Chapter 243

Ava

“Are you sure you’re okay with doing this, Ava?”

“Of course. You know I’ll always help you.”

Leonard huffed softly. “Thanks. I’d do it myself if I could reach the spot.”

Shaking my head, I carefully measured out the dosage of Leonard’s medicine, double-checking the amount before preparing the injection.

The wine cellar had become a strange sort of makeshift bunker for Patrick and Leonard lately, the place strewn with medical supplies and surveillance equipment mixed in amongst the wine bottles.

On opposite corners of the small, curtained-off alcove that served as a bedroom were two beds: Leonard’s and Patrick’s. It wasn’t fancy, not by a long shot, but we had done our best to make it as comfortable as possible.

I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as I looked around at the room. “You know, I was thinking of putting an expansion on my cottage someday just in case Chris and I ever…”

My voice trailed off, but I didn’t need to finish. Leonard’s eyes flicked to my belly, and he understood the implication. But right now, the possibility of having children felt so far away, nothing more than a distant dream on the horizon.

“Anyway,” I continued as I finished preparing the syringe, “maybe I don’t need to. This cellar makes for a pretty nice living space.”

Leonard snorted. “Yeah, if you don’t mind the spiders.”

I rolled my eyes. Leonard was sitting on the edge of his bed, shirt off to reveal the sinewy muscles of his torso. He had gained back a little weight lately, and was looking better—thanks, in part, to these daily injections that Dr. Foster had prescribed him.

Normally, Ophelia did it. But she was busy with the Elders today, being interviewed for a newspaper article talking about Leonard’s ‘death’ and her experience as a human in Moonstone.

Of course, Leonard was very much alive. But we were the only ones who knew that, and we had to do everything in our power to make it as believable as possible. So if Ophelia was expected to play the part of a grieving lover, then it had to be done.

“Ready?” I asked, flicking the syringe as I turned to Leonard.

He nodded and turned, giving me access to his back.

I administered the injection with practiced ease, having done this a few times now. Leonard winced slightly but didn’t complain as I injected the clear serum that was designed to help his immune system fight off the fungus growing in his lungs.

“Thanks, Ava,” he said, slipping his shirt back over his head as I disposed of the needle in a nearby trash can. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Happy to help. How are you feeling?”

Leonard stretched his arms over his head and inhaled deeply—he still wheezed a bit, but could finally get in a full breath without coughing up blood. “Better every day. That stuff works wonders.”

He paused, studying my face. “But what about you? You’re looking a bit pale lately.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I said, peeling off my latex gloves. “I’ve just been feeling a little under the weather lately, that’s all. Probably stress from all this planning.”

Leonard’s brow furrowed. “Ava, you should probably get checked out just to be safe. When I first found out about the fungus in my lungs, I felt ‘under the weather’ too. Didn’t think much of it at first.”

A chill ran down my spine at the implication. “You don’t think…”

“I’m not saying that’s what it is, because I’m not a doctor,” Leonard quickly reassured me. “But with everything going on, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

I swallowed hard. It was true; lately, I had felt… off. More tired than usual. A bit woozy, especially during the first few hours of the day. And slightly feverish. I assumed that I was developing a cold, probably partially due to lack of sleep and not eating properly, but now I wasn’t so sure.

“You’re right,” I finally said, nodding. “I promise I’ll get checked out as soon as I can.”

Just then, we heard footsteps thundering down the cellar stairs. Chris burst into the room a moment later, his face lit up with an almost manic grin.

“You’re not going to believe what just happened,” he said, slightly out of breath.

Leonard sat up a little straighter. “What’s going on?”

Chris’s eyes were practically sparkling with excitement. “I just got off the phone with Olivia.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What? How?” Most importantly, how the hell was he smiling about it?

Chris quickly recounted the phone call, detailing Olivia’s ultimatum and her plans to return to Moonstone. As he spoke, I could hardly believe what I was hearing. To think that Olivia flat-out told us about her plans and desires… It was too good to be true. It wasn’t exactly what we expected to happen, but we could use this to our advantage.

“So she bought it?” Leonard asked, his voice filled with cautious hope. “She really thinks that I’m dead?”

Chris nodded. “Hook, line, and sinker. She has no idea what’s really waiting for her when she comes.”

“This is perfect timing,” I said slowly, my mind racing. “With the summit in a week…”

“Exactly,” Chris said. “We just need to pretend to accept her terms and get her to come here. And with Winston’s forces also encroaching on Moonstone, he should arrive around the same time.”

Patrick, who had slipped in at some point during the conversation, let out a low whistle. “Talk about killing two birds with one stone.”

“The other Alphas can handle surrounding Winston with their forces,” Chris continued, “while we deal with Olivia.”

“We’ll need to coordinate with the other Alphas, make sure everyone knows their role,” I said. “This is sooner than we anticipated.”

“Already on it,” Chris assured me, always the capable Alpha. “I’ve got a group call scheduled with Fabian and the others later today.”

Chris began to pace, prattling off more details while Leonard occasionally offered advice and Patrick listened intently. But as they talked, a thought occurred to me—there was one more person on our list who we had yet to handle.

“What about Elder Elise?” I asked.

The room fell silent at the mention of her name. Chris’s face blackened, the excitement from earlier replaced by something grim, something… dark.

“Elise,” he spat out the name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “You’re right. We need to deal with her, too. She can’t get away with everything she’s done, consorting with Olivia right under our noses…”

Leonard shook his head. “I still can’t believe it. An Elder, a protector of our pack…”

There was another long silence after that. The thought of one of our own, someone who had taken a vow to serve the Alpha until the end of her days and always act with the best of Moonstone in mind, betraying us…

It cut deep. And it was a wound that wouldn’t heal over easily. Maybe it never would.

Suddenly, Chris turned to me, that dark look on his face lingering.

“Ava,” he said, “do you—”

“No.” I knew what he was going to say. “I don’t want to be the one who doles out justice to Elise.” I swallowed hard and clenched my jaw, staring down at my feet. My mind whirled, endless possibilities laid out in front of me.

The other Alphas had Winston. Chris and Leonard and Patrick had Olivia.

And I… I had Elise.

“But I will do it,” I whispered.