Kael's POV
I slammed my door and stepped outside. The air was cool in the morning, but it did nothing to quell the fire raging in my chest.
What the hell did I just see?
That was not normal. Not some weird coincidence or figment of my imagination. She shifted. My cat, Aurora, mutated into something not exactly human but not exactly a beast either.
And was she trying to talk to me? Good heavens. I must be going insane.
I rubbed my face and walked back and forth on the balcony, my boots hitting the stone floor in tight, disciplined footsteps. "Get a grip, Kael," I said to myself. "You're the Alpha. You don't crack. You lead."
But the memory would not be quiet. Her eyes. Her voice. That flash of skin and fur. The heat of her transformation still hung in the air.
No, I needed answers.
This couldn't be one of my usual paranoia. Maybe I was seeing things. Perhaps the stress was finally splitting me wide open.
I looked to my right, down the corridor and away from the stairs. "It was nothing," I whispered. "Just a dream with my eyes open."
Back in the main house, life resumed its rhythm. Warriors trained. Servants cleaned. Liam barked orders, like he always did. No one had seen what I had. I shoved the memory into the back of my mind and got through the day as if I hadn't almost lost my mind.
I was going over security logs in my office when a knock rapped on the door.
"Alpha, Dr. Hollen's here," a guard announced.
I got up, cracking my knuckles. "Send him in."
The door creaked and Hollen entered, dressed in a black hoodie and dark jeans as he always was, looking less like a licensed surgeon than a bartender.
"You look like hell," he said with a smirk.
"Good morning to you too," I mumbled, moving out of the way.
He set a black duffle bag on the desk. "You pulled me out of surgery prep for this. You realize I'm a surgeon, not a goddamned food chemist, right?"
I sat on the window sill. "Yeah, well, you're also my best friend. And you have a head for this. I need your help."
Hollen sighed and started rummaging in his bag. "Alright. What's the damage?"
I gestured at the covered trays on the side table. "That plate. The one that was shattered into pieces by a very...aggressive feline."
He arched a brow but didn't inquire. Only started unpacking test tubes and gloves and a fancy-looking scanner. "If I do this, you're paying me triple. Friend discount or not."
"I'll pay in blood," I scoffed.
He grunted. "Not funny."
For several minutes he worked in silence, inserting bits of food into sterile tubes, before scanning them with a small handheld spectrometer. His brows furrowed.
"What?" I asked.
He hesitated. "One of them has just a whisper of belladonna in it. Not enough to kill an Alpha, just enough to sedate or disorient one, depending on the dosage over time.'
My jaw tightened. "So somebody's testing limits."
"Looks that way."
"Can you confirm it?"
"I'll take it to my lab. Pass it through proper machinery. But yeah—somebody's definitely lacing your food."
He closed the tubes and moved to the other plates to collect additional samples. Then, still looking down, he muttered, "You think somebody's trying to poison you?"
I answered calmly. "I don't think. I know."
He paused, looking up at me seriously. "Kael…that's not something you want to guess about.
I spoke quickly. "I'm not guessing."
I sat back away from the desk and looked out of the window. The estate seemed calm.
"How long does it take to get results?"I asked.
"A few hours if nothing slows me down," Hollen said and chuckled.
I smiled, then replied. "You'll be protected."
He chuckled darkly. "With food like this? I better be."
"I'm taking these back to my lab," he added. "But if this shit's laced, someone's gonna come looking for it. They'll try to stop me."
I pushed off the window. "Let them try. No one will dare harm you under my roof."
"Still, be ready. If it is poison, the person responsible won't stop. You're not just a target. You are a threat to someone's plan."
A sluggish grin tugged at my lips. "Then I guess it's time to smoke out the rat."
Hollen shook his head. "Reckless as ever."
"Go do your tests. I've got eyes everywhere."
He zipped the case closed and threw the duffle over his shoulder.
I took him to the courtyard. The sun was fully up now, burning gold over the trees.
"Text me as soon as you get results," I said.
"You'll be the first to know. Just don't get yourself poisoned while I'm gone."
I snorted. "I can't make any promises."
He shook his head, laughed, then walked to his car.
I started to go back in when Liam came running over the grass.
"Kael!" he called.
I stopped. "What now?"
He slid to a stop in front of me, his chest heaving. "It's...it's Hollen."
I narrowed my eyes. "What about him?"
Liam hesitated. "There's been an accident."
Everything in me calmed down.
"What?" I asked.
"His car. It flicked off the eastern ledge. We...we did find his duffle on the road but no sign of him."
My blood froze in my veins. I shoved past Liam. "Get the car. Now."
"But—"
"Now, Liam!" I yelled.
He sprinted ahead. I didn't wait.
He didn't need to tell me anything else as I snatched my keys, and barreled out the manor.
Someone knew what Hollen had discovered or feared he would. They acted much quicker than I thought they would.
Fortunately, by the time we reached the eastern cliff, three SUVs, three patrol units, and a search drone were in the air. Fumes rose from the debris beneath. Black metal writhed between the rocks like a carcass. Flames crackled. One tire still spun.
Liam was pale and frozen at the end. "We haven't located a body yet."
"Keep searching," I said.
He nodded and relayed the orders to the patrol team.
I looked down at the wreckage. Just minutes earlier, Hollen had been in that vehicle. Now it had become a burning tomb and he was lost. Not dead. Not confirmed at least.
He was missing.
A hand rested on my shoulder.
I turned. It was Rafe. My second-in-command.
"You think this was sabatoge?" he asked.
"I think someone doesn't want me to know what they are planning." The words flowed from my mouth.
He followed my gaze. "They failed."
"Not if he's dead." Rafe's jaw clenched.
I hoped not. "Then we find him," I said.
The drone whirred overhead. Heat signatures pinged against its tablet screen. First were the animals, and birds but no sign of him yet.
I peered into the ravine, searching the shadows below.
Then I caught a glimpse of it. It was visible between two jagged rocks.
There was movement. Only a flicker.
"Zoom in," I ordered at the drone tech.
The camera tightened.
A smear of blood. I saw a hand. Some fingers twitching.
My chest cracked open.
"Hollen," I whispered.
He was alive. Just, and I was one second away from having a panic attack.
I grabbed the radio. "Get a rescue crew in there. Now! And bring every medic we have."
I didn't feel satisfied and moved before the rescue team to get him.