Episode four
1304 Words
Chapter 4:
The Healer's Gambit
"What did you say?" Sara the healer reacted first.
I bit my tongue, questioning whether I should continue.
"He's been poisoned. Wolfsbane mixed with silver dust. Small doses over time." I struggled against my chains, trying to move closer. "Check his eyes, the pupils will be different sizes. His fingernails will show thin white lines. Those are the signs."
Sara checked quickly. Her face went white. "She's right. How did you"
"There's no time! You need charcoal suspension immediately. And nightshade root to counteract the silver spreading through his system."
"We don't have nightshade root," Sara said, panicked.
"Yes, you do. It grows near standing water. White flowers with silver centers. Crush the root, combine it with honey and sage."
Sara stared at me. "That's ancient medicine. How does a rogue know"
"Does it matter?" Maya interrupted. "Just do it! He's dying!"
Sara ran off. Other wolves carried Kieran to the healer's chambers. In the chaos, everyone seemed to forget about me.
Everyone except Victor.
He grabbed my arm, fingers digging in painfully. "How convenient," he hissed in my ear. "The Alpha collapses just when you're about to be executed."
"I don't know what you're implying." I couldn't help the malicious edge creeping into my voice.
His grip tightened. "Careful, rogue..."
For a moment, I thought he might kill me right there. But Maya appeared beside us.
"Let her go, Victor."
"She's a prisoner. A rogue."
"She just saved Kieran's life. Or tried to." Maya's eyes were fierce. "If he dies because you prevented her from helping, the pack will know who to blame."
Victor released me, but his eyes promised retribution. "Take her back to her cell," he ordered the guards. "The trial is postponed."
As they dragged me away, I looked back at Maya. She was watching me with an expression I couldn't decipher. Confusion? Suspicion?
Hope?
The cell felt smaller when they threw me back in. I sat against the cold wall, mind racing.
The poisoning was obvious to anyone with medical knowledge. Kieran had been poisoned for weeks, maybe months. Small doses, building up slowly in his system.
But why now? Why let Kieran collapse publicly?
Unless... unless Victor wanted everyone to witness Kieran's weakness. To see their Alpha couldn't protect himself. To plant doubt.
Hours passed. No one came. No food, no water, no news. I didn't know if Kieran was alive or dead.
I tried not to think about him, but my mind wouldn't cooperate.
Finally, footsteps echoed down the corridor. But not the guards I expected.
Maya appeared in my cell, alone.
"You shouldn't be here," I said.
"The guards are preoccupied. Half the pack is panicking." She studied me through the bars. "He's alive. Because of you."
Relief flooded through me. "Did the nightshade root work?"
"Yes. Sara said without it, he would have died within hours." Maya moved closer. "How did you know? That's not common knowledge. Even Sara didn't know that remedy."
"I... learned from a healer once."
"Where? When? That's pack knowledge, passed through bloodlines. Not something rogues learn."
I stayed silent. There was no good answer.
"You know," Maya said softly, "Celeste knew that remedy. Our grandmother taught her, just before she died. Said it was family knowledge, to be kept secret."
My heart stopped.
"Strange coincidence," Maya continued. "A rogue knowing my dead sister's secret medicine."
Heavy footsteps sounded from above.
"I have to go. You'll be summoned again soon." She turned to leave, then paused. "Whoever you are, thank you. For saving him."
Then she was gone, as silently as she'd arrived.
---
Guards appeared shortly after. This time, there were more. Five wolves, all armed, all watching me like I might attack at any moment.
"The Gamma wants to see you," one said.
My body tensed involuntarily.
The Gamma wants to see me, but why?
They brought me to a different room. Smaller, darker. Victor stood in the center with several wolves I recognized as pack elders.
"The rogue saved the Alpha," Victor said to the others immediately as I entered. "How convenient."
"She knew about the poison," James, one of the elders, added. "Almost like she knew it would happen."
"I saved his life!" I protested.
"Or you're working with whoever poisoned him," Victor said. "It's an old tactic. Create a problem, then solve it. Makes you look like a hero."
"That's insane!"
"Is it?" Victor moved closer. "A strange rogue appears. The Alpha gets poisoned. The rogue miraculously knows the cure. Either you're the luckiest wolf alive, or you're a spy."
"If I wanted the Alpha dead, why would I save him?"
"To gain our trust. To get close to him." Victor smiled coldly. "But I see through you."
"You see what you want to see."
"I see a threat to our pack." He turned to the elders. "She dies at dawn. That's my judgment as Gamma."
"You can't do that!" I struggled against my chains. "The Alpha said"
"The Alpha is unconscious, fighting for his life. I'm in command now."
"No, you're not."
Everyone turned at the new voice. Maya stood in the doorway, and she wasn't alone. Several pack members stood behind her, including Sara the healer.
"The Alpha is awake," Sara announced. "And he wants to see the prisoner."
Victor's face flushed red. "That's impossible. The poison"
"Is leaving his system, thanks to her remedy." Sara looked at me. "He's demanding to see the wolf who saved him."
"This is a mistake," Victor said. "She's dangerous—"
"Then let the Alpha decide that," Maya said. "Unless you're questioning his judgment?"
It was a trap, and Victor was smart enough to recognize one. Questioning the Alpha publicly meant challenging his authority. Even as Gamma, that was dangerous.
"Fine," Victor said through gritted teeth. "But when she shows her true nature, remember I warned you."
They brought me to Kieran's chambers. He was propped up in bed, still pale but alert. His blue-gray eyes found mine immediately.
"Alpha, you should be resting," Victor fussed.
"I'll rest when I've dealt with this." He moved closer, each step obviously painful. "Why?"
"Why what?" I asked, caught off guard.
"Why save me? You don't know me. You owe me nothing. So why?"
I met his gaze, letting some real emotion show. "Because someone is trying to kill you, and that's wrong. Because your pack needs you. Because..." I swallowed hard. "Because I know what it's like to be betrayed by someone you trust."
Something flickered in his eyes. Recognition? Impossible. But his wolf was stirring,I could sense it. Interested in a way that clearly confused him.
"Release her," he ordered, stunning everyone.
"Alpha..." Victor started.
"She saved my life, Victor. She's earned a chance." Kieran swayed slightly, and Sara steadied him. "Move her to the guest quarters. Post guards if you must, but she's no longer a prisoner."
"This is a mistake," Victor said quietly.
Kieran turned to his Gamma, and even weakened, his presence was commanding. "The only mistake was not realizing I was being poisoned under my own roof. We'll discuss your failure to protect your Alpha later."
Victor went pale. "I had no idea"
"No? You handle my security. You oversee my meals. Either you're incompetent or complicit. Which would you prefer?"
The threat hung heavy in the air. Victor bowed his head. "I'll investigate immediately, Alpha."
"Good." Kieran turned to me. "You have medical knowledge. You'll assist Sara in treating me until I'm recovered."
"I'm not a healer..."
"No, but you recognized wolfsbane poisoning when my own healer didn't. That's sufficient for now." He started to leave, then paused. "And Raven? If this is some elaborate deception to infiltrate my pack, if you're involved in this in any way..."
"I will kill you myself. Slowly."
My blood ran cold.
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