CHAPTER 47: FAULT LINES

CIAN

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I straightened my collar in the mirror. I pulled it out and saw Ronan’s name flash across the screen.

"Miss me already?" he said when I answered.

I grabbed my tie and started looping it around my neck. "I have dinner soon and my mood needs to be cherry as fuck. Don’t piss me off. Why did you call?"

"I called about Milo."

My hands stilled on the fabric. "What about him?"

"My intel tells me that he was tried for sexual assault and beheaded early this morning."

The tie slipped through my fingers. I caught it before it could fall completely loose. "Sexual assault?"

"He tried to get off on the Alpha’s daughter. He figured she owed him her body for helping her."

I stared at my reflection. The words hung in the air like smoke I couldn’t wave away.

"Really."

"That’s what I’m hearing," Ronan said. "Multiple sources confirmed it."

"Thank you, Ronan."

He made an exasperated sound. "I’m going on a fucking date I am not interested in and I’m currently in a crappy hotel because of you. I deserve more than thank you."

"You are so lucky I tolerate you."

"You could just say you love me."

I ended the call, chuckling despite myself. But the humor faded fast. I went back to the tie, fingers moving on autopilot while my mind churned.

Hazel had seemed put together when she came earlier today. Sure, she had been crying. But it was easy to see that it was nothing about being sexually assaulted. The grief had looked practiced. Rehearsed, even. Like she knew exactly how much emotion to show and when to show it. And it had been for Fia and the state she was supposed to be in at Skollrend.

This made me wonder if Fia had been right.

If her then mate Milo had betrayed her because he liked Hazel, Fia’s point of view made more sense. The pieces slotted together differently when I looked at them through that lens. A man infatuated enough to help someone escape an arranged marriage. A man who expected payment for his loyalty. A woman clever enough to use that infatuation to her advantage.

Had he been used?

Had I?

The tie wouldn’t sit right. I yanked it loose and started over, frustration building with each failed attempt.

"I can help with that, Alpha Cian."

I glanced over. One of the omegas stood nearby, hands clasped in front of her, watching me struggle with the damn fabric.

I looked back at the mirror. Realized I had been fixing this tie for far too long. The careful knot I usually managed in seconds had turned into a twisted mess that looked more like a threat than formal wear.

I ripped it off entirely and threw it on the side table.

"It is a family gathering. I don’t need a noose on my neck."

A knock sounded at the door. I gave the Omega a gesture to get whoever it was and when she did, Dr. Maren stepped inside, her expression neutral but alert in that way most pack doctors always managed.

I looked at her through the mirror. "Good news, I hope."

"Like I hypothesized, Grand Luna Morrigan is having a good day before another flare up. So she can be out of the cryo chamber tonight. I will be close by just in case."

Relief loosened something in my chest. I nodded.

Maren shifted her weight. "I have also been hearing from the omegas that you do not take precautions when you are with your mother, Alpha Cian."

I raised my hand. "It is a rare disease, is it not?"

"It was rare for even Lunas to get it with their strong immune system, but not impossible. Given the horrible tragedy that befell Skollrend, we shouldn’t be testing hell."

"I know the statistics."

"Then you should know better," Maren said quietly.

"She is my mother." My voice came out harder than I meant it to. "I refuse to treat her like a diseased freak."

Maren fixed a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. She looked tired: worn in a way that spoke to long nights and difficult conversations with stubborn alphas who thought they were invincible.

"I am close with my mother myself, Alpha Cian." She paused. "I know what I am asking for is hard. But you are ruler of this pack. If something happens to you..."

"I will be fine."

"You might." Her gaze sharpened. "Let us say I believe that for a second. But your mate is an omega. And she was not blessed with great genes like you. For her sake at least..."

She did not finish. She did not need to.

I could tell what she was getting at. Fia being an Omega made her vulnerable. If I should by some miracle catch whatever rare strain of the rot my mother carried, it would not just be me at risk. It would be her too. The omega I had tied myself to, who already had enough working against her without adding my carelessness to the list.

