Chapter 443
Four hundred and forty five
Ema POV
My body felt like lead when I opened my eyes. The exhaustion went deep into my bones, the kind that a few hours of sleep couldn’t fix. Alexander was in the hospital, his people were waiting for news, and my parents were already terrified that I would collapse.
I rested my head in my hands until a brief wave of dizziness passed.
“You’re not going anywhere today,” Anita said, walking into the room with a steaming mug. She set it on the nightstand and sat beside me.
“I have too much to do,” I said, forcing myself to stand even though my knees felt shaky. “I need to check on Alexander and then visit the rogue camp. Staying here doing nothing is useless p>
“And what use are you going to be if you break down?” she said. “You’re carrying a baby and stressed to the limit One day indoors isn’t going to ruin everything p>
“Who knows what Zachary or his people are planning against Alexander while we sit around?” I argued, pulling a sweater out of my closet. “I haven’t heard a word from Wesley since yesterday p>
“Wesley is an Alpha, Em. He has endless council business to handle. I’m sure the second the test results are out, he’ll let you know. Just rest p>
I sighed. “I feel like things are worse than what they’re telling me p>
“You’re overthinking because you’re exhausted. Just sip your tea and stay off your feet for a few hours p>
I didn’t fully agree with her, but I was too tired to keep arguing. I stayed in bed through the morning, drifting in and out of a shallow sleep. By late afternoon, the anxiety inside me had reached its limit. I couldn’t sit in that room any longer.
I picked up my keys and stepped out. My family had already left strict instructions with the pack guards that I wasn’t allowed to leave the territory unguarded. Even though Alexander was my mate, going to a rogue camp alone was a security risk no one was willing to take. I let one of the guards take the driver’s seat while I sank into
the back of the SUV.
During the drive, I kept fighting off bouts of drowsiness, my eyes slipping shut before snapping open again.
When the car finally pulled into the rogue camp, I braced myself for the usual hostility. But as we passed the perimeter, the sneers and glares never came. The rogues hanging around the cabins stopped and watched us pass. The authority here had clearly shifted. They knew I was fighting for Alexander, and the prejudice had faded into something close to respect.
I asked one of the guards near the entry post for Lucas, then waited inside the car while he went to fetch him.
A few minutes later, someone tapped on the side window. I rolled it down, and Lucas slid into the passenger seat, bringing the faint smell of smoke with him.
“Are the lab results back p>
“Not yet,” I replied. “Or at least, I haven’t been informed p>
Lucas stared out at the trees.
“If this is really Meridian, what are we supposed to do? Can we track these bastards down and end them p>
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“Meridian isn’t a single target you can just hunt down, Lucas,” I explained. “It’s an entire network. You start pointing fingers, and you end up hitting the wrong person while the real threat slips away. When they go after someone, it’s either because that person comes from a powerful bloodline or because they need to remove an obstacle to get what they want. Their magic isn’t what it used to be, but expecting to destroy Meridian is like expecting to eliminate evil from the world. You can’t. The best we can do is save Alexander p>
Lucas let out a scoff. “Sounds like an impenetrable system. It would be nice to know how they rule the world p>
Even though his words were bitter, he was right. Whether anyone liked it or not, Meridian seemed unconquerable,
“What’s your story?” I asked, looking at his side profile. “How did you end up out here as a rogue p>
Lucas didn’t look at me.
“My pack alpha woke up one day and decided my family needed to be erased p>
I stayed quiet, reading between the lines of his guarded tone. He was making a terrible joke out of it, but the reality was obvious. His father had been framed or accused, his family had been slaughtered, and only he and his grandmother, Kamala, had survived the purge.
Before I could say anything sympathetic, Lucas held up a hand. “Keep your pity to yourself and let’s focus on Alexander p>
He was terrified of being vulnerable, hiding his past behind a wall of detachment. I respected the boundary and didn’t push.
“Can I see Anna, the cook?” I asked.
“She’s over at Alexander’s cabin,” Lucas mumbled.
We drove down the path and pulled up outside Alexander’s porch minutes later. The front door burst open, and Cherry came flying down the steps. She threw her arms around me the second my feet hit the ground, hugging me so tightly that I almost lost my balance.
Her fingers moved in rapid, desperate sign language. *Is my brother okay? When can I see him p>
“He’s in good hands, Cherry,” I said, managing a smile. “The doctors are working on him p>
Cherry shook her head frantically and signed again. *I’ve been having nightmares. Horrible ones. I dreamed he died in that hospital p>
“He’s not going to die,” I said firmly, looking her straight in the eye. “He’s fighting p>
Kamala stepped out onto the porch behind her, carrying the same worry.
Lucas told her to show me the herbs she brewed for Alexander whenever his chest bothered him. She went inside and returned with a small glass jar filled with a greenish liquid.
“These are hard to find. We have to buy the raw ingredients on the black market because no pack physician will trade with rogues. Whenever he drank it, the cold would stop for a few days, and the pain would back off p>
I took the jar and inspected the liquid.
