Chapter 101: Poison

The burn didn’t stop.

It spread slowly, like fire threading through my veins, licking at my ribs, my spine, my throat. My wolf slammed against the inside of my skin, furious, disoriented, but not gone.

I stayed upright.

I let my shoulders relax, my smile soften, as if nothing at all were wrong - just another elegant sip at another elegant gala. My pulse thundered in my ears, but my posture never wavered.

Across the room, Cameron moved. Not fast. Not rushed. Predatory.

He knew what to do.

The bond tightened, steadying me like a hand at my back. The antidote - taken an hour earlier, bitter and sharp under my tongue - began to bite back against the poison. Enough to keep me standing. Enough to buy time.

That was all I needed.

I set the champagne flute down on the nearest table with exaggerated care. The glass chimed.

Every sound in the room seemed to dim around it.

“I hate to interrupt,” I said lightly, pitching my voice just loud enough to carry, “but it appears someone has tried to poi