Rejected by the Alpha’s Son

Chapter7

Xavier

I catch her before she hits the ground.

With one hand already across her back, I slip the other under her knees as I lift her.

Lyra’s weight settles against my chest the same second my nose drops to the small pool of blood already soaking her clothes.

The fresh metallic smell, strong enough to drown out the scent of pine and damp earth, hits me immediately.

Wolfsbane.

My jaw tightened as the smell of wolfsbane infiltrated my senses. It burned the back of my throat, mixing with the smell of blood until the air around us tasted poisonous.

The amount of wolfsbane in the arrow tells me this attack was deliberate and calculated with the intent of taking a wolf down fast and keeping them down.

This was no accident. Nobody carried that much wolfsbane by accident. It was obviously brought here with Lyra as the target.

Were we followed from Ashveil? Hot rage flooded my chest at the thought.

“Lyra.” I try to keep my voice level.

Her lashes flutter against her cheeks. Her dark eyes find mine — unfocused, her pupils are too wide, the wolfsbane already moving quickly through her system.

“There you are.” I shift my weight in an attempt to keep her head up. “Stay with me. Can you do that?”

“It… “ Her voice comes out thin and distant. “It burns.”

“I know but I need you to keep talking to me. Can you do that for me?”

Her head starts to drop. I don’t let it.

My fingers hover over the wound.

Every instinct I have is pointing at the tree to the east of the clearing, the direction the arrow came from, the shadows are still thick between the trunks, and the forest is still silent. My wolf is pressing forward hard, wanting to go, wanting to find whoever shot that arrow and make them pay.

I look at the trees around me before looking back at Lyra.

She’s in open territory, unconscious, with wolfsbane working through her veins at an alarming rate.

If I put her down and go into those trees, I am leaving her here alone and unprotected.

I’m sure whoever prepared the arrow is counting on that.

I look past the tress one last time before tightening my arms around her, careful not to jostle the arrow.

I run.

****

My wolf grew increasingly restless, urging me to shift.

I could run faster if I shifted but a wolf’s stride is violent. Each powerful leap would drive the arrow farther into Lyra’s body and the wolfsbane deeper into her bloodstream.

I have to stay human.

The forest blurred around me as I launched through the trees. Branches whipping against me and damp leaves brushing my face as I made my way to Blackridge.

I adjusted my pace whenever Lyra stirred.

Going too fast will make the poison spread and going too slow I stand the risk of losing her.

I have never felt so helpless.

****

She hasn’t opened her eyes.

Not once.

The realization sat heavily in my chest as my packs border came into view through the last stretch of trees.

“Come on,” I mutter, more to myself than her. “Stay with me.”

The words disappeared with the rushing wind. Three of my wolves are already at the border with a fourth figure I recognized as Senna, my packs healer. She sees me approaching and is already moving towards me before I get to them, her bag open, with eyes on Lyra.

My second-in-command, Cain, is there too.

He takes one look at Lyra unconscious in my arms and a dark cloud crosses his face. I choose to ignore it, deciding instead to focus on the fragile wolf in my hands.

“Bring her. Now. I need her inside,” Senna instructs, hurrying ahead.

I hurriedly followed her along the path to the infirmary.

Inside the low stone building that is Blackridge’s infirmary, Senna is already barking orders while I lower Lyra onto the treatment table with care.

Senna rushed into action, carefully cutting away the blood-soaked fabric around the wound.

It looked bad, with purple veins already making patterns on her leg.

“Alpha.” Senna’s voice broke through my thoughts. “I need the room.”

I don’t dare move. There is no way I’m leaving Lyra all alone.

“If you stand over me like that you’ll distract my apprentices.” she reasons.

I hesitate for a second longer before walking out of the infirmary.

I’m barely out when, “There was a message.” My second-in-command says as he falls into step beside me.

He stretches his hand towards me and there’s a piece of folded paper in it.

I take it from him.

The words on the paper are short and direct.

She will not make it to Blackridge. It has been handled.

There was no signature.

The paper has Blackridge’s official seal on it. A seal only someone in Blackridge could have access to.

This letter didn’t come from outside. It was sent from someone in my pack.

Is that how they knew Lyra was injured? And why they knew to wait for me at the border?

I rubbed the skin between my eyebrows as my mind raced through the possibilities.

Why would someone in my pack want Lyra dead?

Are they working for someone in Ashveil?

I fold the paper back up as I look at the closed infirmary door behind me. I am responsible for her and I can not let anything happen to her. With that in mind, I look back at Cain, staring him down.

“Where did you get this?” My voice comes out deathly quiet and I can feel the apprehension radiating off him in waves.

He meets my eyes. “It was intercepted at the eastern post. I don’t think whoever sent it knows that we monitor that channel.” A pause. “Xavier…I think whoever sent this has access to internal communications. High level access.”

I look back down at the paper, opening it back up.

“Find out who it is,” I command.

“And when I do?”

I fold the paper again, place it in my pocket and look back at the infirmary door.

“Bring them to me,” I say quietly. “Alone.”