The Alpha's Poisoned Mate

Chapter 3- The Unraveling

I don't remember driving home.

One moment I'm standing in that supply closet with Marcus's threat echoing in my ears, the next I'm sitting in my car outside our house, hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel.

The sun has shifted, it's past noon. I've lost hours.

Kade's truck is in the driveway. He's home early.

Panic claws up my throat. I can't face him.

Can't look him in the eyes knowing what I know…. that I've been killing an innocent man while my father's real murderer walks free.

That Marcus framed my father and I've spent three years destroying the wrong person.

But I have to go inside. I have to act normal.

Because if I don't, Marcus will tell Kade everything, and I'll lose the twins before they even have a chance to breathe.

My hand moves to my stomach. Still flat. Still unchanged. But they're there. Two tiny lives that shouldn't exist, growing despite my best efforts to prevent them.

I force myself out of the car.

The front door opens before I reach it. Kade stands there, and the relief on his face when he sees me is like a punch to the gut.

"Thank the Goddess," he breathes, pulling me into his arms. "Dr. Chen called. She said you left the hospital hours ago without telling anyone. I've been calling…. Thalia, what happened?"

I should pull away. Should maintain distance.

But his arms are solid and warm, and for three years I've been so cold, and I'm so tired of carrying this alone.

I break.

The sobs come from somewhere deep, somewhere I've kept locked down since the night my father died. Kade makes a wounded sound and lifts me, carrying me inside and settling on the couch with me in his lap. He doesn't ask questions. Doesn't demand explanations. Just holds me while I shatter.

"It's okay," he murmurs into my hair.

"Whatever it is, we'll fix it. I promise."

But he can't fix this. Nobody can.

When I finally run out of tears, I feel hollowed out. Empty. Kade's shirt is soaked, but he doesn't seem to care. His hand runs soothing circles on my back, patient and steady.

"Talk to me," he says softly. "Please."

I should lie. Should deflect. But I'm so tired of lying.

"I'm pregnant," I whisper.

His hand stills. "What?"

"Eight weeks. Twins." I can't look at him. Can't see his reaction. "Dr. Chen told me this morning."

The silence stretches so long I think maybe he's gone into shock. Then his hand cups my face, tilting it up until I have no choice but to meet his eyes.

They're wet.

"Twins," he says, voice breaking. "Thalia, we're having twins?"

The joy on his face is unbearable. This is what I've denied him for three years, hope, family, future. And now that it's finally here, it's tainted by everything I've done. Everything I am.

"I thought you'd be happy," Kade says, searching my face. "But you're terrified.

Why?"

Because I've been poisoning you. Because your Beta framed my father and is planning to kill you. Because I don't know how to save any of us.

"What if I'm a terrible mother?" The lie comes easier than the truth. "What if I can't protect them? What if…."

"Stop." His thumbs wipe away fresh tears.

"You're going to be an incredible mother. And I'm going to protect all three of you with everything I have. You don't have to be afraid."

But I am. I'm terrified. Because Marcus is right, in six months, Kade will be too weak to defend himself, and it's my fault. The damage I've done might be irreversible. And even if I confess everything right now, even if Kade somehow forgives me, Marcus has evidence.

Documentation. He'll use it to destroy me, take the twins, and finish what I started.

I'm trapped in a cage of my own making.

"Thalia." Kade's voice pulls me back. "I need to tell you something. I was going to wait until tonight, but…." He takes a breath. "I've been seeing a specialist. A healer from the Silvercrest Pack who specializes in wolf physiology."

My blood turns to ice. "What?"

"I know something's wrong with me. The shifts, the healing, it's not normal." His jaw tightens. "I needed to know if it was genetic. If I could pass something to our children."

Oh gods. He's been investigating his own decline. What if he finds out about the wolfsbane? What if the specialist can detect it in his blood?

"What did they say?" My voice barely works.

"They're running tests. Blood panels, tissue samples. Results should be back next week."

He squeezes my hand. "But whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. Right?"

I nod because I can't speak. Because next week, everything could fall apart. The specialist will find the poison in his system.

Kade will know what I've done. Marcus will use it against me.

I have one week to figure out how to save my mate, expose Marcus, and protect my children.

