Chapter 017\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been days after the Council hearing and verdict.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t speak much, and no one wanted me to anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I spent my mornings in the infirmary, sleeves rolled high, hands moving over bandages and blood like I\u2019d done this my whole life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The soldiers I treated avoided eye contact at first, but wounds didn\u2019t heal without touch\u2013and I was the only one fast enough to stop the bleeding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So,they had no choice but to deal with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the stray,everyone was whispering about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHold still,\u201d muttered to one soldier as he winced under my stitching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He grunted. \u201cDidn\u2019t think traitors had steady hands.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked him in the eye, expression unreadable. \u201cDidn\u2019t think soldiers bled so easily.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The soldier was shocked by my audacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wanted to scream, to yell at me for talking back to a respected soldier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was stunned and silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A beat of silence, then Amelia, the healer supervising me, snorted despite herself. \u201cYou\u2019re lucky she\u2019s got patience, boy. The other trainees would\u2019ve left you leaking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the soldier left, I turned to Amelia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to do that. But,thank you,Amelia for looking out for me\u201d I said, smiling a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got skills, girl. But,that\u2019s not enough to erase suspicions. Keep your head down and work to earn our trusts\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the week\u2019s end, my quiet persistence seemed to earn me a cautious respect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Amelia didn\u2019t smile, but she no longer flinched when I reached for her herbs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, I could feel the eyes on me wherever I went\u2013watching, weighing, waiting for me to stumble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every whispered word felt sharp enough to draw blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t care. Not anymore. I\u2019d lived through worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m willing to stay here. Just long enough to repay Theo for giving me a chance without judgment\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
~Theo~\u00a0<\/p>\n
~~\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mercy is becoming weakness, Alpha,\u201d Elder Daren said, voice slicing through the chamber\u2019s echo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat rigid in my chair, jaw locked. \u201cYou\u2019re mistaking restraint for mercy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRestraint,\u201d Daren scoffed. \u201cYou brought a stranger into your stronghold. Yet, you keep shielding her. What\u2019s going on,Alpha Theo? Is there something you\u2019re not telling us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand flexed against the armrest. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen prove it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The word hung heavy between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d I asked, frowning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daren\u2019s gaze gleamed like cold steel. \u201cA test.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many more tests before you realise she\u2019s not the enemy?\u201d I questioned,my jaw clenched.\u201cShe has passed every test the council gave her. She has won over the Pack members and soldiers. What more do you want?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Successfully unlocked!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 017\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor all we know she could be pretending. This is what most infiltrators do\u201d Elder Marcus chimed in.\u201cPretend and have their way\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine. But this is the last time. The last test,I will let you indulge her.\u201d I warned,my jaw clenching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you trusted that stray so much. You shouldn\u2019t have to worry, Alpha Theo\u201d Corwin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue,Councilor. If the girl is as he says then I wouldn\u2019t worry about her failing any of the council\u2019s tests\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew the council wouldn\u2019t let go of a chance to shamelessly abuse and out me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But this is getting out of hands. I won\u2019t be able to control myself if they don\u2019t stop soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d I said at last, the word tasting like rust. \u201cBut I choose who goes with her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daren inclined his head, victory smug. \u201cChoose all you want, Alpha. Just be ready to live with the results.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the test about this time?,\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Old Alpha\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You can\u2019t be serious, council. This is not possible\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan stood up, grimly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are dead serious. This is our final decision\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the meeting, I went to see Kaia at the Healer Chambers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was still sorting herbs when she felt me behind her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t turn. \u201cYou walk too quietly for someone your size.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOccupational hazard,\u201d I said, stepping into the lamplight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The glow traced the sharp lines of my face, \u201cYou\u2019re working late again,Kaia.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m used to it.\u201d She tied a bundle of arnica, her movements precise. \u201cYou didn\u2019t come here to check on herbs nor the soldiers. Did you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated. \u201cThe Council\u2026 approved a mission for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her hands stilled. \u201cA mission.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA sick patient. Routine checkup,\u201cI lied. \u201cYou\u2019ll go with Zane\u2019s team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoutine checkups.\u201d She turned now, eyes dark with disbelief. \u201cIs that what they\u2019re calling it? I can smell a trap\u00a0<\/p>\n