"Keep my distance and disinfect," I said flatly.

Maren nodded. "Yes."

"I should head to the dining room now."

"Right." She stepped aside to let me pass, then added, "I have also briefed your mother about the status of your mate, so she will not be bothered by your distance."

I stopped walking. "And how did she react?"

"She was just ecstatic that she was healthy enough to meet her daughter in law without needing to be in the cryo chamber."

I chuckled at that. It sounded exactly like how my mother would react. She had been asking about my mate since the day the marriage vows were exchanged. Asking when she could meet her. Asking if she was pretty. Asking if I had smiled at her yet.

With how insufferable she was with it, I hoped this alleviated her questions and worries.

I headed down the hall toward the dining room. The manor felt quieter than usual tonight. Most of the pack members were either in their quarters or handling evening duties. Only a few servants moved through the corridors, nodding respectfully as I passed.

I wondered if Fia was already there. I made a mental note to tell her to behave regardless of the hostility between us. This dinner was important. My mother had been waiting to be well enough for this, and I would not let whatever issues Fia and I had ruin it for her.

When I reached the entrance, I paused.

The dining room doors were open. Candlelight flickered inside, casting warm shadows across the long table set for three. And standing near the far end, hands folded in front of her, was Fia.

She wore a blue gown. Not the pale, washed out blue that some girls favored. This was deep. Rich. The kind of blue that reminded me of midnight skies before a storm. The fabric clung to her in ways that made my mouth go dry. Her dark hair had been swept up into a braid that wrapped around itself in an intricate bun. It showed the curve of her neck. The sharpness of her jaw. The delicate bone structure of her face that somehow made her look both fragile and striking at the same time.

She looked almost beautiful.

No. Not almost.

She was beautiful.

I could not help but gawk. My feet stopped moving. My brain stuttered over thoughts that suddenly refused to form properly.

Her dark eyes met mine. For a second, neither of us moved. The bond flared hot and immediate, like someone had thrown gasoline on embers I thought I had under control. It surged through my chest and down my spine, demanding that I cross the distance between us. That I touch her. That I say something that was not edged in suspicion or anger.

I shoved it down. Hard.

But my body did not get the message as quickly as my mind did. I stood there like an idiot, staring at this Omega in a blue dress that fit her like it had been made specifically to torment me.

She looked nervous. Her fingers twisted together. Her gaze flickered away, then back, like she was not sure if she should acknowledge me or pretend she had not noticed I was staring.

I forced myself to move. One foot in front of the other. Slow. Controlled. Like I had not just spent the last ten seconds unable to form a coherent thought.

When I got close enough, I stopped and kept a polite distance between us. Enough space that the bond could not trick me into doing something stupid.

"You look..." I started, then caught myself.

What was I about to say? That she looked beautiful? That the dress made her eyes look darker and her skin look softer? That I had not expected her to clean up this well?

No. None of that.

I cleared my throat. "Presentable."

Her expression flickered. Something that might have been disappointment crossed her face before she smoothed it away.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Silence stretched between us. Awkward. Heavy. I searched for something else to say. Something that would break the tension without making things worse.

"My mother will be here soon," I said. "She has been looking forward to this."

Fia nodded. "I have been told."

"Good." I glanced toward the door. There was still no sign of her. "I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight."

Her jaw tightened. "Of course."

"No matter what happens between us," I continued, "she does not need to know about it. Understood?"

"Oh... I understand."

I looked back at her. She held my gaze steadily now. There was not an ounce of fear behind those eyes. All that remained was just quiet resignation. Like she had already accepted that this was how things would be. That I would always keep her at arm’s length. That I would always doubt her.

The bond twisted sharply in my chest. I ignored it. Again.

Then I heard soft and measured footsteps echo down the hall.

I was grateful for the distraction.

I turned and saw Dr. Maren walking beside a figure I would recognize anywhere.

My mother stepped into the dining room, and despite everything I had been told about keeping distance, I stood up smiling as I approached her.