One week to fix three years of mistakes.

"I love you," Kade says, and he means it. I can feel it through the bond, pure and certain and utterly undeserved.

I open my mouth to say it back, for the first time in three years but my phone rings.

Unknown number.

I almost don't answer, but something makes me. "Hello?"

"Thalia Blackthorn." The voice is female, unfamiliar. "We need to meet. Tonight. Come alone to the old mill at the northern border. 10 PM."

"Who is this?"

"Someone who knew your father. Someone who has proof of what really happened to him." A pause. "Don't tell anyone. Especially not your mate. Marcus has eyes everywhere."

The line goes dead.

I stare at the phone, mind racing. It could be a trap. Marcus could be testing me. But what if it's real? What if someone actually has evidence that could clear my father's name?

"Who was that?" Kade asks.

"Wrong number," I lie, and another piece of my soul chips away.

At 9:45 PM, I slip out of bed where Kade is sleeping. The pregnancy revelation exhausted him, he fell asleep with his hand on my stomach, protective even in unconsciousness.

I leave a note on my pillow: Couldn't sleep.

Going to the hospital to check on the rogue patient. Back soon.

The drive to the northern border takes twenty minutes. The old mill is abandoned, a relic from when the pack ran lumber operations decades ago. Now it's just rotting wood and broken windows, surrounded by forest thick enough to hide a hundred wolves.

My headlights cut through the darkness as I park. No other cars. No signs of life.This was a mistake. I should leave. Should….

A figure steps out of the shadows.

She's tall, scarred, with silver hair despite looking no older than forty. Her eyes are amber–wolf eyes that haven't shifted back.

She moves like violence, like every step is calculated for maximum efficiency.

"You came," she says. "Smart."

"Who are you?"

"Vera Thorne. Alpha of the Broken Chains Pack." She sees my expression. "Rogues, yes. Wolves who refused to bow to unjust Alphas. Your father helped us once. Treated my daughter when she was dying from silver poisoning, didn't ask questions, didn't report us to Blackthorn."

My father's secret kindness. Of course.

"You said you have proof about what happened to him."

"Three days before his execution, your father came to me. Said someone in Blackthorn Pack was embezzling funds, selling pack secrets to rival territories. He'd discovered accounting discrepancies, suspicious trades.

He was gathering evidence but needed somewhere safe to store it in case something happened to him."

She hands me the folder. Inside are financial records, encrypted communications, shipping manifests. All marked with one signature.

Marcus Voss.

"Your father knew," Vera says quietly. "He knew Marcus was the traitor. But before he could expose him, Marcus struck first. Framed him, planted evidence, got him executed."

The proof. I'm holding the proof of my father's innocence.

And proof of Marcus's guilt.

"Why didn't you come forward before?" My voice shakes.

"Because I'm a rogue. My testimony means nothing to pack law. They'd dismiss it as lies, and Marcus would have me hunted down."

Her amber eyes bore into mine. "But you're the Alpha's mate now. Your word carries weight. With this evidence, you can destroy Marcus."

Hope flares in my chest for the first time in three years. "I can clear my father's name."

"Yes. But there's a problem." Vera's expression darkens. "Marcus knows about these documents. He's been trying to find them for years. If he realizes you have them, he'll kill you before you can use them. You need protection. An alliance."

"What kind of alliance?"

"My pack will help you expose Marcus and protect you from retaliation. In exchange…." She pauses. "If your mate dies, we want Blackthorn territory. A legitimate home for rogues who've been hunted too long."

My stomach drops. "Kade isn't going to die."

"He's been poisoned for three years, Thalia. I can smell the wolfsbane on you even now.

The damage might be irreversible." Her voice isn't cruel, just pragmatic. "I'm offering you a way to save your children and honor your father's memory. Think about it."

She melts back into the shadows before I can respond.

I stand there clutching the folder, torn between hope and horror.

I have proof. I can expose Marcus. Clear my father's name. Protect my children.

But the price might be Kade's life.

My phone buzzes. Text from an unknown number:

I know where you are. And I know who you're talking to. Come home now, or I tell Kade everything. - M

Marcus.

He's been watching me all along.