Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 874: The Woman In The Portrait ()

Neveah recoiled. Her stomach roiled, the contents of her last meal threatening to greet the floor. Her brows furrowed, and she backed away to the door.

The woman sitting by the table didn’t seem fazed by the stench in the slightest, or by the decaying mess a few inches away from her.

Instead, she reached for the cradle at intervals, pushing lightly to keep it swinging.

Neveah’s gut clenched in protest. A thousand thoughts were running through her mind.

Who was this woman and what exactly did she want from Neveah? And by the Creator, was that a...dead baby?!

Neveah retched again. She doubled over, clutching her stomach.

While Neveah struggled to regain her bearings, the woman broke the silence first.

"Since when did you become so squeamish?" She asked, her tone hollow. "I raised you better."

Neveah blanched.

Raised? This woman had raised her? Just how many unknown family ties did she have from her past? And why did each connection appear to be more depraved than the last?

"Who..." She drew in a breath, and instantly regretted it.

Speaking was the last thing she wanted to do at this time. In such a place. But she had no choice.

"Who are you?" Neveah asked in a calmer tone. She schooled her expression and stood up straight, suppressing any visible signs of her discomfort.

The woman glanced over her shoulder, the dim lighting from the lamp hung up on the wall lit up her face just enough for Neveah to make out her features.

The woman was in her forties at least. With brown hair showing signs of gray. Her face was gaunt, and her skin revealed a sickly pallor.

Her features were lean, sharp and cross looking. Even so, there were signs that showed she had been a beautiful woman in her day.

"He got to you as well, didn’t he?" She murmured, her tone unsettlingly amused. "He’s extraordinary... that son of mine."

Son? Neveah wondered.

Was she referring to...

"Alpha Queen Vilma..." Neveah murmured. Her tone was almost inaudible, her eyes wide in silent horror.

The previous Alpha Queen, and Alessio’s mother. Hailed for her virtue, but amongst silent whispers, the tales of her cruelty were told.

She’d heard of this woman from the other Eclipse Lunas. Colleen had said Vilma was a horror, as any other Raul was.

Neveah had seen her portrait once in the Palace, hidden away in a dark corner and covered by a layer of dust.

The portrait depicted her seated on a high throne, a bejewelled crown on her head. She exuded a regal poise that one could feel even through the painting.

She wondered then, how such a beautiful woman could have given birth to a monster like Alessio.

But she’d come to understand it later. From the fearful whispers told in the shadows.

This woman was infamous for her own fair share of depravity, and her obsession with toxic herbs and poisons. She’d poisoned Colleen too... to keep her from bearing children.

Though Neveah didn’t remember it all, she felt a strong disgust, deeper than just the rancid stench from the decaying corpse.

"From your expression, you’ve put it together." She stated, "You’ve always been a clever girl."

Neveah winced. It was the same words Alessio had said to her. It should have been a compliment, but there was just something about how they said it that left a bitter taste in the back of her throat.

"What...do you want from me?" Neveah asked slowly. "Why did you call me here?"

She already knew at first glance, this woman was not to be trusted. But was this a trap? That, she was yet to decipher.

Vilma was quiet for a moment too long, her eyes fixed on the cradle.

Just when Neveah thought she wouldn’t get a response, Vilma turned fully so she faced Neveah.

"You have met my husband, have you not?" Vilma asked.

The man chained in the ice chamber surfaced in Neveah’s mind, and she nodded once.

Vilma seemed visibly relieved at that. "In a few days, alongside a host of others, I hear. My husband will be publicly executed."

Neveah was taken aback. She knew many of Alessio’s enemies had been placed on the death row, but she hadn’t expected it was the same for his own father.

"Then..." Neveah trailed off.

Vilma understood the question even before Neveah could say it, and she shook her head. "Not me. For whatever reason, he intends to spare me."

"Maybe it’s because he’s already taken from me, the only thing worth living for."

Neveah’s gaze moved to the cradle, and her stomach roiled once again.

"I did everything right, you see..." Vilma paused. And then she laughed, almost painfully.

"I raised him to be a King. To be a man his father would approve of. I raised him to be better than everyone else..."

"Whoever got in his way, I got rid of them without a second thought. Whatever annoyance he had, I took care of it. Whatever displeased him in the slightest was not spared."

"I tried to kill you so many times... for fear that you would covet his inheritance." She smiled hollowly. "It turns out it was my newly born child became his rival."

Neveah wasn’t certain why this revelation was shocking to her, but she felt unpleasantly surprised by it.

Vilma stared at the cradle again. "I didn’t think I could bear anymore children. After what happened with Lothaire’s brothers... I knew the more heirs I bore, the greater the cost of succession."

"And when I discovered I was with a child after Lothaire had been taken captive, I tried to keep it a secret."

"I acknowledged Alessio as King. Retired to the side palace with my attendants to hide it away from him...but I could only hide a second royal heir for so long."

Neveah just listened in silence. Anger burned in her veins but she suppressed it.

"I did everything right, yet the curse of the Raul’s took him." Her voice was barely audible now. "Just like it did his father."

"But Alessio... he’s worse. He’s the devil..." Her voice broke, but she kept her composure.

She was silent for a long moment before she said, "I’ve used every herb possible, every technique I could to preserve the corpse...but nature is taking its course."

"Before Lothaire is executed, he deserves to know... that he fathered a second heir. And that’s why I sought you out, Omega."

She looked up at Neveah now, eyes as hollow as one already dead within. "I’m tired of it all now. Death is all that’s left."

"But Omega... I intend to take my family with me. They owe me, that much."

She said the words with such ease, like she wasn’t speaking about the death of her husband and son.

"I know you won’t let Alessio off. But you won’t stand a chance against him without my help. I was after all the Queen of this domain."

"I will help you break the Varleston boy and the Hunts out of the dungeons. All I ask is that you let Lothaire meet his youngest, before he faces his end." Her tone was solemn now.

_________

Neveah was still reeling from all she had learnt as she left the side palace. She hadn’t gotten far away when that terrible ache split her skull again.

She gritted her teeth against it and kept walking. There wasn’t much time till the curfew Alessio had set for the guests and if she wasn’t back in her room by then, she would have to face Alessio which was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

But first, she needed to find Scott. She knew he was out here somewhere, she’d sensed him. He must have heard of what happened at the Eclipse Claw Pack House and trailed her back here.

The Eclipse Palace was heavily guarded. While he was skilled enough to blend in with the guests, he wouldn’t be able to approach her.

Neveah paused in her steps, picking up the sound of coordinated footsteps. She knew just how Alessio’s patrol sounded from miles away.

She glanced around her surroundings, finding a hidden spot. It came to her easily this time, a quiet whoosh like the wind and a portal tore open a few paces ahead of her.

Neveah didn’t linger, walking through.

The rush of magic passed quickly and Neveah found herself standing in a clearing somewhere in the woods.

"Lady Neveah." Scott was surprised to see her. He leaped down from where he was perched on a tree, quickly scouting their surrounding.

"It’s a relief to see you’re unharmed." His tone conveyed his relief. "What happened? I heard..." He trailed off.

Neveah nodded guiltily. "I had to take urgent measures. I still have things under control at the moment and I’m recovering just fine."

Scott frowned slightly. "This is already out of my hands. I sent word to the Winter Domain when I lost contact... Alpha King Nolan is already headed here."

Scott paused. "With the Winter warriors.

"He’s declared war, My Lady. There’s no turning back."

Neveah winced visibly. She’d done her best to avoid a full blown war, but some things were unavoidable.

"So be it."