Chapter 30 Elara's POV
I woke up slowly, my head pounding, my mouth dry as sand. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose and I knew before I opened my eyes that I was in a hospital.
"Easy." Damian's voice came from beside me.
"Don't try to sit up too fast."
I turned my head and saw him sitting in a chair next to my bed, looking exhausted. Dark circles shadowed his eyes and his clothes were rumpled.
"What happened?" My voice came out as a croak.
"You poisoned someone and put something in your dinner last night."
The words took a moment to register. Poisoned someone had tried to kill me.
"The baby." I gasped, my hand flying to my stomach. "Is the baby-"
"The baby is better than fine, actually."
Damian leaned forward, his expression a mix of exhaustion and wonder. "Elara, your child saved your life."
"What do you mean?"
"The lunar pulse is activated when the poison enters your system. Somehow, the baby filtered the toxin, kept it from reaching lethal levels in your blood. By all rights, you should be dead but your child protected you."
I pressed both hands to my stomach, tears springing to my eyes. My precious baby saved me.
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know if the lunar pulse is still a mystery to me. But whatever blessing the Moon Goddess gave this child, it's powerful." He checked the monitor beside my bed.
"The poison is almost completely out of your system now. You will be weak for a day or two, but you'll make a full recovery."
"Who did it?" I asked, anger cutting through the relief. "Who tried to poison me?"
Damian's expression hardened. "Selena. Kaden found the poison in her room. She has been arrested."
Selena I should have known should have trusted my instincts when she'd approached me with that fake apology.
"Where is Kaden?"
"Preparing for an emergency pack meeting. He is calling the entire pack together tonight."
Damian stood and checked my IV. "He wants you there."
"Why would I need to be there?"
"Because the attempted murder happened in his quarters. You are a witness to what happened before you collapsed. And..."
Damian hesitated. "I think he wants the pack to see that you are alive and that you survived."
Hours later, after Damian had checked and rechecked my vitals and finally declared me stable enough to leave, Ethan arrived at the hospital room.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, his expression concerned.
"Like someone tried to kill me." I said bluntly.
"Fair enough." He offered me his arm.
"I'm here to escort you to the council hall. The pack meeting starts in thirty minutes."
"I don't know if I'm strong enough-"
"You won't have to walk far and there will be a chair waiting for you. Kaden was very specific about that."
Ethan's voice softened. "He has been worried sick about you."
I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.
The drive to the council hall was quiet. Ethan kept glancing at me like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"You can ask." I said finally.
"Whatever it is you want to know."
"Did you really call for Kaden through the bond? When you were dying?"
The question caught me off guard. "I... I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly. I just reached out for help and he was there in my mind."
"The bond is still active even after the rejection."
"I guess so." I looked out the window.
"I don't really understand how any of it works."
"Neither does anyone else mate, bonds are complicated rejections even more so."
He paused. "For what it's worth, I've never seen Kaden like this. So desperate and broken he really does care about you."
"He has a funny way of showing it."
"Yeah he does." Ethan pulled up to a large building. "We are here."
The council hall was massive, with rows of seats rising up in a semicircle around a central platform. It was already packed with hundreds of wolves, all talking in low voices, speculation and concern on their faces.
They fell silent when I entered every eye turned to me. I felt exposed, vulnerable, like I was under a microscope.
Ethan guided me to a chair that had been placed to the side of the platform. Guards stood nearby, their expressions watchful.
"You will be safe here.” Ethan promised.
"I will be right over there if you need anything."
He left and I sat alone, very aware of all the stares. The whispers had started again.
"That's her?"
"The omega who was poisoned?"
"Why is she here?"
"What's the Alpha going to say?"
I kept my eyes down, my hands folded in my lap, trying to make myself as small as possible then the hall doors opened and Kaden walked in.
The whispers stopped immediately and the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
He looked different, harder , his jaw was set, his eyes blazing with an intensity I had never seen before. He moved to the center of the platform and looked out over the assembled pack.
His eyes found mine for just a moment. I couldn't read his expression when he began to speak.
"I have called you all here tonight because I have an announcement to make. One that affects the entire pack."
His voice carried through the hall, strong and clear.
"As you all know, I was scheduled to announce my Luna in five days. A coronation ceremony was planned. Invitations were sent to neighboring packs and preparations were made."
He paused. "That ceremony is canceled."
The hall erupted.
Voices shouted over each other and pack members stood, demanding explanations. The chaos was immediate and overwhelming.
Kaden raised his hand and the noise died down, though I could see the shock and confusion on every face.
"Selena will not be my Luna. She has been arrested for attempted murder. She poisoned a member of this pack with the intent to kill. She will face trial and punishment according to pack law."
Gasps echoed through the hall and pack members looked at each other in shock.
Elder Marcus stood from his seat. "Alpha, this is a serious accusation. What evidence do you have?"
"The poison was found hidden in her quarters. The substance matches what was found in the victim's system; she will face a formal trial, but the evidence is clear."
"Who was poisoned?" Someone called out.
Kaden's eyes flicked to me briefly. "A member of this pack who was under my protection. The details will come out during the trial."
"And the Luna position?" Elder Rowan asked, standing.
"Every pack needs a Luna. If Selena is unsuitable, who will take her place?"
"That position remains vacant until I decide otherwise. This pack has functioned without an official Luna before. It will continue to do so."
"For how long?" Rowan pressed.
"As long as it takes."
The hall erupted in discussion again. Pack members arguing, debating, some looking angry, others confused.
"This is unacceptable!" Someone shouted.
"You can't just cancel the coronation days before it's scheduled! The other Alphas have been invited. The preparations are made. This makes us look weak!"
"I don't care how it looks." Kaden said coldly.
"I will not bind myself to someone who attempted murder. Would you prefer I go through with a coronation for a woman who tried to kill a pack member?"
That silenced some of the protests.
"What about the alliance with Selena's family?" Another elder asked.
"They are a powerful bloodline rejecting her will create enemies."
"Then we will deal with those enemies when they come. I'm not marrying someone who tried to commit murder in my own house."
The meeting continued for another hour. Kaden answered questions, addressed concerns, and made it clear that his decision was final. Some pack members seemed to accept it. Others looked deeply unhappy.
I sat there quietly, trying to process everything. He would cancel the coronation and publicly arrest Selena all because she would try to poison me.
But he hadn't told them about the bond. Hadn't revealed that I was his mate or that I was carrying his child.
Why not? Why protect those secrets while exposing everything else?
Finally, Kaden dismissed everyone. The hall began to empty, pack members filing out in small groups, still talking among themselves.
I stayed in my chair, unsure if I should leave or wait. Guards still surrounded me, keeping people at a distance.
Then I heard a commotion near the exit.
Selena was being led through the hall in chains, flanked by guards. Her perfect hair was disheveled, her makeup smeared from crying. But her eyes were clear and full of rage.
She saw me sitting there and she smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was cold, cruel and promising.
As the guards led her past my chair, she leaned in close enough that only I could hear.
"This isn't over," She whispered.
"You think you have won? Do you think canceling one ceremony changes anything? I will destroy you, I will take everything from you."
Her voice was so calm, so certain, that ice ran down my spine.
"You should have died from that poison," She continued, her voice barely audible.
"Next time, I will make sure there are no miracles to save you."
"Move along," One of the guards said, pulling her away.
But she kept her eyes on me until she was out of the hall, that terrible smile never leaving her face.
I sat there shaking, her words echoing in my mind.
Next time.
She was already planning a next time.