CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & SEVENTY SEVEN
Talia’s POV
“No need,” Leslie announced. “I already contacted Alpha Landon. I knew that if you agreed there would be no benefit to waiting even a single day. Landon responded within the hour. He had the potions prepared and sealed by nightfall and his warriors departed before dawn.”
“When are they leaving?” I asked.
“They are enroute now. They left Lonefur territory this morning,” Leslie answered with a smile. Solon pulled her into a hug and kissed her, causing her to blush.
I let out a sigh of relief and fell back on the pillows. “Leslie, thank you.”
“No need. This is my way of fixing what I did,” Leslie replied.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I should not have spoken about preparing for a funeral while you were in sorrow. You had just watched something we both hoped would work, make things worse instead,” Leslie continued. “As a healer, I should have acknowledged what you were going through instead of allowing my own frustrations and pride take over. I am sorry.”
“You were telling me what you believed to be true,” I replied. “I know that. And I should not have said what I said to you in response. I took things too far.”
“We were both not at our best,” Leslie agreed. “Let us leave it there and move forward.”
“See this is how you handle conflict,” Della added and then pointed at Nolan and Solon. “Unlike you too. It almost took near death situations before you two could have a somewhat decent conversation.”
“Our situation was more complicated,” Solon said.
“Exactly,” Nolan added.
“Oh Goddess, they are even backing each other up. Talia, what have you done?” Della said in fake horror.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. Della smirked, pleased that she could lift my mood.
“How long is the journey from Lonefur?” Nolan asked.
“At least three days,” Leslie answered. “Lonefur is far. The warriors are traveling as quickly as they can with the potions, but the potions need to be kept stable. They cannot be reckless or they will have to return to get replacements.”
“Then, we will keep ourselves busy while we wait,” I said and everyone nodded.
Nolan put his hand on the back of my neck. “And you will rest. You won’t be worrying about anything but getting your strength back,” he urged quietly.
I did not argue. I lay back against the pillow. Nolan stayed beside me and I was asleep within minutes.
The next morning, I arrived at my father’s room before Leslie and sat with him for an hour. He had not woken up, but he wasn’t getting any worse. That was a small comfort.
Nolan came to find me when I had been there for about twenty minutes. He did not speak when he came in. He sat beside me and took my hand. We sat like that for a long time without speaking.
“We are going to get him through this,” Nolan assured me.
“I know you don’t have to keep telling me that,” I said.
“I’ll keep telling you that until I stop feeling you second guess,” Nolan said.
“Damn mate bond,” I muttered and Nolan chuckled.
+25 Bonus
That evening Nolan and I sat in our office with the tracker reports spread across his desk. We went through each one carefully. The northwest forest had yielded nothing conclusive. There were no confirmed sightings of Jason. It was as if he vanished.
‘We will find him,’ my wolf reassured me. ‘We will make him pay.’
On the second morning I arrived at my father’s room. I pulled the chair close to his bed and took his hand. He still looked the same as before.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, but I wanted to let you know that we found a way to buy you time,” I told him. “Leslie found out about a vine that grows only in Lonefur territory. I’m sure you know about it. You know everything.”
I expected him to respond, to tell me about the first Alpha of Lonefur, but there was only the soft beeping of the machines connected to him. I bit back the tears and continued talking.
“Leslie is going to use a potion made from the vine to put you into dormancy so the poison cannot advance while we find Jason. Once we have the antidote, we’re going to wake you up and cure you.”
On the third morning, I was becoming increasingly anxious. My father should have woken up by now, but he was still unconscious and Alpha Landon’s warriors still weren’t here.
‘This is the third day. They should be here today. Be patient,’ my wolf urged.
‘How can you stay so calm?’ I asked.
‘Because I trust that the Moon Goddess will not allow our father to die like this,’ my wolf replied.
By late afternoon, I was at the window watching the road below while pacing in the office. I had chewed off all my nails, and my hair was a mess from me running my hands through it nervously.
There was a knock at my door and Leslie entered. She looked at me and said, “Stressing yourself out like this isn’t going to make them arrive any sooner.”
“Today is the third day. Why aren’t they here yet?” I demanded.
“Alpha Landon confirmed this morning that they should arrive today,” Leslie reported.
“What if something happened to them on the road?”
“You have to stop thinking of the worst-case scenarios,” Leslie scolded.
“But…”
“No buts. Alpha Landon’s warriors are experienced, and they were selected specifically for this mission,” Leslie stated. “They would not send anyone careless with something this important. Travel estimates are not guaranteed. They are moving carefully to keep the potions stable. Rushing and losing them would be far worse than arriving a few hours late.”
Leslie was right. I did not argue with her further. I kept watching the road.
An hour later Della knocked and came in. “The Lonefur warriors have arrived,” she reported.
I started to stand with hope and then I looked at her face properly.
She was not smiling. Her expression was careful and contained. My stomach dropped.
“What is wrong?” I asked.
