The Discarded Luna

Visiting Alpha Kade pack

Rhydian and Corven did not stop at the gates of Blackthorn Pack to ask permission. They drove straight through, parked without waiting for an escort, and marched inside like men who had already decided nothing would slow them down.

Three of Rhydian's gammas walked ahead, clearing the path. Every Blackthorn guard who stepped forward to stop them was shoved aside within seconds, some thrown clean off their feet before they could even finish their warning.

"Sir, you cannot enter without—"

"Move," one of Rhydian's gammas snapped, and the guard scrambled out of the way rather than questioning him.

A second guard tried his luck near the main corridor, planting his feet and raising both hands. "This is Blackthorn territory. You need to state your—"

He didn't get to finish. One of the gammas caught him by the shoulder and sent him stumbling hard into the wall. The guard slid down, dazed, and didn't try again.

Corven kept pace beside Rhydian, his eyes scanning every hallway they passed. "This is should be discreet," he muttered.

"We're not here to be discreet" Rhydian said, his voice flat and cold.

Word of their arrival spread fast. By the time they reached the second floor, small clusters of Blackthorn pack members had gathered along the railings above, whispering to each other as they watched Rhydian's gammas march through uninvited. No one dared step into their path a third time.

"They're not even trying to stop us anymore," one of the gammas said quietly.

"They know better," another gammas said. "Word travels faster than legs do in a pack this size. By now everyone knows exactly whose gammas just walked through their front door."

They reached Kade's office in less than a minute. Corven didn't bother knocking. He shoved the door open so hard it slammed against the wall behind it.

Kade spun around from where he stood behind his desk, one hand still resting far too close to the woman seated on top of it. Seraphine.

Rhydian's eyes narrowed instantly. "How shameless of you."

Kade straightened, smoothing down his shirt as though he had all the time in the world. "To what do I owe this visit?" He paused, letting a slow smile spread across his face. "Last I remembered, we have no unfinished business."

Seraphine slid off the desk quickly, putting distance between herself and Kade, her cheeks flushing red as she avoided looking at either of them. She smoothed down her skirt with shaking hands, clearly caught off guard by the sudden intrusion.

"Rhydian," she started, "this isn't what it—"

"I'm not here for you," Rhydian said, cutting her off. "Not yet."

Two of Kade's gammas, the only ones lucky enough to reach the office without being flattened along the way, rushed toward Corven and Rhydian, fists already raised.

Kade lifted one hand and they froze mid-step.

Rhydian turned his head toward them anyway, and his eyes flashed a deep, burning red, the mark of an alpha king's fury. The gammas bowed instantly, trembling, their earlier confidence gone completely.

"Get out," Rhydian said, his voice low.

They didn't wait to be told twice. Both men turned and fled the room without another word.

"Now," Kade said, folding his arms. "Why are you here?"

Rhydian ignored him completely. His attention shifted to Seraphine, who was already inching toward the door.

"So undeserving of you," Rhydian said, "having an affair with your mate's younger brother."

Seraphine froze.

"Is it because he's dead?" Rhydian continued. "Or have you always had a fling for his brother, slut?"

She said nothing. Her pace toward the door quickened instead, her hand already reaching for the handle.

"Sit down," Rhydian roared, the command in his voice thick enough to shake the walls.

She stopped instantly, her shoulders trembling. One of Rhydian's gammas stepped forward and gently guided her back toward a chair. She sat, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

Once Corven confirmed both Kade and Seraphine were seated, he finally spoke.

"Our pack healer found something," Corven said. "Elara has been severely poisoned. She was poisoned before she ever left this pack. Right now, she's on the verge of dying."

He paused, watching both their faces carefully. Kade's expression stayed unreadable, but Seraphine's jaw tightened, her eyes darting briefly toward Kade before dropping back to the floor.

"The antidote for the poison can only come from here," Corven continued. "This pack is the source."

"That's a serious accusation," Kade said, leaning back in his chair, though his voice had lost some of its earlier ease.

"It's not an accusation," Rhydian said. "It's a fact my healer confirmed with her own blood."

