Chapter seven:
Aria's POV:
The next day came too fast. I hadn't gotten much sleep after my conversation with Anthony. My mind wouldn't let me sleep at all. After getting ready, Claire informed me that I was to have breakfast with Anthony.
The dining hall was in another wing—I guess Anthony's private wing. It was a very impressive hall, with high ceilings and golden chandeliers. Everything screamed pure wealth. I mean, what else did I expect from the Lycan King himself?
The dining table would comfortably fit a hundred people. At the far end of it, I spotted Anthony. The nervousness settled in my belly again; all I could hear were the sounds of my heels clicking on the marble floors. The closer I got, the more nervous I became. Anthony rose his head from his breakfast, his eyes meeting mine.
"Good morning, Alpha Aria." He said, tipping his head in acknowledgement.
"Alpha Anthony, good morning too." I replied, my voice sounding breathless.
"Join me," he said, pointing to the seat closest to him.
As I sat down, servants were pouring in, putting food on my plate. Everything looked so delicious, reminding me of how hungry I was. I took a piece of bread and spread some jam on it.
"Oh my..." As I bit into it and chewed, I gasped. "This is the best jam ever. "
"The fruit is grown on this very land," Anthony explained.
I ate another piece of it. "Compliments to the chef."
A comfortable silence settled over us. I felt my nerves dissipate as I ate more. Maybe I mistook them for hunger. After a while of silence, Anthony cleared his throat. I looked at him.
"There's something I need to tell you," he said, his tone, grave.
My heart skipped a beat. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's not you." He pushed his half-empty plate to the side. His eyes bore into me intensely, and I wondered what was so serious that he wanted to say. "There isn't any better way to say this, so I'll just say it."
I realized I was holding my breath. I dropped the piece of bread in my hand back onto the plate. My throat felt parched, even after I had just drank some water.
"You're poisoned," Anthony said.
My eyes went wide. "Poisoned?"
"Yes. Something about your scent has been bothering me. I thought about it all night, and the only conclusion I came to was poison."
I laughed, feeling uneasy. "But Alpha Anthony, poison....... Even I would know about it."
"I thought you did, but from your reaction, it's clear to me that you aren't aware."
Poison? That was insane. Yes, I may be weak, but I am still an alpha. He was an alpha. But I could sense poison. And I'm sure I'll be able to tell if I'm being poisoned. There weren't that many poisons that affected us in the first place.
Who could be behind it?
The whole pack didn't like me. My meals were prepared by the pack cook. If she had poisoned me, wouldn't it have affected everyone? Would she even be able to do that?
"Alpha Aria?" Anthony's voice drew me from my contemplations. I looked up at him, offering a smile of apology.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"I was saying..."
The doors were thrown open with such force that their sounds rang through the dining hall. I turned to the sound, wondering who could be interrupting.
A woman stormed into the hall. She moved with grace, her gown bunched in her hands. Her heels clicked in urgency as she made her way over to us. She glanced at me, her dark blue eyes narrowing in anger. Then she turned to Anthony, and a smile appeared on her face.
"My Lord," she said with a bow. Her long, blond hair flowed with the movement. She raised her head back up.
"Cordelia, what is this interruption?" Anthony asked in a brusque tone.
Cordelia smiled. "I was wondering if you skipped breakfast, my Lord, seeing as you hadn't sent for me yet."I had no idea you were here already." At the end of her sentence, she turned to me. And I could see how unwelcome I was in her eyes.
I ate some more bread, picking up the scrambled eggs.
"As you can see, I'm with a guest right now."
"Oh," Cordelia said. And it was an oh that said, Oh, what a waste of time. She turned to me and bowed. "Hello,"
"Hi," I replied.
She turned back to Anthony. "Shall I join you, my Lord?"
"Leave us," Anthony commanded.
Cordelia looked shocked. She quickly composed herself and bowed. "Yes, my Lord. I shall see you at lunch."
