The person came later than Ivy had expected probably because of the tight security measures that Ava had spearheaded against her as though she were a criminal or something.
Well, for once, she was right about something.
“Be discreet and I will forget to tell Ava and Adrian about the role you played in my father’s escape.”
She slipped the poison to Elder Cayenne.
“Your father will be disappointed in you for bowing over for them.”
Ivy was unimpressed. “I’ll manage to survive that disappointment somehow.”
“You–” He began to hiss.
Ivy got up and moved closer to him so that only the bars prevented them from touching.
“Skittle off. If Ava isn’t dead in the next six hours, you will be. Leave now before they catch you here.”
He glared at her sharply before making his exit. He might be reluctant but he would do as she demanded.
Ava wouldn’t be able to escape this one. In fact, Ivy would pay good money to watch her try to wriggle out of this. This would be the end of Breana and her child’s unjust death would finally be avenged.
*******
“I can’t believe you actually got me out.”
Cynthia stood watching over Cole’s cradle. He looked so serene while he was sleeping. Her mother just dropped him off and had embraced her tightly.
“You aren’t allowed to get yourself in trouble again after this. Just focus on taking care of your family.” She had whispered in her ear before wiping a stray tear and going to bid Cole and Calvin goodbye.
“That was Adrian and Ava. If you want to thank anyone, it should be them.”
Cynthia looked up from the cradle to see him at the door.
“Sure. Yet why do I somehow doubt they came up with the idea all on their own? Did you suggest this?”
He was silent. Of course, he was. Always so modest and demure as though everything he did was nothing. She just kept falling more in love with him with every passing second.
“I thought about what you asked me in the cell.” She took a step towards him. “About Dorian.”
At the sound of Dorian’s name, he bristled, his demeanour shifting from uncertain to closed-off, don’t disturb me vibes.
“I told you that you don’t have to answer that.” He replied gruffly.
“But I want to. It’s been all I could think about since you asked about it.” She took another step towards him and another until she was right in front of him.
“What I had with Dorian was… different than anything I had ever done. He made me feel lucky that he had chosen me and he gave me Cole.”
“Cynthia, I don’t–”
“But with you, I feel loved. I feel like I matter and it is so freaking intoxicating.”
Calvin looked shocked. How could he be? Wasn’t it obvious that she was crazy about him?
“I want us to start over again,” She looked up at him. “Because what we have is too good to let go of like that.”
She didn’t let herself think too much about it before going on her tiptoes and kissing him. It felt like a deja vu of their first kiss, only this one wasn’t a pretense.
Calvin was frozen for an instant then he was kissing her, his hand buried in her hair with an almost painful grip pulling her closer to him. It felt like a dam had broken between them. She moaned into the kiss and raked her nails down his back. She was up against a wall in a second. Her gown pulled up as he slipped his fingers between her folds, fingering her as the tension between them ratcheted up.
The kiss turned hungrier, primal as she gyrated against his touch. He kissed her cheek, her ear, her nape. She gasped, tried and failed to catch her breath. And when she came, it was soul-shattering and she looked at him.
“I love you.”
He placed his forehead against hers calling her in his arms as she came down.
“Me too baby. Me too.”
*******
As they ate dinner, Cynthia couldn’t stop looking at Calvin. It was safer than looking elsewhere. They were at the pack house. It was a celebratory late dinner for the first rain. And pretty much the entire pack was there.
She had felt uncertain about coming for such a public event after everything but Calvin had convinced her otherwise however he didn’t push her when she sat at the end of the table instead of at the head next to Adrian and Ava.
She appreciated their generosity and wanted to thank them for it in person but that would have to wait until after the dinner.
“A toast.” Elder Cayenne proposed gregariously. “We stand at the precipice of a new era for werewolves, may the first rains usher us in on a great note.”
Adrian raised his cup and saluted before drinking, the rest of the wolves following his lead and the celebrations continued. Calvin took her hand underneath the table and she smiled.
****
“Adrian, I want to talk to you about something.”
He paused his eating. “What’s wrong?”
I want us to get back together.
“Nevermind. We can talk about it after dinner.” Or never. She didn’t know why she was feeling so… nervous.
“Are you sure–”
Adrian coughed slightly and she handed him some water.
“Thanks.” He drank it and coughed again.
“Maybe we should go up?” Ava asked worriedly.
“Maybe that would be best.” He coughed again. “I feel weird.”
He stood up and Ava followed. They began to walk towards their room when Ava noticed Adrian wasn’t next to her.
“Adrian?” She turned. Adrian had paused mid step and he looked at her pain in his eyes then he fell over, unconscious.
“Adrian!”
****
Poison.
The word resounded over and over in her head long after Adrian had been wheeled into the ER.
Someone had poisoned him.
She felt a touch on her shoulder. It was Cynthia.
“It’s going to be fine, Ava.” She comforted her, her voice low and compassionate.
Only that was a farce, wasn’t it?
A terrible suspicion bloomed in her mind as she turned on Cynthia. She had been there last night and suddenly Adrian got poisoned. She didn’t think it was a coincidence.
Ava gripped her by her throat watching her choke.
“It was you wasn’t it?” Ava squeezed harder, her vision going red. They had granted her mercy and she had gone and done this.
Adrian was… her mate was…. Just when she had wanted to give their relationship another shot. It was almost too cruel.
“I swear…” Cynthia coughed trying to breathe through the strangling sensation around her throat where Ava held her immobile.
“Don’t fucking lie to me. You are still in contact with your people, right? You didn’t tell Calvin everything, did you?”
Cynthia blanked. She has truly hidden stuff from Calvin but only Dorian’s identity as a Werewolf Council member. She would never have betrayed his trust like this by trying to kill Adrian mere seconds after her release.
Ava noticed her hesitation. So she was still hiding something. She would wring it out of her and then execute her. This was their fault for having mercy where they should have been rigid and unbending but she would correct this oversight.
Before she could force Cynthia to spill all her secrets, Calvin came between them pulling Cynthia out of her grasp like she was the one who had lost her mind.
“What are you doing Calvin? Will you take this traitor’s side? Adrian, your Alpha might be on his deathbed and you would defy me?”
“Ava, please calm down. I understand your pain but we were all here when it happened. Cynthia has been right next to me since her release and we sat at the end of the table.”
Ava thought about it. He was right. They had sat at the table’s end not wanting to draw attention to Cynthia. Calvin continued noticing her contemplation.
“There is no way she could have poisoned his food, she wasn’t close enough. Besides, it couldn’t have been food poisoning. Since the Rhea accident, all Adrian’s food are tasted before he is served.”
His food. His food was tasted. The celebratory wine hadn’t. She remembered the toast. The only time Adrian had touched the wine and even drank hers on her behalf when she had almost taken it before he reminded her about the pregnancy.
She knew who had done it.
“You will never understand my pain, Calvin, but you are right. She didn’t do it.”