Chapter 163

Aria

Darren and I watched through the small window in the door as Dr. Edward conducted tests on the amber liquid we’d found in Raven’s pocket. Dr. Edward carefully extracted the liquid from the vial, dropping it into a small device for testing.

Two hours had passed since the incident in our bedroom. Two hours since I’d found that woman straddling my mate, using some fabricated scent to make him forget me. The thought made my stomach turn.

Darren hadn’t left my side since then. His hand was tightly wound with mine, his jaw set hard. He must have apologized a thousand times—he’d even gotten on his knees at one point, pleading with me to forgive him.

But of course I forgave him. It wasn’t his fault that a spy had somehow infiltrated our pack and used some kind of special perfume to take over his mind. I was just glad I’d found them before it was too late.

Throwing the glass of water on them had merely been an act of rage, picking up a glass sitting on the dresser and hurling the contents at them, but it had washed off the perfume and returned Darren to his senses. We were lucky.

Finally, Dr. Edward looked up from his microscope, a grave expression crossing his face. He beckoned us into the lab.

Darren’s hand tightened around mine as we entered. The doctor held up the small bottle, turning it under the light. “Well?” Darren asked. “What did you find?”

The doctor glanced at us. “The concoction contains derivatives from Lovesting venom.”

My blood ran cold at the reminder of those strange insects. When they’d bitten Darren and I in the forest once, we’d been so overcome with their aphrodisiac venom that we’d made love for the first time.

“So he was drugged with an aphrodisiac,” I mused, furrowing my brow. “But why didn’t any of the other males have a reaction?”

Dr. Edward sighed. “It seems the venom was specifically modified to affect Darren,” he replied. “I’m not sure exactly how—perhaps someone retrieved a DNA sample at some point.”

Darren’s throat bobbed. “And you’re sure it’s Lovesting venom? It can be modified like that?”

“Oh, I’m positive,” Dr. Edward replied. He reached into his lab coat pocket and held up a familiar vial—the tincture. “I used Lovesting venom to create the tincture.”

I blinked, surprised.

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted us. Liam poked his head in. “She’s asking to speak to you both. Says she has information we need to hear.”

I glanced at Darren, who gave me a small nod. Together, we made our way out of the clinic and toward the nearby pack prison, where Raven was being held in an interrogation cell. She looked up as we entered, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth despite her restrained position.

“The happy couple,” she drawled. “How touching.”

“You have information?” Darren prompted, ignoring her jab.

Raven studied us both for a moment, her green eyes flickering with something unreadable. “What’s in it for me?”

I almost laughed out loud. “Depends on what you tell us,” Darren replied easily. “But cooperation now might be the difference between imprisonment and something worse.”

She leaned forward as much as her restraints would allow. “I want immunity.”

I scoffed. “You attacked my mate with chemical weapons. You’re not getting immunity.”

“Do you want to know who I work for or not?” Raven challenged.

Darren held up a hand, silencing us both. “Start talking. Then we’ll discuss terms.”

Raven seemed to consider this, then shrugged. “Fine. I work for the humans.”

The room went still. Even Darren, despite his calm facade, stiffened in his chair.

“Which humans?” he finally asked, his voice low.

“Do I really need to say it?” she retorted.

Darren and I exchanged a glance, and it seemed we both had the same thought. Bella’s father. Who he was serving was pretty obvious: the human government. They were all against us. All the way to the fucking top.

“And they sent you here to what? Seduce me? For what purpose?” Darren asked.

Her smile widened. “They didn’t just send me to seduce you. They sent me to infiltrate your pack. To gather intelligence. To understand exactly how your leadership works so they could dismantle it from the inside.”

I frowned. “But you’re a shifter, just like us. Why would you work against your own kind?”

Raven’s eyes flicked to me. “Money. Protection. Take your pick.” She paused, considering something. “But mostly, I do it because humans are going to win this war eventually. Might as well be on the winning side. That’s how us panthers have survived for so long, you know.”

“So you’re saying you’re a coward,” I retorted.

