Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"Sana Lupi lupinotuum venenosum," Tia shouted the spell, and Erik screamed in pain. His body rose, his eyes grew big, and his veins bulged so that you thought they would pop. I wanted to close my eyes, but I wanted to watch everything, not wanting to let Erik feel the pain by himself. I bit my lip, holding back my tears as I watched how he suffered.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Angeline sobbed, whining at the back of my head. "Calm down, let's trust Tia," I exclaimed, holding back my wolf.

Erik screamed, squirming in pain until Vincent and Ian tried to pin him down on the bed. I clasped both of my hands tightly and finally closed my eyes at the sight of him. Erik's eyes are reddish, and even the veins on his face bulge. The poison was evident throughout his body, and his veins started changing color to black.

Tia kept mumbling some unknown words causing Erik to scream even louder. Vincent groaned. It was getting hard to hold Erik since he was stronger than both. "Removere venenum," Tia exclaimed, sweats falling on the side of her face. Erik screamed hysterically, causing Ian to be thrown off the wall, Ian groaned, and I rushed to his side to check if he was okay. "Are you alright?" I asked, full of worry. Ian nodded at me, and we both glanced at the sound of something hitting the ceiling. It was Vincent. Being the beta, he managed to fall on the ground while standing. I looked back at Erik; his body was in the air, black smoke coming out of his body. Tia falls to the ground, exhausted. When the black smoke stopped coming out of Erik's body, his body fell to the bed. Vincent rushed to Tia's side, and I ran to Erik's.

Erik's condition looked better. The color of his veins is starting to go back to its original color and slowly vanishing throughout his body. His breathing became normal, but he still kept on sweating. At that moment, someone was banging at the door. I nodded at Ian, and he opened the door, peeking to see who the werewolf was. It was Ellie, Erik's mom entering the room. She looked around the messy room and saw Erik on the bed. Her face grew pale, and she rushed to her son's side. "How is he?" She asked worriedly.

"I just finished removing all the toxins on his body, but the effect of the poison still lingers," Tia exclaimed.

"Prepare some cold bath for him," She ordered. Ian immediately entered the bathroom and prepared the bath. Ellie looked at me and grabbed my and Erik's hand, holding it tightly.

Ian returned from the bathroom and carried Erik, laying him down in the bathtub. I followed him from behind, holding a clean towel for me to use to wipe him. The water in the bath was cold, but it was not hard enough to stop Erik from sweating. "Ian, can you please get some ice? The water is not cold enough," I ordered.

Ian came holding two bags of ice cubes and poured them into the bath. Erik grunted unconscious, "Is he going to be fine, Tia?" I shouted from the bathroom for Tia to hear.

"The poison is gone now; we must wait for his body to recover. Don't worry, and he is the King. His wolf will help him heal faster," She replied.

While in the bathtub, Erik became conscious and looked at me weakly. "Hi," I greeted him softly. "It's hot," Erik said, breathing heavily.

"It's okay, babe. Ian just poured some Ice. The water will get colder," I explained while wiping his face with a wet towel.

"What happened," Erik asked, feeling weak that he was almost whispering.

"Shh, I'll explain everything when you feel a little bit better" I hushed him and focused on wiping off the sweat on his face.

I removed the water from the tub and asked Vincent to help change Erik. After I changed him, Vincent and I supported him in walking toward the bed. We laid him down on the bed, but not a minute had passed. He is already sleeping. I covered him with blankets and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"How did this happen?" Ellie asked, looking at his son worriedly.

"I don't know, and I just noticed that Erik is acting strange, and the stench of alcohol was too strong on him that I got curious why he got drunk with one cup of alcohol," I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

"How can he not notice the wolfsbane?" Tia asked.

"That's what I have been thinking about. When I took his cup from him and smelled it, I smelled something weird on it, and my wolf told me it is mixed with wolfsbane," I said, grabbing the hand of Erik and holding it tightly.

"Her highness also let me smell the alcohol, but I couldn't smell anything," Ian said.

Tia started pacing around the room, thinking about the possibilities of how the King of werewolves didn't smell the wolfsbane. "Is it possible that Merlin is connected to this?" Vincent asked.

"It is, but how? I should have noticed if she is here, even if she changed her looks and anything," Tia replied.

"What if one of the Alphas joined hands with them?" I asked, voicing out my thoughts.

"It is possible," Tia said.

"But who?" Vincent asked with a confused look.

"I have someone in mind," I said.

"Who?" Vincent and Tia asked simultaneously. "Alpha Manuel," I confidently said.

"But why? For what reason?" Ellie, sitting on the other side of the bed, asked.

"His mate openly embarrassed me during my tea party with the other Lunas," I explained.

"But he looked so furious to his mate earlier," Ian asked.

