To ruin an Omega-Chapter 395: "The end is here" 2

GABRIEL

More than that, I hadn’t even thought it.

The realization landed hard, sending a cold ripple through me that had nothing to do with the water still clinging to my skin. My eyes flicked back to the mirror, locking onto my own reflection as if it could give me an answer.

It didn’t.

I looked the same. Pale, drawn, the kind of hollow you don’t shake off easily after years of being locked away from everything that made you human. There were shadows under my eyes, a sharpness to my cheekbones that hadn’t been there before, but none of that was new.

I knew this version of myself.

Or I should have.

Because something was off.

It wasn’t obvious at first. Not something I could point to immediately. But the longer I stared, the more it pressed in, quiet and insistent.

My eyes.

They were mine. I recognized the shape, the color, the way they should have looked after everything I’d been through.

But there was something sitting behind them that didn’t belong.

Something watching.

The thought made my stomach twist.

I tightened my grip on the sink, my fingers curling until the pressure bordered on painful, grounding myself in something real. My hands trembled despite it, small, involuntary movements I couldn’t quite stop.

No.

The word formed in my head before I could push it away.

No, this wasn’t right.

This wasn’t happening.

It couldn’t be.

"Get a grip," I muttered, more to fill the silence than anything else.

I dragged a hand down my face, exhaled slowly, then looked up again.

At first, it was the same.

Then it wasn’t.

There was movement behind me.

Not in the room. Not something I could hear or feel. Just a shift in the reflection, subtle enough that I almost missed it, like a shadow that didn’t belong to anything in the space.

My breath stalled.

I didn’t turn around.

I kept my eyes on the mirror.

The space behind me stretched empty, the pale walls of the infirmary exactly where they should be, the door closed, everything still. But in the reflection, something lingered just at the edge, just out of focus, like it didn’t want to be seen fully.

A shape.

Tall. Familiar.

My chest tightened before my mind could catch up.

No.

That wasn’t—

The air in the room didn’t change, but something in me did. Every instinct I had sharpened at once, my body going rigid as that shape stepped closer, clearer now, no longer hiding at the edge of my vision.

I knew that silhouette.

I knew it in a way that went deeper than recognition, deeper than memory.

My stomach dropped.

Slowly, like I was afraid of what I’d find, I lifted my gaze to meet the reflection properly.

He was standing right behind me.

Not in the room.

Only in the mirror.

My brother.

The word hit before I could stop it, heavy and disorienting.

And he was smiling.

Not the kind I knew.

This one was wrong.

Too wide. Too sharp. It stretched across his face like it didn’t belong there, like it had been forced into place and left to sit.

My throat went dry.

"You’re—" My voice cracked, barely there. "You’re dead."

The words felt useless the moment they left me.

He tilted his head slightly, slow, almost curious, like he was studying me, like I was the strange one here.

Then his lips parted.

"Found you."

The voice was his.

But it wasn’t.

It echoed, layered over itself in a way that made something in my chest twist, like there were too many versions of it speaking at once, slightly out of sync.

Cold shot down my spine.

I jerked back instinctively—

But by then, it was too late.

***

ALDRIC

The rune soul transfer had been hindered.

I could feel him still. Gabriel. My weak pathetic brother.

He was alive inside me. Trapped somewhere deep. Clawing at the edges of my consciousness like a rat trying to escape a cage.

But he was not in control.

I was.

I looked at the reflection in the mirror and felt disgust twist through me.

Gabriel’s face stared back. Gaunt and pale and marked by years of suffering I had inflicted on him.

This was not the body I wanted.

This was not the face I wanted to wear.

But it was mine now.

At least temporarily.

I smiled.

The expression looked wrong on Gabriel’s face. Too sharp. Too cruel.

But it was mine.

And that at least felt good.

The Omega had interfered.

When she had placed her hands on Gabriel’s throat and poured that goddess-blessed light into him, it had disrupted the transfer.

The rune magic I had activated with Gabriel’s blood and the ring should have been clean. Should have pulled my soul completely into Gabriel’s body while his soul was shoved into mine.

A perfect swap.

My dying body for his newly healed one.

But the light had tangled everything. It had bound Gabriel’s soul too tightly to his own flesh. Made it impossible to fully dislodge him.

