CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & SIXTY EIGHT
Talia’s POV
A week passed and Jason hadn’t been found yet.
Every morning I woke up expecting to hear that one of the regional Alphas had caught Jason, but every morning I was disappointed. Where had he gone? Why couldn’t we find him? Every day felt too fast and too long all at the same time. This time there was nothing my wolf could say to reassure me.
When I visited my father on the seventh day I noticed his hair. His hair, which had been dark for as long as I had known him, had begun to go white at the temples. Not grey, but a stark, drained white that was not there yesterday.
Nolan and my father were talking casually as if Nolan had not seen my father aging in real time. “Solon told me the wall you had built is something to see,” my father said.
“Yes, it was all Talia’s idea. They should hold for generations,” Nolan responded.
“I would like to see them,” my father stated.
“You will,” Nolan told him. “When you are out of this room and back on your feet, we will take you ourselves. Talia, will escort you around.”
My father smiled and settled back against the pillows. I bit my lip and fought back the tears. My father believed that he would come to Bloodmoon when he recovered. He really believed he would recover. I felt my heart twist because I felt like we had given him false hope.
‘Stop it,’ my wolf growled within me. ‘Leslie is still looking for an antidote and we will find Jason.’ I wanted to believe her, but 1 couldn’t help but second guess.
After composing myself, I walked in. Nolan stood up to give me his seat. “Hey, how are you feeling today?” I asked as I took my
father’s hand into mind.
“Much better today. I don’t know what Leslie is putting in my IV, but I feel better than I have in months,” my father replied.
We talked about nothing important for about an hour until Leslie came to give him another painkiller. I kissed his forehead and left the room with Nolan and Leslie, so my father could rest. Leslie closed the door to my father’s room behind her. She then motioned us to go to an empty room three doors down.
“What’s going on?” I asked once we were in the room. “You’re making me anxious.”
“You’ve seen his hair,” Leslie replied and we nodded.
“Once his hair has turned completely white it will mean the poison has reached the final stage,” Leslie explained.
“Leslie, what are you saying? Just say it,” I snapped.
“At the rate it is progressing, he has approximately two months. I have been adjusting his treatments, but the progression is accelerating. Right now, all I can do is manage his pain,” Leslie explained.
Nolan wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to him before I could comprehend what she was saying. I sat there, staring at her in a daze. “What can we do? Is there anything we can do without the antidote?” Nolan asked, but even though he was right next to me, he sounded like he was a mile away.
“I am doing everything that I can to stop the poison,” Leslie answered. “I just wanted to inform you both.”
“Thank you,” Nolan stated and Leslie left the room.
Two months.
I had known my father was dying from the moment Gideon confirmed the marks but hearing it from Leslie made it more real
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now Two months was not enough time. There was barely enough time to do what we needed to do even if everything went well, and nothing had been going well.
“Talia, baby, breathe,” Nolan said, shaking me lightly.
“We cannot wait for Jason to surface on his own,” I said. “We are running out of time.”
“I agree. We need to change our plan today,” Nolan agreed.
I found Solon that evening. He was in the palace study with reports spread across the desk. Solon looked up when he noticed me. He had huge bags under his eyes. It was clear, just like me, he had not slept enough in the last week.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is father okay?”
“Leslie gave me an updated timeline. Father only has two months now. When his hair is fully white, it’ll be over,” I replied.
Solon stared at me with a blank expression before he cursed and punched a hole into the table. He covered his face with his hands and took slow, deep breaths to calm himself. I let him sit with it. When he brought his hands down, I said, “I have a plan to flush Jason out faster.”
“What do you propose?” Solon asked.
“We make it official that Michael and Jason are traitors and name them responsible for crimes against Silverfang, against the Alpha King, and against the stability of the region. We inform everyone that Michael is dead and Jason is on the run. His allies will turn on him now that Michael is dead. Anyone who finds him must take him alive and bring him here for judgment,” I
continued.
Solon was quiet for a long moment.
“Okay, we can make this public, but we still need to cover that Father is in a weakened state to avoid chaos among the packs,” Solon said. “We have to hold that back to prevent panic. Other packs will see it as a weakness. There will be those who try to take advantage of it.”
“I know,” I agreed. “Jason has the antidote formula. He’s the only one who can save Father, and every day he stays hidden brings us closer to losing him. We need to let all the packs know about his crimes and find him now.”
“Alright,” Solon said as he stood. “I’ll send out the decree.”
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