2. Please Help Me!

Clarice's head snapped angrily in shock. "Whaaaaaat? This can't be!" She howled in pain. Her body trembled in rage. She couldn't believe that her best friend would stoop this low and betray her.

No way! Not after everything she had done for her.

Tears rolled down her face as the sadness, pain and grief of being betrayed by two people she loved and trusted tore her heart to pieces.

The betrayal is too much to bear and it's killing her.

Overwhelmed with too much bad news in one day, Clarice's defenses crumbled. The pain was so deep and blinding she started seeing dancing stars everywhere... then her body shut down and darkness enveloped her consciousness.

Seeing her mistress pass out, Lorey began to panic. "Luna, please don't die on me! Please don't leave me. You are the only family I have!" She grabbed Clarice's hand, felt her mistress's pulse, feeling relieved that there was still a tiny bit of movement on her chest.

Lorey is terrified. She noticed that although Luna Clarice was still breathing, she was not looking good.

What is she going to do now? Everyone had already turned their backs on them thinking they were carriers of a deadly disease. They were treated as outcasts and after the wedding of Alpha Bruce and Aurelia, they would be sent to a far away place to fend for themselves.

Her mistress will surely die if no help arrives today.

She needs to do something!

The door suddenly opened. Kaspar, the shaman, entered the room and glanced at the woman lying on the bed. His eyes darkened, annoyed to see that the hard-to-die skeleton was still breathing. Then his gaze landed on the untouched meal on the food tray. His eyes darkened while looking at the servant. "You haven't fed your mistress breakfast yet?" he asked in a hard tone, moving to the table.

"Luna Clarice passed out... I was unable to feed her," Lorey explained in panic.

Kaspar edged closer to the bed and peered at the skeleton woman lying on the bed. The scent of death drifted through his nostrils. A grin curled up in the corner of his mouth. He picked up Clarice's fragile hand to check her internal condition. Unable to detect any pulse and noticing no movement on her chest, he smiled victoriously. "She's dead finally!" he declared in a loud tone.

"Nooooooooo!" Lorey cried in a wretched tone. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't accept that her mistress died of heartbreak and poison.

"Don't worry, I will instruct the men to dig a hole in the cemetery to bury your mistress," Kaspar said, his voice gentle, trying to appear sympathetic to the grief-stricken servant. Feeling triumphant, he walked towards the door, smiling broadly.

Clarice's eyes flew open, and her angry gaze followed the shaman to the door. Grrr! Instead of saving her, the shaman wants to bury her immediately in the cemetery. His bad intention was finally revealed to her. "I'm not dead yet!" she declared fiercely, her voice vibrating around the room.

Surprised, Kaspar halted in his tracks and turned around, staring at the dying woman lying on the bed in utter disbelief. What the hell? Where does her strength come from? He thought she was already knocking at death's door a few minutes ago. Kaspar smiled at Clarice. "Luna, I came here to check on you. I want to know if the new medicine I concocted for you is effective at curing your infectious disease. It looks like you are recovering well. You should eat your breakfast now," he said casually, moving to the table, picking up the wooden tray and placing it on the bed.

Kaspar glanced at Lorey. "Dear, feed your mistress now," he ordered.

Clarice began coughing hard. Lorey rushed to the table and poured water on the glass and helped her mistress drink the water.

After she finished drinking the water, Clarice picked up the bread and began eating on her own under the watchful gaze of the sharp-eyed shaman.

"I just passed out earlier. You may leave the room if you wish. I won't hold you back. I'm feeling better now," Clarice told the shaman calmly, assuring him that she was alright so he could leave the room. Her blood was boiling just by looking at the shaman's evil face. She already detected the murderous intention beneath his kind facade. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill her if he knew that she had already uncovered his secret. "Thank you for taking good care of me," she added, her tone sincere.

Kaspar smiled. "It's my pleasure to help you get better, Luna. Please get well soon. And don't forget to eat your favorite soup. The medicine I added to it is a powerful concoction that can restore your health in one week. I promise you that..." he said, smiling wickedly.

"Wow! Thank you so much, Kaspar. I truly appreciate your help," Clarice said in a grateful tone.

Kaspar still refuses to leave the room.

Clarice ordered Lorey, "Feed me the soup, please..."

Lorey picked up the bowl of soup and began feeding her mistress.

Satisfied that the dying Luna was eating the poisonous bowl of soup, Kaspar left the room quietly.

Outside the room, Aurelia was waiting for Kaspar anxiously. "Is she still alive?" she asked in a low voice, looking left and right, making sure no one saw them talking to each other despite knowing that this place was a restricted area due to Luna's infectious disease.

"She's still alive. I don't know how she survived this long. She should have died long ago," Kaspar replied grimly. "Don't worry, I'll kill her in an hour. I already have a solid plan, and I'm sure it will work this time," he added confidently.

