Chapter 447
Zachary way they w
We met they were
Where the hemy!
Four hundred and forty-eight
+15 Bonus
“You will regret this, Charlie!” Zachary snarled, grabbing my collar. “You come into my home, make wild accusations, insult my wife p>
A loud crash echoed from outside, followed by shouting and the sound of breaking glass at the front doors.
Ten armed officers stormed into the foyer with their shields up.
“Regional Enforcement! Drop your weapons! Stand down immediately!” the lead officer barked.
Zachary’s guards froze, instantly letting go of my arms and backing away with their hands raised. Zachary spun around, his mouth hanging open in shock.
I shoved past him and sprinted straight down the corridor toward the locked wing.
I kicked the door open with everything I had. Mina was already inside, her hands shaking violently as she held a stone pot, preparing to pour its contents over the woman at her feet.
Veronica was crumpled on the floor mat, completely bound with heavy rope. Her skin was pale and covered in bruises, and her hair was matted with sweat. She wasn’t even screaming anymore. She was just making weak, choking sounds, struggling for air.
I grabbed Mina by the shoulder and threw her across the room. She crashed against the wall, dropping the pot onto the floorboards. It shattered, spilling dark liquid everywhere. Mina let out a piercing scream and scrambled back into the far corner like a trapped animal.
I dropped to my knees beside Veronica and pulled out a pocket knife to slice through the ropes binding her wrists
and ankles.
“It’s okay,” I said, lifting her shoulders off the ground. She was practically lifeless. “I’ve got you. You’re safe p>
She made a faint, raspy “uhh… uhh…” sound, her fingers twitching against my sleeve.
Zachary staggered into the doorway, flanked by two regional enforcement officers holding him at gunpoint. When his eyes fell on Veronica, the color drained completely from his face. His jaw trembled, but no words came out.
I scooped Veronica into my arms.
“You’re going to pay for this, Zachary,” I said, glaring at him with pure disgust as I carried his wife past him.” You let a Meridian bitch ruin your life, abuse your child, and torture your wife. You’re going to rot for this p>
I carried Veronica down the staircase. At the bottom of the steps, one of my officers was holding little Jake.
“Take the boy straight to my mother p>
“Understood, Alpha,” the officer said with a nod, carrying the sleeping boy out the back exit.
I rushed out the front doors and placed Veronica carefully into the backseat of my SUV. She was suffering from severe Meridian poisoning. I started the engine and slammed my foot on the gas, tearing down the driveway toward the medical facility.
“Stay with me, Veronica,” I called over my shoulder, keeping one hand on the steering wheel while looking at her through the rearview mirror. “Hold on. The doctors are going to flush that poison out of you. You’re going to live p>
She let out another weak gasp from the back.
As I sped into the night, the weight of what I had just uncovered settled over me. Zachary was done. Saying I was disappointed would be a gross understatement.
4/6
Four hundred and forty-nine
+15 Bonus
Four hundred and forty-nine
Emma POV
I pressed my forehead against the thick glass partition, staring at the bed inside the isolation unit.
Alexander lay motionless under the overhead fluorescent lights. The beep of the life support machine was the only sign that his heart was still beating. Tubes snaked out from his throat, and wires were taped across his chest.
This was a man who used to exude raw power. When Anita was abducted at the rogue camp, Alexander’s aura alone had made me tremble. He had seemed invincible, a force of nature that no one could touch. Now, looking at him took every ounce of strength I had left. He looked like glass ready to shatter.
“Emma, stop staring,” Anita whispered, pulling gently on my elbow. “Standing here all day is not healthy for you or the baby p>
I didn’t turn around or look away from his chest, which rose and fell to the rhythm of the machine.
“What else do you want me to do, Anita? Go home and throw a party while my mate is literally dying behind a glass wall p>
“I didn’t say that,” Anita replied, her voice patient despite the exhaustion on her face. “I’m just saying we can’t give up yet. He might still pull through. Look at my dad, Wesley, and Alpha Kieran. So many people have survived Meridian poison p>
I scoffed. “They didn’t target Alpha Kieran to kill him, Anita. They didn’t target your dad for outright execution either. Meridian was passed to Wesley in his mother’s womb and targeted his wolf, not his human organs. If it had been aimed at his physical body like this, Wesley would have been dead years ago p>
Anita stayed silent. She had no answer for that.
My mind was a mess of fear and despair, and one superstition kept repeating in the back of my head: Don’t say he’s going to die. If you say it out loud, you’ll make it real.
I didn’t want to be the negative one, but staying positive felt like a sick joke when the reality was right in front of
The medical team couldn’t move beyond standard medicine to high-level spiritual cures, because the Daughters of the Moon needed Alexander to be conscious to give consent. Without him awake to open the spiritual pathways, their healing rituals were blocked.
Yesterday, I broke down in front of Grandma Cassidy, then cried on Luna Lisa’s shoulder. Grandma Cassidy was a high-ranking member of the Daughters, but all she could do was look at me with pity.
Even my own mother had been gently preparing me for the worst, saying that maybe the universe had brought Alexander and me together just long enough for me to get pregnant. They were all trying to comfort me, but every word felt like a nail in Alexander’s coffin.
“Emma?” Anita called. “Haley’s parents just arrived. They’re heading toward the emergency bay p>
I blinked, pulling myself out of my head.
Charlie had brought Veronica in the night before. Her lungs burned from the Meridian poison they had been force- feeding her, and bruises covered her body from being locked away. It was a miracle she wasn’t pregnant, because that poison would have killed a child instantly. If she survived, and the doctors said she would, her testimony would seal Zachary’s fate and give Alexander justice in front of the regional council.
