Chapter 69 The Queen's Poison
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The worry that draped off from Adeline's voice through the mind link had sent my wolf into a frenzy. I could feel that my mate needed me there to comfort her, but I was still at the pack house. The news of her father's deteriorating health came as a surprise, accompanied by the worst possible timing. I checked in with Beta Don and a few enforcers for any updates on the rogue situation we were now battling. No news was good news, I supposed.
I quickly gathered the files I had been working on and stuffed them in the cabinet, sighing, knowing I would have to get them done eventually. But right now, there was only one place I needed to be. I mind-linked Beta Don to meet me in front of the pack house; I needed him as my second-in-command to come with me to Adeline's parents' house in case urgent pack business came up. After hearing how broken my mate was over her father, I knew I wasn't going to leave her side.
Beta Don was prompt in meeting me. By the time I got to the front of the pack house, he was already sitting in the driver's seat of the black SUV, waiting. I slid into the passenger side and nodded to my friend.
"How's Adeline been with the news?" Beta Don asked wearily, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
I heaved out a sigh and shook my head. "Not well at all. He flatlined just now; she mind-linked me to tell me. I'm not even sure how she's doing. I tried to mind-link her for an update, but I think her grief blocked it. Hearing her voice like that, man..."
Beta Don chuckled. "Who would've guessed Little Miss Silver Moon Pack would have the big bad Alpha whipped?"
I tried to hold back my smile; I knew very well he wasn't wrong. Taking over her pack was the best thing that ever happened to me because it led me straight to her. The one thing I thought I'd never have in this life was now about to be mine forever.
"Yes, the big bad Alpha is happily whipped, Don. I can't explain it. She's incredible. Just when I think she can't surprise me again, she does," I replied.
I knew Beta Don had been rooting for us since that night at The Lone Wolf when I caved and admitted that Adeline was my fated mate. Sure, it's been constant chaos, but I wouldn't trade it for anything, as long as I had her next to me.
I saw the smirk forming on his face. "It's about time you're happy. She's taken the transition better than I expected. I mean, she's been attacked by a rogue and now challenged by Beverly, but she still has this fierceness about her."
I nodded in agreement. "I'm going to have to pull her away at some point to train with her. It's not going to be easy to keep her from her dad, though."
Beta Don exhaled deeply. "Man, this whole thing is fucked up. I told you Beverly was bad news. Who challenges a fated mate? Like, come on."
Silence settled for a moment in the car, both of us lost in thought about what the challenge could mean. There can be only one winner after all.
"Isn't there a way we can postpone it? You know Adeline's not ready, and now she has enough on her plate with her dad being ill. Think of it this way: if you postpone the challenge until after the mating ceremony, she'll also be much stronger after the bond is sealed," Beta Don suggested, his eyes flickering with interest.
I slouched further into the leather passenger seat. "It's not a bad idea, but the pack may see it as an excuse. Too many people witnessed Beverly name a date and time. I'll talk to her and see what she thinks."
I heard the brakes squeak as we approached the front of Adeline's childhood home. I was eager to get to my mate and take her in my arms, to assure her that we'd get through this together.
An unfamiliar scream echoed through the street—definitely female, I noted. Beta Don and I abruptly turned and looked at each other. I could tell he was just as nervous as I was.
"Fuck, man, you think Mr. Taylor passed?" he asked.
I heard Theo through the mind link. "Alpha? The Luna has been taken."
It was like the world went still for a moment, everything moving in slow motion. I couldn't get inside that house fast enough. My claws extended without me even noticing. My vision blurred, and my wolf was losing his fucking mind, close to surfacing in seconds. I needed to get to her.
In one swift movement, I clawed down the front door. I had never been inside the Taylor residence, apart from her bedroom, but I picked up Adeline's scent quickly and leapt up the staircase stairs, two by two.
I saw Theo standing in my mate's bedroom holding onto a white piece of paper. Her mother was on her knees, crying out to the Moon Goddess to protect her baby. Leah, Adeline's sister, crouched beside her, gently rubbing her mother's back. My eyes bolted toward the retching noise in the washroom—her best friend Bailey was vomiting violently in the toilet.
Theo stared at me, wide-eyed. He must have realized he was on the brink of death for letting my mate out of his sight. I abruptly ripped the white paper out of his hand. My breathing hitched when the words met my eyes and registered in my brain.
"Our sweet little Luna wanted to play a game of hide and seek. You have 24 hours. I'm afraid I already know who wins this game."
A howl burst from me, and I grabbed Theo's neck in one hand, easily lifting him off the floor. "You worthless fucking wolf," I yelled. My deep voice rattled across the room. I watched the blood rush to Theo's face. He had one job and fucked it up. If his foolish mistake cost me my mate, there'd be no end to what I'd do to him.
"Alpha, killing him isn't going to bring Luna Adeline back," Beta Don shouted as he rushed toward us. He tried to fight me off the worthless enforcer, pulling me from the waist, but I didn't budge. I stood in place, with Theo's throat attached to my hand like a stone wall.
My wolf told me to crush him right there. All I could see was red; my anger took complete control of me.
"FUCK, JAXON! LET HIM GO, HE CAN FUCKING HELP!" he screamed louder. I watched as Theo's face deepened to a hue of purple. One minute longer and he would have been dead on my mate's bedroom floor.
I mustered the strength I had and took control of my wolf. Theo dropped in front of me, gasping for air like a fish out of water, my fingerprints still etched onto his skin. I crouched down beside him. I could feel my eyes had gone completely black with rage.
"If she dies, so will your mate and your unborn pup," I declared.
"Yes, Alpha, I'm sorry, Alpha," Theo panted. The fear in his eyes was almost laughable. He was supposed to be my number one, for fuck's sake. That was why I had selected him to watch over my mate.
I pitched my fingers against the bridge of my nose and demanded loudly in my Alpha tone, "Everyone OUT." In the blink of an eye, everyone scurried toward the door, and I grabbed the back of Theo's shirt to pull him back.
"Theo. You're with me," I said. Beta Don knew not to move as my second-in-command; it was expected that he stay by my side.
Beta Don lifted his head. I could see his wolf senses coming forward. "Wolfsbane at play..." he muttered. I sniffed the air to confirm. Fuck, someone had used wolfsbane. No wonder Adeline didn't mind-link me for help.
Wolfsbane was the queen of poisons to shifters. It weakened both the human side and the wolf within collectively. Ingesting too much wolfsbane could kill a shifter instantly.
My mate's vanilla scent was still potent in the room, mixed with a touch of wolfsbane, which was why I hadn't caught it right away.
"I want all borders secured and the full pack alerted immediately. Whoever can search is expected to," I instructed Beta Don.
He nodded and responded, "Her scent is still strong, Alpha. They couldn't have gotten far." I noticed Beta Don's anger when I saw the specks of black dancing in his eyes. Adeline was to become the Luna of this pack, and he was the Beta—I expected nothing less of him.
"Now, you... what the fuck happened?" I asked Theo through gritted teeth. I debated for a second if I should have just snapped his neck then and there.
He shook his head, looking defeated. "She came up to check on her dad. I could hear the flatline of the monitor and Doctor Raymond speaking to her. Tensions were high with the entire family. I thought I heard her come down, but when she didn't, I went to check on her. Her mother requested some space to fetch Adeline and go check on her mate. When her mother screamed, I bolted here. I swear on my unborn pup, I would never let any harm come to the Luna."
A low growl erupted from my chest at his omission. "Piss poor job you did of that."
