Chapter 87

Chapter 87 Caught him

CA SSANDRA

Adalyn’s eyes widened at the commotion and she sprang into action. She rose from her seat, swept Marco into her arms, and backed away from the table.

“What’s going on?” she demanded, and she looked between Erika and me. “Something doesn’t make sense here. Are… are you trying to kill me?” Her tone grew more shrill with every word and her b*dy began to tremble. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I had to say something quickly. Arguing with Adalyn didn’t matter. All I wanted was for Lancel to catch whoever was eavesdropping on

“Answer me, healer!” Adalyn shouted when I didn’t reply.

“Lady Adalyn, if I wanted you to die, I wouldn’t have stopped you from drinking that tea,” I pointed out to her as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Adalyn’s face contorted, but she didn’t have any other argument to make She held Marco close and rushed out of the room. I had half a mind to stop her and beg her to stay here in the chamber. It could be dangerous out there if the guards were trying to catch whoever was spying on us. But it was no use.

Adalyn Moses listened to no one.

My eyes fell on Erika, who appeared as if she were going to faint. All of the color had left her cheeks and her chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath. I

rushed over to her and held my arm out to steady her.

“Erika!” I gasped as she nearly fell over.

“Oh, Ca ssandra,” she uttered in shock. “Oh, Ca ssandra… I didn’t… I don’t understand. I… I poured the tea myself. I didn’t… I didn’t know…”

“Erika, breathe,” I insisted. “Please. I know this wasn’t your fault.”

“Was the tea… was it poisoned?” she asked quietly.

“It seems that way,” I said. “But Erika, I know it wasn’t your fault or your doing. Something is going on here, something bad.”

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was terrified. Whoever had put the poison in the tea had been skillful. They must have sl*pped it in when Erika wasn’t looking, or perhaps they’d snuck it into the tea leaves that the maid used.

Either way, I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Adalyn and I had

drunk it.

My stomach twisted in knots.

“Let’s get you to a chair,” I decided, and after Erika nodded, I escorted her over to the table. Once she was situated, an idea crossed my mind. I rushed over to my backpack and started to retrieve some of my supplies.”

Erika watched me warily.

“What are you doing?” she wondered.

“Taking a sample,” I replied as I walked back over. I wasted no time and emptied the contents of the teacup into an empty tube. “I have some testing supplies with me. I’m going to try to figure out what’s going on.”

“Oh,” she breathed, and she nodded her head slowly. “That’s brilliant,

Ca ssandra.”

“After you’ve taken a moment to relax, could you carefully pack the teacups into sealed bags?” I requested. “I’ll dispose of them in the lab bins later. They need to stay far away from anyone else. I have gloves you can use so you don’t get anything

on you.”

is is

Erika nodded vigorously. “Of course. It’s the least I can do.”

We got to work right away, and as I took the sample and waited for the results, panic rose with me. This situation had escalated from bad to dangerous very

quickly, and the stakes were getting higher the longer and longer that Lancel was

away.

I had no doubt that the man was going to come back for me.

A little while later, a scream rang out, followed by a series of shouts and growls. Erika nd I nearly jumped out of our skins, and after we shared a look, I ran to the door. I tried to get a glimpse of what was going on, but I couldn’t see anything through the peephole.

“Get away from there, Ca ssandra!” Erika hissed, but I didn’t listen. I took a short

breath and then ran out of the room to find the source of the commotion.

The hallway was packed with people, and I shoved through them until I reached the center of the hall. There, standing in the center of the corridor, was a group of guards packed into a circle, led by Lancel. I couldn’t see who they were surrounding, even on my tiptoes, but I still tried to do so anyway.

Beyond me, Prince Marco stood crying.

“I want my mommy!” he sobbed as tears streamed down his cheeks, and he tried to thrash, but he was being held tightly by one of the guards. If he was there, where was Adalyn? I searched the crowd but didn’t see her. I considered running over to Marco, but I didn’t dare come close, not when I had no idea what was

happening.

Suddenly, I heard Lancel’s unmistakable voice.

“You must surrender,” the older guard said firmly. “More guards are on the way, and there’s no chance you’re going to make it out of here unless you give in.”

The sound of another man’s voice reached my ears.

He was laughing, cruel laughter that made my entire b*dy shudder. It was a terrible, terrible sound.

“Don’t you care about the king’s wife?” the voice asked, and suddenly, my heart. dropped.

I walked closer, and a gasp escaped me. Though I couldn’t see the man’s face, I could see his frame, and he wasn’t alone.

There, at the center of the circle of guards, he stood, holding Adalyn in his arms. He had a firm grip around her n*eck, and his razor-sharp claws were pressed against her delicate skin. Little drops of blood began to stream from Adalyn’s arm as he dug in further, and she cried out in pain.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

He was holding the Alpha King’s wife hostage.

Adalyn’s normally tan complexion was pale, and her l*p trembled. Her amber eyes were bloodshot with tears and she whimpered in pain.

“Please,” she begged, but it was no use. The man simply laughed and then turned to the crowd again.

“Take one step forward, and I’ll slash her n*eck,” the man threatened, and when no one moved, he shouted again. “I said move backward! You wretched morons! I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her right now!”

My chest heaved as I fought to catch my breath.

I’d known it then just as I knew it now.

The man in the center of the room was unmistakably the guard Margaret had brought with her to capture me just days prior in my chamber.

The very same soldier who’d tried to kill me five years ago in Rosepetal.

“Wretched mo ron”.

I’d never forget that phrase as long as I lived. That vile man had spat the same words at me the day I thought I was going to die, just before the inferno had set my home ablaze.

Did that mean what I thought it meant?

Was he also the man from the basement?

The imposter?