Seraphina’s Point of View
I followed Margot’s maid through the corridors, irritation burning in my chest.
What could possibly be so urgent that it couldn’t wait until after breakfast? I had been making progress with Luna Helena. Building rapport. Trying to repair some of the damage from the past few days.
And now this.
Margot was waiting in her private sitting room, seated in a high-backed chair like a queen on her throne. Vivienne stood beside her, looking equally serious.
"Close the door," Margot ordered the maid. "And make sure no one disturbs us."
The maid bowed and left.
I stood there, confused. "Lady Margot, what’s this about? You pulled me away from breakfast with Luna Helena."
"That’s precisely why I called you here." Margot’s eyes were sharp. "Sit down, child."
I sat.
"You must never eat at Luna Helena’s residence again."
I blinked. "What? Why not?"
"Think about it." Margot leaned forward. "You are not her real daughter-in-law. You were supposed to marry Dominic, but instead you married Bastian. Her stepson."
"I don’t understand what that has to do with—"
"Helena despises Bastian," Vivienne cut in. "She always has. He’s a constant reminder that her husband took another woman to his bed. And now you’ve married him instead of her precious Dominic."
Margot nodded. "In her eyes, you’ve betrayed her son. Abandoned him for his half-brother. Do you really think she wouldn’t hold that against you?"
My stomach twisted. "You think she would... tamper with my food?"
"I think she’s capable of many things when it comes to protecting her son’s interests." Margot’s voice was cold. "She may seem gracious, but Helena is a wolf like the rest of us. And wolves bite when threatened."
I thought about the breakfast I had almost eaten. The porridge sitting in that bowl, untouched.
A chill ran down my spine.
"I understand," I said quietly. "I’ll be more careful from now on."
"See that you are." Margot waved her hand dismissively. "You may go."
********
Ivy’s Point of View
After Seraphina left, the dining room felt strangely quiet.
I stared at my bowl of porridge, my mind racing. The timing of Seraphina’s departure was too convenient. Too precise. Almost as if someone had planned it.
Margot pulled her away right before she could eat.
Why? What did Margot know that we didn’t?
I pushed the bowl away, my appetite gone. The silvervine root in the food troubled me deeply. If Luna Helena was being poisoned, she might not even know it. The effects were subtle at first. Easy to miss.
But who would want to make Luna Helena barren? She was already past her childbearing years. It didn’t make sense.
Unless...
Unless the poison wasn’t meant for Luna Helena at all.
The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. The weekly breakfasts. The tradition of the Alpha family wives gathering to eat together.
What if the poison was meant for us?
Before I could pursue this line of thinking, a servant knocked and entered.
"My Luna, Young Madam," she announced. "Physician Aldric from the royal palace has arrived for Young Master Dominic’s weekly treatment."
Luna Helena set down her tea cup. "Already? Very well. Have him proceed to Dominic’s chambers."
She rose from her seat and looked at me. "Come, Ivy. You should observe the treatment. As Dominic’s wife, you need to understand his condition."
I followed her through the estate, my mind still churning with questions about the poisoned food. But I pushed those thoughts aside for now. Dominic’s treatment was more important.
We arrived at the heir’s residence just as the physician was being escorted inside. Physician Aldric was an older man, perhaps sixty, with gray hair pulled back in a severe knot and deep-set eyes that had seen too much. He carried a leather bag filled with instruments and vials.
"Luna Helena." He bowed respectfully. "And this must be the young madam I’ve heard about."
"Physician Aldric has been treating Dominic since the accident," Luna Helena explained. "He’s the best healer in the kingdom. The king himself sent him."
"An honor to meet you," I said politely.
Aldric’s eyes lingered on me for a moment, assessing. Then he turned and entered Dominic’s bedroom.
We followed.
Dominic lay exactly as I had left him this morning. Pale. Still. The totem markings on his neck barely visible. Marcus and Theo stood at attention near the door, watching the physician’s every move.
"Has there been any change since last week?" Aldric asked, setting his bag on the bedside table.
"None," Luna Helena replied. Her voice was tight with barely concealed grief. "He’s exactly the same."
"I see."
Aldric began his examination. He checked Dominic’s pulse, listened to his breathing, examined his eyes. His movements were practiced and efficient. Clearly a man who had done this many times before.
"His body remains stable," Aldric announced. "The physical wounds have healed well. But the damage to his brain..." He shook his head. "That is another matter entirely."
He pulled several items from his bag. A small silver bowl. A vial of dark liquid. A bundle of dried herbs that I recognized as moonshade fern. And a crystal pendant that hummed with spiritual energy.
"I will now perform the neural restoration technique," Aldric said. "Please remain quiet during the procedure."
He placed the crystal pendant on Dominic’s forehead and poured the dark liquid into the silver bowl. Then he began to chant, his voice low and rhythmic. Ancient words that resonated with power.
I watched intently, analyzing every movement.
The crystal began to glow, pulsing in time with Aldric’s words. Energy flowed from the pendant into Dominic’s skull. I could sense it moving through his brain, touching the damaged areas.
At first, everything seemed normal. Standard healing techniques. Basic energy manipulation.
But then something changed.
Aldric’s hands shifted position. His chanting altered subtly. The energy flowing from the crystal took on a different quality.
My eyes widened.
That’s wrong.
I could see it clearly now. The energy wasn’t targeting the blood clots. It was avoiding them. Moving around them instead of through them.
And the bone fragments...
The energy was pushing them deeper. Not removing them. Not dissolving them. Pushing them further into the delicate tissue of Dominic’s brain.
He’s making it worse.
My hands clenched in my lap. Every instinct screamed at me to intervene. To stop this so-called treatment before it caused more damage.
But I couldn’t. Not without revealing what I was. Not without exposing my abilities to everyone in this room.
So I sat there, watching, as Aldric systematically sabotaged Dominic’s recovery.
The procedure lasted another twenty minutes. Each minute felt like an eternity. Each pulse of energy drove those bone fragments a little deeper, made the clots a little more entrenched.
Finally, Aldric stopped.
He removed the crystal pendant and wiped his brow. His face was arranged in an expression of practiced solemnity. The perfect picture of a healer who had done everything he could.
"I’m afraid the news is not good."
Luna Helena’s hands tightened on her skirts. "What do you mean?"
"The heir’s condition has not improved." Aldric sighed heavily. "In fact, I fear it may have worsened slightly since my last visit. The damage to his brain is extensive. Far more extensive than we initially believed."
"But you’ve been treating him for six months!" Luna Helena’s voice cracked. "Surely there must be some improvement?"
"I have done everything in my power, Luna Helena. But some wounds are beyond even the most skilled healer’s abilities." Aldric began packing his instruments. "The heir may not have much time left. Days, perhaps. A few weeks at most."
Luna Helena made a choked sound. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I strongly suggest that Alpha Alaric and yourself begin making preparations." Aldric’s voice was gentle but firm. "It is better to be ready than to be caught off guard when the time comes."
He bowed and left the room, leaving devastation in his wake.
Luna Helena collapsed into a chair, sobbing. I went to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
But inside, my mind was racing.
The physician is working against Dominic.