Chapter 69

Ava

I awoke with a groan, my head pounding like I had been up all night drinking. Every inch of my body burned, and each breath made me feel like I was about to dissolve into a fit of coughing.

Goddess… What had happened to me?

Slowly, memories slowly trickled back in disjointed flashes. The council meeting. The Alpha selection votes. Olivia storming out. Dedrick’s strange behavior in the parlor as I tried to dismiss the candidates for the night. And then… nothing.

Just an inky black void swallowing me whole.

A soft noise beside me caught my attention then, and I turned my head—albeit with great difficulty—to find the source. There, sitting hunched in a chair pulled up beside the bed, was Chris.

He looked utterly exhausted, dark circles ringing his eyes and his face lined with worry and fatigue. But the moment his gaze landed on me and found my eyes open, he jolted upright like he had just been struck by lightning.

“Ava!” he gasped, shooting to his feet so quickly that his chair went clattering backwards. In the next instant, he was at my side, his hands cupping my face. “You’re awake. Thank the Goddess…”

Despite the pounding ache in my head, I managed to speak. “Where… am I?”

“In my Packhouse apartment,” he explained. “Sorry you’re not home, it’s just… It was close.”

I shook my head, wanting to tell him it was okay but not finding the strength quite yet. Not that it mattered, anyway; as soon as he saw that I was alright, he was practically on top of me, his arms wrapping so tight around me I thought he might shatter my ribs.

“We were so worried,” he murmured into my hair. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

I let out a wheezing gasp as the air was forced out of my lungs. “Chr—is,” I choked out. “Can’t… breathe…”

Chris seemed to realize what he was doing and instantly released me, his face flushing a deep shade of red. “Sorry,” he said, bashfully running a hand through his messy hair. “I was just... I didn’t think… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” I managed to push myself up to a sitting position with Chris’s help, and he propped me up on some pillows.

Taking a step back, he passed his hand over his face and picked up the chair he had just knocked over. When he was settled, he fixed his gaze on me once more, studying my face intently.

“You were poisoned, Ava,” he said without preamble. “Cyanide, from what the nurses were able to determine. It seems Dedrick and my... my own sister had been conspiring against us from the very beginning. You were right about Dedrick, Ava. I should have listened to you.”

“Olivia?” I croaked. Her name felt like ash on my tongue, and I felt something that could be either fury or illness bubble up in my throat.

Of course she had done this. Why was I even surprised?

“She’s admitted to everything,” Chris continued, his jaw clenched tightly. “Apparently she had been planning all along to ensure Dedrick’s position as the new Alpha so that she could be his Luna, and essentially rule the pack on her own.”

I felt ill just listening to the words. This woman had once been my friend—we used to get brunch on Sundays and take holidays on the human continent together. But now…

“And what of Dedrick?” I asked. “Where is he?”

“He’s in custody,” Chris answered simply. “He was found trying to cross the border into Moonrise. As it turns out, he’s actually from Moonrise pack.”

“So I was right,” I said with a mirthless chuckle. “About how he wasn’t from the human world.”

Chris shook his head. “I spoke with Lily already. He’s going to face justice there, don’t you worry. Apparently he already has a bit of a criminal record there.”

There was a silence before Chris spoke again. He lifted his gaze to mine, and there was a weariness there that was unparalleled. “I’m sorry, Ava. For not listening sooner. For not looking into these outsiders. For… everything.”

“What about the Alpha selection process?” I blurted out. “Sam and Allen?”

Chris shook his head. “Delayed, for now. Maybe…” His voice trailed off. Part of me hoped that he would say ‘maybe indefinitely,’ but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

“It’ll work out,” I finally said.

Chris’s lips curved into the smallest of smiles, and he reached over to touch my hand. His cool fingers against my burning hot skin sent a shiver through me, and I had to quickly look away to hide the hot flush rising into my cheeks.

“I have to ask you something, though,” he said.

I glanced at him. “Go on.”

He paused, pursing his lips for a moment, before continuing. “I… keep thinking about the moondeer,” he said. “And I realized that, after this morning, I really don’t know much about this place—about my home. You mentioned how sacred the moondeer are, and how the land itself would react, but…”

“But you don’t believe me,” I said.

Chris opened his mouth to retort, but then seemed to think better of it and shut it again. He just shot me an apologetic look. I didn’t blame him.

“I’ll show you,” I said. “Once I’m better.”

Chris nodded and stood, crossing the room to the door. “You hungry?” he asked, glancing at me over his shoulder. “The nurses said you would be ravenous.”

I blushed and leaned back on my pillows, noticing now the hollowness in my gut. I nodded. “I am.”

Chris grinned and slipped out of the room without a word. As I laid there, I took a moment to drink in the room.

It was a bit different now that Chris had been living here; there was a large flat-screen TV over the fireplace rather than the old portrait that used to hang there, and all of the old, dusty velvet curtains and drapes had been replaced with sheer ones that let in the moonlight—it was nighttime now, apparently. The blankets and pillows had been replaced too, and the bed was plush and smelled like him.

It wasn’t long before Chris returned with a tray of food—soup and crackers, but more than that. He had poured us each a glass of soda, and there were some bags of chips, popcorn, and even sweets lined up as well.

I arched an eyebrow. “Those are from the human world,” I teased, gesturing to the snacks.

Chris shot me a roguish grin and set the tray down, already opening a bag of cookies and popping one in his mouth. “I spent more than a decade in the human world,” he said with a full mouth as he sat on the bed beside me. “You think I wouldn’t keep a secret stash of all my favorite treats here?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s bad for you.”

He simply shrugged, popped another cookie in his mouth, and held the sleeve out to me. “C’mon, Ava. It’s not like we’re eating like this every day.”

Well, I supposed just this once wouldn't hurt. With a quiet chuckle of surrender, I snagged one of the cookies and nibbled at it thoughtfully, unable to deny how delicious it tasted melting over my tongue.

Before I knew it, we were spending the evening in bed like a couple of kids on a sick day from school, watching movies on the flat-screen TV and gorging ourselves on snacks. I allowed myself just this one night to relax, to allow myself the indulgences of the human world.

As the night wore on and the treats steadily dwindled, Chris finally pushed himself up from the bed and yawned. “Well, I should probably let you get some sleep,” he mumbled, running a hand through his tousled hair. “I’ll grab a spare blanket and pillow and camp out on the couch—”

Without even thinking, my hand shot out and curled around his wrist to stop him from moving away. The thought of being alone after everything that had happened sent a spike of irrational panic through me, as though Olivia would burst through the door during the night and throttle me to death.

“Wait,” I whispered, hating how small and vulnerable I sounded. “Stay with me? I…”

My voice failed me, the words sticking uselessly in my throat. But Chris seemed to understand without me needing to say anything more. Something softened in his expression, his eyes crinkling at the corners with quiet understanding and something else.

Instead of answering, he simply slid back onto the bed and pulled me into the warmth of his arms.

I went easily, resting my head against the steady beat of his heart as I finally allowed exhaustion to take over.