So now we were both here.

Two souls in one body.

But I was the one holding the reins.

Apparently, I had been right about her. She was special.

A healer. What were the odds?

I flexed Gabriel’s hands. Felt the muscles respond. Felt the strength returning to limbs that had been wasted by years of starvation.

The healing had worked.

Gabriel’s body was whole again. Strong again.

And it was mine.

I turned away from the mirror and looked down at the marks on Gabriel’s back.

The runes were still burning. Still active. What this meant... I had no idea. But it did not matter.

There was still work to be done.

Even if it also meant Gabriel was still fighting.

I could feel him. A presence in the back of this mind. Screaming. Raging. Trying to claw his way back into control.

It was amusing.

Let him scream.

Let him rage.

It would not change anything.

I was in control now.

And I had plans.

Cian thought he had won. Thought he had killed me. Thought the threat was over.

He was wrong.

So beautifully wrong.

I pulled Gabriel’s shirt back on and smoothed it down. Then I unlocked the bathroom door and stepped back out into the infirmary.

Maren looked up immediately.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded.

"Just needed a moment."

My voice came out steady and calm. Exactly like Gabriel would sound.

I had practiced this. Spent years listening to him. Watching him. Learning every inflection. Every mannerism.

I could be him.

Perfectly.

Thorne was still standing near the door. He was watching me with that careful, suspicious look he always wore.

"You sure you are good?" he asked.

"I am fine. Just adjusting."

I walked toward the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

Maren moved closer.

"The Alpha will want to see you soon. He will have questions."

"I am sure he will."

I kept my expression neutral. Open. The way Gabriel would look when he was trying to be helpful.

Inside, I was smiling.

Cian would come to see me. He would ask me about Aldric. About the years I spent imprisoned. About what I knew.

And I would tell him exactly what he wanted to hear.

I would play the part of the grateful uncle. The victim who had been saved. The ally who wanted nothing more than to help rebuild what Aldric had destroyed.

And Cian would believe me.

Because why would he not?

Gabriel was innocent. Gabriel was a victim. Gabriel had been proven right.

No one would suspect the truth.

No one would think to look deeper.

I felt Gabriel stir again in the back of my mind. A surge of panic. A desperate attempt to push forward. To take control.

I shoved him down hard.

Stay quiet, brother.

This is my show now.

Gabriel’s resistance faded. But it was not gone. Just suppressed.

I looked at Maren.

"Where is Cian now?"

"In his chambers with Luna Fia. They are resting."

Perfect.

"And my sister-in-law? Morrigan?"

"She is back in her room now. She used white moss to force herself upright during the trial. Her body is recovering now."

I nodded slowly.

"And the pack? How are they handling everything that happened?"

Maren hesitated.

"Shaken. But relieved. Aldric’s death has brought a sense of closure. People are starting to believe things will get better."

I smiled.

"That is good. They deserve peace after everything Aldric put them through."

The words tasted like ash in my mouth.

But I said them anyway.

Maren smiled back at me. Genuine and warm.

"It is good to have you back, Alpha Gabriel."

"It is good to be back."

Liar.

Thorne pushed off from the wall.

"I will go tell the Alpha you are awake."

"Thank you."

He left without another word.

The door closed behind him.

I sat there on the edge of the bed and let the silence settle.

Maren went back to organizing supplies. She hummed softly while she worked. Some tune I did not recognize.

I watched her for a moment.

Then I looked down at my hands. Gabriel’s hands.

They were clean now. The dirt and grime from years of imprisonment washed away.

But I could still feel the blood on them.

Metaphorically.

All the blood I had spilled. All the lives I had taken. All the damage I had done.

It was still there.

And soon there would be more.

I had lost my body. Lost my face. Lost the power and position I had spent years building.

But I had not lost.

Not yet.

I was still here. Still alive. Still in control.

And I was inside Skollrend now. Inside the heart of Cian’s territory. Surrounded by his people. His family.

He had no idea.

None of them did.

I smiled again.

Gabriel’s face was not as satisfying to wear as my own. But it would do.

For now.

I did not intend to gain trust or build my way back up. The cute reveal that Fia was a healer brought a wonderful idea at the back of my mind.

The idea for a perfect show. One that would involve the royals.