Chapter 43: 43

Word Count: 2062

~Hunter

I wander up the stairs, unsure of how this interaction is going to unfold.

Ever since Tay mentioned that Azura may be the one poisoning me, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. She clearly doesn't like me, or at the very least, wants me to leave.

I find her in her private library as usual, sitting at the table, drawing someone on a notepad.

All the colour drains from her face once she looks up at me. An unsettled feeling drapes over me, making me wonder why I even bother coming up here.

"Hey..." I greet, rubbing the back of my neck.

She blinks her thick black lashes a couple times before she drags her gaze over me. I wonder if she is judging me, or if she is sensing something is wrong with me. Either way, it makes me shift uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you," I say, stepping close the table. "I just wanted to tell you that I've returned."

I try get a look at what she is drawing but she quickly pulls it back, placing her arm over it.

"It wasn't easy getting away from my father, but I managed it, but now I'm happy to be back," I say casually, rubbing the back of my neck.

Azura's brow creases before she points behind me at the door. My heart sinks.

"You want me to leave the room?" I ask. I don't want to invade her personal space if she is that uncomfortable with me.

She shakes her head, pointing through the open door and to the window in the hallway. It shows the  large expanse of forest, almost facing the direction of my father's Pack.

I huff out a breath, turning back to look at her, ignoring her tense expression.

"I know you don't like me, but I can't leave. Kaan is my mate, and I want to be with him," I insist, hoping she understands that there is more keeping me here now than ever before. "I hope that we can get along, to make this easier."

She blinks, her eyes widening. She didn't know...of course she didn't know.

"Azura..." I start, knowing her and Kaan have a close relationship, and his mate being someone she clearly doesn't like isn't something that will make her happy.

She shakes her head again, her breaths coming out in panicked huffs, indecision playing on her features.

"Fine. I'll just leave," I mutter, getting the point.

Before I can stand, Azura launches out of her seat. Grabbing my arm, she yanks me up and out of the library. She doesn't look back despite my confused questioning, her fingernails digging into my forearm.

She brings me into her room. Everything is almost obsessively neat, which makes the room appear more barren than it actually is.

"What's going on?" I question.

She lets me go, flinging open her closet doors. I stare in utter confusion as she rips a blanket off a large lump beneath her clothes, revealing the backs of multiple canvases.

One by one, she pulls them out, arranging them on her bed.

I manage to catch a glimpse of what the paintings are. They are relatively abstract, using muted, dark colours. She has painted figures, people, in different positions, with very few distinguishing features.

"Wow Azura, these are incredible," I murmur. Her talent is unbelievable.

She ignores me, shifting the paintings around into different placements. As I watch, enthralled, I realise I'm seeing features on these people that are recognisable.

I can see Kaan, his eyes painted a dark green. I see his parents, and I see me.

A dark feeling of realisation settles over me. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

She nods, her eyes bright as she points to each canvas in turn, tapping her finger against me specifically.

I frown, looking closer.

I see myself with Kaan's parents, a look of horror on my face. They seem angry. Other canvases depict me in bed, sick, and others of me with my cane, struggling to walk.

"Wait, are you telling me I'm in danger?" I ask.

Azura nods, looking relieved that I finally seem to be understanding. Still, I look at the canvases and I'm not sure I'm interpreting it correctly.

"Are they poisoning me?" I point to her parents, at the angry looks on their faces that is clearly directed at me.

She gasps, holding her hand up for me to wait, like she is realised she is missing something.

I watch as she searches through the closet. When she can't find what she is looking for, she looks under her bed before pulling out another canvas.

She nestles it between the canvas of her parents and the one of me sick in bed. My stomach twists into a painful knot as I take in what is being displayed to me.

It's Tay, holding a coffee that looks a lot like what she brings me on occasion if she wants to spend time with me. She is sprinkling a dark looking plant into it.

"Wait? Tay?"

Azura nods, slowly, thoroughly, making sure I understand I'm exactly right.

Confusion, anger and dread war for a place in my mind. They all swirl around my head, making my vision spin for a moment.

"She's poisoning me?" I question, my voice barely above a whisper.

Azura nods again, looking back down at the painting.

I press my fingers against my temples, trying to make sense of this. I thought Tay was my friend...She fought so hard for our friendship, and yet she was poisoning me. It just doesn't make sense.

"How do you know?" I turn to Azura, needing more information.

She points to the mug in the painting before pointing to her eyes, indicating that she witnessed it happening. I blow out a breath.

Although this doesn't make much sense in my mind, part of me believes Azura. She seems to earnest, letting me know that this isn't just some plot to get me out of here. Tay really is poisoning me, and I get the feeling that it has to do with her parents.