“It was masking the symptoms, not curing them. Once the doctors let us have proper visitors, I’ll make sure you and Cherry get in to see him p>
I handed the jar back to Kamala and turned to Lucas. “Take me to Anna p>
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We walked down to the reinforced holding shed behind the main cabin, the exact room where Anita, Haley, and I had been locked up when Alexander brought us to his camp. Being there brought back old memories, but there was no fear attached to them now.
Two rogue guards were sitting on stools by the door. They were the same two who had manhandled us back then, but today they just gave me a begrudging nod and unlocked the bolt, letting my pack guard and me pass through.
Inside, sitting on the bed, was a woman who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than my mother but looked worn, with deep frown lines etched into her forehead.
“Anna,” I said, stopping a few feet away from her.
She looked up, her eyes flicking past me to the guard standing at the door. She didn’t say a word.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, keeping my voice calm and deliberate. “I’m the Alpha’s niece, and I have enough influence to make sure you walk out of this camp completely free if you just tell us what happened at Alpha Edward’s estate fifteen years ago. What was in the food you cooked for Alexander that night p>
Anna pulled her knees closer to her chest and set her jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just a cook. I didn’t poison anybody p>
“If you keep staying quiet, you’re going to rot in this room,” I warned her. “The people you’re terrified of aren’t in control anymore. Zachary’s mother is dead. Zachary himself is on the edge of losing his Alpha title if the truth comes out that Alexander didn’t kill his father. There is no one left to protect you, and no one left to punish you except the truth p>
She stared at the floor, refusing to break. At first, I thought it was loyalty to Zachary’s family, but looking at her tense posture, I realized it was pure fear. People like her, conditioned by years of threats, didn’t break easily under simple pressure.
The door burst open, and Lucas strode in, his face dark with annoyance. “Can’t you see what I’ve been telling you, Emma? The evil bitch isn’t going to say a damn word p>
He glared at Anna and took a step forward to intimidate her. “If it were up to me, I’d put a bullet through her fucking skull p>
“Lucas, please stop,” I said, stepping between him and the bed. “Scaring her isn’t going to make her talk any faster,” I whispered.
My phone vibrated in my pocket on my way out. I pulled it out and saw my mother’s name on the screen. I excused myself and stepped outside to answer it.
“Where are you, Emma? I stopped by, and Anita told me you left p>
“I’m at the rogue camp, Mom,” I said, deciding against lying. The truth was already out, and hiding my whereabouts was pointless now.
“The rogue camp?!” My mother’s voice spiked into a panic. “Emma, are you out of your mind? Why are you putting yourself in danger like this?” She paused to catch her breath, and her tone shifted into frustration. “Don’t you think you’re overdoing all of this? Wesley, Cameron, and Kieran are overseeing the case. Can’t you just take a step back and let the leaders do their jobs p>
I sighed, knowing my mother wasn’t trying to be cruel.
“I’m fine, Mom,” I said. “I have a guard with me, and I’m heading home p>
“What were you even doing over there?” she asked, her tone still exasperated. “Alexander is in the hospital p>
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“I went to question Anna, the old cook from his father’s house,” I said, leaning against the wooden railing. “We need physical evidence or testimony before the High Council convenes for Alexander’s trial p>
“Evidence…” my mother sighed, her voice trailing off. “Emma, with everything going on, especially now that Alexander is in a coma, you need to focus on your own health p>
My heart stopped.
“What p>
“What?” my mother asked, sounding confused. “I thought… didn’t Wesley tell you p>
My breathing came in erratic gasps.
“What do you mean he’s in a coma p>
“Oh, goddess,” my mother stammered, realizing her mistake. “Emma, please calm down. I thought you already knew p>
“Why didn’t Wesley call me?” I demanded, tears blurring my vision as panic flooded my chest. “I knew things were worse than they were letting on p>
“Emma, listen to me,” my mother pleaded. “They are doing everything they can. The Meridian corruption is choking his heart. If it were just his wolf, the pack elders and the daughters could use counter-magic to save him. But this is his human body. He can’t leave the hospital. The daughters might be able to use ancient magic to neutralize the dark spell p>
The horrific reality crashed over me. This wasn’t just a political battle anymore. Alexander’s body was shutting down.
“Emma? Are you still there?” my mother called out.
“I have to go,” I choked out, hanging up before she could say another word.
I stood on the porch, trying to force air into my lungs. Lucas was standing behind me. I hadn’t even realized he was there.
“What happened?” he asked, his guarded mask slipping.
I looked at him, unable to hold it in. “Alexander slipped into a coma. His body is shutting down p>
Lucas leaned back against the wall, completely deflated.
I reached out, my hand trembling, and placed it over his tattooed knuckles, offering whatever comfort I could.
“What if he dies?” Lucas asked, staring at the floor. “What if he doesn’t wake up from this p>
“He won’t die,” I said, forcing the words out and trying to convince myself as much as him. “He can’t die. Please don’t scare Cherry p>
Lucas looked up and let out a dry scoff. “You’re talking like he’s above death. Like he’s some immortal god. Anyone can die. Rogues die every day out here p>
“Not him,” I said, wiping a tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. “We are not letting him die. I don’t care what it takes. We are bringing him back p>
4/6
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