Chapter 93 IT'S TOO LATE
RAGNAR'S POV
Ava waits from behind me, she always does.
From all the years of knowing her, patience has always been a weapon of hers especially during negotiations.
When I do not answer immediately, her gaze sharpens further as she moves in closer to study the books scattered across the table.
Old sigils and blood rites are sprawled out across the tables.
It does not take long for her to realize that whatever I am researching is not something trivial but of importance.
“What exactly are you looking for, Ragnar?” she repeats once again.
I close the remaining book slowly as I wonder if I should tell her especially since she already sees Sebastian as a pest.
The heavy thud of the cover echoes softly through the quiet library.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with Ava.”
Her eyebrow lifts slightly as she rounds up and moves closer to the table.
“That answer from you usually means it is precisely something I should concern myself with.”
I do not respond or say anything. Instead I gather the book in my hands and slide it back into the shelf where it belongs away from her eyes.
Shouldn't she be off somewhere catering to pack issues on my day off?
Ava watches my every movement and posture.
“You’re looking into severance rites,” she says after a moment.
It is not a guess but rather an astute observation from her.
I pause. Her sharp and smart instincts were part of the reason why I chose her as my Beta.
But Ava notices my pause immediately, of course she does.
Her arms unfold slowly as her posture straightens to look right at me.
“Those texts are not consulted unless something is very wrong,” she continues calmly.
“And considering the challenge match is merely days away, I assume this is related to a certain Omega of yours.”
Yurik stirs inside me at the mention of Sebastian but I say nothing.
Silence stretches between us as Ava exhales quietly at my silence.
“Ragnar.”
The way she says my name carries years of familiarity and exasperation.
We've been through several battlefields and political negotiations together.
She has always been on my side throughout any of the pack disputes and law making.
She has seen me make ruthless decisions without hesitation through the years which means she also knows when something is bothering me.
“You’re not acting like an Alpha who is worried about a political challenge,” she says slowly.
“You’re acting like a man trying to prevent something from happening.”
I step away from the table.
“Ava.”
“Yes?”
“Please, drop it.”
Her eyes narrow slightly.
“Is the Omega in danger or a danger?”
I hold her gaze as I grow weary of her questions.
“Yes.”
She does not hesitate.
“From who or to who?”
“Everyone.”
That answer is enough to make her still as she goes into her thinking mode.
For the first time since entering the room, real concern crosses her expression.
“Is he aware of it then?”
“Too aware.”
Another beat passes between us.
Then Ava asks the question I knew was just coming.
“Does this have anything to do with the rumors surrounding him?”
My eyes sharpen at that. “What rumors?”
“The ones that say he doesn’t respond to Alpha pressure the way an Omega should.”
Of course people noticed, nothing stays hidden in a pack forever especially one with a tight knit pack mental link where everyone and their family is sharing gossip all around.
I say nothing.
Ava studies me carefully, trying to connect the pieces.
Her voice lowers as if she's about to whisper.
“Ragnar…”
The hesitation in her tone is rare for me.
“You’re not telling me something.”
“No.”
Her jaw tightens slightly.
“I am your Beta.”
“And I have not forgotten that Ava.”
“Then why are you researching forbidden rites alone?”
Because if I say the truth aloud–
It becomes real. Not something I could just avoid.
Because the moment this pack knows what Sebastian truly carries inside him, they will turn on him and try to destroy him.
The conservatives would have even more right to push back on many of the rights and privileges that Omegas now enjoy instead of being breeding machines for the pack.
I step past her.
“That research is finished so let it go.”
Ava turns as I move toward the exit.
“Ragnar.”
I stop at the doorway.
“What?”
“If someone is hunting him,” she says carefully, “then you will definitely need allies.”
I glance back at her.
Her eyes are steady and unwavering just as they have always been whenever I ask her to trust me on an important decision.
I know she would stand beside me if I asked.
She always has.
But this…
This secret could tear the entire pack apart. And for someone who fiercely loves her pack, she might think for the greater good and try to destroy Sebastian.
I wouldn't forgive her for it and at the same time, I wouldn't know how to be angry at her.
“The fewer wolves who know,” I say quietly, “the safer he remains.”
Ava exhales slowly.
“So it is about him.”
I do not confirm it nor do I deny it.
My silence tells her more than I would.
She watches me for a long moment before speaking again.
“Whatever you’re planning,” she says, “just don’t wait too long.”
My hand rests against the door.
“Why?”
“Because Omegas,” she says evenly, “tend to make reckless decisions when they feel cornered.”
Sebastian’s furious voice echoes in my mind again as I remember earlier on.
‘You don’t get to decide what I can handle anymore.’
My chest tightens.
Ava studies my expression and sighs quietly once more.
“Ah.”
She figured that out too.
“He already knows something is wrong, doesn’t he?”
I push the door open.
Cold night air spills into the corridor.
“Yes.”
“And?”
I step out into the hallway.
“And he is angry and wants to participate in the challenge.”
Ava mutters something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like a curse.
The door begins to close behind me but before it shuts completely, she calls out one last time.
“Ragnar.”
I pause but don't turn.
“If you’re going to tell him the truth,” she says, “do it before someone else does.”
The door shuts as her words linger.
Ava is completely right.
Too bad I'm only hearing them after someone else already told him the truth.