AVA
My stress levels were still through the roof the next morning. We had an appointment with the doctor to talk about the chemicals that he’d found in my bloodstream, to see if we could work out what the long term effects might be.
My four Kings made a point of truly worshipping my body… but it didn’t help, not really. No amount of explosive orgasms was going to distract me for that long.
When we reached the hospital, it was crystal clear from the doctor’s face that it wasn’t good news.
Once we’d all sat down and exchanged pleasantries, he ran off a list of chemicals and compounds that were used to make this poison that was in my blood. It was a long list.
“We have people running simulations, my Queen, attempting to replicate the composition of the poison so we can determine the best course of action to fight it, but it is a long process. Have you identified the source?”
“We believe so, doctor,” Callum replied. “But we won’t be able to confirm that until we interrogate the suspect.”
The doctor nodded. “I hope you get the answers you all need. My Queen, may I take another syringe of your blood? It may be helpful to compare the chemical levels to the last blood tests we carried out.”
Fortunately for all of our sanity levels… we got the news we’d been waiting for on the way back to the packhouse. Jeremiah had Paula!
Half an hour later, we were all standing in the room off the side of the interrogation room, watching Paula through the one way glass. She had silver cuffs around her wrists that held her hands against the table, and shackles around her ankles held her legs against the chair.
I hated every second of this, but… it needed to be done. At the very least, Paula let Matthew free.
Once everyone was ready and comfortable, Callum and I walked into the other room. I sat in the chair opposite Paula, and Callum stood behind me, his hands on my shoulders. Jeremiah was on the inside of the door in case anything happened that meant Callum needed backup.
“Well, my Queen,” Paula snarled. “I wondered how long it would take.”
“Why did you do it, Paula? Why did you let Matthew out?”
“Revenge, dearest.”
“For what?!”
Callum’s hands squeezed my shoulders, willing me to calm down a tad.
“I lost my parents that night, you know,” her voice was pained, I could see it in her eyes. “The night you ran. I lost my parents, and it was because of you and your parents.”
“How was it our fault?”
“They were killed as you fled. They were caught in the crossfire between you and Elijah’s men,” she scowled, her wolf hissing. She wouldn’t be able to shift whilst in silver cuffs, but her wolf would still be able to talk to us.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“From the top,” I hissed. “What the fuck did you do?”
I didn’t mean for it to, but that became a command. She no longer had a choice, she had to tell me everything. She scrambled, unable to lie, but not wanting to tell the truth either.
When she didn’t reply fast enough, I snapped, every question becoming a command.
“Did you give information to our enemies?”
“Yes… my Queen.”
“What did you tell them?”
“How… how to get to you. Who… who your mates are. Everything that’s happened,” she snarled as she spoke, fighting back against my command, but not managing to.
“You’re only hurting yourself by fighting me, Paula.” I leaned back in my chair, my right hand holding Callum’s where it sat on my shoulder. Paula snarled again. “Did you let Matthew out?”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“He paid me to do it,” she whimpered under the weight of the command.
“What about Elijah?”
“Him… him too.”
“So you’re playing both sides?”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“That way… someone will win. Someone will take you out.”
“So it’s all about revenge for you?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been drugging me?”
“Yes,” she groaned. “Contra… contraceptives.”
“What else? It’s not just that, is it Paula.”
She shook her head, tears in her eyes under the weight of my command.
“I don’t know…”
“You don’t know?”
“He… he didn’t tell me what it was. He… just gives me the chemical.”
“What is it supposed to do?” Callum snarled.
“Weak… keep her wolf weak.”
“How long have you been giving it to her?”
“Contraceptives… since she arrived.”
“EXCUSE ME?!” my mum burst through the door. “You’ve been drugging my daughter since she arrived? Since she was nine!”
“Her child cannot be born,” Paula snarled. “That future cannot come to pass.”
I jumped when my mum slapped Paula straight around the face, before she dropped to her knees, sobbing.
Callum squeezed my shoulders reassuringly as my dad came in to help her up, throwing Paula a scowl that said she should watch her back.
“Paula,” Callum growled. He wasn’t playing fair anymore either. The weight of the auras in this room was starting to get stifling, I felt sorry for Jeremiah. “Did you encourage bullying of Ava when she was young?”
“Yes,” she snarled. “Needed… needed to break her.”
I felt like I’d been slapped around the face.
“Why?”
“Needed… needed to stop the prophecy.”
“You could never break me, Paula.” I growled, and raised one eyebrow. “What did you do?”
As soon as she started talking, my stomach dropped, and kept dropping. Every awful thing anyone ever said to me when I was young, every awful thing that anyone did… all of it could be traced back to this psychopath in front of me.
“Wait.” Callum growled. “YOU provided those girls with the silver weapons?”
She nodded, sweat dripping down her face.
I shook my head, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes.
I’d gone through so much. And she had been behind all of it. All because of some stupid prophecy that she decided to take out on a nine year old.
I glanced towards the one way mirror, looking towards where I could feel my dad. “She’s all yours, dad,” I whispered.