Chapter 48 Poison
1785 Words
Chapter 48
Poison
*** ***
Louise
I opened the heavy door, and a large, spacious hospital room appeared. It was similar to the one I had stayed in, but this time, there seemed to be an overwhelming amount of medical equipment surrounding the bed at the back of the room. The beeping of machines filled the air. My gaze landed on Joseph, and my heart sank. He was lying there, hooked up to a maze of cords and monitors, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. The poison had taken a lot out of him, his open eye dull and his once-rosy complexion sickly and pale.
His eyes caught mine, and I heard his heart monitors speed up.
“Guests…” Someone said as I closed the door behind me. I was expecting you…”
I peered around the other side of Tye to see Maddison standing at the window. She had on an off-shoulder white top and a black miniskirt. Her dark hair cascaded in waves down her back. She was the epitome of beauty.
She stepped closer. “But I must admit I was surprised to smell a Gamma with you… A Gamma with Beta blood mixed in…”
“I came to see how Joseph was,” I replied honestly.
“Louise?” Joseph asked in a muffled voice.
I gasped in surprise, feeling my grip on Tye tighten. His voice had reached deep inside me and stirred my chest. Why?
“Shh, my dear…” Maddison cooed as she hurried over to Joseph’s bedside. “I’m still here…”
I stepped forward and noticed Tye had not moved. I turned back to him with a questioning glance.
“I’ll wait by the door.” He held my face, running his thumb across my cheek. Joseph’s monitors were going crazy behind us. Tye leant closer. “I don’t trust Maitea right now…”
He was jealous of Joseph. And that was understandable. Until I was marked, any male could attempt to seduce me and knowing Joseph had admitted to Tye I was his mate made it more real. But I had chosen Tye, and Joseph had proved I was not worthy of his love.
“I understand.” I kissed his hand. “I won’t be long.”
“So, what brings you here, Omega?” Maddison asked as I approached the bed. She was sitting beside Joseph’s bed. On the stand behind her were wedding dress magazines and décor books.
When I didn’t respond, she looked across at me. “You didn’t answer me…”
Tye growled under his breath. There was something about Maddison and her wolf that he or Maitea didn’t like.
“When they told me what happened, I had to come.” I peered down at Joseph to see him staring back up at me.
“Louise, you came.” He whispered hoarsely.
“The question is why?” Maddison asked again. “Why have you, Omega, come to see my mate? He chose me… You don’t need to be here.”
“I had to.’ I said without thinking. Not once did I look up from Joseph. “Something inside me told me I had to.”
“Hmm,” Maddison mumbled. She stood and leaned over Joseph, making him look at her before turning his eyes back to me. “You know he was poisoned… by the Celestial Moon clan… He nearly died.”
“So, I’ve heard,” I sighed. With effort, I tore my gaze from him and faced her. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise, would I?”
She scowled at me. “You’re pretty sharp-tongued for an Omega. They should punish you for speaking to a Beta like that. If you were a part of the Sunset clan, they would.”
“That’s the difference between our packs.” I half-laughed. “Ours has heart…”
She gaped at me with disapproval.
“Louise,” Joseph interrupted clearly. His words had no oomph, but they were clear. “At the courthouse… I wanted to–”
The door opened again, and Kingston walked in. His eyes widened when he saw me. “You’re one popular man, Joseph…” He turned to see Tyrone. His eyes lit up. “Good to see you, bro.”
“You look pretty happy with yourself, Kingston.” Tye shook Kingston’s hand.
“I managed to organise a date with my mate…” His grin lit the entire room. I laughed in shock, then covered my mouth. Kingston ignored me. He hurried over to my side of Joseph’s bed. “Hey buddy, I just ran into Doc. He said you should be home by tomorrow morning. The poison was only temporary… Lucky, hey?”
“That’s wonderful!” Maddison grinned. She reached over and took Joseph’s hands. “Did you hear that, babe? We get to have our bonding ceremony after all!”
Kingston and I exchanged a ‘Are you serious?’ look. I rolled my eyes, and he chuckled.
“Louise,” Joseph repeated, this time with more conviction.
I met his gaze, and my stomach fluttered. “If you keep saying my name, I might turn into a pumpkin.”