"Your healer could be wrong," Kade said. "Healers make mistakes."

"Doran doesn't make mistakes like this," Corven said. "Not with poison this rare."

Kade's eyes flicked toward Corven, some of his confidence slipping. "Rare how?"

"Rare enough that the only source is in this pack," Corven said. "And that is why we're here, in your pack."

Kade laughed, short and cold. "You'd better ask Elara's dead body that question. She probably poisoned herself."

The words hadn't fully left his mouth before Rhydian crossed the room. He grabbed Kade by the collar and lifted him half off his feet.

"Where. Is. The antidote."

"I told you," Kade rasped, "I don't—"

Rhydian's grip tightened, cutting the sentence short.

"Rhydian, stop!" Seraphine's voice broke through, sharp with panic, though she didn't dare move from her chair.

Kade's hands clawed weakly at Rhydian's wrist, his face darkening by the second. "I don't know anything," he choked out. "I swear on the pack, I don't know anything about a poison."

"You expect me to believe that," Rhydian said, "when she was poisoned under your roof, in your pack, while she was still your mate?"

"She wasn't my mate for long enough for me to care where she went or what she drank," Kade wheezed. "Let go of me."

Seraphine sat frozen in her chair, watching the color drain from Kade's face as Rhydian's fingers pressed harder against his throat.

Corven stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Rhydian's shoulder. "Rhydian. Killing him here starts a war between our packs. It won't get you the antidote any faster, and it will stain your name before the council even hears the full story. Let him go."

For a long moment, Rhydian didn't move. Kade's face was turning a deep shade of red, his hands clawing weakly at Rhydian's wrist, his legs no longer holding his own weight.

"Rhydian," Corven said again, firmer this time. "Let him go. Now."

Finally, Rhydian released him.

Kade dropped to the floor, gasping, one hand pressed against his throat as he coughed hard, trying to pull air back into his lungs.

Rhydian turned to Seraphine, his voice low and dangerous. "If I find out you had anything to do with ordering that poison, I will make sure you're executed. Both of you."

"I didn't do anything," Seraphine said quickly, her voice trembling. "I swear I didn't."

"We'll see," Rhydian said.

He turned back toward the door, calling out to Corven and the gammas waiting just outside. "Tear this pack house apart until you find the antidote. Bring me their healer too. Now."

"On it," Corven said, already stepping into the hallway. "You three, start with the healer's quarters. You two, the storage cellars. Move fast."

The gammas scattered instantly, fanning out through the hallway, doors slamming open one after another as they began their search. Shouts echoed from further down the corridor, followed by the sound of shelves being overturned and drawers pulled loose from their frames.

Minutes dragged by. Rhydian stood near the window, arms crossed, his jaw tight as he listened to the chaos spreading through the pack house below. Every few seconds another crash echoed from somewhere further down the hall, followed by muffled voices arguing over what had or hadn't been found.

Corven stepped back into the doorway. "Nothing yet in the healer's quarters. Their healer is missing too. No one's seen him since this morning."

"Keep looking," Rhydian said, not turning from the window.

"We will," Corven said. "But if their own healer vanished the same morning she left with the poison already in her system, that's not a coincidence."

Rhydian's hands curled into fists at his sides, but he said nothing, his eyes still fixed on some point beyond the glass.

Kade, still on the floor, pulled himself up slowly, one hand still rubbing at his bruised throat. He watched Rhydian for a moment, something calculating flickering behind his pained expression despite the coughing.

"You really think tearing my pack apart is going to save her," Kade said, his voice hoarse.

"I think it's going to find the antidote," Rhydian said. "Whether you help or not."

"You could ask nicely," Kade said, wincing as he touched his throat again. "Might get further."

"I already tried nicely," Rhydian said. "You laughed in my face."

Kade let out a slow, wheezing laugh despite the pain, shaking his head as he leaned back against his desk for supp

ort.

"Oh, dear Elara," he said, his voice rough but mocking. "Probably you're going to murder her the same way you killed your fated mate.”