Page 41 of Silence Falls a New Alpha
Chapter 29
Found At Last
Damian’s POV
As the week progressed, I continued to feel more and more like I had been hit by a bus. I thought it was just exhaustion but something else had to be going on. Derrick, my office now! I yelled for him as I struggled to move from my desk to my couch. I’ve dealt with exhaustion before, this isn’t that. It was Friday afternoon and I felt as though I could die without even knowing what was wrong. Derrick rushed in with Jace by his side and quickly started looking me over.
“What happened!?” Derrick looks as worried as he was the day rogues attacked and I was bleeding out. It feels like that night too, the feeling of pain just isn’t there.
“I’m struggling to get around.” I laughed a little, how ironic, we are preparing for war and here I am falling apart at the seams. Derrick did not find this amusing as he pulled out some syringes, well I don’t have the strength to fight so I guess he will finally get that blood work he wanted to do. I didn’t even mind the pinch of the needle entering my arm as he filled several vials with blood.
“Damian, hold on.” That was all I heard as Derrick ran out of my office not even closing the door, he did however drag Jace with him. I couldn’t stand to look at him so I’m glad he was gone. The twins were grabbing dinner, but I couldn’t stay awake regardless of how much I tried. My eyes were insanely heavy, and my heart felt like it was barely beating.
Derrick’s POV
I had a tight grip on the blood vials as I ran to my office so I could run countless tests. Something was very wrong, and I wasn’t sure how I missed it. Damian looked like he was on the brink of death, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I started the toxicology test right away, if he was this bad off something would show in his bloodwork, it had to. My breathing grew rapid as I felt panic coming on. God Damnit. I punched the wall next to me, this fucking test is taking forever.
“Calm down.” I had forgotten about Jace, during this rush to figure out what the hell was happening to Damian I completely forgot about my mate, the pure happiness in my life. He was nonchalantly sitting in my office.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” He shrugged his shoulders and scoffed some, I knew those two hated each other for whatever reason but he didn’t have to be so cold.
“He’s my best friend Jace!” I snapped at him without a care in the world, great our first fight. I may love Jace, but I’ve known Damian for so long and I’ve been there for so much. Damian has lost so much in life and so has Katie; I won’t let him die now. Not today.
“Whatever.” Jace said as he walked off annoyance in his voice. Just then the test finished with an alert sound. The moment of truth is finally here, I looked nervously at the machine scared to even grab the results. I ran the possibilities through my head as I stood there practically frozen in place, the results I rushed for were right in front of me, but it was like my body refused to look. This would determine if it was exhaustion or if there was a second traitor. I grabbed the results, and my heart sank. Faint traces of wolfsbane, just enough to make him weak. Just enough to not fully kill him, this type of knowledge was hard to come by and I taught all of it to Jace. How could he have gotten the amount needed for long-term poisoning? Regardless of the small doses, you would still need a decent some. Eastview wouldn’t sell this to anyone without giving me a heads up first. That apothecary was under our control and loved this pack greatly.
“Wolfs-” Before I could finish talking or even turn around to face him, I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my neck. I screamed in pain as the object was removed. Jace stood there with a small pocketknife in his hand as my blood dripped from the blade. I could see the tears swell in his eyes as he tried to fight them. Maybe even fight the urge to help me. My hands flew to my neck dropping the test results as my body collapsed, my blood started to pool around me. Why? My own mate, my lover, and yet he betrayed me. I tried to call out for him, yet no sound could escape the blood filling my mouth. It was pointless to try and move or speak, he may not have hit the major artery but the amount of blood I was losing was insane. I wasn’t healing quick enough, the blade must have been silver. With that I lost consciousness, my hand loosening around the stab wound.
Alexander’s POV
Everyone was annoying me today from Drake to Mason. More than anything Dylan was pissing me off, pure jealousy if you would that he actually took Katie from me. Fuck him. I walk inside and notice Damian’s office was open, and the twins were gone.
“Damian?” I called out with no response, where the fuck was he? I rounded the corner and walked through the doorway to see him passed out on the couch. I rushed to him and started shaking him crazily to wake him. Fuck.
“DAMIAN!!” I screamed at him as he barely opened his eyes. What the hell is going on here? Where the fuck are the god damn twins?
“Derrick and J-” He passed out before he could finish talking but I knew exactly who was trying to say, Jace. The twins walked in and stood there shocked that Damian was out.
“Do not leave him!” I demanded as I ran out of the office. The run was a blur as I made my way towards the medical wing, Derrick had to have known what the fuck was going on. So help me if Derrick was in on this I’d kill them together. Him and his piece of shit mate.
