She survived

I couldn't open my eyes.

They felt too heavy. Like something was pressing down on them, sealing them shut. My head throbbed, slow and steady, as if someone was hammering inside my skull but trying not to make too much noise.

I wasn't sure if I was asleep or awake.

But I could hear voices.

Muffled. Distant at first, then clearer, as if they were floating closer.

"How is she? Will it not kill her?"

That voice. Calm, but cold and authoritative. I didn't need to see to know who it belonged to.

Another voice answered, "Thankfully, she was discovered in time before it was too late. The poison hadn't reached her heart yet. Otherwise, she would have died. We've detoxified her. She will recover fully within a couple of hours, Alpha."

A pause followed. I heard the shift of boots on the floor.

"Adler, join the others in finding the culprit," the Alpha said. "I want her in my dungeon tonight."

"Yes, Alpha."

I heard the door open and close softly. Then silence again.

The noise had died down.

The silence left in its place was thick enough to cling to.

I felt it first in my lashes, like something was unsticking them, and then the light crept in, blurry and pale. The ceiling wavered above me, colorless and still. I blinked a few times until the room started to settle into shape.

That's when I noticed the scent.

Familiar. Clean and strong, like the wild in winter, like something cold pressed against warm skin.

My chest tightened. My eyes fluttered open wider, and too quickly, dizziness rushed up the back of my skull. I had to breathe through it.

When the blur cleared, I saw him.

Finn.

Standing at the side of the bed, arms crossed loosely, watching me with an expression that was difficult to read. Not concern for sure.

"A-Alpha…" My voice came out rough. I wasn't sure if it was because my throat was raw or because I was afraid. Probably both.

A part of me wanted to flinch back. Not because he looked angry, though he did, but because I didn't know if he knew what I saw the night before. That garden. That woman.

The silence between us felt stiff.

I tried to remember what had happened, what time of day it was, or how long I'd been unconscious, but the memory was broken. I recalled the crow, the soup, the way my body began to feel like it didn't belong to me, then everything just... slipped.

"You really are a magnet for trouble," Finn said finally, his voice quiet but clipped. "I shouldn't have expected everything would go smoothly with you."

He wasn't shouting. But the tension in his jaw, the way he looked at me like I was a mess he hadn't planned for. It made something cold crawl across my skin.

I tried to sit up. My limbs felt heavy, like they were filled with wet sand. Still, I pushed through it slowly, keeping my gaze down.

"What have you done this time, Vivien?" His tone was hard. Like he already decided who to blame.

I turned toward him, confused. "What do you mean? Clearly, I was poisoned…"

My voice trailed off. I didn't have much strength in me.

He scoffed lightly. "Yes, because you're so unlucky."

There was no kindness in his words. No warmth. Just a hollow sense of annoyance, as if I had thrown off some plan of his by daring to nearly die.

I looked down at my hands. The sheets were soft under my fingertips. My nails were still a little pale, like the blood hadn't fully come back yet.

"I-I didn't do anything," I said, barely above a whisper.

But I wasn't sure if he was listening. Or if it mattered.

"Who did it?" I asked.

It was supposed to come out with more weight, more demand, but my voice barely carried. Weak and worn, like the rest of me. I hated that.

Finn's arms remained folded. "Probably someone who wants you dead."

I let out a quiet breath. "There are many people who want me dead after you chose me to be your breeder."

His eyes sharpened. "So you're blaming me now?"

"No." I shook my head slowly, but I didn't look at him. "But why do you sound like you're mad at me for being poisoned? It was out of my control."

I tried to make my tone sound even, but I knew what it actually sounded like defensive. Pleading. Weak. It disgusted me.

I hated him.

I glanced toward him from under my lashes.

I knew what he was really thinking. It wasn't about me. It was about what my survival, or my failure to survive, meant for him. For his plan. For the image he upheld in front of the council and the entire pack.

This wasn't about poison.

It was about whether I still served my purpose.

He was worried that my body, now tainted by whatever had been in that meal, might no longer be considered viable. That all his stubborn insistence to keep me would be seen as a mistake. A very foolish one.

His pride couldn't afford that. He always wanted to be right with his choices.

"If I suffered poisoning," I said slowly, letting the words fall out like something accidental, "I wonder if I'm still eligible to carry your heir."

I looked up just long enough to see how his mouth tensed at the corners.

A small part of me hoped he'd take the hint. That he'd use this as an excuse to release me. Let me go.

But Finn wasn't the kind of man who released things easily. Especially not things he claimed.

His eyes narrowed. "Was it…"

He stepped closer to the bed. The shift in distance made the air feel thinner.

"You?" he finished.

My brow pulled slightly. "What do you-"

His lips curled, not in amusement, but in something crueler. A dark, quiet accusation.

"Did you do this so I'd be forced to choose another breeder?"

My eyes widened in shock. 

He was serious.

"Did you poison yourself," he said, voice low, "just so I'd let you go?"