“And they’re staggered. It’s not like they’re all set to come in at one time,” Alarick muttered as his fingers flew over his keyboard. “Different people check in at different times, so there’s been no reason to think that there’s an issue.”
“That’s…”
“Really not good,” Shannon finished on a whisper.
“No one’s answering their cells,” Ian hissed. “If they were at Ocean Mist, they wouldn’t be in seclusion, not all of them at least. And if they were still traveling, at least one of them would pick up.”
“We have to go. Now.”
“I can put the school into lockdown,” Ian decided, his hands a blur as he typed messages. “No one in or out.”
“What about Luna? Has her team come back yet?” Shannon gestured to where Chann and Zev could be seen in the distance with the pup.
He hissed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before shaking his head. “They’re still off property.”
“We split up then,” Alarick suggested, rubbing at his neck. “Some of us stay here with Luna and the pack, the rest go after my dad and the others.”
“That’s suicide!” I cried. “They can’t come here and issue a challenge with us gone, and they can’t start a war with the wards.”
“It doesn’t mean she’ll be safe here though,” Ian argued. “We don’t know how many traitors we have.”
An earsplitting screech sounded from Alarick, nearly making me tumble onto my butt. “What in the hell is that?” I questioned, clamping my hands over my tender ears as my wolf howled. Alarick’s eyes went wide for a moment before a shutter dropped over his face. Pounding footsteps sounded behind me as Chann and Zev raced up with Luna under their arm. Alarick hit the button on his phone.
“Dad.” I nearly sagged as Alarick spoke the single word. “We’re all here. A pup too.”
“Alarick.” If Alarick hadn’t greeted him, I didn’t know if I would have recognized the voice. It was garbled, sluggish. A greenish pallor washed over his skin as he listened to his father. “No time. Have to meet me now.”
“Where are you?” Alarick’s voice was clipped, cold. Luna started crying, and I made a shushing noise, rubbing my hand over her hair.
“It’s okay, pup.” Even like this, Raff looked out for his pack. Stubborn bastard. He rattled off a hotel and a room outside of Hartford. “Fast, son. They’re going to issue a challenge for control of the pack.” My blood ran cold.
“Ocean Mist betrayed us?” Shannon whispered, her usually pink cheeks ashen.
“Starlight Woods,” he hissed. “Don’t know why. It was Borris. Poison.” Cries of denial surrounded us as everyone sobbed.
“Work it out on the way,” Ian ordered, already ushering us to the SUV.
“But Luna,” Shannon objected, as Alarick jumped into the passenger seat.
“No time.” Zev gritted his teeth as he jumped into the driver’s seat, flooring it out of the driveway as Ian hit buttons on his phone, sealing the gates behind us and placing the school into complete lockdown. I murmured to the pup, buckling her between Ian and me in the middle row as Shannon and Chann settled into the back.
“If it’s not Ocean Mist, can we call them to get to him faster? He’s on their territory, right?” I pressed my hand against the cold leather of the seat ahead of me as Zev whipped around a turn, using my other arm to hold Luna steady.
Ian grimaced. “I wish we could, kitten, but we don’t know who to trust right now. We don’t even know who’s actually on pack territory there, or who’s still in Washington.” His dark eyes were full of regret as they met mine. “It would be more dangerous to let them know our alpha was in this state on their territory and prime for a challenge right now.” Ugh, he was right, I knew, but I hated it—having to think of everyone as traitors was enough to make my stomach roll.
“Talk to me, Dad,” Alarick pleaded. His eyes said what his words didn’t—don’t die. The silence on the phone echoed, making us all hold our breath.
Chapter Fifteen
Pixie
“Checked in as a human,” Raff wheezed after a moment, and we all breathed a sigh of relief, though from the looks they traded, I realized none of us knew how long it would last. “Told them I had a horrible flu. My son was coming to get me. Not to let anyone else up. List me as unregistered.”
“That won’t last long,” Ian told him.
“Then be fast,” Raff hissed, a bit of his spark coming through.
“Just breathe, Raff,” I ordered, trying to keep Luna calm. “Tell us a little at a time.”
Alarick’s eyes were wild as he glanced back at me. “We have to get to him before they can issue the challenge.”
“I got that, I just don’t get why. And I don’t understand why you think Borris poisoned you.”
Raff groaned. “Vervain in my food. Something else too. Foxglove maybe?” Ian swore, making my eyes wide.
“Hang on, Raff,” he encouraged, his voice low. “You’re strong. You’ve got the pack’s strength behind you.” That was right, wasn’t it? Hadn’t he said something about that when we’d first met? About the level of the wolf meaning they could heal more or faster?
Raff was breathing heavily as Luna sobbed into my shoulder. “I started to feel ill on the second day of the trip, before the conference had even begun. Nothing too off, just a bit out of sorts. It was getting worse throughout the journey, but it was still mild. Some stomach upset, muscle cramps. A bit of dizziness. Nothing my own healing abilities couldn’t handle, I told myself. Foolish alpha pride.” He coughed, and the sound was wet enough to make me wince.
“When did it change, Raff?” Ian pushed.
“Yesterday,” he replied with another wet, hacking noise. “I decided I couldn’t put off seeing a healer any longer. My own abilities should have fought off whatever this was by now. I asked for a healer to be sent to my rooms.”
Trees were flying by our window now, and I knew Zev had to be pushing our car to top speeds, counting on the fact that Alarick would use his command power on any police car that stopped us. Nothing would prevent him from getting to his father as fast as he could.
“Borris brought dinner up to me, said the healer would be there soon. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, we were in an SUV.” Raff’s voice had slurred slightly now. “I knew then he’d drugged me.”
“What the hell?” Chann yelped. “How is that possible? Borris is the omega. I’d swear on my life he’s loyal to the bone. Drugging you? Let alone poisoning you?”
“Had to be in the food,” Raff insisted. “More last night in what he gave me, probably injected more after he knocked me out.”
“And only the omega makes and handles the food,” Alarick added, shaking his head, his eyes glued to the road in front of him.
“It can’t be,” Shannon whispered. I didn’t have to be an empath to feel the waves of shock rolling off of her.