"I will be more furious at the person who even dared to threaten the life of my mate," I said using my sternest voice.

They all became quiet, getting what I meant. What if all Alpha Manuel only acted angry? But what if he is furious?

"Anyways, it is only a speculation. There is also a chance his mate is rude and thinks highly of herself." I said. Everyone nodded at what I said.

"Well then, I will now rest and prepare for my conclusion. We need the barrier, especially when there is another unknown enemy out there," Tia said.

She walked towards the door while Vincent was followed from behind. She stopped for a second and looked back at me.

"I'll be back and check on his condition before I enter the place where I'll be doing my seclusion," She said. I smiled at her thankfully, and she left the room.

I looked at Ian and smiled. "You can go and check on your mate and send her to me in the morning. Let's all have a rest," I said. Ian bowed and also left the room.

"I'll stay here with you," Ellie said. I nodded, smiling at her sadly.

"It must have been painful. It was for me," Ellie added.

"I heard what happened," I replied.

"It was so painful to watch, and I was so angry at myself that I couldn't do anything about it. My wolf got crazy that I barely hold her off," She said and started crying. I moved to the other side of the bed where she was sitting.

I hugged her, trying to comfort her. She covered her face with both of her hands while sobbing. "I couldn't do anything and just watched him until he died," She said tremblingly.

"Now, my son experienced it and almost died. I am thankful that we have Tia on our side. It was the most painful thing that I experienced. I managed to live without my mate because of my son, but if he also left, I think I wouldn't be able to make it," Ellie said, crying her eyes out.

"It's okay, Erik will be okay now, and when he recovers, we will find who is responsible for this," I said, showing her my sincerity.

