To ruin an Omega-Chapter 401: The question "why" 2

CIAN

My fist tightened further, nails biting into my palm.

"So Aldric knew," I said.

"He knew," Gabriel confirmed. "And he used it."

Of course he did.

Rage burned low in my chest.

"It was to his advantage of course," Gabriel went on. Nocturne wanted to keep their failing a secret and my dear brother wanted to keep something else hidden."

I looked up sharply. "What?"

His gaze didn’t waver.

"The fact that he was the one who fed information to the rogues."

The words landed heavy.

For a second, I just stared at him.

Then something cold dragged its way down my spine.

My shoulders tensed before I could stop it, a sharp shudder running through me like my body had reacted before my mind could catch up.

"Why?" I asked.

The word came out rough. Stripped down to its bare bones.

"Why was he like that?" I pressed, my voice rising slightly despite myself. "We did nothing to him. Nothing. We trusted him. We... we loved him."

The last word sat wrong in my mouth, like it didn’t belong there anymore.

Gabriel watched me quietly.

There was no immediate answer. No quick justification. Just that same steady look, like he had already gone through this question a hundred times and come out the other side with something that didn’t feel any better.

"I guess..." he said slowly, "he just wanted to see how easy it was."

I frowned.

"What?"

The words didn’t make sense.

He shook his head lightly, like he was brushing something off.

"Forget that," he said.

But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

"What do you mean?" I asked again, leaning forward slightly. "What does that even mean?"

He exhaled through his nose, his gaze drifting for a second before returning to me.

"After years in that place," he said, quieter now, "you start to think about things differently."

Something in his tone shifted.

"I had a lot of time to think about Aldric," he continued. "About the things he did. The way he moved. The choices he made."

His fingers tapped once against his knee, absent, like he wasn’t fully aware he was doing it.

"And the more I thought about it," he said, "the more I realized something."

I held still.

"He didn’t always do things because he had to," Gabriel said. "Or even because it gave him something in return."

My brows pulled together.

"Then why?"

His gaze met mine again.

"Because he wanted to know if he could," he said simply.

The words settled in my chest and refused to move.

"If he could what?" I asked.

"Manipulate people," Gabriel replied. "Turn situations. Break things that didn’t need breaking."

His voice stayed calm.

"And get away with it," he added.

Something in me twisted.

"That’s..." I stopped, the words catching somewhere in my throat. "That’s insane."

"Yes," Gabriel said. "It is."

I leaned back slightly, dragging a hand down my face.

"That doesn’t make sense," I muttered.

"People don’t just... do things like that for no reason."

"They do," Gabriel said.

I looked at him.

He wasn’t looking at me anymore. His gaze had gone distant again, fixed somewhere past my shoulder, like he was seeing something that wasn’t in the room.

"Some people don’t need a reason that makes sense to everyone else," he continued. "Sometimes the reason is simple."

His jaw tightened slightly.

"They want control," he said. "Or they want to prove something to themselves."

I swallowed.

"And we were just... what?" I asked. "Part of some experiment?"

His eyes flicked back to mine.

"For him?" Gabriel said. "Maybe."

I shook my head again. I had about had enough of this. So I changed the topic.

"What do you plan to do now?" I asked.

The question came out before I could stop it.

He blinked slightly, like he hadn’t expected it.

"Now?"

"Yes," I said. "Now that you’re back. Now that he is out of the way... What do you plan to do?"

He leaned back, exhaling slowly.

"A lot of my life has been taken from me," he said.

There was something quiet in his voice.

"I intend to make up for lost time."

I watched him carefully.

"How?"

He shrugged lightly.

"Maybe I stay here for a week," he said. "Recover properly. Then I leave."

My brows pulled together.

"Leave?"

"I want to see the world," he said. "A lot has changed and I didn’t get to see it."

Something in his expression softened slightly.

"I’ve spent too long trapped in one place."

I nodded slowly.

"That’s... fair."

He glanced at me, then smiled faintly.

"Cian."

"Yes?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"You did good."

The words landed heavier than I expected.

"You put him on his toes," he continued. "If that bastard ever gets another chance, he’ll think twice before being so careless."

I let out a breath.

"i didn’t do anything. We... ’we’ did it," I said again, quieter this time.

He tilted his head slightly.

"Did we?"

Something in his tone made my chest tighten again.

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

He exhaled softly, like he was letting something go.

"I’m just being real."

"Well I am too, uncle. If you hadn’t been there. Perhaps I might not have gotten shit done."

"Hmmmm." He managed before saying, "I’m going to need a phone."

The shift was abrupt.

"I have calls to make."

I studied him for a second, then nodded.

"We’ll get you one."

He nodded once.

"And I’m tired of staying in here," he added, glancing around the infirmary. "I’d rather not spend another night staring at these walls."

"This is your home," I said. "You don’t have to stay here. You can take one of the guest rooms."

His gaze flicked back to me.

"Thank you."

I nodded. "You’re welcome, Uncle."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The quiet didn’t feel awkward. It felt... full. Like everything that needed to be said had already been laid out between us, and anything more would just circle back to the same place.

Gabriel shifted slightly on the bed, his hands bracing against the edge as he pushed himself up. The movement was steady.

"I should let you go," he said, brushing his hands down the front of his shirt like he was settling into himself again. "You’ve got other things to attend to."

I watched him closely.

There was something in the way he carried himself now. Subtle, but different. Not enough to raise alarm. Just enough to make me pay attention.

"I’ll get myself acclimated," he continued, glancing toward the door. "Find a room. Get used to being here again."

Again... The word lingered.

"This place hasn’t changed much," I said.

His lips curved slightly.

"Good," he replied. "Some things shouldn’t."

He stepped forward, closing the distance between us, then paused just short of where I stood. For a second, it felt like he was going to say something else. Something more.

Instead, he nodded once.

"But don’t forget," he added, his tone shifting just slightly, something more deliberate settling into it. "I need to speak with your mate."

My chest tightened at the mention of her.

"To thank her," he finished.

Of course.

I inclined my head.

"Of course."

His gaze held mine for a second longer than necessary.

Then he stepped past me.

I turned slightly as he moved toward the door, watching the way he walked.

The door opened, then closed behind him with a soft click.

Something about the conversation sat wrong with me.

Not enough to name. Not enough to act on.

Just... there.

I exhaled slowly and ran a hand through my hair, pushing the thought aside.

Later.

I would deal with that later.

Right now, there was only one place I wanted to be.

I turned and headed for the door.