CHAPTER FOURTEEN
1528 Words
CALHOUN
I quickly call Jude.
“Get the car ready at the back. Something came up,” I say sharply.
“Okay, sir. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
I can hear movement in the background. He is probably still putting on his jacket, gathering whatever he thinks he needs before leaving.
Fifteen minutes.
Whatever this is, we don't have fifteen minutes.
“Make that three and your time starts now.”
There is a brief silence.
“Yes, sir.”
The line disconnects.
I slip one arm beneath Valerie's knees and the other around her waist, lifting her effortlessly into my arms, her body feels wrong, very limp and warm.
The faint scent coming from her breath makes my jaw tighten.
Silver.
The bastards mixed silver into her drink, not enough to kill a human outright, but enough to wreak havoc on a shifter's body, enough to make her suffer and to make a statement and whoever did it is either incredibly brave or unbelievably stupid.
Probably both.
Keeping my expression blank, I move quickly toward the restricted hallway behind the gala hall. The music continues in the distance. Laughter fills the air. Glasses clink as no one notices me leave.
Good.
The last thing I need is panic spreading through the crowd, the back corridor leads directly to the underground parking level and the moment I push through the heavy steel door, cold air rushes against my face.
Jude is already there in three minutes.
Good.
At least someone in this town still values their life enough to obey my orders, he immediately jumps out of the driver's seat and rushes to open the rear door.
“Sir.”
I lower Valerie onto the leather seat as carefully as I can, her head falls sideways and her breathing sounds uneven.
Dangerously uneven.
“Call Cyrus,” I order. “Tell him to get the doctor to the mansion immediately, I don't care what he's doing.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jude closes the door and gets behind the wheel and the car shoots forward, I stare out the window while the city lights blur past, my wolf growls beneath my skin.
Poison.
Someone poisoned my bride just one week before our wedding, the audacity of it is almost impressive.
Almost because admiration is the last thing I feel, rage curls through my veins.
If Valerie dies, there will be consequences not because I love her or because fate paired us together, or she's carrying my mark but because she belongs to me and nobody touches what belongs to me.
Nobody.
The car speeds through an empty intersection, Jude's phone rings and he answers immediately.
“Yes?”
A pause, his face tightens.
“Sir,” he says carefully, “the doctor in town isn't available, and we haven't been able to reach his assistant.”
I slowly turn my head, the temperature inside the car seems to drop.
“I don't care what you have to do,” I say quietly.
Jude visibly swallows.
“But tell whoever is acting as doctor tonight that he better be standing inside my mansion before midnight.”
I lean forward.
“Or his permit to practice medicine in this town disappears permanently.”
“Yes, sir.”
The rest of the drive passes in silence, Valerie's condition worsens, her skin becomes hotter by the minute and by the time we reach the mansion, the heat radiating from her body feels almost unnatural.
The doctor finally answers Cyrus's calls midway through the journey and according to him, we need to cool her temperature immediately while he races back to town.
I don't trust him but I don't have another option so the moment we arrive, servants rush toward us.
“Run cold water,” I command.
Nobody hesitates or asks questions as they already know better, I hand Valerie over to her maid and watch them disappear upstairs before turning away.
Right now, standing over her bed won't solve anything so finding who did this will, I head straight for my office.
Joshua is already waiting outside, the moment I enter, he follows, the door closes behind him.
“I'm sorry, boss,” he says. “We should have been more careful.”
I walk toward my desk, the storm building inside me is becoming harder to contain.
“Sorry doesn't interest me.”
Joshua lowers his gaze.
“Get me information on everyone who attended the gala.”
His head snaps up.
“Everyone?”
“Everyone.”
I sit down slowly.
“I want names.”
I fold my hands.
“Addresses.”
A pause.
“Family members.”
Another pause.
“Businesses.”
I lean back.
“And I want it now.”
Joshua nods immediately.
“Yes, sir.”
“We'll be sending private invitations tonight.”
He knows exactly what that means, the color drains from his face, the dungeon, a place nobody speaks about, nobody wants to see.
A place reserved for people unfortunate enough to earn my personal attention hidden beneath the mansion lies one of the oldest magical artifacts in existence.
An Ancient Truth Revealer Shell, cruel and very much effective as it doesn't ask questions, it drags answers out of people, the shell traps victims inside the worst moments of their lives and their greatest fears, their deepest regrets, darkest memories again and again and again until their minds break.
Then they talk, everyone talks eventually and nobody survives their own nightmares forever.
“Find them,” I say.
Joshua nods.
“Yes, sir.”
“Go.”
He practically rushes from the room, the door closes.
Silence follows, I stand and walk toward the massive window overlooking the estate with dark clouds gather overhead, lightning flashes across the horizon, the sky itself looks angry.
Good.
Because so am I and another bolt cracks through the darkness ans for a brief second, the entire estate illuminates then darkness returns.
Maybe it's going to rain or maybe the universe itself has decided tonight requires a proper backdrop.
Either way, someone is about to suffer, a lot of people because I don't know who poisoned Valerie.
Not yet.
Which means everyone is a suspect and when everyone is a suspect, everyone pays.
By dawn, half the guests from tonight's gala will be missing memories they never knew they lost and the innocent will recover eventually but the guilty won't I remain at the window for nearly an hour.
Waiting, thinking and planning, my wolf grows increasingly restless, violence calls to him, the urge to hunt crawls beneath my skin, the urge to destroy, to punish, remind this town exactly who rules it.
I am not some ordinary Alpha, I am the Alpha of Alphas, the strongest among them and the one every other pack answers to, the reason peace exists and reason chaos stays buried, people obey because they fear me and fear is useful.
Powerfully necessary.
But tonight, someone forgot that, someone looked at everything I built and decided to challenge me, to challenge my authority and to poison my bride which is a huge mistake on thier part
A fatal mistake.
The invitations go out, one by one, my men begin collecting guests from their homes, some willingly and some not.
Either way, they all end up in the same place, the dungeon and I picture their confusion, their fear and it gives my heart joy thinking about it
Good.
Let them panic, I want fear in the air tonight, I want terror because somewhere among them is the person responsible.
And when I find them—
The thought alone makes my wolf growl.
Hours pass and the storm worsens, thunder shakes the windows and rain finally begins hammering against the mansion violently heavy, almost like the sky is trying to tear itself apart.
By now, the doctor has arrived.
He has been working on Valerie for hours yet nobody has reported back, with no updates or progress.
Nothing.
My patience finally snaps, I leave my office and head upstairs, servants scatter the moment they see me coming.
At least someone in this house still possesses survival instincts, the closer I get to Valerie's room, the stronger the scent of medicine becomes, I stop outside the door then push it open without knocking and the room falls silent instantly, the doctor freezes as maids step back nobody speaks or breathes, I walk forward slowly.
The doctor lowers his head immediately, sweat drips down his temple.
“I'm sorry, my lord.”
His voice trembles.
“I've tried everything I can.”
My eyes move to Valerie, she remains unconscious, pale and motionless.
The doctor continues.
“But the poison is moving faster than I can control.”
The room becomes deathly quiet, no one dares look at me, or dares move, they all wait.
For violence or something you would expect from a groom but I say nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
I simply stare at Valerie for a long moment then I turn around and walk out of the room.
I guess it's time to start scouting for a new bride….
- Writer
