"I am kneeling now; let’s talk."
For a moment, neither of them spoke, the tension stretching into something heavier than confrontation.
"You said you knew what was happening to him," Ariana began.
Raine nodded.
"Landon has suffered for five years. I have watched healers promise hope with confident voices and steady hands, only to see that hope collapse every time. Then you arrived and spoke differently. You said someone was poisoning him. You accused this pack of having a traitor who is trying to kill him." The tension rose. "Yet, you watched him cough blood after your medicine."
"I watched him react to something." Raine interrupted.
"And you are certain that the new thing was not your mistake?"
Raine’s hands curled against her thighs, not from fear, but from the effort of restraint. "As a healer, if I make a mistake, I say it. Pride does not keep patients alive."
Studying Raine’s expression carefully, Ariana spoke in a low tone. "Then explain it to me. Slowly. As if I know nothing."
"The concoction has been stable for two weeks," Raine began, her tone shifting into the controlled precision. "His body accepted it. There were minor fluctuations, but no violent rejection. Yesterday’s reaction was immediate and aggressive."
"What did you give him yesterday? Did his condition worsen? Why did he cough up blood? Did you give him something new?" There were so many questions asked at the same time.
"I gave him the same concoction," Raine said firmly, her jaw tightened. "But something changed."
"What changed?"
"That," Raine said, "is what I am trying to find out—which, honestly, is difficult from this dungeon."
One of the omegas shifted nervously behind Ariana.
There was silence for a long time. However, Raine broke it first. "If this is the part where you are going to threaten me, you should know I have already been threatened by someone taller."
One of the warriors almost smiled. Ariana didn’t. But something flickered. "Then think. Why did he react differently yesterday and not before?"
Ariana did not shout. She never did.
That was what unsettled Raine the most. If Ariana had screamed, if she had accused her wildly, if she had been furious—it would have been easier to understand.
But Ariana was always controlled. Careful and controlled.
"You are hiding something," Ariana said.
"I am not."
"You expect me to stand here after he coughed blood and accept that nothing caused it?"
Raine’s voice dropped. "No. I expect you to accept that the cause might not be me."
Ariana responded fast. "You expect me to believe that? Are you saying that you didn’t do it on purpose? Are you certain you have no different agenda?"
Raine answered with the simplest truth she had. "Why would I harm him when my life is tied to his?"
That answer stopped Ariana. Just for a brief moment, though. Unfortunately, anger does not disappear even when logic appears.
Ariana’s next words came out quieter and more dangerous. "You are very calm for someone whose life depends on him, with his condition now."
Raine held her gaze. "Because panic will not keep him alive. What I’m trying to say is that I need to continue the treatment if you hope for his survival. Unless you wish otherwise."
There is a shift in Ariana’s expression. Something raw—it only appeared for a very short time, but Raine caught it.
Fear.
And that was when the thought returned—the same one she had felt earlier but couldn’t name.
This was not only a mother’s concern. There was something else.
Brianna had told her that Ariana had been acting like a mother to Landon ever since his birth mother died. She always acted like a mother who was concerned about her child. But there was something different there, something that resurfaced for only a brief moment.
Yet, she couldn’t put it into words. It was something sharper and deeper. It was something that didn’t quite fit the role as everyone described it.
Raine watched Ariana carefully.
"What did you do." It was not a question this time. It was an accusation repeated until it became the truth.
"I already told you," Raine said calmly. "Nothing."
Ariana’s frustration flared immediately. "That is not an answer."
"It is," Raine replied. "It is simply not the answer you want."
"You changed something."
"No." Raine shook her head.
Silence snapped between them. Ariana’s anger shifted shape again—less explosive, more desperate, the kind that demanded confession.
Her jaw tightened. "You could be lying."
Raine gave a small, tired smile. "If I wanted him dead, I would not put my own life at stake in the process."
Silence.
There was no argument for that, and that only made Ariana angrier.
Raine immediately recognized the sudden shift: the moment when someone stopped seeking truth and began craving release beyond logic.
"You are clever," Ariana hissed. "You twist words. You stay calm. You make everything sound reasonable."
Raine didn’t deny it.
"You will tell me what you did."
"I have nothing to confess," Raine said curtly.
Ariana stared at her, long and silently, and Raine felt it. Another shift. It wasn’t grief toward what happened. It was an interrogation.
The beta’s mate gestured without looking away. "Hold her."
The warriors hesitated only a moment before stepping forward. Raine did not resist as they took her arms. Her voice stayed steady. "This won’t produce a different answer."
Ariana’s expression did not change. "Trust me, it will."
"No," Raine said softly. She tilted her head slightly. "It will only produce pain."
Ariana’s eyes flickered, but she did not stop.
"Bring the whip."
The words settled heavily in the air. One omega looked down. The other one swallowed.
Raine felt the tension rise in the room. The moment everyone there sensed a line was being crossed, even if they would obey.
Raine spoke quietly. "You know this doesn’t make your conclusion more correct."
"It makes you speak." Ariana’s voice was cold.
Raine met her gaze. "I am already speaking."
The whip was brought.
Raine watched Ariana, not the weapon. Ariana was the important variable, always the person and never the tool.
Ariana stepped closer; her voice was low enough that only Raine could hear. "Said it. You did it. You made a mistake and it will be over quickly."
"No." Raine answered just as quietly. That’s the truth. Ariana only wanted a confession from her.
A long silence. Then Ariana stepped back.
"Do it."