Chapter 22 Poison Play
The peace lasted exactly three days.
Sage was at the clinic treating a patient with a sprained ankle when Riley burst through the door with blood running down his arm.
“We need to talk,” he said. “Now.”
She finished wrapping the ankle and sent the patient home, then turned to Riley. “What happened?”
“Someone attacked me on the way here. Three wolves I have never seen before.” He sat on the exam table. “They said Marcus sent them.”
Sage’s blood went cold. “Marcus is exiled, helleft the state.”
“That is what we thought.” Riley winced as she cleaned the wound. “But these wolves had a message. Said Marcus is coming back. Said he has allies we don’t know about.”
“Did you tell Kade?”
“He is in a meeting with the pack council, he can’t be interrupted.” Riley grabbed her wrist. “Sage, they knew things, about the mate ceremony. About pack security. Someone has been feeding them information.”
“You think there is a spy.”
“I know there is, there has to be. These wolves knew too much.” He pulled out his phone and showed her a photo he managed to take. “Recognize any of them?”
Sage studied the faces. Three males. Mid-twenties. One looked vaguely familiar. “I might have seen this one at the challenge, but I’m not sure.”
“I’m going to run these through pack records. See if they are registered anywhere.” Riley stood. “But we need to warn Kade, if Marcus is planning something…”
The clinic door opened again. Cole came in looking grim.
“Another attack,” he said. “Two of our border patrol wolves both poisoned with wolfsbane. They are at the hospital now.”
“When?” Sage grabbed her medical bag.
“Twenty minutes ago. They are stable but barely.” Cole looked at Riley’s arm. “What happened to you?”
“Same thing, different attackers.” Riley explained about the wolves and Marcus’s message.
Cole swore. “Marcus is making moves, testing our defenses.”
“Or planning something bigger.” Sage headed for the door. “I need to see those poisoned wolves. Riley, get those photos to Kade. Cole, come with me.”
They split up. Sage and Cole drove to the hospital where the two wolves were being treated. The doctors had done what they could but wolfsbane poisoning required specific treatment.
Sage spent an hour stabilizing them both. Flushing the poison. Managing the fever. They’d survive but it was close.
“Who did this to you?” she asked when one of them was conscious enough to talk.
“Don’t know. They wore masks. Came out of nowhere.” The wolf was young. Maybe twenty. “They injected us and ran. Didn’t even try to finish us off.”
“They wanted you alive to deliver a message.” Cole said.
“What message?”
“That they can get to us whenever they want.” Sage checked his vitals again. “That we are vulnerable.”
Her phone rang. Kade.
“Where are you?” he asked. His voice was tight.
“Hospital. Two wolves were poisoned, I’m treating them.”
“How bad?”
“Bad but they will survive.” She stepped into the hallway. “Riley told you about the attacks?”
“He did and I’ve got more bad news.” She heard him moving, walking fast. “The wolves in Riley’s photo? They are registered with the Crescent Pack. The same pack Marcus was meeting with at the warehouse.”
“They are working with him.”
“Looks like it and their Alpha just called me for a meeting. Says he has information about Marcus’s plans.”
“It’s a trap.” Sage said.
“Probably but I can’t ignore it. If Marcus is planning something big, I need to know.” Kade paused. “I’m going to the meeting. Tonight.”
“Where?”
“Neutral territory. Old warehouse district.” He hesitated. “I need you to stay at the penthouse. With guards.”
“No.”
“Sage…”
“Last time you went to meet the Crescent Alpha, you got ambushed by hunters. I’m not letting you walk into another trap alone.” She lowered her voice. “I’m coming with you.”
“It is too dangerous.”
“Then we are both in danger. That is what mates do.” She felt the bond between them. His fear. His protectiveness. “You can argue but you won’t win. I’m coming.”
He sighed. “Fine. But you stay in the car with Cole. You don’t get out unless I give the signal.”
“Deal.”
