CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED
Nolan’s POV
“No, no, I can’t agree to that. Leslie confirmed that the potion was real. We shouldn’t think about something that isn’t going to happen,” I said.
“Do not underestimate Jason,” Rudolf argued.
“I set the conditions myself. Twenty guards would monitor him if he played dirty games. If he moves or rogues approach tomorrow, he dies. I have made it as airtight as I could,” I told him.
“I know you have, and I am grateful for the way you have handled it. But I have known Jason longer than any of you have, and I knew his father before him, and I have never trusted either of them.”
I looked at Solon as he stepped inside. One glance told me he already knew the dilemma I was facing, and I instinctively looked to him for support. Surely, he wouldn’t agree with what the King was asking of me.
“He’s right, Nolan,” Solon said.
“Solon, you can’t be serious,” I replied, stunned.
Solon looked conflicted but shrugged. “I don’t like it either, but I agree with father.”
Leslie, who had entered without me noticing, immediately shook her head. “No, Solon. There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t, Leslie,” Solon said firmly. “It has to be Nolan. There’s no better option, and no time to find one.
I shook my head, my wolf rejecting the request before I even could. ‘We can’t agree to kill our mate’s father! We can’t do this!‘
The repercussions of this decision would not be a one–time deal. Every time Talia thought about her father, she would remember that it was me who killed him.
‘Stop. This may not come to pass,‘ my wolf said.
‘You don’t know that,‘ I retorted. What if she never forgave me? What if the bond we had snapped because of a promise I made at this moment?
“Nolan.” The Alpha King’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. “Listen to me. You are the only one I trust besides my own children, and my children cannot do this. You are the only one who can do this, and you are the only one whose hand will be steady enough to make it quick.”
“No, I…”
“Think about what happens if I lose control in front of the Alphas. Think about what it looks like. The Alpha King is in a poisoned frenzy, hurting his own daughter in front of every pack leader in the territory. The packs splinter. The territory splinters. Solon never inherits a thing because there is nothing left to inherit. That is what Jason has set up for tomorrow!”
“And if I do this, if I do what you are asking, the Alphas will see me kill you. They will not accept that.”
“They will see you protecting them from a monster. They will see you and Solon supporting each other just like it was between your father and me,” Rudolf explained.
Hearing him say that almost brought me to tears. Deep down, I had always cared about Rudolf.
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I shook my head again. “What about Talia? She won’t be able to accept this. At least include her in this decision”
“As Alphas, we must make the hard decisions even for our Lunas,” Rudolf stated firmly. “She will survive my passing because I will make sure she understands. I will leave her a letter. She will know what I asked of you, and she will know you did it because I asked. Talia has never been the hateful type. She will be in pain, and she will be angry, but her love for you will not fade.”
Solon placed a hand on my shoulder. ” If anyone tries to spin the situation to put doubt in Talia’s mind about why you did it, I won’t let it happen.”
“Neither will I,” Leslie said.
“I will tell her every word that was said in this room tonight. I will not let this choice be used against you. You have my word on that,” Solon declared.
Leslie spoke up again. “Let me try one more thing. I’ve been working on an antidote for mad rogues‘ blood. We’re only weeks away from perfecting it. We just need to postpone the meeting-”
“No, Leslie.”
“My King, please…”
“A delay gives Jason another move. He is already two moves ahead of us. If we delay, he will use those days to set something else, and we will be reacting to him rather than moving first. The only way to take his plan off the board is to drink the potion tomorrow and let it run its course, and to be ready for what comes out the other side. There is no other path.”
I thought about Talia in our bed, about the morning, about what she was going to have to carry for the rest of her life if his bad feeling was right.
“I promise,” I said quietly. “If it comes to that, I’ll do it.”
Still, I clung to the hope that he was wrong. That tomorrow would come, the potion would put him to sleep, and we would find the cure before it was too late.
Because if we didn’t… the promise I had just made would destroy all of us.
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