Chapter 59: Crisis Management

As Adam rushed towards the houses in the pack together with Mia, his mind raced with the urgency of the situation. He knew they needed to warn the pack members about the contaminated water, and every second counted. Mia was already ahead of him, her pace determined as she headed towards the nearest house. “Adam, we need to move fast.”, Mia said, her voice tense with urgency as they reached the first house. “We don’t know how many people have already used the water.”

Adam nodded, his heart pounding in his chest as they knocked on the door. A few moments later, it swung open, revealing a startled pack member. “Is everything alright?”, the man asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Adam didn’t waste any time. “There’s wolfsbane in the water.”, he said, his tone urgent. “Don’t use it for anything. We’re going to warn the rest of the pack.”

The pack member’s eyes widened in alarm as he took in Adam’s words. “Thank you for letting us know.”, he said quickly. “Let me shut off the water in the house, and I will join you in warning the others.”, he said. Adam nodded gratefully, every bit of help they could get would help them reach the people faster.

Adam and Mia moved quickly from house to house together with all that came out to help them, warning the pack members. In some cases, they were already too late, finding pack members suffering from the effects of the wolfsbane already. Adam administered first aid as best as he could, but he hoped that Enora had luck getting a doctor to come to help them fast. They needed it. Adam knew he was doing the best he could, but his heart was heavy knowing that not everyone would be alive the next morning.

He felt like he was already running around for hours, warning others and giving aid, when his phone rang. “Enora, what’s the situation?”, Adam asked, his voice tense with concern.

Enora’s voice crackled over the line, filled with urgency. “I’ve managed to get some help from Alpha Jameson.”, she said quickly. “He is sending over a doctor with some supplies. I called other packs as well that I know have a doctor, and they are sending some help as well. I don’t think it’s going to be enough though.”, she said quickly.

“We need to work with what we get. Let me know when they get here, okay? Mia is making a list of people that we found already affected.”, Adam said firmly, though that was not what he was feeling like. “Can you try Sebastian and Lucas again?”

Adam had hung up on her, but Enora couldn’t blame him for doing so. Immediately, her phone started ringing again, and Enora answered as fast as she could with her trembling fingers. “Yes?”

“Really? That’s great! We are so grateful for your help!”, Enora exclaimed into the phone. There was an Alpha who had heard what was going on, and that wanted to help them. At least there would be another nurse coming with some supplies. It still wasn’t much, but it was something. And at this point, Enora couldn’t be bothered yet to think about how they would be repaying the favors she had asked for today.

After she ended the call, Enora tried Sebastian again. And again, but he didn’t answer and it annoyed Enora. It made her feel like Sebastian disregarded her phone calls as not important. Enora took a deep breath and tried to push those negative thoughts to the background, because there were more pressing matters at hand. Next, she tried Lucas again.

To her relief, Lucas answered on the first ring. “Lucas, thank Goddess. We need your help.”, Enora said quickly, her voice urgent. “There’s wolfsbane in the water. Adam and Mia are warning the whole pack, I’ve been trying to get as many doctors and nurses to come as possible. I don’t know how bad it is. And I can’t get a hold of Sebastian.”

Lucas didn’t hesitate. “I’m coming and I’ll try Sebastian also.”, he said, before ending the call.

Sebastian looked around in the abode Seth was spending his time in. It was nothing like he expected, it was a large house, full of modern gadgets that Seth had refused for his pack for years. It was such a contradiction from Seth as an Alpha. Anger was simmering under his skin for the hypocrisy. That, and needing to spend time with this man discussing money, that obviously he had enough.

Seth reclined in his chair, a smug smile playing at the corners of his lips as he regarded Sebastian with a look of thinly veiled amusement. “So, Sebastian, how are things going with the pack?”, Seth asked casually, his tone deceptively light.

Sebastian bristled inwardly at the question, his instincts on high alert as he sensed the underlying motive behind Seth’s inquiry. He knew better than to let his guard down around the wily old Alpha, especially given their tumultuous history. “Things are fine.”, Sebastian replied curtly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Seth’s smile widened, his eyes glinting with mischief as he leaned back in his chair. His gaze lingered up on Sebastian with a calculating glint. “Good to hear.”, he said slowly. “And what about you, Sebastian? How are you holding up?”

Sebastian bristled at the question, sensing the underlying meaning behind Seth’s inquiry. He knew that Seth was fishing for information, probing for any signs of weakness or vulnerability that he could exploit to his advantage. “I’m fine.”, Sebastian replied tersely, his jaw clenched with frustration. “Just busy.”

Seth raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable as he studied Sebastian with a penetrating gaze. “Is that so?”, he mused, his tone dripping with insinuation. “And what about my allowance, Sebastian? Have you had a chance to consider my proposal?”

Sebastian’s blood ran cold at the mention of the allowance, his stomach twisting with unease at the reminder of the deal he had struck with Seth. He had agreed to keep Seth out of their affairs in exchange for a hefty sum of money, but now it seemed that Seth was intent on collecting his dues.

“I haven’t had time to think about it.”, Sebastian lied, his voice tight with discomfort.

Seth’s smile widened into a smirk, his eyes gleaming with malice as he leaned forward in his chair. “Of course, of course.”, he said smoothly. “But surely you can spare a moment to discuss our financial arrangement. After all, a deal is a deal, is it not?”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched with frustration, his fists balling at his sides as he fought to maintain his composure. He knew that Seth was toying with him, trying to keep him there as long as possible to extract every last detail of their dealings.

“I’ll think about it.”, Sebastian said through gritted teeth, his patience wearing thin. He was trying to figure out what it was that Seth wanted from him, because whatever it was, it wasn’t about the allowance.

Seth’s smile faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing with annoyance at Sebastian’s defiance. But then, just as quickly, it was replaced by a mask of false congeniality as he leaned back in his chair. “Of course, Sebastian.”, Seth said smoothly. “I understand completely. But do keep in mind that time is of the essence. I’ll be expecting to hear from you soon.”

“You have a nice house here. How did you come across this?”, Sebastian asked, trying to not sound curious. Seth’s eyes lit up at the question, and the sly smirk on his lips got slightly bigger.

“Oh, you know. From a friend.”, was all he said as an answer.

With a curt nod, Sebastian turned on his heel and made his way towards the door. It wasn’t until he was back in his car that he looked at his phone properly. His heart pounded in his chest when he saw the number of missed calls from Enora, Lucas, and Adam. Panic struck him fast, and he tried to call them back immediately, as he drove back home.

He tried Enora first, but the line was busy. Next up he tried Lucas, who answered almost immediately. “Sebastian, thank Goddess.”, he breathed in his phone. “Where are you? You need to get here fast.”

“Why? What happened?”, Sebastian asked, his voice trembling with fear. He heard Lucas taking a deep breath on the other side of the line.

“There is wolfsbane in the water. I’m not completely sure myself, you need to ask Adam or Enora for more details.”, he said. Sebastian felt as if the ground had been pulled out from under him, his blood running cold at the mention of the deadly poison. He struggled to process the information, his mind reeling with the implications of what it meant for the pack.

“Are Adam and Enora okay?”, Sebastian asked softly.

“Yes. But I’m really not sure about the pack. You really need to ask them.”, Lucas answered.

Sebastian ended the call and raced back home, afraid for what he was about to find there.