Rejected And Reborn As The Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 7: Xavier's Intervention

POV: Xavier

I was watching from the shadows at the back of the grand hall when it happened. Thelma had been magnificent, standing there defying everyone with a courage I'd never seen from her before. Her rejection of Neon, her challenge to her adoptive father, it was everything I'd hoped she would do someday. But then I saw her stumble, saw the way her face went pale, and I knew something was terribly wrong. The poison. They'd done it again.

Without thinking, I pushed through the crowd of shocked pack members. People were too stunned by what had just happened to pay much attention to me at first. They were all focused on the drama unfolding on the platform, whispering among themselves about Thelma's shocking behavior.

"Move!" I growled, shouldering past a group of elderly women who were clutching their pearls and muttering about "young people these days."

By the time I reached the front of the crowd, Thelma was on her knees, swaying dangerously. Her adoptive father was reaching for her, probably planning to play the concerned parent while secretly celebrating that his problem was solving itself.

I couldn't let that happen. Not again.

I leaped onto the platform just as Thelma collapsed completely. Her body hit the floor with a sickening thud, and I heard several people in the crowd gasp. But before anyone else could react, I scooped her up in my arms.

"What are you doing?" Alpha Marcus, her adoptive father, snarled at me, his eyes flashing with anger. "Put her down immediately!"

"She needs help," I said simply, adjusting my grip on Thelma's unconscious form. She felt so small and fragile in my arms, her breathing shallow and labored. The scent of chocolate and vanilla from our mate bond was almost overwhelming this close, mixed with the bitter smell of whatever poison they'd used on her.

"Who the hell are you?" Neon stepped forward, his face twisted with rage. "You have no right to touch my fiancée!"

Several pack members were nodding in agreement, looking at me with suspicion and confusion. I didn't recognize most of them, which meant they probably didn't recognize me either. Good. That would make this easier.

"Your fiancée just made it very clear that she wants nothing to do with you," I replied coldly, taking a step toward the edge of the platform.

"Xavier!" Yvonne's voice cut through the murmurs of the crowd like a knife. She was pushing her way forward, her face a mask of panic barely concealed behind fake concern. "Xavier, what are you doing here? Put my sister down!"

Her sister. The irony of hearing those words from someone who had orchestrated Thelma's murder made my wolf snarl with rage. I had to fight to keep control, to not shift right there in front of everyone and tear Yvonne's throat out.

"Your sister is dying," I said, loud enough for the entire hall to hear. "And somehow, I don't think you're as surprised by that as you're pretending to be."

Yvonne's face went white, and I saw fear flicker in her eyes. She knew that I knew. The question was how much.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, but her voice was shaking now. "Thelma just fainted from stress. She needs to go to the pack hospital, not be kidn*pped by some stranger!"

"Stranger?" I laughed bitterly. "Is that what you're calling me now, Yvonne? After everything?"

The crowd was getting more agitated by the second. People were standing up, trying to get a better look at what was happening. Some of the younger men were starting to move toward the platform, probably thinking they should help their Alpha deal with the intruder who was holding their future Luna.

"Guards!" Alpha Marcus bellowed. "Seize him! He's k********g my daughter!"

That's when I made my move. I'd been planning escape routes since the moment I entered the hall, just like I always did. Old habits from a life spent in hiding.

I leaped down from the platform, landing gracefully despite Thelma's weight in my arms. The guards were moving toward me, but they were slow, unprepared. They'd expected this to be a peaceful ceremony, not a rescue mission.

"Stop right there!" one of them shouted, reaching for the weapon at his belt.

"I don't think so," I replied, darting between two pillars toward the side exit I'd scouted earlier.

The crowd erupted into chaos behind me. People were screaming, some trying to follow, others running in the opposite direction to get away from the commotion. I heard Yvonne shouting something about how I was stealing her sister, her voice rising to an almost hysterical pitch.

"He's taking her!" she screamed. "Stop him! He's stealing Thelma!"

