CHAPTER 108: SUSPECT 1

FIA

I woke to pounding on my door. The sound drove straight through my skull and dragged me from whatever shallow sleep I’d managed to find.

My body felt heavy. Wrong. Like I’d been drugged or hit by something large and unforgiving. I pushed myself up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The room tilted for a moment before settling.

The knocking came again. Harder this time. More insistent.

"Coming," I called out. My voice came out rough and cracked.

I stumbled to the door. My fingers fumbled with the handle before I managed to pull it open.

Maren stood in the hallway. Her jaw was tight. Her eyes blazed with something that made my stomach drop even before she spoke.

"Maren?" I stepped back. "What’s wrong?"

She pushed past me and into the room. The door slammed shut behind her. She turned to face me and the expression on her face made me want to step back further. Made me want to run.

"What did you do?" The words came out sharp. Accusatory.

My heart kicked against my ribs. "I... what do you mean?"

"Don’t play stupid with m, Luna Fia." Her voice rose. "What did you do?"

The cure. That had to be it. She’d figured out about what I had done with the cure. She’d found out that I’d given it to Grand Luna Morrigan despite her objections. Despite Thorne’s warnings.

I swallowed hard. "I know you and Thorne were against it." The words tumbled out quickly. "But I had to do it. I needed peace. I needed to know I’d tried everything." I spread my hands. "Nothing happened though. I don’t know why you’re so angry. She is fine. I made sure of that .

Maren’s face went red. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Nothing happened?" She took a step toward me. "Nothing happened?"

I flinched back.

"Except something did happen, Luna Fia." Her voice shook. "Luna Morrigan almost died. Again."

The world seemed to stop. The air left my lungs in a rush and I couldn’t pull more in. "What?"

"Why would you do that?" Maren’s voice cracked. "Why would you give her an untested cure in the window when there was no medic omega around? If Alpha Aldric hadn’t been there..." She shook her head. "It would have been very bad. Regardless of the alarms. Regardless of anything."

My legs felt weak. I reached out and braced myself against the wall. "When I gave it to her, she didn’t react at all. I’m sure. I stayed. I watched. There was nothing."

"Except you weren’t sure." Maren’s words cut through me. "You might have knowledge in herbology and poison. But it shows you’re not a healer at the end of the day because your ethics are all over the place."

The accusation stung. It burrowed under my skin and settled there with sharp edges. But was she wrong?

"We all feel bad," Maren continued. "We all feel useless. But that doesn’t mean we put the Grand Luna’s life on the line. Having a hero complex will most likely get people killed." She paused. Drew in a shaky breath. "Thorne had to take the fall for what you did too."

Horror flooded through me. Cold and absolute. "What?" The word came out barely above a whisper. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he understands what could happen if it came out that it was you." Maren’s expression softened slightly. Just barely. "When you came here, everyone was against you because of the basis of your marriage with Alpha Cian. It took a lot for people to start warming up to you. Some still don’t even trust you." She met my eyes. "He knew this would decimate your chances here. That Cian would be hurt. Or worse."

My throat tightened. Guilt pressed down on me until I thought I might collapse under the weight.

"As much as I hate that he put himself in the line of fire," Maren said quietly, "I might have done the same thing if I hadn’t hesitated as well."

"I’m sorry." The words felt pathetic. Inadequate. But they were all I had.

"I don’t need that, Luna Fia." Maren shook her head. "It would have been polite if you’d listened to what we had to say instead of playing hero. I know you’ve been helpful to this pack two times now. But that’s not what you were born to do here. You’re a person at the end of the day. Not a god or a savior." Her voice dropped. "What you did could have really put Alpha Cian, me, and Thorne in a very horrible place."

Each word landed like a physical blow. I wanted to defend myself. Wanted to explain that I’d just been trying to help. That I couldn’t sit by and do nothing while the Grand Luna suffered.

But Maren wasn’t wrong. I’d been reckless. Selfish. I’d put my need to feel useful above the safety of everyone involved. Especially Maren and Thorne.

"Just... Please do everything in your power to ensure that Elder Thorne doesn’t needlessly suffer for this." Maren turned toward the door. "It’s the least you can do. That’s all I came to say."

She reached for the handle.

My hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder. "I really am sorry."

She paused but didn’t turn around.

"But you also have to believe me when I tell you nothing really happened." The words spilled out faster now. "I was there during the window she should have had an adverse reaction like you just mentioned. But she was just there. Unconscious and fine. I left and..." I trailed off as the thought took shape. "And Alpha Aldric came in."

The pieces shifted in my mind. Rearranged themselves into a pattern I didn’t want to see. But I couldn’t ignore.

Maren turned slowly. Her eyes narrowed. "You cannot be serious." Her voice was flat. Dangerous. "You think Alpha Aldric did something?"

"I’m not saying he did something vile." I released her shoulder and stepped back. "But emotions are high. Maybe he tried something as well. Maybe he—"

"This is unbelievable." Maren cut me off. She stared at me like I’d transformed into something unrecognizable. Something ugly. "I didn’t think this was the kind of person that you were. Perhaps I put you too high on a pedestal."

"Why won’t you believe me?" My voice rose. Desperation clawed at my throat.

"It’s not that I don’t believe you." Maren’s expression hardened. "It’s just that I see what I see. We made that cure. We knew it would most likely not work because we didn’t have magic. Goodness knows what reaction she would have with that poison in her system. Yet you gave it to her." She took a step closer. "Alpha Aldric would never do anything to hurt his nephew or the Grand Luna. He loves them. He’s made sacrifices for them."

The certainty in her voice made me want to scream.

"So for your sake, Luna Fia," Maren continued, "if you want things to remain semi normal on these grounds, do not imply that Alpha Aldric could ever do wrong."

She turned and walked out. The door closed behind her with a soft click that sounded like finality.

I stood there in the silence. My heart hammered against my ribs. My hands shook.

Maren wasn’t entirely wrong. I knew that. I’d been reckless. I’d ignored their warnings and done what I thought was right without considering the consequences. Without thinking about what would happen if something went wrong.

But something else gnawed at me. Something I couldn’t shake loose.

The Grand Luna had been fine when I left. I’d stayed longer than I should have. Watched her breathing. Monitored her for any sign of distress. There had been nothing.

And then Aldric had arrived.

And then she’d coded.

I moved to the side of the bed and found my slippers. Pulled them on with trembling hands.

This was stupid. Probably dangerous. Maren had just warned me not to imply anything about Aldric. Told me it would destroy any shaky goodwill I’d built here.

But I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t silence the voice in my head that whispered something was off. That the timing was too convenient. That Aldric had been too ready with his explanation about not being able to sleep. About coming to visit his sister in law.

I opened my door and stepped into the hallway. The air felt colder than it should. The corridor stretched ahead of me. Empty and silent except for the sound of my footsteps.

I headed toward the infirmary. Each step felt heavier than the last. Each breath came harder.

This could backfire. This could make everything worse. This would again prove Maren right about me being reckless and impulsive.

But if I was right. If Aldric had done something.

I couldn’t live with myself if I stayed silent and pretended like this didn’t gmaw the depth of my person.

The infirmary doors appeared ahead. Light still spilled from beneath them. I could hear the faint beep of monitors. The mechanical hiss of the ventilator. I could also feel the thrum of the mate bond. Cian was inside.

I reached for the handle.

My hand hesitated. But I couldn’t let that linger. I swallowed and then I pushed through.