CHAPTER 10
928 Words
The room seemed to shrink the moment Selene stepped inside.
She carried herself with the effortless confidence of someone who belonged in the palace. Her dark combat uniform was immaculate despite the journey, and the silver wolf crest pinned to her collar caught the morning light.
There was no hesitation in her stride until she reached the foot of Queen Mother Alira's bed.
Only then did her eyes return to Emilia. For a heartbeat, neither woman spoke.
Selene's gaze swept over Emilia's oversized shirt, the hastily tied hair, and the exhaustion written across her face. A flicker of surprise crossed her features before it disappeared beneath practiced composure.
"So," Selene said quietly, "you're the healer."
Emilia held her gaze.
"I am."
Another silence settled between them. But Draven broke it.
"Mother collapsed this morning."
Selene's expression changed immediately. She stepped closer to the bed, her hand hovering over Alira's blanket without touching it.
"What happened?"
"Poison."
The single word landed heavily. Selene's head snapped toward Draven.
"Poison?"
"Someone administered Black Vein toxin over an extended period."
For the first time since entering, genuine disbelief cracked Selene's calm exterior.
"Who would dare—"
"We don't know yet," Jaxon answered.
Captain Rowan folded his arms.
"Three members of the Queen Mother's household disappeared before questioning."
Selene's brows knitted together.
"Have they been found?"
"No."
Her jaw tightened.
"I'll have my warriors search the northern district. If they're still inside Umbra Claw, they'll leave tracks."
Draven nodded once.
"Do it."
Selene turned to leave before stopping herself. Her eyes drifted toward Emilia again.
"I heard..." She paused carefully. "That you were the one who discovered the poison."
Emilia nodded.
"I recognized the symptoms."
"Impressive."
The compliment sounded genuine, yet something beneath it remained unreadable.
Doctor Lyra cleared her throat.
"It was... unexpected."
Selene glanced toward the young physician.
"Unexpected doesn't mean impossible."
Lyra lowered her eyes.
"Of course."
The brief exchange didn't escape Emilia.
She noticed the subtle disappointment on Lyra's face, as though she had hoped Selene would openly challenge her instead.
Instead, Selene returned her attention to Draven.
"How is the Queen Mother now?"
Emilia answered before anyone else could.
"The antidote is working."
Selene looked at her again.
"Working?"
"The fever is part of the body's response. The poison is being forced out."
"Will she survive?"
"I believe she will."
Selene studied Emilia for several long seconds.
"You sound confident."
"I have to be."
A faint smile tugged at one corner of Selene's lips.
"I suppose you do."
Before the conversation could continue, a low groan came from the bed. Every head turned.
Alira's fingers twitched beneath the blanket.
Emilia immediately moved to her side, checking her pulse.
"It's stronger."
Doctor Halden stepped beside her.
"It is."
His surprise was impossible to hide.
The fever had spread quickly across Alira's skin, but the bluish tint around her lips had begun to fade.
Hope quietly entered the room. Draven took one slow step closer.
"Mother."
Alira didn't answer. Her breathing remained uneven, but no longer sounded strained.
Emilia adjusted the blanket.
"She'll need time."
Draven looked at her.
"How much?"
"If her body continues responding like this..." She hesitated. "...she may wake before tomorrow."
A quiet breath escaped the room. Even Captain Rowan visibly relaxed.
Draven gave no outward reaction, but Emilia noticed the tension leave his shoulders. Only slightly.
Only enough for someone watching closely to notice.
Jaxon walked back into the room carrying several sheets of paper.
"We've questioned everyone who remained."
"And?"
"No inconsistencies yet."
Captain Rowan frowned.
"They're either innocent..."
"...or well prepared," Draven finished.
Jaxon nodded grimly.
"There is something else."
Everyone looked toward him.
"The missing guard, Corvin, withdrew nearly three months' worth of wages yesterday."
Rowan cursed under his breath.
"He planned this."
"Perhaps," Jaxon replied. "Or someone paid him to disappear."
Emilia listened quietly. Something about the timeline bothered her.
Three months. Black Vein poison needed time to build inside the body.
Could the poisoning have started even earlier?
She looked toward Queen Mother Alira again.
Someone hadn't simply wanted her dead. Someone had been patient. Very patient.
Selene seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.
"This wasn't an impulsive attack."
"No," Emilia murmured.
"It was planned."
The two women looked at each other again. This time there was no hostility, only shared understanding.
Draven broke the silence.
"Until the traitors are found, no one enters my mother's chambers without permission."
Captain Rowan nodded.
"I'll double the guard."
"Triple it."
"Yes, Alpha."
Draven turned toward Emilia.
"You've been awake since dawn."
She blinked.
"I don't need rest."
"That wasn't a question."
She almost argued. Instead, she sighed softly.
"...Fine."
"You'll remain inside the palace."
"I wasn't planning to leave."
His expression softened by the smallest fraction.
"Good."
As everyone began discussing security measures, Emilia drifted back toward the bedside. She looked down at Alira's peaceful face.
The Queen Mother's hand rested outside the blanket. Without thinking, Emilia gently adjusted it. Something brushed against her fingers.
She frowned.
There, beneath Alira's wrist, barely visible against her pale skin was a tiny black puncture mark. Not from illness or from age, but from a needle.
Emilia's heartbeat quickened. She slowly lifted Alira's sleeve another inch.
There was only one mark. Small enough that almost anyone would have missed it.
But now she understood something terrifying.
The poison had never been mixed into food. Someone had been entering this room, again and again, injecting the Queen Mother while she slept.
Emilia slowly looked up. Every person inside the chamber suddenly became a suspect.
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