Chapter 176

Amber’s POV

After a while, I moved to sit in Gloria’s room. I seemed to gravitate to one of the chairs without even really thinking about it. After I sat down, I had a weird kind of déjà vu, like I had experienced this exact same moment before and just couldn’t remember exactly.

I wondered if it had anything to do with last night.

Closing my eyes, I tried to think, tried to remember.

Last night, after Julian had left, I sat at the desk reading the textbook while keeping an eye on the monitor. Something must have occurred then… Did I see someone go into Gloria’s room after hours?

What could have spurred me to go look for myself though? Why wouldn’t I alert security? Unless it was someone who was allowed to be there…

A headache spiked through my skull and I clutched my head with both hands. How I wished Julian was there to give me another one of his massages! That last one had been so perfect, so nice. I always knew he had talented hands, but to feel them on me like that was a new kind of relief.

I hoped I could convince him to do it again. Since I didn’t even have to ask last time, that was likely a good indicator that he might volunteer a second time. Or a third… Or infinitely…

Thinking of Julian helped to take some of the pressure off of my mind. My headache was easing up, for which I was grateful, but I was still no closer to remembering the truth of last night.

It was so frustrating!

Blinking open my eyes, I looked at Gloria. Guilt washed through me then. Whatever had happened, she had likely been hurt because of it. If the poison had been given to me, it had likely been given to her as well.

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I wish I could remember. I know you are depending on me.”

She didn’t move an inch, didn’t make a sound. I wished she would open her eyes and tell me what was going on. That would have made everything so much easier, but I knew that just wasn’t possible.

I sighed, sinking into my chair, feeling like a failure.

Then, the supervisor appeared at the door holding two manila envelopes. When I noticed him, he entered and passed me one of the folders.

“That one is yours,” he said.

I flipped it open and found the results of my toxicology report. Placing my finger on the text, I searched down until I saw what I had suspected.

I had wolfsbane in my system.

“I’ve been poisoned.”

“Yes,” the supervisor said. “And so has our patient. She received a fresh batch of poison last night that matched yours.”

Gods, what happened last night and why couldn’t I remember? Had I been trying to protect Gloria and been attacked? Had Gloria woken up?

Who did this? Why couldn’t I remember?!

I knew why – the wolfsbane – but the knowing didn’t make it any less frustrating.

“Whoever did this must have taken the tape to cover their tracks,” I said.

“It’s possible,” the supervisor replied. “In time, the wolfsbane will wear off for you and you will be able to remember.”

He didn’t know that for sure. He was just guessing.

While I hoped it would prove true, I didn’t feel like waiting that long. The poisoner was out there, possibly in the next room. And we were just sitting here, the answer locked away in my brain, while Gloria suffered for it.

I hated this. Everything about it.

“You need to have patience,” the supervisor said.

“It’s hard to when a woman’s life is on the line,” I told him.

“Patience,” he said again. But I didn’t feel any better hearing it a second time.

I had no choice though. There was nothing I could do right now but wait, and hoped the answer would come to me.

Julian’s POV

I sat in the passenger seat while Tony drove his sports’ car dangerously fast down a winding forest road. I wasn’t frightened, I could survive any impact. But it would make things needlessly complicated if we were to crash.

Even so, Tony wasn’t the type to listen to any authoritative voice. I knew attempting to scold him would only make him want to drive faster, so I held my tongue.

“Do you recognize these lands?” Tony asked. “They are a bit out of the way but still in your territory.”

“I know them,” I said.

“I’m surprised you do. When was the last time you patrolled?”

Granted, it had been some time. Truly, I had been neglecting my pack somewhat, to pursue Amber and be a father to Alice. But I still checked in enough, helped make the important decisions. And in my absence, my Beta and my council had been doing a good job. I checked the daily reports.

Tony either wasn’t aware of that or still didn’t think it was enough. Either way, he should know that even as my cousin, he had no right to ask his Alpha things like that.

Tony wasn’t even on the council. He was a playboy trust-fund kid, who spent more time drinking and lounging around than he ever did caring about his packs or politics.

“I’m not sure when you started to keep track,” I said. “Was this a slow season at the theater?”

“What are you implying?” Tony asked.

“What are you implying, Tony? Because it seemed like you were questioning your Alpha.”

“You’ve been gone a lot. That’s all I am saying,” Tony said, frowning. “Too much, some might say. Your priorities seem to be anywhere other than with your pack. As Alpha, the pack should only ever be your first and main priority.”

“I’m still a man,” I said. “The pack is important to me, and I protect it. But my family is important too.”

Tony chuffed but didn’t comment further.

I was perfectly happy to let the matter drop. Tony was doing me a favor by bringing me out here to try to help Alice. Picking a fight over pack politics – something Tony knew nothing about – didn’t seem like a fair thing to do.

We needed to be working together, not at each other’s throats.

And since when had Tony even become so concerned with such things?

To change the subject, I said, “This is a long way from the capital. Why did the contact want to meet all the way out here?”

For a moment, I thought Tony might try to argue with me. To my relief, he accepted the change of topic as the olive branch that it was. “The man likes his privacy. Most people who live in the underworld do.”

“The underworld?” I asked, looking at him.

He shrugged. “Did you think I would happen across this by legal means?”

I could see now whey Tony had thought that he would need backup, and why he had been so adamant to not bring along extra enforcers.

Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my newly frazzled nerves by sensing Amber through the bond. At once, I felt her steady heartbeat, though it was growing fainter with distance. She was still there, safe and sound, and that brought me the comfort I needed.

I opened my eyes again as Tony turned off the main road, onto a dirt path that disappeared into the forest. We followed it for a while, the car bumping and shifting left and right, the roadster not build for this type of off-road activity.

Finally, we approached a small wooden cottage with a flickering light inside.

Tony pulled to a stop. “This is it,” he said.

As we exited the car, I scented the air. There was definitely someone in the cabin, but only one that I could tell.

I should be able to handle one.

Even if I detected his extreme malice.

As soon as I sensed it, I heard the cock of a gun.

“Get down!” I shouted, just as a gunshot fired.