FIA
Ronan straightened from his crouch over the sentinel. His chest rose and fell with steady breaths. Sweat gleamed on his skin. His eyes never left mine.
He crossed the training ground. Each step was deliberate. Measured. The kind of walk that said he owned the space and knew it.
"Luna Fia." His voice carried across the distance between us. "What brings you all the way out here?"
I forced myself to stand taller. To not look like I was interrupting. To not feel small under his scrutiny. "I need to speak with you."
He stopped a few feet away. Close enough that I had to tilt my head back slightly to meet his gaze. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Want to spar?"
My brain stuttered. "What?"
He laughed. The sound was low and somehow managed to feel condescending. "Kidding."
Heat rushed to my face. There was nothing embarrassing about this. This was just anger. "What? You think I can’t?"
"Well..." He trailed off. His expression said everything his words didn’t.
I scoffed. "Because I’m an Omega? Because we Omegas can’t function?"
"I didn’t say that."
"But you meant it though."
Ronan raised his hand. Palm out. The universal gesture for peace. "I apologize. I didn’t think you would get that triggered."
Triggered. Like my reaction was an overreaction. Like I was being sensitive. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste copper.
"Contrary to popular opinion," I said carefully, "many of us can defend ourselves. In fact, it’s a prerequisite." I paused and let that sink in. "But I’m not here to fight you."
His eyebrows lifted slightly. Interest replaced the mockery in his expression. "What could that be about?"
I glanced around. The other sentinels had moved back to their own training. They weren’t listening. Or at least they were pretending not to. But sound carried out here. So I lowered my voice anyway.
"Cian will ask you to stay back tomorrow. When we go for Alpha Knight’s wedding."
Ronan shrugged. "Not an issue. I didn’t feel like faking smiles anyway."
"That’s not it." I took a breath. This was the hard part. The part where I had to sound rational while saying something that would make me look paranoid. "Alpha Aldric is bringing a witch. If you do stay by Luna Morrigan’s side, you need to watch what she does. Be very careful with her."
His expression shifted. The casual dismissiveness faded. He studied me with an intensity that made me want to look away. "I always am. But what for? You seem on edge."
You wouldn’t believe me. The words almost came out. I caught them just in time and shook my head instead.
But fuck, I couldn’t bottle shit in without speaking it. It was getting exhausting.
"You wouldn’t believe me."
"Try me."
I stared at him. I searched his face for any sign that he was humoring me. That he would take whatever I said and twist it into proof that I was unstable. Unfit. That I would turn around and find out he had gone straight to Cian with concerns about my mental state.
But his expression was steady. Open even as he waited.
"Cian might be blinded," I said slowly. Each word felt like pulling teeth. "But you’re his Beta. You have to see things more objectively." I paused. "With everything that you have in you, can you say that Alpha Aldric is a good person who wants the best for the pack?"
Ronan’s expression changed.
It was subtle. Just a flicker of something crossing his features. But I recognized it. I had seen Cian make that same face in the ballroom. When I had let my terror crash through the bond. When he had looked at me like pieces of a puzzle were starting to fit together in ways he didn’t like.
The realization hit me like cold water.
Aldric’s charm worked on most people. On everyone except those who were really paying attention to what he was doing. Those who weren’t too close to see clearly or too far away to notice the details. Ronan occupied that middle ground. Close enough to observe but distant enough to question.
My heart sank anyway. Because recognizing the look didn’t mean Ronan would admit to anything. It didn’t mean he would help. He could acknowledge the discomfort and still choose to ignore it. To pretend everything was fine because that was easier than facing the alternative.
"You know what?" I shook my head. "Forget it. Just watch Luna Morrigan please."
I turned to leave. My hands were shaking again. I shoved them into my pockets and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. On getting away before I said something else. Before I made this worse.
"I didn’t give my reply yet."
Ronan’s voice stopped me mid-step.
I turned back slowly. Half afraid of what I would see. Half afraid he would be looking at me like I was crazy after all.
"What?"
He moved closer. His voice dropped lower. Quiet enough that no one else would hear. "I used to think I was crazy."
My breath caught.
"But Goddess no." He shook his head. Something like relief crossed his features. "There’s something off about that man."
The world tilted.
My heart literally floated. It rose up in my chest until I thought it might burst right through my ribs. Someone else saw it. Someone else felt it too. Maren, Thorne and I weren’t alone in this.
"You see it?" The words came out barely above a whisper.
"I see something." Ronan’s jaw tightened. "I can’t put my finger on it. He’s always pleasant. He’s always helpful. He says the right things. Does the right things." He paused. "But it feels rehearsed. Like he’s playing a part."
I nodded. My throat was too tight to speak.
"Cian’s blind to it," Ronan continued. "He was impressionable when his father died. Aldric stepped in. Helped raise him. Taught him everything. In Cian’s mind, Aldric is practically a saint." He looked at me. "But I’ve been watching for years. There are things that don’t add up."
"Like what?"
"Small things. The way he positions himself. The way he guides conversations. How he’s always there at the right moment to offer advice that just happens to benefit him in the long run." Ronan’s expression darkened. "And the way people who question him too loudly tend to transfer away. Or find themselves reassigned. Or suddenly decide pack life isn’t for them."
My stomach dropped. "Has he ever done anything directly?"
"No. That’s the problem. There’s never anything concrete. Nothing I could take to Cian without sounding paranoid." His eyes met mine. "Until now maybe. Do you think the witch is part of something?"
"I think the timing is convenient. Morrigan’s condition worsens. Alpha Knight extends an olive branch. A wedding that will pull most of the pack’s leadership away. And suddenly Aldric has a solution that requires him to stay behind." My voice was flat. Matter of fact. "Too convenient."
"You make it sound like you know him inside out."
"I am just putting the pieces that fit together."
Ronan nodded. "What else do you know?"