1/5
Four hundred and forty-nine
+15 Bonus
But what was the point of winning a court case if the person we fought for died before he could see the victory?
Her parents rushed past us toward the private ward where she was being treated. Anita stepped back toward me.
“I can’t go in,” she muttered, staring down at her shoes. “Her parents still refuse to accept that she likes girls. I really don’t have the energy for awkward glares and explanations p>
I managed a nod.
“We should probably head home, Emma. You can’t just stand in this hallway all day p>
“I’m not leaving until Cherry or Lucas gets here,” I said firmly, but I let her lead me down to the lobby anyway
Charlie was walking in as we arrived. He was holding a basket packed with fruit and basic groceries for Veronica
When his eyes met mine, his posture stiffened and he looked away immediately. Anita walked right up to him with a smirk.
“Well, look who just pulled up. The hero of the day p>
Charlie couldn’t even look at me. It was a complete 180-degree turn from the arrogant bastard who had been defending Zachary and calling Alexander a lying rogue. Life really had a twisted sense of humor.
“Is… is Alexander awake yet?” Charlie asked Anita.
“No luck. For Emma’s sake, I really hope he wakes up soon p>
“What exactly did they do to Veronica?” Anita asked, changing the subject. “Did they inject her with something p>
“Toxins and severe physical trauma,” Charlie explained. “It’s ugly, but it’s not fatal. Dr. Harry said she’ll recover completely with time p>
“What about Zachary and Mina p>
“They’ve been placed under a pack ban,” Charlie answered, turning to me. “If they try to cross the border, it counts as an automatic admission of guilt, and enforcement can lock them up without a trial. Zachary is still screaming that Veronica is a witch who tried to murder their son, but nobody believes his lies anymore p>
Charlie waited for my response, but I didn’t give him one. He gestured awkwardly toward the stairs with his basket. “I should head upstairs p>
“Go ahead,” Anita said.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Anita leaned over and whispered, “What if life decides to be extra funny and Veronica gets better, and then Charlie starts dating her p>
I groaned. “Anita, you say the craziest things at the worst times p>
“I’m serious!” she said, laughing. “Think about it p>
“If that keeps his eyes off me for good, then by all means. I hope they get married p>
About thirty minutes after Lucas and Cherry arrived, Grandma Cassidy walked in carrying a leather bag.
“Grandma Cassidy!” I called out, rushing over to her. “You came p>
“As if you would let me rest if I didn’t. Where is he p>
“He’s upstairs,” I said, my heart pounding with hope. “Please, you have to try the extraction ritual. You don’t
2/5
Four hundred and forty-nine
+15 Bonus
need his consent. Just draw the dark mass out and save his life p>
Grandma Cassidy placed a hand on my forearm, stopping me in my tracks. “Emma, rituals follow strict laws. I cannot break a soul’s boundary without permission. But I will do what I can for Veronica first, and then I will look at Alexander so you can see the reality with your own eyes p>
We followed her upstairs. Lucas stayed by Cherry, holding her hand tightly while Grandma Cassidy went into Veronica’s room to clear out the remaining surface toxins. Within twenty minutes, she stepped back out, wiping her hands on a tissue, and walked straight toward Alexander’s isolation room.
Dr. Harry unlocked the door for us. The smell of antiseptic hit me instantly.
Grandma Cassidy stepped up to the side of Alexander’s bed and hovered her hands an inch above his chest. She closed her eyes, her lips moving silently. After a long moment, her eyes snapped open, and she pressed a fingerto a spot right above his heart.
“It’s here,” she muttered. “The Meridian root is wrapped around his core p>
She pulled a wooden vial from her bag and sprinkled a powdery substance over his chest. In seconds, dark blood began gushing from his chest and pooled on the bedsheets.
I gasped, covering my mouth as my stomach turned. Cherry let out a horrified sob and buried her face in Lucas’s shoulder.
“This is the binding spell,” Grandma Cassidy said, stepping back. “The person who cast this ritual was deeply evil. They tied Alexander’s life to someone else’s. It’s an exchange of souls p>
My breath hitched. “What does that mean p>
“It means if we force this Meridian root out of Alexander, someone else will drop dead instantly or go completely mad,” Grandma Cassidy explained grimly. “And it has to be someone who is blood-related or extremely close to the person who performed the ritual p>
“Could it be Zachary’s mother?” I blurted out, my mind racing. “She was a Meridian. Could she have tied it to herself before she died p>
Grandma Cassidy began packing her powders and tools back into her leather bag. “I wouldn’t put it past her. But she’s already dead. Breaking a spell tied to a dead person’s soul goes far beyond standard extraction. You cannot collect debt from a grave p>
“Then what do we do?! Do we need to make a sacrifice? Who do we need to see? This evil cannot just win because the person who did it is in the ground p>
“Emma, calm down,” Grandma Cassidy said softly. “This is beyond my power. The council has to appeal to the Higher Spiritual Authorities. If they cannot grant a dispensation to sever a dead person’s spell, there is nothing more mortal hands can do p>
Cherry was sobbing openly now, her shoulders shaking as Lucas held her tightly against his chest.
Grandma Cassidy zipped her bag shut and turned to me. “Don’t touch his bare skin. If you must hold his hand, wear thick gloves. Do not let his blood or fluids touch you. You are carrying his child, and that Meridian mass inside him will reach out to infect anything new it can find p>
I stared at Alexander’s chest, my vision blurring with tears as silence filled the room.
3/5
Admins2