Chapter 83
Chapter 83
CHARLOTTE’S POV
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Getting the Ashfang poison out of Ace’s system took us all night. I forced a silver–infused purge tonic down his throat to make his wolf reject the poison instead of absorbing it. The doctor helped me prepare a hot Wolfsbane steam, not strong enough to harm him but enough to force the toxin to the surface through his pores. We wrapped heated salt cloths around his body to draw it out faster, and when his wolf started fighting the process, I pressed my palm over his heart guiding it to calm instead of rage.
At one point, his claws almost shifted out, his fangs pushing through as the poison resisted. The doctor muttered old pack words near his ear, the kind only someone who had known him since he was a boy would know, while I injected the antidote straight into the bite wound to stop the toxin from spreading deeper into his blood. Slowly but painfully, his body began pushing it out.
By dawn, the worst of it was gone. But his body was once again covered in fresh, raw red marks that weren’t healing on their own. Deep lines stretched across his chest and arms.
I had been terrified the bite on his neck meant he had been marked by another wolf. My heart nearly stopped when I first saw it. But it wasn’t a marking bite. It looked like a full teeth human bite. Who the fuck would sink their teeth into him like that?
Finally, around six in the morning, we were able to stabilize him and he fell asleep. The poison hadn’t worn off completely, but his body was strong. His wolf would fight off the rest.
I was exhausted. I squeezed myself onto the double sofa in his room, my muscles aching, my eyes burning. My body needed the rest. I shut my eyes, forcing sleep, but my mind refused to quiet down. It kept replaying the tattoo mark I saw on Moon’s finger. Then the woman in the blue dress inside that elevator, running like smoke the second she saw us.
I was certain I saw Moon walking into the building. I had followed her trail myself. So how come there was a different woman in that elevator?
My dream also couldn’t be wrong. I saw it as if I was living it and it was horribly terrifying. Now the big question was why Moon hit me with her car and threw me off that cliff. And how the hell is she married to Ace?
The thoughts circled in my head, refusing to let me breathe, until exhaustion finally dragged me out.
When I woke up, strong arms were wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. My cheek was pressed against a firm chest. I was on his bed, wrapped in his arms, his slow breath fanning against my temple.
I snuggled closer into him, gosh, it felt so good to be in his arms. He wasn’t wearing any shirt, his naked body pressed against mine provided soothing warmth. There was this invisible pull between us. The more I fight it, the harder I fall for him.
I lifted my head slightly to look at his face. He looked tired. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, and his lips had lost some of their usual color. His jaw was rough with stubble, a faint crease rested between his brows even in sleep. But even like this, weak, drained and recovering, he was still sinfully handsome.
My hand moved on its own, my fingers tracing along his sharp jaw, brushing over the rough stubble there. His skin was warm under my touch. His lashes fluttered, then his eyes slowly opened, locking onto mine with that intense stare that always made my stomach flip.
I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, lingering there, breathing him in. His lips were warm, slightly dry but I’ve missed having his lips on mine. I wanted to kiss him all over but didn’t want to hurt him, his body still needed time to heal. I had barely started to pull away when his hand slid to the back of my neck and pulled me down again. He deepened the kiss instantly. His other hand moved to my waist, then lower, grabbing and squeezed my butt, one after the other. A low hungry sound left his throat. In one swift movement, he rolled us over, pinning me gently against the mattress, possessively. He
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Chapter 83
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pinned me to the bed and grabbed my left boob, squeezing through the dress, moaning in dissatisfaction as my bra came between us. His fingers slipped under the hem, warm against my skin. My heart was racing, my hands gripping his shoulders, when the door suddenly swung open.
“I guess even the Ashfang poison wasn’t enough to put the Alpha down.” Damien’s teasing voice filled the room. I wanted to disappear into the ground at the embarrassment. Heat rushed straight to my face. I quickly adjusted my dress, smoothing it down while Ace’s large body shielded mine from view. He glanced toward the door with clear annoyance but stayed over me until I was decent. Only then did he roll onto his back, like nothing had happened.
My cheeks grew a deeper shade of pink when I saw Damien, Roman and Gavin staring at me. Damien had that annoying smirk on his face, Roman looked like he was trying hard not to laugh, but Gavin… Gavin’s eyes were different. There was no amusement there. Just disappointment and something that looked a lot like hurt.
I quickly stepped away from the bed, folding my arms slightly, trying to look normal even though my heart was still racing from seconds ago.
“We’ve been able to retrieve the cup,” Roman began, clearing his throat as he got back to business. “We had it tested and it was indeed the Ashfang Draught. All the servers and the people in charge of wine have been apprehended. Questioning has already started.”
Ace shifted behind me. I felt him sit up slowly. Even without looking, I could sense the strain in his movement.
“It may not be the people in charge of wine or the servers,” he said, his voice deeper but still very rough and weak. “Someone came at me inside the elevator. I couldn’t see her face, she had a mask on. I don’t know what she looks like. But whoever she is… she had it all planned out.” His hand brushed lightly against my waist, steadying himself as he spoke.
“It makes sense because the elevator suddenly stopped and that was when the poison started to kick in.”
“We can’t possibly hold back every female wolf who came to the festival. We’re keeping this on the low so the news doesn’t get out,” Roman said, his voice filled with concern.
“What about Moon?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Every head turned to me. I could feel Ace’s heated gaze burning into my back. “Gavin and I followed her from outside to the inside, we followed her trace all the way to the elevator. The woman we saw there looked different, yes. But Moon was the one we tracked.”
Roman shook his head slowly. “We can’t be so sure. We can’t just accuse the Luna…”
“How did she suddenly appear when we were about to leave?” I cut him off. “And don’t give me that bull crap about her assistant. That doesn’t explain how she knew exactly where we were.” The room went quiet. “That is the only explanation we have for the bite on Ace’s neck,” I added, my eyes moving to Ace briefly before facing them again.
Roman’s face was drained of color. “They marked each other?” he asked in a panicked tone.
“No. There was a bite mark at the exact spot his mate’s mark is supposed to be, but it looked like a weak human bite. Full teeth and all,” I said firmly. “Not a claiming mark”
Roman released a deep breath, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Why does he look relieved?
“Who is Moon’s real mate?” I asked, turning slightly. “Ace said she isn’t his true mate. He rejected his mate. That means Moon has one somewhere too. Either she rejected him… or she’s hiding him.”
“Her real mate is dead,” Ace said from behind me. I turned to look at him. He had pushed himself up against the headboard,
“He died when she was twenty. She came home one day and told me she found her real mate. She had gone to a classmate’s birthday party. She stayed there for two days. When she came back, she was crying. She told me she found him. I thought she was going to leave me. But she said she rejected the boy. The next morning, she got news that he died on his way back to his pack.” Ace’s brows drew together the way they always did when he was thinking deeply. “We never talked about it again,”
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Chapter 83
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he said quietly. “Every time I tried, she would cry. So I stopped. We didn’t tell anyone. That’s why people continued to believe she was my mate.”
“Her mate died.” Roman muttered, his voice turning cold. “That must have been terrible. She rejected the poor boy and he ended up dying. You rejected your mate and banished her.” His eyes flicked toward me. “That’s such a sad story?”
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
