CHAPTER 10: Desperate

MAKENA

“What? Why?” Erika asked, staring at me with wide eyes, obviously taken aback by my request. But I was in a desperate situation. I couldn’t go to Brindle.

“Because I need it. Please, get it.”

“No! I can’t do that. Why would you ask me to poison you?”

“Because I'm desperate, Erika.”

“Desperate for what? I don’t understand. What could make you want to kill yourself?”

“Kill myself? I'm not trying to kill myself. I just want to get sick... sick enough not to go to Brindle.”

“Why?”

“Erika, please. I'm running out of time. Just do what I say," I begged, placing my hands on her shoulders, but she turned away from me. I began to tell her that I knew it was a big ask, but she interrupted.

"I could get killed."

"I know, but nobody will find out, I promise." She asked what if I became too ill, and I assured her that I would not, even though I had no idea, but I needed her to come through for me. I told her she could give me a small dose to induce a mild fever. "Please, I beg you, Erika."

“I don't know, Makena. I'm confused by all this. Akira’s your fiancé, and this is not your first visit there. You aren't making sense, and you are frightening me. If you don't want to marry him, this isn't the way to-”

"I found my mate," I blurted out, hoping to stop her rambling and make her understand.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked, looking at me as if I had lost my mind, and I explained that I meant exactly that.

“I found my fated mate; the man I'm supposed to marry, the man I love.” She said I was talking crazy, adding that everybody knew mates didn't exist. I told her I was aware of this, but I found him.

"I promised him I'd come back. That's why I can't leave for Brindle. Look, I understand how crazy I sound to you right now, and I am ready to answer any questions you have. I will even show him to you. But I need your help right now. I need Akira’s men to return to Brindle without me. Please, I have never asked you for anything. Please do this for me. I promise I won't get you into trouble."

She looked at me quietly for a moment, her gaze searching mine.

"Okay, I will do it. But I don’t like this. I don’t like it one bit,” she said after a minute, and I let out a breath of relief and pulled her into a hug.

“I know. Thank you. I owe you.”

I began getting dressed as she stepped out. I, too, knew this was extreme, but it was an extreme situation. Val had been through so much, and I was all he had. I couldn't let him doubt me, especially when our relationship was still so fragile.

Also, the thought of someone else touching me made me sick. Akira would see right through me and know something had changed.

There was no way I could go through with the marriage. My father would have to find a different way to form alliances with Akira's family. Surely they would understand.

I stood in front of the mirror, feeling more anxious by the second. I kept looking toward the door, waiting for it to open, and when I realized that it had been too long, I began trying to mind-link Erika, but she kept blocking me out. I was still at it when my mother's voice came on the other side of the door, followed by a knock. Shit!

“Honey!”

“Yes, Mom!”

“How far are you? Looks like there's a storm coming.”

“I’m almost done. I’ll be down in a minute.”

"Okay," she said after a pause, and then I heard her walk away. Grabbing my phone, I dialed Erika's number to find out what was taking her so long, but her phone rang from the bed. I stared at it, stunned, then threw mine beside it and began pacing in panic.

There was a storm approaching and I needed Akira's men out before it hit. I wondered if Erika had lied to me, if she was actually getting the wolfsbane, or if she had simply agreed to make me stop asking.

But she had never done me like that before. I had never asked her to poison me, either though. "Dammit!"

After another thirty agonizing minutes, I gave up and tears blurred my vision as I started getting ready. I finished, picked up my purse, and took one last heartbreaking look at myself in the mirror.

With numb feet, I walked toward the door. But before I could grab the handle, the door flew open, and my heart lurched at the sight of Erika with something concealed in her pocket. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally fell.

"I thought you bailed on me," I admitted in a shaky voice, closing the door behind her and following her deeper into the room, and she apologized for blocking me out.

"You were making me nervous. I had to make up excuses to get into the armory and make sure no one noticed me taking it. Wolfsbane is not something you can just leave with without question."

"I know. Thank you, Erika," I said as she stood in front of me, filling the small syringe. Holding out my arm, I wondered if my neck wouldn't be better for faster results. Erika, however, preferred the arm option. There was also something else, the rest of the plan. My parents would call the doctor upon my return sick, so I needed Erika to take a sample of my clean blood first to swap with the contaminated blood later.

Ice and fire clashed inside my veins the instant the wolfsbane entered my system. It didn’t take time, and there was no slow buildup or warning. One moment I was standing upright, and the next, a wave of dizziness hit me so hard that I had to grab the edge of the dresser to steady myself.

Almost immediately, sweat started to trickle down my spine and bead along my hairline as it spread across my forehead. I felt my skin prickle and my mouth dry out. Erika's eyes widened in terror while my stomach twisted violently, a deep, churning ache spreading through my gut. But I quickly reassured her that it was okay and that it was what I wanted.

My mother's voice rang out, followed by a knock, and I grabbed my purse and stumbled toward the door. Swinging it open, I found her standing there, and she immediately frowned, taking in my state.

"Are you okay?" she asked, alarmed, as I staggered down the stairs.

"I'm fine," I replied, moving. I didn’t want to get too sick, at least not yet.

My mother knew I hadn’t wanted to go, and I didn’t want her to grow suspicious. She needed to believe I had tried to go.

Akira's men bowed, and one came forward to meet me halfway, taking my hand and guiding me down the stairs.

"Thank you for making me see sense," I said, turning to my mother with a soft smile, which she returned with an even bigger one, pride shining in her eyes, almost enough to make me feel guilty about what I had done.

“You’re very welcome. You look breathtaking, my love,” she said warmly, and I thanked her. She wished me a good time and asked me to give her regards to Akira, which I promised to do as the men and I walked toward the door.

I climbed into the SUV, and the men began to drive. A few minutes in, I groaned as the pain from the poison intensified.

“Miss? Are you alright?” The man beside me asked, alarmed by the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

“Yes, I... ” I began but stopped mid-sentence as I doubled over, retching violently. My muscles tightened, and my vision blurred as I forced myself to breathe through the agonizing pain. The man immediately ordered the driver to stop. He got out and hurried around to my side, opening the door with a worried expression.

"Call the boss!" he ordered the driver, who fumbled for his phone as I mumbled between groans that I wanted to vomit. The man assisted me out of the car, and I emptied my stomach onto the grass, feeling immediate relief but not letting it show. I clutched my stomach and continued to groan, watching them scramble in panic.

If there was not much poison in our system, our wolves were able to quickly expel it, and I knew that the dose I had taken was small. Snow had started to push it out. Nonetheless, it had done its job, and it was up to me to sell it successfully. So I began.

"It really hurts. Please take me home," I begged, and the man glanced over at the driver, who was still on the phone, clearly conflicted.

"He's indisposed," the driver said after a pause, hanging up the phone. “The boss will be notified and will call back.” My eyes widened. I couldn't have that, and the words rushed out of my mouth.

“Please, take me home. I can’t go on like this,” I choked, grabbing the other man’s jacket sleeve, but he turned to me with a somber expression.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I want to. I truly do... but I cannot make that decision. We have to wait for the boss's call back."

"So you would rather I die? Which one do you think will piss him off more? Leaving me behind because I'm sick or arriving with my corpse because you didn’t want to get into trouble?”

“I’m sorry, Miss. Please get in the car," he said, offering his hand. I tried to resist, but the men would not budge, leaving me with no choice but to get back into the car, panic rising inside. I had calculated my strategy up to this point. I knew they would call Akira, but I didn’t know he wouldn’t be available. I had no idea what to do.