked back to see Teagan pressed against the far wall with her hands clasped in front of the bars. Her face was red and swollen from crying.

“Ronan,” she screamed and her voice cracked upon doing so. “Please. Please listen to me.”

The sentinel holding Ronan tried to push him forward faster so nobody would have to hear her grating voice. But it carried anyway.

“You do not have to do this,” she said. Her words came out in a rush. “You do not have to protect him. Just tell them the truth. Tell them everything. Everything he made you do. Everything he convinced you to believe. Save yourself.”

Ronan kept his eyes forward.

He did not look at her.

“Ronan, please.” Tears streamed down her face now. “I am begging you. Do not throw your life away for him. He does not deserve it. He never deserved it.”

Ronan’s jaw tightened but he still did not look at her.

The sentinel pushed him further and dragged him down the corridor.

Teagan let out a broken sob behind us.

I did not turn around.

We were halfway to the stairs when the sentinel holding me spoke.

His voice was low. Quiet enough that it would not carry far.

“You really are a snake of a man.”

I kept my face neutral.

“You really did those things to your blood,” he continued. His grip on my arm tightened. “Even your brother was not spared.”

The words hit me like cold water.

Gabriel.

Gabriel was here.

I felt my pulse quicken but I kept my expression still. I did not react. I did not give this man the satisfaction of seeing anything shift in my face.

But my mind was already moving.

Gabriel was actually here. I thought he would be smart enough to run for the hills knowing what I was capable of. But he was here. And he was going to testify.

This was going to be fun.

I looked down at my hand. At the blood red ring on my finger.

I turned my hand slightly so the ring caught the light.

Then I smiled.

I hid it quickly. I ducked my head and let my hair fall forward just enough to cover my face.

But the smile was there.

Because if Gabriel was here, if he was really standing in that hall ready to speak, then I still had him exactly where I needed him.

We reached the great hall and the doors were already open.

The noise hit me first. Voices layered over each other in waves. People shouting. Arguing. The sentinels pushed us through and the crowd turned to look.

I scanned the room quickly.

The elder’s circle was already seated. Callum in the center. Pryce on the left. Saoirse beside him. The others filled in the remaining chairs.

Cian sat in the gallery with Fia beside him. His mother was there too. Sitting upright and looking far more composed than she should have been.

And then I saw him.

Gabriel.

He stood near the front of the hall. His hair was a mess. His face was streaked with dirt. His clothes were filthy except for the shirt.

The shirt was new.

Clean, proper, and freshly pressed.

I felt something settle in my chest.

He had changed his shirt.

Instead of talking about the risk he posed to everybody here, he had hidden it by covering up with a shirt. Oh, I fucking had him.

Our eyes met across the hall.

Gabriel’s face was hard. Controlled. He was trying not to react. Trying to look strong and unshaken.

But I saw the flicker.

The brief moment where his composure cracked and something else showed through.

Fear.

He was afraid of me.

Even now. Even after everything. Even standing in front of a room full of people who were supposed to protect him.

He was still afraid.

I smiled.

Just slightly. Just enough that he would see it.

Gabriel’s jaw tightened and he looked away.

The sentinels dragged us to the center of the hall and stopped. They positioned us in front of the elder’s circle and stepped back.

Elder Callum stood and the room immeiately went quiet.

“This hearing will now reconvene,” he said. His voice carried easily through the hall. “We have completed the requested tests. The results are ready to be presented.”

He gestured to Elder Thorne.

Thorne stood and held up a piece of paper. He cleared his throat.

“The DNA test confirms paternity,” he said. “Beta Ronan Ashworth is the biological son of Alpha Aldric Donlon.”

The hall erupted.

People were shouting now. Not whispering… Not murmuring… The vile animals were shouting like the worst thing in the world just happened.

“I knew it.”

“This is a disgrace.”

“Does that mean he actually did it?”

“How could he do that to his own nephew?”

“And the Beta. All this time he was lying to us. What sort of monsters are these people?”

Elder Callum raised his hand and the noise subsided slowly.

Roth, the pack’s lead technician continued from where Thorne stopped.

“The voice messages presented by Miss Madeline Blossom have also been verified as authentic. Analysis confirms they were sent from Alpha Aldric Donlon’s personal device and have not been altered or tampered with.”

More noise came from the sheep. Louder this time.

I kept my face still and waited.

Callum let the noise run its course. Then he raised his hand again.

“The evidence presented is concerning,” he said carefully. “However, the court must note that the voice messages, while authentic, remain circumstantial in nature. They demonstrate a pattern of behavior but do not directly prove the charges of treason or conspiracy.”

I looked at him.

Callum was playing both sides.

I could see it clearly now. Gabriel’s presence had shifted the room. The momentum had turned against me in ways that even Callum could not ignore. But he was still trying to leave himself room to maneuver. Still trying to protect his own position. Just in case.

That was why he was ruling in my favor just enough to cover himself if things went sideways.

I could not help it.

I smiled at him.

Callum’s eyes flicked toward me for just a fraction of a second. Then he looked away.

Saoirse leaned forward in her chair. She looked relieved. Like she had been holding her breath and could finally exhale.

She thought this was over.

She thought the trial was going to end with reasonable doubt and a split verdict and everyone walking away without having to commit too hard in either direction.

Foolish woman.

Gabriel stepped forward.

“Well,” he said. His voice cut through the noise cleanly. “I have testimony to give.”

The room went silent.

Callum turned toward him.

“Of course, Alpha Gabriel,” he said. There was respect in his tone now. The kind of respect people gave to ghosts who had returned from the dead. “Please take the stage.”

Gabriel walked to the center of the hall.

He did not try to clean himself up. He did not try to hide the dirt or the exhaustion. He just stood there and let everyone see him.

Beside me, Ronan shifted.

He looked at Gabriel. Then at me.

“What is going on?” he whispered.

“Be calm,” I said quietly.

Gabriel’s eyes swept the room. Then they landed on me.