Chapter 93

[James’ POV]

James knew, deep down, that he was taking a huge risk being where he was. Hell, if anyone had told him that he would be back in David Durant’s home, sitting in front of the man himself, James would have broken out in excessive laughter.

He fought for not only his life but the life of Mia and their children. There had been a brief, flicker of a moment, in which James truly believed that he wasn’t going to make it out of there alive.

But the threat that loomed over his family was something greater than any problem that stirred between the Dereks and the Durants.

So, there he was.

It wasn’t exactly as though they saw eye-to-eye on many things. But he was insistent that they meet in the middle on this particular matter. Edward needed to be dealt with—surely, they could agree on that.

James found it no surprise that David also insisted on having Michael be present for the meeting as well. Naturally, that rubbed James the wrong way, knowing that he was sharing the same space with another man who possessed a similar admiration to Mia.

He could feel his wolf snarl and thrash in jealousy at the mere thought. James took a few seconds to mentally calm the creature within. Now was not the time to lose his temper and forget his initial purpose.

James cleared his throat. “I’ve no doubt that you’ve already heard about the news of Chris in the hospital,” he started.

Both David and Michael nodded, their expressions were both grim with displeasure.

“They say it was an accident,” David said with a hint of suggestion.

James had to hand it to the man. David was by no means stupid or naive. What partly surprised him was that neither David nor Michael had tried to make any attempt to find this information out themselves. Then again, their last altercation involving Mia didn’t exactly go well...

Clearly, David was wise enough to keep to himself for the time.

“We all know that’s not the case,” James remarked. “Mia and I ran into one of the men that was part of Chris' team, Philip, he claims that he and a few others had witnessed a strange man purposely tailing Chris around the site. Whoever this person is, had to have been the catalyst for what happened to Mia’s brother.”

Michael wore a look of affront. “But why?” he asked.

“Chris isn’t the sort of person to get himself mixed up with the wrong sort of crowd.”

“You’re right. He isn’t,” James affirmed. “That’s because I have full reason to believe that it was Edward who orchestrated this entire attack.”

David let out a snarling sound of pure disdain. James slowly nodded in agreement at the man’s sentiments.

The air around them grew tense, but for once it was not personal.

“The man has been trying to destroy my life ever since my father passed the head position to me. Believe me, Durant, I do take partial blame for the horrible tragedies that have taken place between both of our families. But it needs to stop. Edward needs to be stopped before anyone else can get hurt, or worse.”

“I agree,” Michael said evenly.

David’s brows pulled together in heavy skepticism and suspicion. “But it still begs the question...Why would your uncle go after my nephew?”

“According to Philip, Chris was searching for something—a poison called ‘Moon Tear’.”

James noticed the underlying streak of darkening interest that flashed across David’s eyes. Ah, obviously, the older man had heard of such a perilous herb.

“And just what would my nephew be doing going after such dangerous conquests?” he questioned tightly.

Michael glanced between the two. “What is Moon Tear?”

“It is known to be one of the most lethal and malicious poisons known to man. Its tasteless, scentless nature makes it all but impossible to detect when ingested,” David acknowledged. “Although highly potent, it has a tendency to take its time to fully render its victim ill to the point of death.”

“It also has the ability to silence and suppress one’s wolf,” James added stiffly.

“It was the very same poison that was used to kill my beloved sister while she was pregnant with Mia. It took years to seep through her system till her heart finally gave out.”

Michael’s face held a look of pure shock. It made James genuinely wonder how much David told him, regarding his past.

Did that mean that he also knew about Mia’s disability?

James shook his head. “Philip claimed that it wasn’t, necessarily, the poison he was after, but rather its cure,” he explained.

“Moon Tear is not something to be played with lightly,” David said.

“And yet Edward has been wielding it around like a toy, using it at his leisure,” James said with spite.

“But why come to us?” Michael asked.

“Because...While I may have the financial side of things taken care of, I don’t want his blood on my hands.”

“You’re saying that you want Edward—”

“Dead. I want the son of bitch gone. Mia is due just in a few weeks and I’ll be damned if I give that fucker the chance to destroy anything else.”

David’s voice lowered. “What are you suggesting then?”

“Crescent Moon’s Annual Dinner is coming up,” James explained. “Even though Edward had been shunned from the business and other family affairs, he still tries to make an appearance where he knows he can stir up trouble.”

“Like at the Alpha Gathering,” Michael noted.

James nodded his head in confirmation. “I have no doubt that once he realizes his plan for Chris has failed, he will try and do something horribly drastic.”

“We don’t normally attend the Crescent Moon Annual Dinner,” Michael noted.

James squared his shoulders back. “Attend this year. You are one of the company’s most valued contracts. It wouldn’t come as any surprise if you were to show face. Do it. Just don’t make a big show of yourself. Show up and remain vigilant. You know what Edward is capable of. What I require is a sturdy, unfeeling, and immoral hand to ensure that he is properly dealt with.”