Chapter 60

[Third-Person’s POV]

The room was silent—so silent one could hear a pin hit the floor.

Oliver was mildly stunned that someone like Fiona had so openly admitted to her crime. But Alexander, on the other hand, appeared far too stoic. Then again, when he spoke, his tone was laced with lethal contempt.

“You poisoned my wife,” he said coldly. “Are you even aware of that? Everyone in this pack knows that Luna is currently fighting for her sanity—very likely her life. And then there’s you. The actual fucking physician. Surely, you knew that.”

She folded her arms across her chest and tore her eyes away. “I may have heard something. But like everything else, I thought it was just a rumor.”

Alexander scoffed. “Bullshit. I bet you knew what was wrong with her the second you first heard that she wasn’t well.”

“And then you quickly realized that you were the one responsible for it,” Oliver added dryly.

“How was I supposed to know that she was going to drink the damn tea?”

Alexander shared a baffled look with Oliver.

“Fiona, you are completely overlooking the fact that you poisoned an entire tea vat with Belladonna that was due to be packaged and shipped out to hundreds of other people throughout the region,” he stated firmly. “You broke and violated several health violations, not to mention your own code of ethics as a medical personnel!”

“It was a mistake,” she said weakly.

“Why? Because you got caught?” Oliver questioned bluntly.

“I’m taking this as a direct attack against my pack. Not only am I exiling you from my properties but I’m going to ensure that your medical license is revoked.”

Fiona’s lips trembled while trails of tears flooded down her face.

“No! Please! You can’t do this—”

“Oh, yes. You’ll find that I can. In fact, I could go as far as report you to the royal authorities and have word spread out all across the region of what you tried to do,” Alexander snarled.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The tension in the room was cut short due to the obnoxious banging on the door.

“What?” he called out angrily.

When he saw that Nina had meekly peeked inside, he felt his stomach churn. What was she doing walking about when she was supposed to keep a watchful eye over Evelyn? The stricken look she wore on her face was enough to tell Alexander that something was terribly wrong.

“Sir, forgive the interruption. It’s Evelyn, I fear that her condition has grown worse.”

No. No. No. NO!

His cool demeanor was cracking. He turned to Oliver and gave him direct orders.

“Escort Fiona off the property and see to it that all of her belongings are packed up and shipped back with her.”

Oliver kept a firm grasp on Fiona’s upper arm and practically dragged her out of the office. At least she wasn’t putting up much of a fight.

As soon as she was out of sight, Alexander rushed out of his wheelchair and dashed down the hallway toward the bedroom. Nina followed close behind him and tried to fill him in on the details.

“Her pupils are extremely dilated,” she told him.

“You mean, she’s awake?”

“She’s been coming in and out of consciousness for the last hour. I checked her temperature and that appears to have gone up as well.”

He cursed under his breath. “Alright. Have the staff bring me a cool, wet cloth. I’m going to check how she’s fairing mentally.”

[Evelyn’s POV]

My mind was racing, yet I found it to be a jumbled mess.

I didn’t know what pushed me to awaken this time around. All I knew was that I was hot. So very hot. My skin felt like it was sizzling beneath all the layers I’d been tucked under.

The problem was, once I’d removed all the blankets, I still felt the scorching heat blazing around me. That horrible sense of feeling trapped came rushing back.

I tried getting out of bed but quickly learned that was a clear mistake. The moment my feet hit the floor, the room began to spin out of control. There was no use trying to steady myself when my own legs could barely keep me upward.

I could hardly take one solid step before tumbling to the ground. Oh God. The room just kept on spinning. Everything around me looked distorted and stretched.

Nausea rolled through me and I was certain I was going to be sick.

Helpless tears filled my eyes and I grappled at the floor. I knew my breathing was erratic and I could barely make out any of what was happening around me.

“Evelyn,” a deep voice called out from across the room.

I didn’t dare turn my head to see who it was for fear that I would end up vomiting from how dizzy I’d become.

“H-Help,” I whimpered.

A pair of strong hands slid under me and carefully lifted me back onto the bed. My eyes couldn't fathom who I was staring at. It wasn’t possible.

The person standing over me looked just like Alexander. But there was no way that was true. Alexander was bound to a wheelchair while this man was literally standing.

“Who are you?” I asked fearfully.

The man looked honestly affronted by my question as if I’d insulted him. He blinked a few times before leaning down to sit on the edge of the mattress.

“I’m your husband,” he said softly.

A humorless laugh tore from my chest. “No, you’re not. I think your figment of my mind. Nothing makes sense right now. Everything is spinning and moving—I just want it to stop!”

My hands clawed into my hair with the hope that it would ease the insanity. The man in front of me calmly reached out and took both my wrists in his hands and lowered them down.

“Stop. You're going to end up hurting yourself,” he chastised.

He brushed the pads of his thumbs over my cheeks, whipping away the fallen tears. The sentiment was so kind and unexpected that it was almost enough to bring another round of tears.

“Why don’t you lay back down?” he suggests.

I shook my head. “It’s too warm.”

“I’ll turn down the thermostat. Come on, get under the blankets, you’re still not well enough to be walking around yet.”

I nodded my head and sniffled. Sliding back under the covers, I waited for him to turn the temperature down in the room. Once I felt the cool breeze of air coming through the vents above, I felt comfortable enough to lay back down.

Alexander’s look-alike came wandering back over to my side. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.

“Still think I’m not real?” he asked with amusement.

I nodded my head and fought against the urge to let my eyes shut.

“Close your eyes, sweetheart. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

Okay, now I was certain this person was nothing more than an illusion.

Alexander had never used such sentiments with me. But I didn’t exactly have the energy to argue much about it. Before I knew it, I felt the overwhelming hold of my exhaustion taking me back under. Only this time, it was accompanied by the familiar feel of a strong pair of arms wrapped around me.