Chapter 4: Moon Soul Poison

Ella’s POV

I wake up with my hope immediately shattered.

Instead of Alden, the person sitting beside the clinic bed is Vera.

“W-What are you… What are you doing here?”

“Hey, lie down. You’re still too weak. Here, drink this…” Vera offers me a glass of water.

My throat is too parched to decline her suspiciously kind offer, so I take the glass and swiftly empty it.

“T-Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, look at you poor thing. You look so pale! You shouldn’t force yourself too much.”

I frown at her.

“Please tell me exactly what you are doing here?”

“Me?” Vera looks at me as if I asked her a stupid question. “Taking care of you, what else?”

Either I’ve hit my head when I collapsed and I’m hallucinating now or I’m actually mishearing her. Because there’s no way Vera is suddenly acting kind towards me.

“Come on, don’t give me that look.” Vera shakes her head. “I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but even I’m not that heartless. I heard you went to the packhouse to talk to Alden.”

My ears perk up. “Yes! Where is he? I remember he was—he was there before I fainted.”

“Yeah, he was the one who brought you here. But the council suddenly called for an emergency meeting, so I volunteered to monitor your condition instead.”

She hands me the tray containing assorted fruits, sandwiches, meat, and pastries. My mouth waters.

Is she really offering me this tray? I can’t remember the last time I saw this much food.

“Well, don’t just stare at it. Eat! I don’t want to get scolded for letting you die of hunger or something.”

My stomach rumbles. Before I know it, I am scarfing food down my throat. I’m so hungry I can’t even stop. I eat as much as I can and all I’m thinking is how grateful I am to finally eat something decent after days of being starved.

Vera smiles while watching me eat.

“You have quite an appetite,” she notes.

I give her back the empty tray once I’m done eating. “Thank you.”

“No worries. You don’t have to worry about working for the next few days. I already spoke to Rosie that you’ll be recuperating here in the clinic in the meantime. Get some rest, so you can stop looking like a corpse for once.”

Really? I won’t have to work for a few days? Is this Alden’s idea? Is he finally regretting his decision of casting me aside?

I really need to talk to him.

“Where’s Alde—I mean Alpha Alden? I am supposed to talk to him.”

“I told you, he’s in the meeting with the council. They’re talking about some important pack matters.”

“W-Where will the meeting end? I want to talk to him.”

Vera stands up and brushes the lint off her skirt.

“I’m not sure if that’s possible for now. He’s been really busy these past few days because, especially with his coronation coming up. It would be hard to secure an audience with him.”

My heart falls.

“But I really need to talk to him.” I need to tell him about my pregnancy. “It’s very important.”

Vera stares at me for a while as if contemplating.

“You know what? His coronation is a week from now and I’m sure you and the other Omegas will be there to—do your thing. You can approach him there while serving drinks and stuff. I bet it’ll be impossible for him to ignore you.”

Huh… “I can do that.”

“Perfect! I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

**

I spend over a week in the clinic and Vera is regularly bringing me all sorts of delicious foods. Since I’m no longer skipping meals, I feel that my body is slowly getting back to healthy shape.

Strangely, Nyra has been oddly quiet these past few days. I can’t even properly feel her presence anymore. It’s almost like there is a thick wall between me and my wolf.

Is this normal? I’ve only had my wolf for a month and I’m not sure how to control or interact with her yet. I hope it’s nothing serious.

On the seventh day, I am discharged from the clinic and is deemed ready to go back to my job as an Omega. Although it’s a short time, I enjoy the little vacation I had.

I just got back but I’m already thrown into a busy schedule. Everyone is frantically preparing for Alden’s coronation, especially the Omegas.

“No mistakes are allowed tonight! The party will be attended by werewolves from other packs. I don’t want any of you doing something that will embarrass the Bloodmoon pack!” Rosie barks at all of us.

We all head to the Blackwood mansion to prepare everything before all the guests arrive. So far, I haven’t seen a glimpse of Alden yet. But I stay calm and patient.

I’m sure I’ll get to talk to him eventually.

Soon, the night stretches and the guests begin pouring in. I’m stationed in the fruit platter section. I’m busy serving some people when suddenly, the static sound of the microphone pierces my ears.

On the platform stands one of the pack elders, Johannes. He smiles at the guests while holding the microphone.

“Dear esteemed guests, thank you for attending tonight. This gathering marks the ascension of a new Alpha, the one who will lead the Bloodmoon Pack from this day forward. As tradition demands, we honor the passing of the mantle and witness the rise of his successor. Please welcome the heir of the Blackwood line… Alden Blackwood.”

The music booms as Alden steps onto the platform, his presence drawing every eye in the room without effort. Conversations die down almost instantly, and the crowd parts just enough to give him a clear path forward.

He looks every bit the Alpha they expect him to be. And for a moment, his gorgeous blue eyes drift to me in the sea of crowd. But it’s only for a little while before he averts his gaze.

The severed mate bond aches within me, like a painful reminder of a dream that turned into a nightmare. Strangely, I didn’t hear Nyra squirming or howling in my head like I expected her to.

My eyes remain on him as the coronation ceremony takes place. It’s a long one but the only thing that I manage to digest is the moment when Alden stands in front with the Deltas, Gammas, Sentinels, and some of the elders kneeling in front of him. I, and the rest of the Omegas who are busy manning some tasks also bow our heads in reverence and respect.