The door was closed but that didn’t stop me as I burst it open with my shoulder. The scene before me was something out of a horror movie, there was blood everywhere and Derrick lay right in it. I went to see if by some miracle he was alive, but I slipped, falling into the blood. It was still warm, this doesn’t look good. I got back on my feet and moved closer to his body kneeling over him, our own pack doctor and he was more than likely killed by his mate. To my surprise Derrick was breathing slightly, thank fucking god. I picked him up from the pool of blood and laid him on his desk pushing everything onto the floor in the process. Come on Alex, think. I looked around and grabbed bandages and a suture kit. He wasn’t awake and I didn’t bother trying to find anything for the pain. I forced the needle through his skin and out the other side as his eyes flew open. Back and forth the needle went forcing the wound closed as Derrick screamed and tried fighting me off. I forced my body weight across his chest as I continued to stitch his neck closed. For someone who lost so much blood, he sure has some fight in him.
“Nod yes or no, did Jace do this?” I was livid when Derrick nodded yes. Damnit. How the fuck did we miss him? The twins and Damian all thought he was the other traitor and now look where that got us. I ran out of Derrick’s office leaving a trail of blood behind me as I reached the hallway. Random members of the pack saw me and just screamed since I was a blood-covered mess. I reached Damian’s office to see that he was sitting up and the twins were holding a bottle.
“H- '' Maddox jingled the bottle in my face, it was the antidote to wolfsbane. I know the twins sometimes use wolfsbane during torture but enough to have the antidote with them?
“We smelt it on him when you left. Wolfsbane gives off a faint smell if you train your nose to it.” Maddox explained, of course these two psychopaths could smell it in his system. “Aspen ran and grabbed a vial of our antidote, and it seems to be working.”
Aspen shifted around some while looking at me curiously. The blood.
“Jace stabbed Derrick in the neck. He is on the run.” We almost lost the best medical person in the entire damn pack and all for the sake of an empty throne, this has gone too far. “Thankfully Derrick will be fine.” Damian looked at me, his eyes looked like a blazing fire as his face was stained with rage. Not only did this fucking nobody poison Damian, but he also almost killed Derrick as well. I reached out to the patrol informing them to keep an eye out for Jace, he wouldn’t make it far enough covered in Derrick's blood. Damnit Derrick, why would you push for him to not be the traitor…is love that strong for mates?
“We have a hit,” Aspen said as he grinned, the patrols broadcasted the location of Jace to everyone in the pack.
Damian got up the best he could, but Maddox pushed him down fueling the anger that our alpha already had.
“Damian, we can handle this.” I let him know while Aspen and myself took off out the office and front doors to the mansion. We didn’t even after to shift, the patrol was chasing Jace back towards the mansion making this easy on everyone. I got in position as Aspen flanked him, sending Jace to the ground, rushing in. I punched him in the face and Aspen kicked him in the ribs.
“Stop!” I heard a pain-filled scream as Aspen pulled Jace up by the collar of his shirt ready to take over punching him. Derrick came over to us with tears in his eyes, was it the pain of the stab wound or the heartbreak.
“Why?” He asked Jace as he stood there crying looking down at his bloody mate. It hurt to watch as Derrick struggled to breathe while confronting Jace. As if I knew a fraction of the pain he felt seeing his mate betray him so easily. “Why did you do this?” His words fought to come out as Derrick forced himself to stand. Yes, werewolves heal fast unless we have wolfsbane in our system but regardless that was a lot of blood. Jace forced a smile at Derrick not bothering to answer and that’s when the unexpected happened, Derrick slapped him across the face. Aspen smiled clearly amused at the two of them but I on the other hand felt sorry for Derrick. He’s a good guy and is now having to go through one of the worst things a werewolf can, betrayal by a mate. Jace looked hurt at the slap but emotionally instead of physically. As if maybe a part of him does love Derrick.
“You’ll all be dead soon. The why doesn’t matter. The throne will be claimed, and we will be victorious.” Aspen kneed Jace in the gut causing him to fall over laughing at the pain.
“The wolfsbane will do its job. I have poisoned him since I arrived here and a simple antidote won’t work in time.” Jace laughed like he had gone insane. Insanity would explain the back and forth of emotions going on with him. Derrick grabbed him by the face forcing Jace to look him in the eyes.
“I reject you.” With that Jace’s eyes went wide. The hurt was there, a mate’s rejection was the equivalent of having your own heart ripped out. Before anyone, not even Jace could say something Derrick reached in Jace’s pocket, pulled out a knife, and slit Jace’s throat from side to side. Blood sprayed everywhere as his lifeless body collided to the ground, a brief gurgle was heard as his eyes went cloudy. Derrick on the other hand was covered now in both his and Jace’s blood and stood there shaking.
“I’ll take him to clean up.” Bradley said as he walked up, I looked at the mansion doors to see Maddox and Damian standing there. Of course, they saw everything. I sighed and signaled for some pack members to remove the body, like all traitors he would just be cast aside. The only good thing that came out of this was that since Derrick rejected him the emotional tie is now gone so we won’t have to worry about that. This entire last month now has been an entire shit show. We now have a weak alpha thanks to some asshole poisoning him. What else could go wrong?
