Chapter 182

Arthur

I watch Iris disappear through the doorway, and the ache in my chest nearly breaks me, just like it did six years ago when I came home to find her gone.

My mate has left me.

Again.

And who could blame her? Not when I not only have another mate, but have failed to reject that mate, and have even… kissed her. The whole fucking country is about to wake up to pictures of me kissing another woman, and given the recent media fucking shitstorm Iris has been going through, the people are going to love it.

But Iris has made herself abundantly clear: I need to unbind myself from Veronica before she’ll stay with me.

But dammit, I’ve tried. The rejection didn’t work. What else can I do?

With a frustrated growl, I turn and head back inside to search for my Beta. The party is still in full swing, although people look at me as I enter. I can see them whispering behind their hands, sneering, gossiping.

I spot Ezra near the stairs, scanning the floor. He’s still looking for the sapphire from Iris’s necklace. It strikes me suddenly that finding it might be one small way to make this night less of a disaster. To bring Iris at least a small moment of happiness in the midst of all this pain.

“Any luck?” I ask, approaching him.

Ezra shakes his head. “Not yet, Alpha.”

“Keep looking,” I say. “It means a lot to her.”

Ezra nods and continues his search, moving methodically across the ballroom floor. I join him, scanning the areas where Iris walked earlier in the evening. If I can find this sapphire for her, maybe it’ll be a first step toward making things right. A small gesture to show her I care.

But after twenty minutes of searching, I’m beginning to lose hope. The sapphire is small—it could be anywhere. It might have rolled beneath a piece of furniture or been swept away with the debris from the evening’s chaos.

I’m about to suggest we expand the search to the garden when I notice a small group gathered near the entrance to the main hall. There’s a woman in a black uniform and white gloves standing in the center, and she’s holding a small evidence bag with something blue in it.

Ezra and I exchange glances before we make our way over, curious.

As we approach, the crowd parts for me—one of the few perks of being Alpha President, I suppose, although those perks seem fewer and fewer these days.

Up close, I can see it more clearly now. The woman is putting the sapphire into the evidence bag. My eyebrows shoot up.

“Excuse me,” I say, stepping forward. “What are you doing?”

The woman looks up, and I notice the badge clipped to her belt. A detective from Ordan’s Police Department. “Alpha President,” she says, inclining her head respectfully. “I’m collecting potential evidence in tonight’s crime.”

“Evidence?” I repeat, confused. “It’s just a gemstone.” I don’t mention, yet, that the gemstone came from Iris’s necklace.

The detective holds up the bag so I can see the sapphire more clearly. “See how it’s partially crushed? And if you look closely, you can see it’s hollow inside. This is no ordinary gemstone, sir.”

I lean in, and realize she’s right. The sapphire is indeed cracked, and there’s a tiny hollow space inside—like a miniature capsule.

“What are you suggesting?” I ask, keeping my expression neutral.

“This gem appears to have been designed to hold something,” the detective says. “Given tonight’s events, we suspect that something might have been the poison.”

My blood turns to ice in my veins. The sapphire from Iris’s necklace contained the poison that nearly killed Veronica?

No. There’s no way in hell Iris would ever try to poison Veronica. Despite everything, Iris wouldn’t hurt anyone. It’s not who she is.

But I can’t reveal that the sapphire came from Iris’s necklace. Not now. Not when it would implicate her in something she definitely didn’t do. She’s already dealing with enough, and she doesn’t need to be known as an attempted murderer on top of it—and Goddess knows the public would go wild with that gossip, no matter how untrue it is.

“That’s… disturbing,” I say, straightening. I send Ezra a brief warning through our Mindlink, commanding him to remain silent. “Have you found any other evidence?”

“We’re investigating,” the detective replies. “We have officers taking statements from guests who were near the victim when she collapsed. Do you have any information that might help us, Alpha President?”

I shake my head. “Nothing, I’m afraid. But I’ll do whatever I can to assist the investigation.”

The detective nods, then excuses herself to continue her work. As soon as she’s out of earshot, Ezra leans in.

“Alpha,” he whispers, “that sapphire—”

“I know,” I cut him off. “But we don’t say anything about the necklace. Not until we understand what’s really going on.”

Ezra nods, understanding the implications without me having to spell it out. If word gets out that the poisoned gem came from Iris’s necklace, she’ll immediately become the prime suspect. And given her very public jealousy over my connection to Veronica, few would believe she’s innocent.

My mind races, trying to make sense of this. If Iris didn’t put the poison in the sapphire—and I know she didn’t—then who did? And how did they know it would fall from her necklace at just the right moment?

Something about this feels calculated. Too calculated.

I need answers, and I know exactly where to start looking for them.

“Stay here,” I tell Ezra. “Keep an eye on the detective. I need to speak with Veronica.”

Ezra’s face tightens. “Alpha, are you sure that’s wise? Given what happened earlier…”

“I don’t have a choice,” I reply grimly. “She might know more than she’s letting on.”

And I need to try to reject her one more time. I need to prove to Iris that I’m serious about breaking this bond.

I make my way back through the mansion, toward the guest room where Veronica is recovering. The guards stationed outside step aside at my approach, and I enter without knocking.

Veronica is alone, reclining on the bed. The doctor must have left to get supplies or give his report to the police. She looks up as I enter, and her gray eyes brighten.

“Arthur,” she says softly. “I was hoping you would come back.”

I close the door behind me, sealing us inside together. For a moment, I just stand there, watching her. My wolf bristles slightly at the sight of her looking frail and sick in bed. He wants to go to her, go to our mate, help her heal.

But I don’t go to her. I won’t. I can’t.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, keeping my distance for now.

“Much better,” she says with a smile. “Thanks to you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I point out. “Ezra was the one who found the antidote.”

She smiles, and something about it makes my skin crawl. “But you were there. Your presence helped immensely.”

I decide to get straight to the point. “Veronica, I need to try again. To reject the bond between us.”

Her smile falters slightly, but she recovers quickly. “Even after what happened? Even after your wolf responded to me? You can’t deny what’s between us, Arthur.”

“I can deny it,” I insist. “I choose to deny it. I love Iris. I want Iris. Not you.”

“Your wolf disagrees,” she says, sitting up straighter. “And the wolf always knows best.”

“That’s not true. Wolves can be wrong. They can be… manipulated.”

Her eyebrow arches. “Manipulated? What are you suggesting?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I admit. “But maybe you can give me some insight. Tonight seemed a little contrived, don’t you think?”

Veronica’s face changes then, her expression hardening. “You think I had something to do with my own poisoning? That’s absurd.”

Something about her tone sets my teeth on edge. She’s not telling the truth. I can sense it deep in my bones, the very same way I can sense my mate bond with her.

“Tell me what you know,” I command.

Veronica tilts her head, studying me. “I don’t know anything, Arthur. You’re being paranoid.”

“No. You know something,” I retort. I step closer. “Tell me—”

And that’s when it hits me—her scent. It’s suddenly stronger, more potent than ever before. Like it’s been amplified somehow. My wolf immediately goes wild.

“Mate. Mate. Mate.”

I try to fight it, but it’s useless. My vision starts to blur around the edges. I’m going to lose control.

“Come here, Arthur,” Veronica beckons. She pats the edge of the bed beside her, and her lips curve into a serene smile. “Let’s talk.”

No. I don’t want this. I want to turn and walk out the door. I want to go home to Iris.

Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

But I can’t leave. My wolf has taken control. And despite every instinct screaming that something is wrong, I find myself taking a step forward.