Anthony didn't reply. Just as she came in, she walked out. In her wake, she left behind a cold, rose-scented breeze.
Who is she to Anthony? A mate or something? I hadn't gotten a glimpse at her neck for a mate mark. Subconsciously, my hand went to my neck, where Logan had marked me. The mark was faded. In a few days, it would be gone completely.
And just like that, I thought about him again.
"I apologize for the interruption," Anthony said, making me turn to him. His eyes were on my neck, averting my face.
"It's nothing." I lowered my hand to my lap.
In a few days, the last tangible proof I had of Logan would be gone forever. The mating bond was still there—small embers of it. My heart hurts to think of him. But I couldn't forget him.
Anthony cleared his throat. "I will have the pack healer take a look at you," he said.
I nodded. "That's okay."
Anthony looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. He brought his glass of water up to his lips and drank from it. My thoughts flitted to the woman, Cordelia. I had to clear the air up now before things got too complicated.
"Is she your mate?" I asked.
Anthony choked on his water.
Aria's POV:The pack healer was not at all like I expected them to be. Back at Nightfang, the pack healer was an ancient woman. I wasn't sure of her age, but she seemed generations old.The pack healer in front of me was a man, and a young one at that. He looked no older than me."Yes, you are poisoned." He announced, after a few minutes of checking my body."You seem really young," I stated."I recently took over." He said it with a soft smile. "But I can assure you, that doesn't make me any less qualified." He finished off, turning to Anthony."What can be done about it?" Anthony asked.The healer shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. This poison is very ancient. I haven't seen anything like it before."An ancient poison? Wow. My life just got even better. This was the first time I'd heard of ancient poisons."What does that mean?" I asked."It's a hundred, maybe even more, years old. "And I'm afraid I have no cure for this poison.""You mean you can't help her?" Anthony questioned
Aria's POV:The rest of the day went by without much hitch. According to Anthony, the healers should start arriving tomorrow or so. As Anthony had instructed, I spent the day resting with Claire by my side, answering the questions I had about this place.She didn't have many answers.And now we were in the throne room, as healer after healer came in and examined me."I'm afraid, Alpha Anthony. But this is beyond me." Yet another healer said with a disappointed sigh. The tenth so far.I had come in here with high hopes. That maybe someone has something that could help out. My hopes were starting to dissolve. One after the other, they all said the same thing. The poison was too ancient. They hadn't heard of it. They didn't know how to remove it. If it came to the worst, I would have to kiss my wolf goodbye, or worse, my life.I can't die like this. I refuse to die like this, succumbing to a poison that has no name. If I die, whoever poisoned me will win. And I'm sure that person would al
DARCY'S POVAhh, the life. I'm waking up snuggled in Logan's strong arms, the sun filtering in through the windows. So this is what Aria has been enjoying? What bliss. Waking up in the arms of the one you love the most. "Are you awake already?" Logan whispered, his voice deep and husky. He wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Isn't it too early to be up? Just wait a little more."I tried to control my giggle. "Don't be silly, baby, you are an alpha; you have work to do, and so do I." I said, trying to pull away from him."But it's too damn early," he protested, dragging me closer. I removed his arm from my waist and sat up in bed. With a smile on my face, I turned to him. He laid on the pillows, a lazy smile on his lips. "Come back to bed now."I shook my head. "Hush now sweetheart, let's get ready for our bath, shall we?" I said, dragging him out of bed. He groaned, but got out of bed. His arm snaked around my waist possessively, his lips peppering small k
