Chapter 68 Wolfsbane’s Antidote

Chapter 68 Wolfsbane’s Antidote
KING THEORON'S POV

“What help?” I asked, though deep inside, I already knew. She wanted me to save her mate, Alpha Apollo. My daughter’s eyes told me as much before her lips ever moved. And how could I, as her father, ever refuse her?

Reika stepped closer, her small hands wrapping around mine. The warmth of her touch coursed through me, grounding me in a way nothing else had for years. 

“Father,” she whispered, her voice trembling like the fragile notes of a song carried by the wind. “My mate was poisoned by his cousin, Jupiter. Please… please help me heal him now. We don’t have much time left.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears, threatening to fall. It broke my heart seeing such misery carved into her face; her lips quivered as though each word might shatter her. Her brows knit tightly, her desperation evident in every line of her expression. She looked at me as if I were her only hope, as if one word from me could decide life or death. And in truth, it could.

To see my little moonlight, once a child now begging me with sorrow etched so deeply into her gaze, it was almost unbearable. My daughter’s happiness meant more to me than any throne or kingdom. 

“Bring me to him,” I said at once.

Reika’s lips curved upward into the faintest smile, relief breaking through her grief. She squeezed my hands before letting go.

Apollo's Beta, Orion, the loyal wolf I had already taken measure of, stepped forward immediately. “This way, my King,” he said, bowing his head slightly before turning to lead us.

We walked through one of Thunder Howl’s vast estates. The walls were 
impressive, sturdy, built for protection. Still, my mind was elsewhere, drawn only to the urgency in my daughter’s steps and the bond I could now feel pulsing faintly between her and her mate.

When we entered the Alpha’s chamber, my eyes fell on Apollo. The sight struck me like a dagger. He lay upon the bed, his skin pale, almost gray, the life drained from his face. His chest rose and fell so faintly that I had to focus to see the movement. His heart, the heart of a leader, now beat faintly, weakly, like the flickering of a dying flame. Even his wolf’s essence seemed muted, struggling against the poison coursing through him.

“Father,” Reika sobbed, her voice cracking as she rushed to his side. She took his limp hand in hers and pressed it to her cheek. “Please help Apollo. He can’t die. I need him.” Her hand shifted to her stomach, and her next words froze me in place. “Our baby needs him, too.”

I gasped, the breath leaving me as though the world itself had tilted. My little moonlight, my child was carrying a pup of her own. She had grown into a woman, and I had not been there to witness any of it. I had missed so much: her first steps into adulthood, her bond with her mate, the moment she conceived this new life. It was as if the years I lost with her had returned in one crushing instant, and grief and awe warred inside me.

What else had I missed in her life? My chest ached with the weight of it. But I knew one thing clearly, I would not fail her now.

“You are pregnant?” I repeated her words, echoing in my head.

“Yes,” Reika said firmly, though her voice trembled with emotion. “And Apollo is the father. He is my mate. Father, please save him.”

I had lost so many years with her, and yet here she stood, begging me not for herself but for the man she loved. My little moonlight had become a woman of strength and devotion, and I felt both pride and sorrow twist in my chest.

After letting everything sink in, I drew in a steadying breath and gave her a firm nod. Then I turned my attention to Apollo. I moved closer, sitting at the edge of the bed, and took his wrist into my hand. His skin was cold to the touch, clammy, his body already drained from fighting the poison. I pressed two fingers to his pulse; it was weak, faint, thready. If he weren’t a strong Alpha with a will of iron, he likely would not have lasted this long. 
The wolfsbane coursing through him was potent, far stronger than what I had seen used on ordinary wolves.

“Father, can you heal Apollo?” Reika asked again, impatience lacing her tone, though I could hear the desperation behind it. Her voice cracked, and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

“I will see what I can do,” I said. My mind was already working, calling upon knowledge passed down through generations of Lycans. “I will create an antidote as soon as I can. Do you have a place where I can do it?”

Beta Orion, who stood silently but watchfully near the door, stepped forward with a respectful nod. “We have a laboratory, my King. I will show you the way.”

I inclined my head. “Good. Prepare it.” I looked at Reika. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Yes, I will. Apollo will have guards by the door."

The laboratory was modest compared to the alchemy halls of my kingdom, but it had the tools I needed. Jars of herbs lined the shelves, powders and tinctures labeled carefully by Thunder Howl’s healers. The bitter tang of dried roots and the sharp sting of alcohol filled the air.

I rolled up my sleeve and summoned the sharp edge of my claw, dragging it across my palm. The cut opened, and thick crimson blood welled forth, glowing faintly with a silvery shimmer. Lycan blood, potent, sacred, alive with power. It was said to carry fragments of the moon goddess’s blessing, able to mend what ordinary means could not.

I caught the blood in a crystal vial, watching it swirl and glimmer like liquid starlight. Then I began to mix. Wolfsbane was not easily purged; it clung to the veins, corrupting blood and choking the heart. To combat it, the antidote needed more than simple cleansing; it needed dominance, a stronger essence to force the poison out. My blood would serve as that essence.

I combined crushed moonwort leaves, ground silver root, and distilled lunar water from the pack’s stores, heating them gently until they blended into a pale, translucent liquid. Into this, I dripped my own blood, and the mixture pulsed with light, glowing faintly as the components fused. The vial warmed in my hand, humming with life.

Behind me, I heard Reika’s uneven breaths as she watched. Her hope clung to me like a weight, urging me forward.

“This,” I said, lifting the vial, “will not only purge the wolfsbane but strengthen his bond to life. It must be given carefully.”

As we arrived at Apollo's room, I poured the antidote into a small cup, cradling Apollo’s head as Reika supported him. His lips were cold as I tipped the liquid into his mouth, drop by drop, making sure he swallowed. The glow seeped through his veins, faint but visible beneath his pale skin, spreading like moonlight through darkness.

"Now, all we could do was wait."