Chapter 5
The morning light filtered through the clinic blinds, casting thin stripes across the sterile floor. I sat on the edge of a hospital bed, my right arm wrapped in bandages, the numbness now reaching my shoulder. The rogue's venom had worked quickly—too quickly for me to save my dominant hand.
The clinic door burst open with a bang that made me flinch. Luna Blackwood stood in the doorway, her elegant features twisted with worry.
"Elena," she said, her voice tight with urgency. "Where is Carson's Solstice dose? He's—" She stopped short when she saw my bandaged arm. "What happened to you?"
I met her gaze steadily. "Rogue attack. At the sanctuary."
"Sanctuary?" Confusion flickered across her face, then understanding. "The Moon-Lilies..."
"Destroyed," I confirmed, my voice hollow. "Every last one."
Luna Blackwood stepped closer, her perfume—expensive roses—filling the small room. "But Carson needs his medication. The Elders are gathering for the ceremony, and he's showing signs of..." She hesitated. "The tremors have started. His eyes are flashing violet."
I gestured to the empty vials lined up on the counter. "I have nothing left to give him."
"You must have something," she insisted, desperation edging into her tone. "A backup supply? Anything?"
Slowly, I unwrapped the bandage from my arm. The wound beneath was ugly—four puncture marks surrounded by purple-black venom tracks. But worse was the effect it had on my hand. I tried to flex my fingers and nothing happened.
"The lilies are dead," I said quietly. "The cure is gone. Ask your son why."
Luna's face drained of color. "What do you mean?"
"Last night, while I was trying to save what remained of my work, Carson used his Alpha command to force me into submission." The words tasted bitter on my tongue. "He chose Bria over his own survival."
---
The Great Hall of the Blackwood Pack House blazed with light and tension. From my position in the shadows, I could see every member of the pack gathered in their finest clothes, their faces solemn as they formed a circle around the central platform.
On the raised throne sat Carson, his posture rigid and unnatural. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool temperature of the hall. Beside him, Bria perched like a golden bird, her hand resting possessively on his arm.
The Former Alpha stood at Carson's right hand, his face a mask of stone. The Elders flanked the platform, their ancient eyes missing nothing.
"Where is Elena?" Former Alpha's voice carried across the hall. "The ceremony cannot begin without the Healer's blessing."
Carson's jaw clenched. "She's deliberately sabotaging me," he snarled, his voice already distorted by the madness creeping in. "She wants to see me fail."
Bria leaned close to him. "Perhaps she's finally realized she can't cure you," she murmured, just loud enough for nearby wolves to hear. "Maybe she's given up."
Carson's eyes flashed violet—a brief but unmistakable sign of the Feral Madness taking hold. "Find her," he ordered the guards standing at attention. "Bring her to me now."
Two Delta wolves immediately left the hall, their expressions grim.
The Former Alpha's gaze swept the assembly. "Until then, we wait."
---
I was halfway to the pack borders when the guards caught up with me. Their hands were rough as they seized my arms, dragging me back toward the Great Hall.
"You can't leave," one of them growled. "Alpha's orders."
"I'm not leaving," I lied smoothly. "Just gathering herbs."
They didn't believe me. Neither did I.
The hall fell silent as they dragged me through the crowd. Every eye followed my progress—the bandaged Healer being forced before the Alpha on the most sacred night of the year.
"Release her," Carson commanded from the platform.
The guards obeyed instantly, shoving me forward so I stumbled to my knees before the throne.
"Elena," Carson's voice was dangerously calm. "You have disappointed me for the last time."
I raised my eyes to meet his. The violet flashes were more frequent now, his pupils dilating and contracting erratically.
"You will synthesize a dose of Moonbane," he continued. "Now. Here. In front of everyone."
Bria's lips curved into a smile. "She can't possibly—"
"I can do nothing," I interrupted, rising slowly to my feet despite the pain shooting through my body. "I cannot synthesize what does not exist."
Carson's face contorted with rage. "What are you talking about?"
"The ingredients are gone," I said, my voice carrying across the silent hall. "You destroyed them yourself."
The assembly erupted in confused murmurs.
"Explain yourself," the Former Alpha demanded.
I turned to face the gathered pack, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Last night, while I was trying to protect the last of the Moon-Lilies—the plants that would have cured our Alpha—Carson used his command to force me into submission while Bria and her friends destroyed every last plant."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"You commanded me to stay down while they poisoned the soil," I continued, my gaze never leaving Carson's increasingly unstable form. "You chose her over your own sanity. There is no cure, Carson. Not for you."
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