Darcy's POV:We discussed our future and the pack duties over breakfast, and when we were finished, he had things to take care of, so he left for his duties while I... went to take care of my own things.I headed back to my room. To my surprise, Selena had left and was already waiting for me. I got changed into a more casual gown and sat down at my desk.Selena rose to leave. I called her back. "Where are you going?"She turned, an impassive look in her eyes. "To let you rest up, my l....I mean my mistress.""Did I excuse you?" "No, my mistress. I didn't think you could... I'm sorry," she rambled pitifully. "You didn't think I could..." I mimicked her. "You don't think! You do as you're ordered! "Is that clear?!""Yes, my mistress." She replied. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, I need the most expensive gown out there to be bought, letters to be sent out to the most esteemed Alphas and guests, the most skilled event planners, the best chefs, and the best wine makers. I need
ARIA'S POVFor the first time in two months, I was happy to open my eyes to the sun coming in through the window. I opened my eyes to a brand new day of hope and joy. And for the first time in a while, I could really say, "Hello world!" And mean it.This excitement is killing me. Finally, I will be healed. I will avenge myself and take revenge on Logan and Darcy.Just imagine how they would look when they see me wolf out. Imagine their faces. Imagine...imagine. I screamed screams of excitement into my pillow and kicked my legs while rolling on the bed. I bet their jaws will drop to the earth's core. I bet they will regret the day they both betrayed me. "You seem to be very happy." I heard a voice say,"Of course, I am." Do you even know what this means to me? I feel like exploding with joy. I feel so..." Wait, who am I talking to. I raised my head from the pillow and turned around. Bright green eyes staring right at me."Alpha Anthony!" I yelled. Shocked, I tried to move away. Inste
Aria's POV:The annex building was behind the main Pack house. A small, quaint-looking cottage. It lacked the expensive vibe of the main pack house, but instead made up for that with its homely vibes.We reached the door, and Anthony held it open for me. Inside was a normal-looking room. There, was Lady Ina, preparing some herbs. Steam wafted in the air; the smell of it, earthy but choky. There was a chair in the center of it all. All the furniture had been pushed to the side, the tables and smaller chairs forming a semi circle round the herb centre Lady Ina was at. And was that a large Pot of boiling water on a fireplace in the middle of the room?!Lady Ina looked up at us, her wrinkled face wrinkling even more as she smiled. "Welcome, young ones! Good thing you are on time. The earlier we begin, the earlier we end.""How long is this supposed to take?" Alpha Anthony asked as we walked closer to her. "About two hours, I think," Lady Ina replied. "Two hours?!?" The words were out of
ARIA'S POVI still felt sore and discomfort, both from the purging and the tea Cordelia intentionally spilled on my laps. What exactly did I do to her?A knock on my door rang through the air. "Come in!" I called out. The door opened, and Alpha Anthony walked in. He walked over to me, standing by my bedside. His eyes were kind as he looked at me."How do you feel?" He asked softly. I shrugged my shoulders. "No pain, just a little discomfort.""Okay. Cordelia said you had woken up and taken the tea."You mean the tea I had to remake by myself after she had poured it on my laps? Yeah. I did. "Yeah, I have." Another knock on the door. "Come in." Claire came in with a tray of food. She really knew what I needed at the moment."You need to eat. After that, we move on to the second thing on our list," Anthony said.This is the second item on our list. "What's that?""You'll know when you see it. See you at the field by four p.m. Claire would escort you there."Escort me? What exactly is h
ARIA'S POV"Welcome, young one." Ina greeted, like she hadn't seen me just yesterday. I gave her a smile, squaring my shoulders.I need to get myself purged of this poison, no matter what. I allowed Ina to strap me to the chair.I'm going to endure this, no matter what. Lady Ina begins her incantations, and then the pain comes flooding in. I have to become stronger. I have to endure. I am Aria Alpha of the Nightfang Pack, and I will take back what is mine. I will take back all that I've lost.***Thirty minutes later***Lady Ina initiates an ancient healing dance called "terakjux." A dance according to history, performed by messengers of good spirits of health, healing, and long life to sanctify their territory and ward off evil. In some cases, they perform the dance to invite the terakjuxans, the spirits of health, healing, and long life, to heal their patients.***Forty five minutes***Aria hold on. You can do it. Think of good things you swore to never forget. Anything***One hour*