Tye, Kingston, and Joseph chuckled. Maddison glared at me, hoping her eyes would burn through my chest and disintegrate me.
“What is it?” I asked.
He glanced at Kingston, and something passed between them.
Kingston turned to Maddison. “Hey Maddison, did you decide on what colour tux Joseph will wear on Thursday?” He stepped into the middle of the room, blocking Tyrone’s view of me. “I need to know what I’m going to wear. I want to get my mate something beautiful to wear, too.”
Maddison’s eyes sparkled. She grabbed the magazine and hurried over to him. “I have so many ideas,” she said, flipping the page over. “See this dress… I’m going to wear this and…” She continued to waffle on, and my eyes grew drowsy.
A hand suddenly touched mine. Gasping, I peered down to find Joseph had grabbed my hand. Tingles flooded my insides. Why did his touch do this to me, even after everything he had done?
“Louise,” he whispered. “I’m sorry… I’ve hurt you.”
His words brought tears to my eyes. I hurried to wipe them away before anyone saw me. I nodded, then removed my hand from his. His monitors slowed to an average pace.
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Joseph.” I sighed and hugged myself. “I stopped by because I felt I owed it to you after what you did for me.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” He whispered. “Just you–”
Again, the door opened, and Doc Anderson entered. He saw how busy the room was and shook his head. “And here, I thought a circus was in town.”
“Hey Doc,” Tye said as he headed towards me.
“Tyrone, it’s good to see you—and Louise?” He turned and saw me beside Joseph. Smiling, he brushed past a talking Maddison and came to my side. “It’s Good to see you up and about, Louise. Are you coming to check on the patient?”
“Sort of,” I admitted. “But I really should go. I’m needed back at home.”
“Ah yes, you have a house full, I hear.”
Tye stepped up beside me. He offered his hand, and I took it. “And a mate-bonding ceremony to organise.”
Joseph let out a growl that rattled the glass in the window. His eyes turned a violent shade of red. Even Maddison stopped talking. All the monitors started whirling off the charts. Kingston hurried to his friend’s side. Maddison ran to his other side.
Doc Anderson stood between Joseph and me. “You should probably go, Louise. I need to sedate Joseph.”
“We should go,” Tye insisted, pulling me away from the scene.
As I stepped away, I met Joseph’s eyes, and my heart raced. He was murderous. He would have lunged at us if his body wasn’t so drained from the poison. And I understood why. He’s jealous of Tyrone because he was my mate!
I stared down at our linked hand and tightened my grip. I may have felt pity for the jerk, but he had decided my future when he had accepted Maddison. I took one last look at Joseph before closing the door on him.
Down the hallway, I turned to Tye. “Once we have a ceremony, will that break Joseph’s connection with me? I don’t feel it, but it’s obvious he does, and I can’t live under his rule if he behaves like that when he sees us.”
In response, Joseph roared. The rest of the windows rattled.
“We can talk about it in the car,” Tye suggested. “Here’s not the best place.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
Once we were in the car, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was out of the hospital… I was with my mate… I was away from Joseph. My shoulders relaxed, and I fell back against the seat.
“That question you asked back there…” Tye said as we pulled out onto the road.
“Yeah,” I turned my head to look at him. “If our ceremony will break his link to me?”
He nodded. “I think it will. But I honestly don’t know. I’ve never spoken to anyone who’s been through it.”
“Do you think you still have a chance at being Joseph’s Gamma?”
He snorted a laugh. “After that display, I think I’d have more chance at winning the lottery.”
I face forward. The guilt was undeniably heavy. I didn’t want to be responsible for Tye losing his position in the pack. Then something clicked. I was Alpha blood. If I was Alpha and he was my mate, would that make him Alpha, too?
“You know,” I turned to him again. “If I am the Alpha daughter of the Celestial Moon clan and win the fight against them… that would make me Alpha and you Luna.”
We both laughed. Tye reached over and took my hand. “Technically, that would make you Alpha-Luna and me just Alpha or the mate of the Alpha-Luna…”
“I like that other way better…”
Smiling, he kissed my hands. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care what my title is.”
- Writer
