Chapter 129 CHAPTER 129

Chapter 129 CHAPTER 129
Castiel welcomes Theo home with a smile, but the moment the alpha steps into the room, he knows immediately that something is wrong; the alpha's jaw is clenched, and there's a vexed look in his eyes as he throws the upper coat over his hand.

“What's wrong?” He asks, reaching for the alpha's coat yet making no attempt to move.

“I got a call today,” Theo starts, his voice calm, yet there's an edge behind it.

Castiel stares at him, waiting for him to continue until he drops the bomb.

“Caspian is dead. He was poisoned.”

The room goes completely quiet. Castiel stops breathing for a second, and his grip tightens around the coat as he stares into Theo’s eyes, almost as if he heard the alpha wrong. "Dead?" he repeats, his voice completely flat and void of any emotion.

“Yes,” Theo replies without moving from his position, but his gaze stays fixed on Castiel’s face, searching for something, but Castiel’s expression gives away nothing; instead, he turns and walks away. Theo follows him. “Did you do it?” He voices his thoughts out loud, but Castiel barely reacts to the accusation as he drops Theo’s jacket on a sofa and heads up to the dining table as if everything is totally fine, but Theo gets fed up as he moves in long strides and catches the omega’s arm, forcing him to stop and look at him. “I asked you a question, Castiel. Did you do it?”

Castiel’s cold eyes strike through his malice. "And what if I did?" He counters, lifting his chin.

Theo's jaw clenches so hard a muscle jumps in his cheek, while his grip on his arms tightens as his eyes flash with a mixture of anger and disappointment. “You—” he starts but cuts himself off as if searching for the right words to use, and with each second, the anger in his system intensifies. "How could you do that? How could you stain your hands with the blood of your brother, Castiel?"

Castiel lets out a bitter, lifeless laugh, his gaze locking onto Theo’s with defiance. He doesn't pull away from the alpha’s crushing grip; instead, he steps closer, forcing Theo to feel the icy rage radiating off his smaller frame. "How can I stain my hands?" He asks, his own anger suddenly boiling over, his eyes hardening. "He killed my baby, Theo! He killed your child! He took our future away from us, and he smiled at what he did! What is so wrong about me taking his life?" He yells.

Something twists inside of Theo at the hatred speaking through his omega. "I am not saying he did not deserve to die. I wanted him dead just as much as you did, but you should not be a murderer, Castiel. And you should have at least informed me before carrying out a plan like this."

Castiel pulls his arm back, but Theo’s grip remains like iron, and he tilts his head up, a humorless curve touching his lips. “Informed you?” He scoffs, his voice trembling with a terrifying blend of grief and venom. “So you could stop me? So you could give me a speech about being the good, pure Omega who stays home while the world tears him apart? You killed Vikar; why can’t I do the same to Caspian? That bastard escaped with a less painful death.”

Theo runs a hand through his hair, frustration building up inside of him. He looks at Castiel with so much anger that it could burn through anything. "You knew I would have done it for you! I would have handled it! I would have kept your hands clean, but you went behind my back. You planned this whole thing in secret while you did not even trust me enough to tell me."

"I—" Castiel says stubbornly, refusing to back down. He looks away from the alpha, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to let him see the way his lips quiver or the way his eyes start to twitch because of the tears stinging in them.

“You have no idea how much trouble this could cause, do you, Castiel? If the police find a trace of that poison connecting back to you, you could end up in jail,” Theo states, his voice becoming softer now, but the anger in his eyes doesn’t leave. “Now, I don’t care about staining my hands with blood; I’ll destroy if it hurts you, but you’re different. You shouldn't destroy yourself by becoming someone like him. And what hurts the most: I thought you trusted me enough, but I guess not,” he says, and then, without another word, he turns around and walks straight down the hall. A moment later, the bedroom door slams shut, leaving Castiel standing completely alone in the middle of the room, and instantly, the tears he’s been holding back come crashing down.

He watches the dinner he made for them go cold and untouched on the table with a heavy heart.

~~~~
Two days later, Castiel is in the building when Warren comes in with a devious smile, as he knows someone that Castiel doesn't know, but the omega barely pays him attention as he moves to a different rack and section of clothes, but Warren follows him, his arms crossed over his chest.

“How did you like my gift, Castiel?”

Castiel frowns at the question, and he pauses for a second and turns his head towards the older omega, who maintains his smile. “What gi—” he starts to say but immediately cuts himself off when realization hits him in the face. His eyes widen, and quickly, he points at Warren’s face. “It was you.”

Warren’s smile grows a little wider, and his eyes sparkle. “I figured I’d do you a favor and put that dog down myself. You are welcome, by the way.”

Castiel stares at the older omega’s face for a long time, trying to piece everything together because all that he recalls is the crushing weight of the last forty-eight hours, the screaming match with Theo, the cold bed, and the sudden silence that has resided over them for two days because Castiel is too stubborn to apologize and confess he wasn't the one who poisoned Caspian, and he has no freaking idea who did it, but here’s a repeat: he’s stubborn.

Somewhere in the deepest, darkest part of him, Castiel wanted to believe he had done it. He wanted to believe that he had been the one to make Caspian pay for taking his child, but Theo is right; he should never stain his hands with blood; the pain is unbearable, but it is worth the trouble.

Castiel drops his hand and glares at the older omega. "Theo thinks I did it; I didn’t try to correct him; we argued about it."

Warren drops his head back and lets out a soft, mocking laugh, the sound grating sharply against Castiel’s raw nerves.

“And isn’t that the funniest part of all of this?” Warren whispers, leaning in until his breath brushes against the shell of Castiel’s ear. “You wanted him dead so badly that you took credit just to feel a shred of power. You broke your Alpha’s heart and wrecked your own relationship over a lie you didn't even have the spine to execute. Isn’t that a little bit too pathetic, Castiel?”

Castiel’s fingers curl into tight fists at his sides. “Shut up.”

Warren chuckles and pulls back, keeping his smile and arms crossed over his chest. "Let him think that. It is better this way. Don’t you think? And I am here to let you know that I am the only one truly on your side, Castiel. Those who kill deserve to be killed. That boy killed my grandchild; he got exactly what he deserved. There’s nothing to regret. Now, the other brat is next."

Castiel’s eyes widen, and instantly, he grabs Warren’s hand and pulls him closer, his eyes drilling a hole through his face. “I don’t care what happens to Caspian, but do not touch Cassian.”

Warren stares at him like he has an extra head on his shoulder. “He stabbed you, Castiel. If he wasn’t such a coward, you wouldn’t have lost your child; he does not deserve your sympathy.”

Castiel’s eyes flash, but he pushes the emotions to the back of his head. He sharply lets go of Warren’s arm and steps back. “I said do not touch him,” he says and turns to leave, but Warren speaks again.

“What about the rest of the McLaren? Caspian is already dead; you’re finally getting the revenge you’ve always wanted. All you have to do is give me your word, and your problems will be over. You do not need Theo to get what you want.”

Castiel shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm the raging emotions inside of him. He won’t give in to the older omega who’s only out to ruin him, and Castiel won’t listen to the voices in his head. He will get his revenge in his own way by staining his hands with blood.

“If you’re done, you can leave,” he tells Warren over his head, and without another word, he walks away without looking back, failing to see the twisted smirk that stretches on Warren's face.