The night fell heavy over the empire, its skies veiled in silver clouds, the moon hiding behind their folds as if watching the castle in silence. From the hall below, laughter, music, and clinking goblets still poured into the corridors — nobles drowning themselves in wine, pride, and wealth. Yet here in Lex's chamber, the air was different.
It was suffocating.
I stood frozen, my heart racing in my chest, my wolf pressing against my skin as if it wanted to tear free. The air stank of vervain, sharp and bitter, burning the back of my throat. I could feel it twisting in Lex's body with every faint, slow beat of his heart. He wasn't gone — not yet — but the fear that he could slip away at any moment wrapped its claws around me.
Levi's anger cut through the silence like a blade. His golden eyes burned with fury as he advanced on me, his voice shaking the walls.
"What did I expect? Like father, like daughter. Omegas… you don't deserve to live."
The words pierced me deeper than any knife. My breath faltered, my back pressing hard against the cold stone wall as Levi's wolf surfaced. His teeth lengthened, sharp and cruel, his glowing eyes fixed on me like prey. My wolf clawed inside, desperate to break free, but fear held me captive.
I could hear everything. Levi's heartbeat — pounding like thunder, not only with anger but with fear. Lex's heart — slow, fading, as if dragged further away with each second. My own — frantic, desperate, breaking.
"Levi…" My voice cracked.
He stepped closer, his claws just barely extending, and I thought — this is it. This is where my life ends, just like my father's did, unjustly punished for something we didn't do.
"Mal, leave us," Levi commanded suddenly, his voice low, dangerous.
Mal hesitated, shocked. "What? Why—"
"NOW!" Levi roared, his voice shaking the chamber.
Mal flinched and stormed out, slamming the door behind her, her anger echoing in the corridor.
And then it was only him and me.
Levi stopped inches from me, his chest rising and falling with sharp breaths. He stared into my eyes, and for the first time, I realized something. His gaze faltered. His breath slowed. His wolf retreated.
He blinked. And in that moment, his golden glow softened back into human eyes.
"You…" His voice lowered, no longer venom but something else. "You weren't the one who did this."
I froze. My lips parted, but no words came. Had I heard him right?
Levi took a breath, his fists unclenching. "I know you, Olivia. You may be stubborn. You may hate me. But you don't have it in you to poison my brother. Not even after everything."
For a moment, I forgot to breathe. All my life, Levi's words had been cruel, biting, meant to break me. But now — now there was something else in his tone. Not softness. But certainty.
"I—" My voice stammered. "The tea… he said something was in it. The cup, it was right there—"
We both turned to the table.
Empty.
The cup was gone.
My stomach dropped.
"Someone took it," I whispered. My eyes narrowed. Who else had been here before us? The thought slithered in my mind like a serpent. Mal.
"What cup?" Levi pressed.
"The one Lex drank this morning," I said quickly, my voice sharp. "It reeked of vervain. I smelled it."
"Vervain?" Levi repeated, his brows pulling together. "That's impossible. There hasn't been vervain in this empire for decades. Not unless it was smuggled from the outer lands."
"I know what I smelled," I shot back, desperation slipping into my words. "You can smell it too. It's still here."
Levi's jaw tightened. Slowly, he drew in a breath — and his eyes widened. He smelled it. Sharp, bitter, unnatural. His expression shifted, horror flickering across his face.
"By the goddess…" he muttered. "You're right. He's poisoned."
I swallowed hard, panic twisting in my chest. "Will he— will he die?"
Levi shook his head quickly. "No. Thank the goddess, it's vervain. It won't kill him. It will only weaken him — break him down until he recovers."
The tight grip on my heart loosened. My knees almost gave way with relief.
Lex wasn't going to die.
"Olivia." Levi's voice pulled me back. His eyes, sharp and burning, locked on mine. "No one can know of this. Not the nobles. Not my brothers. Not even my father."
I blinked, confused. "What? Why? Shouldn't the Alpha be told?"
Levi's stare darkened. "Can I trust you, Olivia?"
His tone, his eyes — I didn't know if they were sincere or just a trap. My throat went dry, my wolf restless under my skin. "Yes… yes, my lord."
He studied me, then leaned closer, his voice low and grim.
"Because I know who did this."
My heart stopped.
"Who?" I whispered.
His jaw clenched, his voice trembling with quiet rage. "Mal's mother. She did this. I don't know why — not yet. But if my father knew… if he learned she tried to poison Lex, the marriage alliance would be shattered. Everything we've built with the Newcastles would collapse."
I froze. Mal's mother.
I shouldn't have been shocked — and yet I was. It made sense, far too much sense. This was the same woman who destroyed my family, who stole my father's title, who raised Mal into the cruel creature she had become. If she could throw my mother into the pit for something she hadn't done, what was stopping her from poisoning Lex now?
But Levi… Levi wasn't doing this for justice. His words revealed everything. He wasn't protecting Lex. He wasn't protecting me. He was protecting the marriage. Protecting Mal.
My hands trembled at my sides.
So what should I do?
I could keep quiet. Stay silent, keep Levi's trust, and allow him to wed Mal — the very family that had destroyed my life. Or… I could speak. Reveal what Mal's mother had done. Expose her, ruin her. Finally make her pay for the years of suffering she forced on me and my mother.
But doing so would mean betraying Levi's trust — whatever fragile trust this was. And if I betrayed him, I might lose everything.
My wolf howled in my chest, restless. My thoughts burned. What do I do, goddess? What do I do?
Before I could answer myself, a sound shattered the moment.
A loud, royal trumpet.
It blared from the courtyard, echoing through the halls. The music in the feast below stopped instantly, replaced with the hurried shuffle of nobles rising from their seats.
Levi's expression hardened.
"My father is here," he muttered. "The Alpha."
The word sent a shiver down my spine.
I clenched my fists, my heart hammering.
This is my chance.