Chapter 16 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ZARIA’S POV
My heart was still hammering in my chest, even though Max left minutes ago, our relationship might not be certain, but what I am certain of, is that he would do whatever it took to get the person who tried to kill me.
My brain was fuzzy, but I knew Gwen tried to kill me. I felt it when I tasted the poisonous scotch on my lips but I ignored it.
Max didn't believe me, his body language spoke a different thing, and I felt horrible for lying to his face, even though I hate him.
Max’s scent, mixed with cedar and rain was starting to fade, and for some fucking weird reason, I missed his scent and craved it.
Just as I was getting relaxed, the door cracked open.
“Oh! You are awake! Thank the moon” Elara giggled, hurrying into my room, carrying a small, steaming bowl of soup. “The Alpha, informed me to bring this to you immediately. You must eat”
She sat at the edge of my bed and placed the bowl of soup on my thighs. The hotness burned my thigh a little, but the duvet covering my thighs absorbed most of the heat.
I sat up, staring at Elara with grateful eyes, she always reminded me of my mother. “Thank you, Elara”
I took a spoonful of soup, it tasted awful but I swallowed it anyway.
“The antidote is affecting the soup, that's why it has a weird taste,” Elara explained and I nodded slowly, taking another spoonful of soup.
“When I heard someone tried to poison you, I was terrified, it reminded me of my daughter,” Elara said, in a low tone. “The difference is that my daughter didn't survive like you,”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and I didn't like to see her cry, so I placed the soup aside and hugged her tightly.
“Your daughter must have been a fighter!” I whispered, and she gave me a weak smile.
“The Alpha would do whatever it took to get the perpetrator of your attempted murder,” She assured, but her assurance tightened a knot in my stomach.
The person they are trying to find stays here, with us, just probably down the hall.
“That's good for her,” I managed to say with a force
My eyes darted to my doorstep, and I caught a familiar figure standing on my doorstep, she entered the room with a mournful look on her face.
“Hey sis, what the fuck happened to you?” She asked, with fake concern.
She rushed to my side and held my hands tightly, her touch felt cold, but I tried not to shove her hands away, to avoid Elara’s suspicion.
“When I heard, I couldn't even catch my breath. How would someone do this to you? It's unthinkable” she said, tightening her grip on my head.
I forced a smile and pulled my hands away gently, “Thank you for the concern”
Elara's suspicion grew, when she noticed my change of attitude.
“I would leave you two alone to talk,” she said, giving Gwen a suspicious look, then to me “Your Grace, please finish your soup.”
“I will,” I said and with that, she left Gwen and me alone.
The moment the door closed, the air around us changed. The fake smiles melted off our faces, and Gwen's deceitful eyes glittered.
“You can fucking drop the act, Gwen” I sneered at her, trying to sound steady even when I'm not.
She blinked repeatedly, faking ignorance. “What act? I'm glad that you made it alive” she smiled.
“You know what I am talking about,” I said, coldly, increasing her anxiety. “The poison in the scotch was you,”
Her pretense was shattered immediately. Gwen’s perfect face twisted with a mixture of rage and panic. Her jaw clenched so hard I could hear a tiny grind of her teeth.
“But…they said you forgot the previous event” She stuttered, Unable to look me in the eye.
“Well, I lied, because if Max found out you did this, forget any future with him,” I said, with my hands folded underneath my breast.
I don't know why I am helping her, when she has been nothing but mean to me since we met each other.
Before falling unconscious, I enjoyed the conversation we had and felt we were heading somewhere.
“What? Do you want me to say thank you,” She scoffed, rolling her eyes.
“If I wanted a thank you, I would have gotten it,” I said, with my eyes fixed on her, I wasn't planning to break the glare anytime soon.
“How fucking dare you judge me” She spat out in a whisper, but the hurt in her voice was clear. “How dare you survive, you are supposed to be dead, so I can actually live,"
“I know I ruined a year you had with the Alpha, but trying to murder me! That's too fucking far,” I growled at her, but she didn't feel remorseful.
“What else am I supposed to do when it isn't up to six months and he is starting to like you!” She yelled, pacing around the room.
“That is ridiculous, he doesn't like me and besides killing me would have thrown you in the dungeon,” I yelled back, even if I didn't have enough strength to yell.
She scoffed, with an ugly sound. "He wouldn't know. No one would know. I made sure of it. Except..." She trailed off, staring at me with a calculating, dangerous look. "Except you, and I have a feeling you are not going to snitch on me.
I am only helping Gwen so I don't lose her, I have had three funerals just this year, I can't have more.
Gwen took a deep breath, then looked at me, “That is great,” She snapped and walked off.
Just as the silence settled between us, she started pacing around the room slowly.
Just as we were in our silence, I heard a clumsy, loud sound, as if someone had tripped right outside the door. Then, a sharp, ragged intake of breath, quickly muffled.
My blood ran cold. My eyes snapped to the door. Gwen's head whipped around, her face instantly draining of color. She looked utterly horrified.
Someone was out there.
Someone had heard our entire conversation