She finished at the hospital and met Kade at the penthouse. He was already armed. Gun at his hip. Silver knife strapped to his leg. Ready for a fight.
“How many are you bringing?” she asked.
“Ten. Including Riley and Cole.” He checked his weapons. “The Crescent Alpha said to come alone but I’m not that stupid.”
They left at eight when it was fully dark. The warehouse district was abandoned. Buildings falling apart. No lights except what they brought.
Kade’s SUV pulled up to the designated warehouse. The others parked a block away. Ready to move if needed.
“Wait here,” Kade told Sage. “I mean it. You see anything wrong, you drive away. Don’t wait for me.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You will if I tell you to.” He kissed her hard. “I love you. But if this goes bad, you run. Promise me.”
She wanted to argue but she saw the fear in his eyes. The memory of his father dying. The terror of losing her the same way.
“I promise,” she lied.
He got out with Riley and three other wolves to the warehouse entrance.
Sage watched from the car with Cole beside her. Her heart was pounding. The mate bond let her feel Kade’s emotions, alert, cautious, ready.
They entered the warehouse, for five minutes nothing happened.
Then gunfire erupted inside.
“No!” Sage threw open the car door.
Cole grabbed her. “You promised to stay…”
“I lied.” She shifted partially. Just enough for strength and speed, broke his grip and ran toward the warehouse.
Behind her she heard Cole calling for backup and the other wolves moving in.
But Sage was already at the entrance pushing through the door.
Inside was chaos. Hunters everywhere. More than at the last ambush. Twenty at least, armed with silver and wolfsbane.
Kade and his wolves were pinned down behind shipping containers. Fighting but outnumbered.
The Crescent Alpha was nowhere to be seen. He lured them here and left them to die.
Sage shifted fully and attacked the nearest hunter. Her wolf took him down before he could react.
“Sage, no!” Kade shouted but he was too far away. Too busy fighting.
She moved through the warehouse taking down hunters. Fast and vicious. Using her small size as advantage.
Cole and the other wolves poured in behind her. The tide turned.
But more hunters kept coming. Like they’d been waiting. Like they knew exactly how many wolves Kade would bring.
This wasn’t just an ambush.
It was a planned attack. Carefully orchestrated.
Sage saw Riley go down with a silver bullet in his shoulder. Saw another wolf get hit with wolfsbane gas.
They were losing.
Then she smelled it. The same bitter floral scent from the challenge.
Wolfsbane. But stronger. More concentrated.
She shifted back to human and found Kade. “We need to go. Now. They’re going to gas the whole building.”
“I’m not running…”
“If we stay, we die. All of us.” She grabbed his arm. “Trust me.”
He looked in her eyes, felt the truth through their bond.
“Everyone out!” he commanded. “Fall back!”
The wolves retreated, fighting their way to the exits.
As they cleared the building, purple smoke filled the warehouse. Wolfsbane gas, enough to kill every wolf inside.
They made it to the vehicles. Did a quick count, everyone was alive. Riley and two others were injured but alive.
“Marcus planned this,” Kade said. His face was hard. “He is working with the Crescent Pack, they lured us here.”
“He is escalating,” Sage said. “First the poisonings. Then this ambush. He is not done.”
“No he’s not.” Kade looked at his injured wolves. “He is building something, something big.”
“What do we do?”
“We prepare for war.” He pulled out his phone. “And we find out who’s feeding him information from inside our pack.”
They drove back to the penthouse. Sage treated the injured while Kade made calls, gathering his most trusted wolves and preparing defenses.
The peace was over and Marcus was coming back.
And this time he wasn’t going to stop until one of them was dead.
Sage felt the mate bond. Kade’s determination. His fury. His fear for her safety.
She promised to stay safe, to run if things went bad.
But that promise was already broken because she wasn’t running. Not from Marcus or from this fight.
She was Alpha female now.
And she would defend her pack with everything she had.
Even if it killed her.