Chapter 288

Emergency calls only

Chapter 288

KANE

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Though it was a bold theory I had yet to find evidence to support, I knew it was a stronger guess than anything

else the Sky Pride healers made.

Even though it had been many years since then, I could still remember what Asher’s father looked like when he’d died. His face had the same yellowish sheen as Alpha Arthur’s and his lips were unusually purple. The two men had the same dryness in their skin, and the same frigid bodies.

It was too much of a coincidence to not be true.

If my assumption was correct, that would indicate that the head healer was complicit in this scheme.

But why?

What were the motivations behind it all?

“Is the healer still administering medicine to your father?” I asked Kiara, my eyes still locked on the unconscious

Alpha.

“Yes,” she replied. “The treatments have been more frequent lately because the healer thinks the medicine will help him live longer.”

I knew at once that wasn’t the truth. I could almost be sure that the “medicine” Alpha Arthur was taking was in fact poison. The mastermind behind this plan seemed impatient and couldn’t wait any longer for the Alpha’s death, so the frequency of the treatments had been increased.

Kiara took notice of my expression and wiped the tears away from her face. Her eyebrows knitted together and

she studied me closely.

“What’s wrong?” she wondered suspiciously. “You seem… intrigued. Is something going on?”

I parted my lips, unsure of what to say. I didn’t want to alarm her since she was in such a fragile state, but then again, I couldn’t keep her in the dark. This was her father’s life. She deserved to know my theory.

“I’m wondering if there’s something wrong with the medicine,” I said calmly.

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Kiara’s doe-like hazel eyes widened even further. “What makes you say that?”

“There are… signs,” I answered vaguely. “Signs that there might be foul play involved-”

“Foul play?” she repeated back, interrupting me. “I don’t understand, Kane. The head healer has served my father for more than twenty years.”

“I know it’s hard to believe,” I said, raising my hands up a little as if to calm her. “But I’ve known and seen someone who had been taking chronic poison under the guise of medicine before. He shared certain traits with your father, Kiara.”

The Alpha’s daughter fell silent. Without thinking, I reached out and took her hands in mine. They were deadly cold and she was trembling.

I wished I could find a way to soothe her. It was an instinctual need, the desire to make her feel better. We didn’t know each other well and yet… it was almost as if I’d known her spirit for a while. It was a strange feeling, one l wasn’t used to. I wasn’t known for my ability to connect with people but this girl was different. She was kind and had a good heart. The depths of her compassion felt endless.

As my mind filled with thoughts of her, she gazed up at me through her thick dark lashes. She seemed disoriented as if this news was too much to bear. Her lips parted a few times but then closed again as if she didn’t wish to speak.

Finally, she sighed.

“I don’t understand,” she said as she continued to tremble. “I’ve always trusted the healer and I’ve helped administer the medicine quite a few times. What if it’s poison after all? That would mean that I helped someone kill my father-”

“It’s not your fault,” I interrupted her sternly. “You mustn’t blame yourself. You had no reason to suspect otherwise, Kiara.”

“Who would have done this?” she wondered as she shook her head. “My father has always been kind and generous to his people. Everyone loves and respects him.”

Though I had a name in mind, I didn’t tell Kiara my theory. It would be too much of a blow to her and she was too fragile to handle it.

“I don’t know,” I lied and I shrugged to reinforce my unsureness.

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She released a sigh, clearly buying my lame answer.

“What do we do next?” she wondered. “We clearly can’t keep letting the healer give my father poison.”

O

“We need to confront the healer and force her to tell us the truth,” I replied. “We can’t let this go on any longer, not when your father’s life is in the balance.”

Kiara nodded solemnly. “The healer is supposed to come back in two hours. We can confront him then.”

Though that seemed like the natural answer, I shook my head.

“This place is full of soldiers,” I remarked. “The healer needs to be questioned by someone in a high position, someone she wouldn’t dare go against. If we question him here, we might not get the truth. Do you know which road the healer usually takes to get home?”

I knew that the healer didn’t live within the castle, which was something we could use to our advantage.

Kiara considered my question carefully and then nodded. She told me where the healer lived and the route they took to get to the palace.

“I will wait for him there then,” I remarked.

“I’ll come with you,” Kiara offered but I shook my head again.

“It will be too dangerous,” I stated firmly.

“I need to come,” she insisted. “I would never forgive myself otherwise. Please, Kane. Besides, you have no helpers here. All of the Myriad soldiers left with the Alpha King and the Sky Pride soldiers aren’t very loyal to you. You can’t do this alone.”

She had a point. I didn’t have many allies here. Darwin had seen to that personally. I knew it would be tough to do this alone, so despite the voice in my head saying otherwise, I agreed to let her come.

“We’ll need to leave soon,” I advised. “Be ready to come with me. We’ll meet in the foyer.”

An hour and a half later, Kiara and I left the palace undetected and went to the road the healer usually traveled down.

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Emergency calls only

Chapter 288

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Sure enough, Kiara’s intel had been spot-on, and after a while, the healer passed by without difficulty. They seemed completely unworried, so I managed to sneak out and grab him immediately.

Taking his collar, I pushed him against the wall of the building we’d hidden behind and exposed my claws.

“Don’t make a sound,” I threatened him. Thankfully, no one was around, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

The healer’s face went pale and he looked both confused and scared.

“Kiara, please help-” he insisted, but the Alpha’s daughter wasn’t having it. Her pretty eyes shot daggers in his

direction.

“Listen to Kane,” she said, her tone so fierce it was almost a growl.

I was a little surprised by the ferocity of her voice and nearly smiled at the sound of it, but I managed to stay focused on the task at hand. I stared intensely at the healer and tightened my hold.

“You’ve been trying to kill the Alpha,” I said clearly. “Why?”

The healer’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

My claws sharpened and dug into his skin.

“If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll kill you right here,” I threatened him again.

“You wouldn’t dare!” the healer blurted boldly. “That’s not how things are done in Sky Pride-”

“I don’t care,” I sneered as my claws dug in further.

“Lord Darwin wouldn’t let me-” the healer started to say but then he froze as if he hadn’t meant to speak.

I wasn’t surprised to hear that Darwin was involved, but Kiara was stunned. A long silence lingered and then she took a step forward toward us.

“Was it Darwin who ordered you to poison my father?” she demanded. “Why would he want you to do that?”

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