Raven blinked at me, uncowed by my insult. She returned her gaze to Darren. “I have one more tidbit that you’ll definitely want to hear. But I’m not saying a word until I’m granted immunity.”

Darren and I looked at each other again. I felt the buzz of our Mindlink humming to life, a form of communication that we rarely used.

“We should give it to her,” his mental voice echoed in my mind. “Anything she knows would be too important to pass up.”

My jaw twitched. “She tried to—”

“We’ll keep her locked away until this is all handled,” Darren quickly replied.

I hesitated, uncertain. Truthfully, the wolf in me wanted to kill the woman who had tried to seduce my mate. But Darren was right; Raven was willing to tell us important information, information that might be make or break for us in a very dire situation.

Finally, I said, “Fine. But she’s not going to be immune from my hand meeting her stupid, pretty face.”

Darren’s mouth moved slightly as if trying to hold back a smirk, but he nodded and turned to Raven. “Very well. You’ll remain in custody until this is all over, but once that time comes, you’re free to go. Tell us what you know.”

Raven didn’t hesitate. “There’s a strike team coming at first light. They’re carrying weaponized versions of that perfume you found on me. They have variations now. Some that can incapacitate a werewolf in seconds. Others that can make a human fight through injuries that would normally drop them.”

My heart pounded. I exchanged a glance with Darren. The scent in the park. The hiker. It all made sense now.

Darren stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “How much time do we have?”

“Like I said, they’re attacking at first light.” She glanced at the clock on the wall above our heads. “About six hours from now.”

Darren looked at me. “We should hurry, then.”

I nodded, pushing up my sleeve. “Just one last thing,” I said through grit teeth, circling around the interrogation table. Darren didn’t stop me as I pulled my hand back and slapped her so hard across the face that it sounded as if a gunshot had gone off in the small room. Her chair tipped from the force of it, sending her crashing to the floor—her hands still cuffed.

Then, without a word, I smoothed down my hair and stormed out of the interrogation room, my hand burning. Darren followed me, his face stony, although I could see the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.

With that, we arranged an emergency meeting with everyone—Liam, Bella, Wendy, the pack warriors, and all of the visiting Alphas and Lunas. Within the hour, the council chamber was filled once more. Alphas and Lunas in varying states of dress—some in their nightgowns and robes—stood around the table, confused.

“Why have you called us here at this hour?” one Luna asked. “It’s past midnight!”

Darren and I looked at each other. Then, taking a deep breath, we explained everything. Murmurs rippled through the crowd as we spoke, confusion turning to panic and even outright fear.

But the moment we were finished, Alpha Arthur stepped forward. “If humans have weaponized this substance on a large scale, we need to take immediate action.”

“Immediate action?” a Luna scoffed. “We need to evacuate!”

“No. I say let them come,” one of the Alphas barked. “It’s about time we show these arrogant humans just how powerful us wolves are. Even with their weapons and chemicals, they won’t stand a chance against us.”

The room erupted in overlapping voices then, some calling for retreat, others for battle. Darren raised his hand, calling for silence.

“Before we decide on our course of action,” he said once the room had quieted, “we need leadership. The election was scheduled for tomorrow, but given these circumstances, I propose we hold it now.”

Alpha Arthur nodded. “I second this motion. We need a unified command structure before dawn.”

One by one, the other Alphas voiced their agreement. Wendy stepped to the center of the room. “Then it is decided,” she announced. “We will cast our votes now, and the new Alpha King will lead us through this crisis.”

The voting process was swift but solemn. Each Alpha approached Wendy, added their vote to a small piece of paper, and returned to their place in the circle. I kept my expression neutral throughout, even though my heart was hammering like a war drum at the inside of my ribs.

When the last vote had been cast, Wendy tallied the results, her face revealing nothing as she counted. The room fell into a heavy silence as we waited.

Finally, Wendy straightened, clearing her throat.

“The votes have been counted,” Wendy announced, her voice carrying clearly through the silent room. “With the threat we now face, it is more important than ever that we stand united under strong leadership.”

She paused, her eyes scanning the room before settling on us.

“The Alpha King is… Darren Avarise. With Luna Aria by his side.”