"Just make sure her death doesn't come back to haunt us," Aurelia said, her eyes gleaming devilishly. "As long as she and Alpha Bruce won't see each other anymore, then our plan is set. Once I become the Luna of the Bloodhound Pack, we can easily kick Clarice out of the pack and there is nothing she can do about it," she stated cruelly.

"I will definitely kill her today," Kaspar said in a determined tone.

Aurelia nodded her head in satisfaction. "Alright, make sure her death comes naturally. We have come this far. We can't afford any mistakes," she said, her eyes gleaming wickedly.

"Got it," Kaspar replied calmly.

The two walked through the hallway and went their separate ways.

They didn't see Lorey peeking and eavesdropping behind the door and saw them whispering and leaving together. Now her suspicion was stronger than ever before that the two despicable beings conspired to poison and bring Luna Clarice down.

Lorey closed the door and rushed to bed. "Luna, I just saw Kaspar and Aurelia whispering to each other outside the door. I'm positive they conspired to poison you!"

Her best friend was outside the door and didn't even bother to see her and ask how she was doing? Clarice gritted her teeth in anger, then said, "Shhh, don't be too loud. Keep your voice low. Stop spying on them. They will kill you if they find out you already know their murderous intentions."

"I will talk to Alpha Bruce and inform him about what I discovered," Lorey said in a hushed tone.

"No, don't do that. He won't believe you. Try to find a way to make him come to my room. I'll do the rest," Clarice said.

Lorey sighed deeply. She picked up the bowl of soup and threw the contents into the toilet bowl, then flushed the toilet.

Clarice had already spit back into the bowl the three spoons of soup that Lorey fed to her a while ago. From now on, she will no longer eat all the foods that the shaman feeds her. Maybe her health will improve in the days to come. But she was also well aware that her enemies could kill her anytime if she remained trapped in this place for another day.

They can kill her in many ways, and she is powerless to stop them in her current condition. The horrific thoughts terrified her to the bone.

After she finished disposing of the poisonous soup, Lorey returned to bed. "Luna, I'll go to the kitchen to get some bananas for you to eat," she said, picking up the tray, ready to leave the room.

"Wait, before you go, can you tell me who are the guests at tonight's wedding between my husband and Aurelia?" Clarice asked, fighting the urge not to cry.

"All the leaders of the pack are coming to congratulate the couple, including Alpha Callum, the leader of the Savage Howl Pack," Lorey answered.

Huh?

Alpha Callum?

Jackpot!

Upon hearing Callum's name, Clarice's eyes shimmered with hope. If there is one person that can help her survive her current condition, it would be him. He will definitely help her because she got something he had wanted for a long time.

"Lorey, quick, give me a pen and paper!" Clarice said urgently. "I will write a letter to Alpha Callum, asking for his help. He is the only person who can help us get out of this place alive. Try your best to give the letter to him in secret. No one must see and read the letter, only him. What I write in my letter could kill us both. So you must protect the letter with your life and deliver it to him personally. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Luna," Lorey replied in a serious manner. She stood up, went to the dresser table and removed a pen and paper from the drawer and gave it to her mistress.

"Now, go and find some bananas in the kitchen. Make sure it's not poisoned," Clarice ordered, as a jolt of energy filled her body with renewed strength. She can't die yet! Not today if she can help it.

"Copy, Luna," Lorey replied. She picked up the tray and left the room. A few moments later, she returned to the room with bananas in her hands.

Clarice had already finished writing the letter and had given it to her trusted servant. "Give it to Alpha Callum. Only he can read this letter. Do you understand, Lorey?"

"Yes, Luna. I will guard this letter with my life," Lorey said solemnly. She put the folded piece of paper in the pocket of her skirt and left the room.

While eating the bananas, Clarice fell into deep thoughts, wondering if Alpha Callum was willing to help her or not?

...

Time passes quickly.

Afternoon came, and the VIP guests had already arrived in their luxurious vehicles and were taken to their rooms in the upper wing of the mansion.

Alpha Callum was resting in his room, browsing his phone, when a soft knock on the door got his attention. "Who's there?" he asked, thinking it was his right hand, Beta Amir.

A woman's voice said, "Alpha, please open the door. I brought you some delicious snacks."

Alpha Callum rose to his feet and opened the door. Standing in the doorway was a petite woman in her early 20's, holding a food tray filled with delicious pastries. "Put it on the table and then leave quickly," he ordered.

Lorey placed the tray on the table and fished out the letter from the pocket of her dress. She walked towards the formidable looking Alpha and handed the letter to him. "Please help Luna Clarice. They poisoned her. She's dying. She sent this letter to you hoping you could help her. Please help us!" She begged in a desperate tone.

Alpha Callum's brows snapped together in confusion. He quickly opened the letter. His face darkened for a few seconds while reading the letter. Conflicting emotions marred his handsome face.

After reading the letter, he crumpled the paper and put it in the pocket of his pants. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Wait outside the door. You will take me to her room in a minute," he ordered.

"Copy, Alpha." Lorey left the room and stayed outside the door, breathing in relief.