“I proudly present to you  the Alpha of the Bloodmoon pack—Alden Blackwood!”

A surge of pride explodes in my chest. I don’t know why but every part of him looks deserving to be there.

The ceremony ends with Alden announcing that his Beta will be Cassius, who is his half-brother.

After that, Alden becomes a bit pre-occupied with socializing with some guests. I feel agitated with every passing moment.

I can’t take it anymore. I have to talk to him. Now!

I leave my station without asking permission, grab a plate of assorted fruits to keep up appearances, and move through the crowd toward him, using the tray as an excuse to get close.

“Hey there, Ella. Are you planning to talk to the Alpha now?”

I stop short as Vera suddenly steps into my path.

“Oh, Vera! Uh, yes. I’m about to… go to him now.”

“How sweet, you’re even bringing him these fruits?” She smiles while checking the tray I am holding. “Well, good luck, then.”

She winks at me before stepping away. I awkwardly reciprocate the smile before finally making my way to Alden.

His eyes widen at the sight of me.

“What are you doing here?” he hisses.

I swallow hard.

“I-I’m an Omega. Have you forgotten that we’re required to be here to assist with the party?”

His jaw tightens. His eyes briefly trail from my eyes down to my lips before looking away and swallowing hard.

“Aren’t you supposed to still be resting in the clinic?”

So he knows I’ve been in the clinic these past few days.

I feel both happy and disappointed at the discovery—happy because it seems he cares enough to know where I am, but disappointed that it wasn’t enough for him to even visit me.

“I got discharged yesterday. So I came back to work… just like the others,” I say, tightening my grip on the tray.

“Then do your job. You shouldn’t be talking to me like this.”

His words sting more than I expect, but I force myself to hold his gaze.

“I’m not here to cause trouble. I just… I need to talk to you.”

His eyes warily looks around us, scanning the crowd. Most of the guests are too busy with their own conversations to notice, but I catch Cassius standing a few meters away, watching us in silence. Vera lingers nearby as well.

“Please, Alden. I need to talk to you. I have something important to tell you…” I can hear the desperation in my voice.

He takes a deep breath.

“It’s a bad idea for an Alpha to be seen talking to an Omega unless it’s to give orders.”

“Then don’t let anyone see! We can meet somewhere private. No one will notice.”

He looks conflicted for a moment, as if he’s not sure how to answer.

I lift the fruit tray slightly between us.

“You don’t have to say anything,” I murmur. “If you agree… just take a piece. I’ll take that as you agreeing to meet me later.”

His eyes drop to the fruits. For a moment, he doesn’t move, and my chest tightens as I wait. Then he reaches out and picks up an apple. His eyes flick back to mine for a brief second before he takes a bite.

Relief rushes through me so fast it almost makes me dizzy. I let out a small breath and step back.

“I’ll see you later,” I whisper before turning away.

I am smiling like a fool as I carefully tread toward the back corridor that leads to the storage wing, the one place no one bothers to check during events like this.

I barely make it halfway there when a scream tears through the hall behind me.

I freeze and turn around.

My mouth falls open as I watch Alden collapse, his body writhing on the floor, foam gathering at the corners of his mouth.

Alden… no!

He clutches his throat, his body rigid as if something is tearing through him from the inside. His face drains of color, and thick blue veins spread across his skin, crawling from his chest up to his neck and face. His eyes are glassy and his breaths come out in broken gasps.

“ALPHA!”

The apple slips from his hand and rolls across the floor.

“Alpha Alden has been poisoned!”

The room erupts into chaos.

The whole ballroom explodes in panic and chaos. Several people kneel beside Alden, trying to steady his body as it trembles against their hold.

“Alden!” Cassius looks horrified at the state of his stepbrother. “Call the fucking doctors. Now!”

I stand frozen, barely registering what is happening.

Vera steps forward, calm in the middle of it all. She picks up the fallen apple and brings it close, her expression shifting as she inspects it.

“The apple has been poisoned,” she declares clearly.

Her eyes lift and lock onto mine.

I shake my head before I even realize it. “No… I didn’t—”

“Ella…” Cassius’ menacing voice makes me jump. “Did you poison Alden?”

“No!” My voice breaks. “I would never—”

“Liar!” Darius, one of the Gamma shouts while glaring at me. “I saw her! She gave that apple to Alpha Alden!”

“Traitor!”

“How can a lowly Omega do such a despicable thing!”

“Kill her!”

I’ve never felt this terrified in my life. I feel like a sheep trapped among a pack of raging wolves. Everyone around me stares at me accusingly, as if I’m the most despicable thing in the world.

Instinctively, I tap into Nyra’s presence. Help me, Nyra. Please…

But no matter how much I call her, she’s not responding. It’s as if she’s in a deep slumber that even I can’t reach.

“But you were the one who gave him this apple, is that right?” Cassius asks me again, the anger in his voice barely restrained.

“I-I did. But I didn’t—”

“Stop making excuses! Beta, you can’t let this pass. This lowly bitch tried to poison our Alpha. She must pay!”

Cassius looks at his brother, still struggling on the ground, before turning back to me. This time, there is no hesitation left in his eyes.

“Seize her,” he orders.

No… no.

Hands grab me before I can react.

“Throw her in the dungeon.”