even without a wolf.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My expression flickered. She wasn\u2019t supposed to know that much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to go,\u201d I said, voice low. \u201cYou\u2019re not bound to this pack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaia\u2019s lips curved in something like a half\u2013smile. \u201cYou saved my life, Alpha. If they want proof of loyalty, they\u2019ll have it. I\u2019m done running.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she brushed past me, her shoulder grazed my arm\u2013small, fleeting contact that burned far longer than it should.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I caught her wrist, almost without meaning to. \u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to prove to them. Kaia.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe not to them,\u201d she whispered. \u201cBut I do to myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let her go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaia walked aside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to look at me with a faint smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smile framed her pretty face, I caught myself staring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t look like a man giving orders. You look like one handing down a sentence\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath caught. \u201cIt\u2019s not a sentence\u2026. It\u2019s a chance\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaia chuckled. Shaking her head. \u201cFunny. That\u2019s what people said before they tried to kill me\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 017\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crossed my heart to show my sincerity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me,I wouldn\u2019t do that to you. I will die but I won\u2019t betray you. Even if betraying you would save my life\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaia stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staring at me with disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s true.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know why but I feel without Kaia,my life is incomplete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
~~Kaia~~\u00a0<\/p>\n
I got ready to head to North Packhouse, where Theo\u2019s dad and his new mate lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is my mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s father, Council King Kingsley Ashford, the leader of the kingdoms council is quite ill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And for some reason, they think a cursed stray from the wild is the right person to run a check up on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I know this is a trap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They are setting me up for failure. I can see right through their plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But,I can\u2019t stop it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hopefully, I evade it somehow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zane, Theo\u2019s Beta, gave me a curt nod. \u201cOrders are simple. Stay in sight. Follow command.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met his stare evenly. \u201cI don\u2019t follow, Beta. I contribute.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That earned me the faintest smirk. \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo stood at the gates as we left, his eyes cold with frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t trust the Council\u2019s plan\u2013but if this was what it took to silence them, so be it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seira, beside him, muttered, \u201cShe\u2019ll come back trusted\u2026 or not at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s gaze lingered on the horizon. \u201cShe\u2019ll come back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t sure if it was faith or fear talking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We left the Packhouse soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hours passed before I noticed wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop,\u201d I ordered softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zane frowned. \u201cWhat-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cListen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence stretched. Then\u2013the faint shuffle of boots, too synchronized to be random.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ambush.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDown!\u201d I hissed, diving as arrows hissed past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rolled behind a fallen trunk, heart hammering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The attack was quick\u2013too quick. Someone had led us straight here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it ended, one man was down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The injured one, clutched his side, gasping.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slid to his side on instinct.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHold on,\u201d I murmured, tearing open his shirt to reveal a shallow but ugly wound\u2013dark veins spidering from it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zane approached warily. \u201cCan you save him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer immediately. My breath caught\u2013the smell hit me llike lightning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d seen this before. Not in Silvermoon. Not in battlefields.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0baa\u0b9f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 017\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in memory\u2013My grandmother\u2019s notes, her training, the whispers of an illness that killed like time itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blackbane toxin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rare. Slow. Meant for kings, not soldiers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My vision tilted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t random. This was deliberate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s father\u2019s illness\u2026 the same spreading veins. The same decay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone poisoned him,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cThe same someone poisoning your council King.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zane froze. \u201cWhat? What are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed her fingers to the man\u2019s pulse\u2013it fluttered, fading. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t a rogue ambush. It was a setup.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy who?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My gaze lifted to the darkening trees. Pulse thundered. \u201cBy someone inside your Council.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence sipped through the rest of the ride with the injured soldier riding with Beta Zane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before sun down, we finally arrived at the North Pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We laid the injured soldier on a bed while I crouched by his side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sucking out the poison from his veins. My lips were swollen from this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But,I kept going, afraid stopping would cost him his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After being outcasted, I thought there wasn\u2019t a reason for me to live but now I see the truth clearer than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I want to live.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To fish out the people behind the conspiracy, targeting Theo and his father,Kingsley Ashford.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And this poison\u2026 this was only the beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After stabilizing the soldier, I was about to head out for some fresh air when Beta Zane stepped in my way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grimly, he asked. \u201cWhat did you say ealier, Kaia. About the attack\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone in your council wants both your Alpha and your Alpha King\u2013dead-,\u201d I whispered, my voice trembling with fury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zane shook his head in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2026That\u2019s impossible\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shadows Follow Lonely Minds \u2014 Christopher Harris 17 Chapter 017\u00a0 It\u2019s been days after the Council hearing and verdict.\u00a0 I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-nightshade-heir-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27262\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}