CHAPTER 8
1660 Words
Draven didn’t speak as they walked.
The corridor outside his mother’s quarters felt longer than usual, quieter in a way that pressed against Emilia’s thoughts. The weight of what had just been discovered still lingered between them like smoke that refused to clear.
A poison, inside the palace, inside his home.
Emilia stole a glance at him as they walked. Draven’s face was unreadable again, carved into that same cold composure he wore like armor. But she had seen it earlier, just for a second.
Shock. And something sharper underneath it. Dangerous restraint.
He stopped in front of his quarters.
“Come in,” he said simply, his tone carrying a trace of command.
Emilia hesitated for a fraction of a second before stepping inside. The door closed behind them with a low sound that felt heavier than it should have.
Draven didn’t turn to her immediately.
“You need to bathe,” he said flatly.
Emilia blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it again.
‘Right. Of course.’
She nodded once. “Okay.”
Draven turned slightly. “The bathroom is through there.”
She followed his gesture.
The bathroom door opened into something that made her pause.
It wasn’t just a bathroom. It looked like a private sanctuary carved out of stone and glass. A deep marble tub sat near a wide window, shielded by sheer curtains that softened the light spilling in.
The walls were a smooth grey stone, polished but not cold. Warm lighting lined the ceiling, subtle and calming.
It was designed for someone who needed silence. Someone who didn’t want to be disturbed by the world.
Emilia stepped in slowly and closed the door behind her. For a moment, she just stood there. Then she began to undress.
The water ran warm against her skin as she stepped into the bath, the heat slowly easing the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her shoulders relaxed slightly as she sank deeper into the water.
For the first time that day, her mind drifted. And of course, it drifted back to last night. Draven.
The kiss. The way his hands had held her like she was something fragile but dangerous at the same time.
Her face warmed slightly.
She pressed her fingers against the edge of the tub, trying to push the memory away. But it lingered.
Then her brows slowly furrowed. A strange thought surfaced. Her body didn’t feel like it should.
She paused. There was no soreness, no pain.
Nothing between her thighs. Nothing in her lower body that suggested what she vaguely remembered happening before she fell asleep.
Emilia blinked slowly. Her mind, still fogged with exhaustion and everything else, didn’t dwell on it for long.
She shook her head slightly. It didn’t matter right now. Not with everything else going on.
She finished bathing quickly after that, rinsing off the last of her thoughts along with the warm water. When she stepped out, she wrapped a robe around herself and tied it loosely.
Only then did she pause. Her clothes, or rather, the lack of them.
She frowned slightly and opened the bathroom door.
“Hello?” she called softly.
No answer. She stepped into the room. And stopped.
Two women stood inside. Both dressed in neat palace attire, their posture was respectful but composed. One held folded clothes carefully in her arms, while the other stood beside what looked like a small box of personal items.
Both of them bowed immediately when they saw her.
“Luna,” they greeted in unison.
Emilia froze. Her fingers instinctively tightened around her robe.
“I—uh…” she hesitated, unsure how to respond. “Who are you?”
The woman holding the clothes stepped forward slightly, still bowing. “We are assigned to you, Luna. Personal maids and attendants.”
The second woman lifted the box gently. “These are your belongings. They were brought from your quarters.”
Emilia blinked slowly.
“My… belongings?” she repeated.
Neither of them explained further. And strangely, Emilia didn’t ask.
Her mind was still half elsewhere, still trying to piece together everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
Draven’s voice cut in from the side of the room.
“When you’re done, come to me,” he said calmly.
The maids bowed again. “We’ll wait outside, Luna.”
And just like that, they left. The door closed softly behind them.
Emilia stood there for a moment longer, then finally moved toward the clothes.
They had laid out options for her, but she didn’t overthink it. She picked a pair of soft black leggings and an oversized grey shirt that looked comfortable enough to breathe in.
When she was done dressing, she tied her hair loosely and stepped out.
The maids and a guard stood waiting outside immediately. All three of them bowed the moment she appeared.
“Luna,” the guard greeted respectfully.
Emilia hesitated. Every time she heard that word, it felt like it belonged to someone else.
“Please stop bowing,” she said quietly. “It’s… unnecessary.”
The maids exchanged a small glance but didn’t disobey.
“Yes, Luna,” one of them replied gently.