"Thank you for mind-linking me despite what was happening," She said, holding my hand, which is currently on her shoulder. I smiled at her and hugged her tightly.

~~~~

"Come in," I said when I heard someone knock on the door.

I am currently at Erik's office doing some paperwork and attending his meetings. I let Ellie look after Erik and let Ian spread a rumor that Erik got some information about Klaus and went to check if the information was correct. I looked at the papers and read every detail of what was written, not missing a single detail.

"How are you?" Tia talked, and I raised my head to look at her. She is wearing a plain white dress that she will be wearing for her seclusion.

"I am fine. Is everything ready for you?" I asked.

"Yes, everything is fine. I also went to check up on Alpha, he is now stable, and the effects of the poison now subsided." She explained and also reporting me the condition of my mate.

I sighed in relief and smiled at her. "Thank you, I'll be missing you," I said.

"I'll be back in no time, don't worry. Be safe," She said and left the room. I waited for her to go and slumped my back on the chair. I looked around the office, sniffing the air, and smiled at my mate's smell.

"I'm glad he's okay. I cannot bear the pain he is feeling," Angeline said sadly.

"Yes, we just need to wait for him to recover," I replied fully.

There was another knock on the door, and it was Alpha Manuel. "What can I do for you?" I asked with a stern voice.

"Your highness," He greeted and bowed to me. "I was hoping to talk with his majesty," He said.

"You didn't hear? He got something about the rogue we fought in the war and see if the information we got is true," I explained, trying to sound uninterested.

"I see. Can I talk to your highness instead?" He asked anxiously. "Go on," I replied.

"What exactly did my mate do to offend her highness?" He asked. My wolf remembered the words of Luna Rosa and got angry. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my wolf.

I smirked at him, and he gulped anxiously. "She said that if I, the Queen, can't produce an heir for the throne, we should start talking about finding another she-wolf for the King to produce an heir," I said.

His eyes grew big, and he crouched down on the floor, bowing to me with all he got. I released all my aura and looked down on him. "Do you know what we feel if our mate touches another she-wolf, Alpha Manuel?" I asked, standing from my seat and walking around the table to stand in front of him.

"Forgive us, your highness," He begged, and I shouted at him. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, ALPHA MANUEL!"

"Y-you will feel intense pain throughout your body while your mate touches another," he said with a trembling voice. "Then how about if our mate marked another? What will happen?" I asked.

"You will die," He answered and gulped. His sweat was starting to fall on the floor, and I scoffed. "So, your mate, Luna Rosa wants me, the Queen, dead, is that it?" I asked with a threatening voice.

"Of course not, your highness! She is just not thinking straight. Forgive us, your highness!" He said hysterically, and fear was evident in his eyes. At that moment, the thought that he was the one responsible for poisoning Erik vanished.

"You should thank me for not punishing your mate, Alpha Manuel, or should I ask my mate, the King, to punish your Luna," I asked, threatening him. I paced around in front of him. He raised his head and looked at me, begging for forgiveness. He begged forgiveness for so long that I got sick hearing his apologies.

"I will let this matter go, punish your mate, teach her properly. If I heard even one thing about your mate being full of herself, I would come to your territory and punish her myself," I said, growling at him.

"Yes, your highness, I will ensure this will not happen again."

"LEAVE," I ordered.

He is innocent, and he can't fake that kind of reaction. Fear is evident in his eyes, but it is only an act. I would be amazed at him. I smirked and left the office to go to our room and change, and I also wanted to check on Erik, hoping he had already gained some consciousness.

I opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb anything, when I saw Ellie sleeping on the side of the bed. I walked toward Erik and saw him sleeping peacefully, not sweating anymore, and his breathing was back to normal. I smiled in relief, kissed him on the cheek, and covered Ellie with a blanket. I went to the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into our walk-in closet. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, ensuring I had chosen the right dress. It was a long sleeveless dress that was fit for the hot weather.

I left the room and headed straight to the entrance of the pack house. The guests gave their full attention to me, and all bowed. "I am thankful for your visit; I hope all of you had a great stay," I said, smiling at them apologetically.

"I also hope you'll forgive Erik for not being here," I said, clasping my hands together.

"It's okay, your highness," Alpha Ross said. "We all wish the both of you great health, your highness," Alpha Rick said.

Melissa came closer to me, and we hugged each other, saying our goodbyes. She also waved her goodbyes to our pack members standing behind me. "You'll be a great Luna," I said, encouraging her. "Thank you, my queen," she said and did a small curtsy.

"I will be sending you the books that I have mentioned as soon as I get there, your highness," Luna Susie said, and I laughed. "And I will also make sure that my books will be delivered to you faster," I said, grabbing both of her hands. "You take care," I added. She squeezed my hands and removed her hands from my hold to do a small curtsy. "I pray for your good health and safety," she said while doing the curtsy. I smiled and nodded at her.

Luna Rica walked towards me, smiling confidently. She is now wearing warrior clothes and not a dress. "It suits you," I said. She blushed and bowed to me. "I wish you great health, your highness," she said.

"Have a safe travel," I replied. She stood and showed me her complete white teeth before turning her back on me to leave. When she left, I saw Alpha Manuel and Luna Rosa heading straight in my direction.

"We wish you great health, your highness. We are sorry for everything," they said in unison anxiously. I glared at them, "You don't have a second chance. Do you understand Alpha Manuel?" Alpha Manuel's eyes grew big, and he gulped, scared of what will come to them. "Yes, your highness" They both bowed again and left.

Some of them used a car, and some of them shifted and ran. When they were out of sight, I entered and returned to Erik's office. I entered the office and saw Lia sitting there. I rushed to her and hugged her tightly. "I'm very sorry," I apologized. "That's not a big deal, your highness," she hugged me back. I broke the hug and looked at her, "I will do anything for the pack," she added. I smiled at her thankfully.

Lia accompanied me to the kitchen, and we saw Angela feeding Edward at the long table. "Your highness!" she exclaimed and rushed to me, hugging me tightly. "How is his majesty?" she asked. "He's now in good condition. He still needs some rest," I said. She nodded and grabbed me towards one of the seats for me to sit on. "You should eat, your highness. I made so much food," she said, serving me a plate full of food.

I ate and talked with them for a few hours, then went to our room. Ellie was still there, sitting beside the bed while reading a book. She glanced at me, smiled, and closed the book, putting it aside. "Everyone left?" She asked.

"Yes, you should take a rest," I said.

"I will. I need to take a shower," She said, standing up from the chair.

"Okay, have nice rest," I said and kissed her before she left the room.

I bathed, changed into my pajamas, and laid beside Erik. I cuddled to his side. "Please wake up," I whispered, hoping that he could hear me and wake up. I drifted to sleep while praying for Erik's full recovery.

I woke up in the middle of the night, surprised at the sounds in the bathroom. I felt that Erik was not beside me and thought that he was the one in the bathroom. I rushed to the bathroom to check if it was him. I opened the bathroom and saw him brushing his teeth, fresh from the bath.

I gasped, covering my mouth with both of my hands. He glanced at me, washed his face, and then faced me. I rushed to him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad that you're awake!" I exclaimed. He hugged me back, kissed me on the forehead, and then broke the hug to look at me.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," He said. I shook my head, "You have done nothing wrong," I hugged him again. We stayed in the bathroom for a couple more minutes, hugging each other then I let him change in our walk-in closet.

I waited for him on the bed and smiled when I saw him leaving the walk-in closet, entirely changed. "How are you feeling?" I asked, full of worry in my voice. He laid beside me and put his arm around me. "I am okay now. Can you tell me what happened?" He said.

I sighed, rising from the bed to sit. I played with my hands and told him everything that happened when he was still asleep.