Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Poisoned (2)
"When did you get here?" His hollow eyes stared at Theron, slowly moving to Seren whose hands were clasped over her mouth.
He followed her line of sight and saw the bodies on the floor.
"What happened here, Aeron?" Theron got up and walked to him. "Did they try to attack you?"
Aeron’s brows pressed tightly together as a throbbing headache pressed tightly against his skull. "I— I can’t think," he dropped his hands and stared at Theron. "...maybe I wasn’t thinking straight and got out of control."
Theron glanced at his brother and noticed the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.
Something was wrong with him. Aeron would have been better by now if it were normal symptoms. This was not the usual fever or exhaustion from the earlier counterattack. His breathing was uneven. His pupils looked unfocused.
Theron rose to his feet. "I will call the pack’s doctor."
He moved toward the door, but stopped when he reached Seren. She stood rigid, her arms wrapped around herself. Fear sat openly in her eyes.
He let out a quiet sigh before brushing past her, leaving the two of them alone in the room.
The door shut and silence settled thickly.
Aeron groaned, clutching his head. He tried to push himself upright, but his arms trembled. He barely made it halfway before his strength gave out and he crashed back onto the floor with a dull thud.
"Aeron!" Seren rushed forward but halted immediately.
A bell rang outside and she felt it within her body.
It was loud, and urgent. Not the usual chime that marked the hour.
Both of them still..
Seren hurried to the window and yanked it open. Cold air rushed in, carrying the faint scent of flowers. Her eyes scanned the distance, and she gasped.
Far beyond the palace walls, black smoke curled into the sky.
Her fingers tightened around the window frame.
’It’s too quiet...’
She had noticed it earlier. The corridors had been emptier than usual. There were fewer guards stationed around the place.
And Aeron... he had been on edge since morning.
’Something is happening.’ She thought.
The smoke confirmed it.
Her hands clenched tightly, her heartbeat quickened.
She let the curtain fall and turned to Aeron. He was breathing heavily now, chest rising and falling in uneven motions. His hand still pressed against his temple as though trying to stop his skull from splitting apart.
She forced the panic down.
’Whatever was happening outside could wait. Right now, he needs help.’
She hurried back to him and knelt. "Let me help you up."
For once, he did not argue.
He only looked at her through half-lidded eyes, silent, allowing her to slip her arm around him. His body felt warmer than before.
Carefully, she guided him toward the small bed at the corner of the study. It took effort. He stumbled twice before she managed to steady him.
"Easy... easy," she muttered softly as she lowered him down.
He groaned the moment his head touched the pillow, eyes shutting tight as though even that small movement hurt.
Seren stood there for a few seconds, watching him.
Then she turned, intending to follow Theron but her foot caught on something.
The corpse.
Her breath hitched. She stumbled backward in shock. "Ahh!"
Aeron’s eyes snapped open.
He saw her falling.
Instinctively, he shot his arm forward to catch her.
His fingers barely grazed her sleeve before...
Thud.
The back of her head knocked against his forehead. His own head slammed against the wooden frame of the bed.
Aeron swore loudly, the pain exploding behind his eyes. His vision blurred as the headache intensified, doubling from the earlier pounding.
Seren scrambled up immediately. "I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!"
She leaned over him, her hands hovering before gently touching his forehead. "Are you alright? Does it hurt? I didn’t mean to—"
Her voice trembled. Chaos filled her expression.
Aeron had been ready to snap at her but seeing how she was, the words sat at the edge of his tongue.
But when he looked at her ... really looked at her... he paused.
Her brows were drawn together in genuine worry. Her fingers were shaking slightly against his skin.
He clicked his tongue softly.
Instead of pushing her away, he caught her wrist.
She froze.
Her eyes lowered to where his hand wrapped around hers.
He stared at her in silence, his grip firm despite the weakness in his body.
She gulped nervously, not knowing what to say at that moment.
Aeron’s eyes stared silently at her, his hand slowly took her hand from his face, and he used it to cup his cheek. He snuggled his face in her palm and stared at her again.
Seren’s lips opened and closed words refusing to form in her mouth as her mind went blank.
