FORTY SEVEN

FORTY SEVEN
Neo POV

The walls felt like they were closing in. I was on the cold bathroom floor, shirt clinging to my sweat-drenched skin, underwear soaked in shame, curled on my side as a fresh wave of cramps gripped my gut like a vice. My stomach roared, gurgling, twisting. Each spasm was like lightning through my core—sharp, unforgiving. I dragged myself forward, fingers trembling against the smooth tile, knuckles scraped raw from earlier attempts to haul myself up.
And then it hit again.
"F-fuck!" I snarled, curling in on myself as my body betrayed me for the millionth goddamn time. I barely made it to the toilet in time. Again. My legs shook beneath me, weak and useless, as if my bones were being hollowed from the inside out. Every time I thought it was over—every time I dared to hope—I was slammed back into agony—a savage cycle of pain and humiliation.
The stench was unbearable. The air was thick with it. My own sickness clung to every surface, every breath. My vision blurred, the edges of the world going dark. The 'poison' in that cursed food was wreaking havoc. I'd read about poisoning before and even used the method myself. Sickness, diarrhea, palpitations, and organs failing, causing body pain and exhaustion. 

Check, Check, Check.

And the worst part? My wolf… was silent. I screamed into the void of my mind, clawing for him, begging him to shift, to rise, to help me heal. But there was nothing. Just silence. The absence of him—the emptiness—was worse than the physical pain. My bond with him frayed like an old rope, slipping strand by strand as fear curled around my spine. This couldn't be happening. Not to me.

I was the Alpha.

The sound of the keypad on the outer door made me freeze—half slumped on the toilet, mouth dry, panic flooding every cell.
Only one other person had that code.

Zeke.

Relief, followed by a white-hot sting of shame, lit through me like a match to gasoline. Even with everything between us, even after I caught him sniffing around Sky like she was a meal to be devoured—he'd come. Good. He'd see me like this. And he'd fix it.

My knees cracked as I crawled across the floor, fingers clawing for the edge of the doorframe. My vision tunneled. I leaned my head against the cool wood, dragging in breath after breath, steadying myself just enough to greet him. But it wasn't just Zeke who entered. The sound of flip-flops slapped across the tile. That voice.

"Oh, brother…" Sky drawled. "You look like shit." I turned my head. And there she was. Standing framed in the light like some twisted avenging angel—summer dress flowing with every step, pink and blonde hair lit up in a halo of sunset hues. She had her phone in her hand, camera lens already aimed at me.

"Get. Out." My voice was a hoarse rasp, filled with venom. I couldn't back up.

"Smile!" she chirped, and the flash exploded in my face. The room swam.

"Goddess, what is that smell?" she gagged, covering her nose as she crouched in front of me like I was an injured animal she found on the roadside.

Behind her stood the two warriors—Joren and Micah—my hand-picked muscle, the ones I had promised first pick of the unclaimed women when I finalized my plans. Now? They looked uncomfortable. Nervous. One was shifting on his feet. The other looked like he wanted to vanish.

"Gosh, Neo…" Sky cooed mockingly. "What did you eat?"

"Only the food… you made…" I wheezed, sweat dripping down my temple. My body convulsed again, and I clutched my stomach as pain spiked like a spear to the gut.

Oh no," she grinned, placing a hand on her chest. "I told you I was a terrible cook." She blinked, those glacier-blue eyes lit with mock innocence like she wasn't the devil in a sundress standing over me with the glee of a child who'd just crushed her first bug.

She smiled wide. Wicked. Glowing with satisfaction. And I hated her for it. The realization hit like a gut punch I didn't see coming. This was because of her. Her food. Her poison. Her plan. She'd done this to me. And I hadn't seen it coming.

Me. The Alpha.

The one always five steps ahead of everyone else. And now? I was groveling on the fucking floor in my own filth, my wolf went silent, my pack whispering behind my back, and my little sister snapping photos for her goddamn scrapbook.

It wasn't just food. It was revenge. A declaration of war served with bacon and eggs. And I'd swallowed every bite like a blind fool. A sharp cramp hit my side, and I choked on the pain as it ripped through me. I could feel the sweat rolling down my spine, soaking into the thin, already ruined fabric of my shirt.

I lurched, panting, my insides bubbling like boiling tar. 

"Ok there, Alpha?" Sky asked as she stepped forward, crouching slowly in front of me like I was some injured stray, her phone raised again. Her eyes sparkled with cruel delight as she motioned to the front of my shirt, where a sickly, dark stain spread across the fabric like a shameful badge. Her gaze dropped lower—to my pants. To the evidence of my humiliation soaked through the cotton like a toddler who'd lost control.

"One for the Christmas cards, bro!" she chirped, snapping another picture. 

I wanted to hit her. No—I wanted to break her.

But my body betrayed me again, a fresh wave of agony curling my spine as everything clenched. My gut twisted, my legs spasmed, and my ass clenched so tightly I saw stars. I was one breath away from defecating again in front of an audience.

In front of her.

I sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, fury roaring in my ears. This wasn't just pain. It was a fucking massacre. Led by my sister, my best friend and my fucking pack members.