Emilia sighed under her breath but didn’t push further.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“The Beta’s office,” the guard answered.
She nodded.
“Lead the way.”
They moved.
As they walked through the palace corridors, Emilia became aware of something strange.
People were watching. Not openly staring, but glances. Quick and careful ones.
Every time she passed a servant or maid, they bowed slightly and murmured something under their breath.
“Luna…”
“Luna…”
She couldn’t hear the rest, not clearly. Just fragments of voices fading as she passed.
Emilia frowned slightly. he used to think she was imagining things like this. Whispered judgments. Quiet insults. Hidden laughter.
But now, she wasn’t sure what she was hearing, or not hearing.
Her wolf would have helped her with that. Solara. The name surfaced in her mind suddenly, sharp and familiar.
Her chest tightened slightly.
Solara had awakened and then gone silent again, immediately.
Emilia’s fingers curled faintly at her sides.
‘I wish you were still here.’
The thought came uninvited. She swallowed it down.
They finally reached a set of heavy double doors. The guard opened them.
Inside, Beta Jaxon was already standing.
He bowed immediately the moment she entered.
“Luna Emira,” he greeted formally.
Emilia stiffened slightly at the title but nodded in return.
Draven stood near the desk. His eyes lifted the moment she entered.
“Come,” he said.
Emilia walked in and stopped beside him.
The atmosphere inside the office was heavy. Not tense exactly, but serious in a way that made the air feel tighter.
Draven didn’t waste time.
“Explain everything you told me earlier,” he said.
Emilia took a small breath.
Then she began.
“It’s not a common poison,” she said carefully. “It’s ancient. Rarely used because it’s almost untraceable once it spreads into the bloodstream.”
Jaxon frowned slightly. “Name?”
Emilia hesitated for a second, then answered.
“Black Vein toxin.”
The name alone made Jaxon’s expression change. Draven’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Emilia continued.
“It’s slow when administered in small doses. That’s what happened to her. She’s been exposed for a while.”
Jaxon straightened. “So this wasn’t sudden?”
“No,” Emilia said firmly. “It built up over time.”
She glanced at Draven briefly before continuing.
“If it had been a large dose at once, she would have died immediately. No symptoms or warning.”
Heavy silence followed her words.
Draven’s jaw tightened slightly.
“Can she be saved?” he asked.
Emilia nodded once. “Yes. But we need specific herbs. Two components.”
She began listing them immediately, her mind switching fully into healer mode.
“Moonshade root. And silverthorn extract.”
Jaxon was already moving toward a shelf, grabbing a notebook and writing things down quickly.
Emilia hesitated for a moment.
“And…” she added, voice slightly lower, “I need the Matron from the hospital. She’ll help stabilize the preparation.”
Draven nodded once.
“Arrange it.”
Jaxon immediately turned and left the room.
Draven didn’t look away from Emilia.
“There’s more happening here,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
Emilia nodded slowly. “Yes.”
Before anything else could be said, Draven turned sharply toward the guard standing near the door.
“Summon every staff member from my mother’s quarters,” he ordered. “Every maid. Every guard. Every attendant. Now.”
The guard bowed quickly. “Yes, Alpha.”
Minutes passed, the office slowly filled.
One by one, staff members from Queen Mother Alira’s quarters were brought in. Confused faces. Nervous eyes. Uneasy posture.
Emilia stood slightly behind Draven, watching quietly..Something about the atmosphere felt wrong..
When the last group entered, Jaxon counted under his breath.
“Everyone is here,” he confirmed.
Draven stepped forward slightly. His gaze swept across the room, cold, sharp and searching.
Emilia followed his gaze without realizing it. Then she noticed the pause in his eyes movement.
Draven’s eyes narrowed slightly. And Jaxon frowned..The guard at the door shifted.
Draven spoke slowly.
“There were more than this earlier,” he said.
Jaxon checked again quickly, flipping through his notes.
“Yes… there should be—”
He stopped.
Emilia’s chest tightened. Something in the air shifted instantly.
Draven’s voice dropped.
“Who is missing?”
Jaxon looked up slowly.
“…Two maids,” he said carefully. “And one guard.”
There was complete silence. Emilia felt her stomach drop.
Because in that exact moment, she understood something. This wasn’t just poison. It was a plan already in motion.
And whoever was behind it was about to slip through their fingers.
- Writer