"You-" before he could begin his sentence the door pushed open with Theron’s voice sounding inside the room.
She snapped back to reality and pulled her hand roughly from his grip, and took many steps away from him.
Aeron’s face turned dark instantly, the atmosphere dropping.
"He’s here... huh?" Theron’s brows shot up at the two, "Did I come at the wrong time?"
"No." Aeron snapped. "Where is he?"
Theron stepped aside. "He is here," he muttered.
At the same time, a short man with an almost bald head stepped into the room. His robe was slightly wrinkled, sleeves rolled up, and thin spectacles rested low on his nose.
The moment his gaze fell on Aeron, he let out a frustrated sigh.
"I have barely left the infirmary," he complained as he walked forward. "Injured guards everywhere. If the heirs are planning to wage war against the neighboring packs, they should at least hire more doctors. I cannot split myself into pieces."
Aeron’s brows lifted faintly at the remark. His eyes shifted toward Theron.
Theron deliberately looked elsewhere.
The old man dropped his tools onto the table with a dull clatter and dragged a chair forward, sitting directly in front of Aeron. The legs scraped against the floor.
"Hand."
The tone was curt.
Aeron noticed the rudeness but extended his arm anyway.
The doctor took it, his grip surprisingly firm for someone so small. He reached for his medical box — but it sat farther away on the table.
He groaned loudly in irritation.
Aeron’s jaw tightened.
The old man swept his gaze around the room, and it landed on Seren.
His expression changed.
He smiled.
It startled Aeron more than the groaning had.
"You," the doctor said, nodding toward the box. "Bring it."
Seren hesitated for a heartbeat before nodding. She walked over, picked up the box carefully, and placed it beside him.
"Good," he muttered.
He opened it and pulled out a thin rope. Without warning, he wrapped it tightly around Aeron’s upper arm and yanked it snug.
Aeron sucked in a sharp breath as the pressure built. The skin around the rope reddened almost instantly, veins rising beneath the surface.
The doctor leaned closer, adjusting his glasses as he stared at the veins.
"Hmm... Hmm."
Aeron gritted his teeth, watching him closely.
The old man reached into the box again and withdrew a needle.
He said nothing.
He pressed the cold tip against Aeron’s arm.
And without warning, he pierced the skin.
Aeron’s body tensed violently. He nearly cursed, barely swallowing the words as the sharp sting shot through him.
The needle slid out.
A thin line of blood trickled down his arm.
Seren’s fingers clenched tightly at her sides.
The doctor examined the blood, tilting his head slightly. His expression shifted... not surprised, or alarmed.
Only mildly annoyed.
He adjusted his glasses once more and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"He has been poisoned."
The words fell into the room like a stone dropped into still water.
Theron’s head snapped toward him. "What?"
Seren’s breath caught. "Poisoned?"
Aeron’s eyes darkened.
The doctor wiped the blood away with a cloth as if discussing the weather. "A slow-acting toxin. It disrupts the nerves first. Firstly, it’s a headache, then heat in the body, and loss of control."
His gaze flickered briefly toward the corpse on the floor.
"Then aggression."
Silence swallowed the room.
Theron’s jaw hardened. "How long?"
The doctor began rummaging through his box again. "Not long enough to kill him immediately. Whoever did this want him weakened and unstable." He paused. "Embarrassed, perhaps."
Aeron’s fingers curled slightly against the bed.
Seren looked at him, her chest tightening.
’Unstable, was that why he harmed the guards?’ She shuddered at the thought.
Her mind flashed back to the guards on the floor. The way he said he might have lost control.
Aeron’s breathing grew heavier again, but this time it was not only from pain.
Theron stepped closer. "Can you cure it?"
The doctor clicked his tongue. "If I could not, I would not be standing here talking." He pulled out a small vial filled with dark liquid. "But he will suffer for a while."
Seren’s gaze moved from the vial to Aeron.
His expression had gone cold. There wasn’t the confusion or panic she had expected. And beneath that coldness, something else brewed silently.
Rage.
"Theron... find out," Aeron said quietly, his voice no longer strained. "Who dared!"