"Why would she do that? I thought she was my friend," I ask into the air, knowing that Azura can't truly convey to me Tay's intentions.

Azura points to the floor, her eyes wide, desperate for me to understand.

I shake my head, confused. "I'm sorry Azura, I don't understand what you're trying to say."

She sighs irritably, frustrated that she can't explain what she clearly knows. This is definitely not a some intricate trick to turn me against Tay. Azura has witnessed this, and she's trying to help me.

I grab hold of her shoulder, feeling her tremble beneath my touch. "I'll figure this out, okay. This isn't your burden now."

She offers a tentative smile, but she doesn't look entirely convinced I have this covered.

I do, but I have to take this slowly. If I rush up to Tay and tell her I know she has been poisoning me and I have no evidence to provide her, this could go poorly. I need to know myself that it was her doing it.

After helping Azura hide her paintings, I rush back downstairs, closing myself into my room.

Kaan is away for the day, wrapping some issues around the border that has been plaguing the Pack. Will he believe me? Will he believe that his own sister is capable of hurting me?

Pushing that thought aside, I sit on the bed and try to focus on something else. For a while I read, but when that becomes too odious, I opt for writing in a journal that Tay gave me.

As much as I try reason in my head, I can only find one feasible reason for why Tay would want to poison me...

Her parents are behind this.

I know Tay feels loyal to them. She is allowed to stay here, as the second born child who is no longer heir to anything. Perhaps she is putting off being married to some monstrous Lord or Nobleman in exchange for doing her parents dirty word.

A sharp knock on the door startles me. A moment later, the door opens and Tay steps inside, holding a cup in her hand.

My heart launches into my throat as she carried it over to me, a smile on her face.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asks, setting the cup down on my bedside table before she settles onto my bed too, facing me as she sits cross-legged.

"I'm okay..."

"Your back better?"

I blink, a little stunned. She gazes at me with those large eyes, her entire demeanour relaxed and friendly. She knows I would never suspect her.

Dragging my gaze to the cup, it looks like every drink she has ever brought me. It has never tasted off to me, and there is no suggestion that there has been anything added to it. Whatever the poison is, it's sneaky.

"It is." I clear my throat, my brows drawing together.  "Why did you think it was Azura poisoning me?"

Tay frowns a little, remembering when she divulged that information. It was only what I gleaned from what she said to Kaan not long before I was kidnapped by my father.

She scratches behind her ear, looking uncomfortable. "I can't say."

"Tell me," I insist.

She sighs dramatically, like the admission burdens her. Now that I am part of this family, I need to know the dynamics of this family. Especially if Tay is poisoning me.

"Azura tried to kill our mother once, when we were much younger," Tay tells me lowly, as if Azura is in the room with us. "She poisoned her drink with this herb or something. Mother nearly died."

My eyes widen. I don't want to believe it, and yet, Tay was alluding to something when she spoke to my mate, and he didn't deny anything. He seemed to think Azura needed protecting...

"Why would she do that?" I whisper.

"I don't know, she hated being different I suppose. Ever since our parents have kept her locked upstairs because she is a danger to all of us," Tay explains, fluffy the hem of her dress,

"Hmm." Something else is going on here, and I'm not sure how I'm going to figure it out.

"Don't worry though, I'll keep you safe," she says brightly, shifting closer.

My stomach twists. I thought Tay was my friend...I've come to really like her, and now, that beautiful smile and kind eyes seem to be hiding something far more deranged beneath than I thought possible.

"Why do your parents stay here when Kaan is the Alpha?" I ask her.

"I think he lets them out of pity. Things may change though, especially with you around." She nudges me.

Kaan and I haven't talked about it yet, but I want them gone as soon as possible. They will do well in a nice home near the edge of the Pack border.

"We'll see," I murmur.

Tay gestures at the bedside table. "Are you going to drink your drink?"

I try not to wince as I look at it. It's like she wants to be in the room to ensure I actually take a sip. Usually I start drinking it straight away.

"Soon." I force a smile. "I was actually hoping to get some rest."

She hops up from the bed, patting my shoulder. "Oh of course, have a nap. I'll see you at dinner?"

"See you."

I watch her go. She doesn't suspect anything...

Looking at the drink, I consider my options. There could be poison in that, but how can I know for sure? I could catch Tay adding the poison, but that's nearly impossible, since she brings them to be at random times during the day.

There is only one way to be certain.

Taking a deep breath, I pick up the cup, bringing it to my mouth before I take a sip.

By tomorrow, the truth will be revealed.

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