Stealing. As if Thelma was property to be owned rather than a person with her own choices. It made me sick.

I reached the side door just as the first guard got close enough to grab for me. I spun out of his reach, using my free hand to shove him hard enough to send him stumbling backward into his partner.

"Sorry," I called over my shoulder, not meaning it at all.

The door led to a service corridor that most pack members didn't even know existed. I'd spent months learning every hidden passage, every secret route in and out of the pack house. Knowledge like that had kept me alive for years.

Behind me, I could hear the sounds of pursuit, heavy footsteps, shouting voices, the Alpha's roar of rage echoing through the halls. But they didn't know these passages like I did. They'd never catch me.

I ran through the winding corridors, Thelma's unconscious form bouncing gently in my arms. Her breathing was getting more labored, and I could feel her skin growing clammy with fever. Whatever they'd poisoned her with was working fast. Too fast.

I took a sharp left turn into a passage so narrow that most adults would have to turn sideways to fit through it. The sounds of pursuit grew fainter behind me. Good. A few more turns and I'd reach the hidden chamber I'd prepared for exactly this kind of emergency.

My wolf was pacing frantically in my mind, desperate to help our mate but unsure how. The bond between us was still new, still fragile. She'd only just awakened her wolf yesterday when we'd found each other. Now that connection might be the only thing keeping her alive.

Hold on, I whispered to her unconsciously. Just hold on a little longer.

Finally, I reached the concealed entrance to my safe room. It was hidden behind a false wall that looked like solid stone but swung open at the right touch. I'd discovered this place years ago and had been slowly stocking it with supplies ever since.

The room beyond was small but comfortable, with a bed, some basic medical supplies, food, water, and most importantly, complete privacy. No one else knew about this place. No one could find us here.

I gently placed Thelma on the bed, my hands shaking slightly as I checked her pulse. It was weak and rapid, her skin pale and cold to the touch. The poison was definitely in her system, but I'd learned a few things about treating it during my years of research into her adoptive family's methods.

I grabbed the medical kit from the shelf and quickly prepared an antidote. It wasn't perfect, I didn't know exactly what they'd used on her this time, but it should counteract the worst effects and give her body time to fight off the rest.

As I worked, injecting the antidote and monitoring her vital signs, I couldn't help but think about how we'd gotten to this point. I'd been watching the pack for years, gathering information, waiting for the right moment to expose the truth about what they'd done to Thelma's real parents. But I'd never expected her to take such a bold stand on her own.

She'd been magnificent up there on that platform. Fierce and brave and completely unafraid, even when faced with the entire pack's disapproval. It was like seeing the real Thelma for the first time, the person she'd always been underneath all their manipulation and control. But now she was unconscious and fighting for her life again, and I was once more left wondering if I'd acted quickly enough to save her.

The antidote seemed to be working. Her breathing was becoming less labored, her color slowly returning to normal. But she was still unconscious, and I knew she would be for several more hours at least. Which left me with a problem.

When she woke up, she'd be scared and confused. She'd want to know where she was, who I really was, why I'd taken her away from the ceremony. And I'd have to decide how much of the truth to tell her.

I couldn't risk her running back to them, not when they'd just tried to kill her again. But I also couldn't keep her here against her will. The mate bond meant everything to me, but it would mean nothing if it was built on lies and captivity.

In the end, I made the only choice I could live with.

I secured her wrists and ankles with specially designed restraints, soft enough not to hurt her, but strong enough to keep her from leaving until I could explain everything. They weren't meant to be permanent, just a precaution until she understood the danger she was in.

As I locked the final restraint around her ankle, I tried to tell myself I was doing this to protect her. That when she woke up and realized how close she'd come to dying, she'd understand why I'd had to take such drastic measures.

But deep down, I knew how it would look to her. I knew that when Thelma opened her eyes and found herself chained in a strange room, her first thought wo

uldn't be gratitude.

It would be terror. And I'd have to find a way to convince my mate that the man who'd just kidn*pped her and chained her up was actually trying to save her life..