Chapter 247 - The Poisoned Apple

Mediterranean wolf clan palace, Zakynthos Island Greece: May 1826

Cam tightened the knot of the robe as she leaned her head against the heavy door separating her and Ales's room. She let out the breath she'd been holding. Her eyes moved nervously to the clock on the mantle. He would be in his room by now. Her hand trembled as she raised it to knock, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she did so. {How have things gotten like this.}

"Come in." His voice was a low murmur from the other side. No doubt he'd brought the ledgers to bed with him and was currently working.

Cam slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. She stepped through nervously, letting her eyes trail around the room until they finally landed on his back. He was sitting at a desk he'd had set up in one corner of the room, a half-emptied decanter of rich amber liquor set atop the desk beside a now-empty tumbler. "Ales... Surely you must know, I've waited for you every night this week..." She slowly walked toward where he was seated with his back still turned to her. "Ales... I understand you're still upset with me and that you're extremely busy, but you can't continue to ignore me... to... to ignore your duties..." When he didn't respond as she drew closer, her frown deepened as she continued. "Ales, we're married now... you must either accept my distaste and suspicions involving Fern and move on or... or..." Tears began building in her eyes. "Or let me go..." Her tears began to flow freely now. "I can't remain with a man who will not but barely speak to me or... or touch me..." She shook her head. "I cannot bear it, Ales... Regardless of how you feel about me... I still love you..." When he still made no move to speak or face her, she grabbed hold of both his shoulders and shook hard. "Do you have nothing to say?! OH-" Her breath caught when his head toppled to one side. She quickly made her way around to the front of his chair to face him. He was out cold! "Ales? Ales!" She said repeatedly as she shook his upper body, but he wouldn't wake up. Light footsteps from the hallway caused her anxiety to kick up a notch. Her eyes stayed focused on the door as she shook him harder. "Ales, come on you have to wake up!" But he wouldn't budge. Without any options left, Cam hurried toward the armoire in the opposite corner of the room and climbed inside. The bedroom door opened only seconds after she was able to push to the back of one side. She covered her mouth with her hand, holding tightly as she watched a figure step into view behind Ales. She prayed the clothes and slightly cracked door were enough to mask her presence. Her eyes widened in horror as the man spoke. {FERN! What is he doing in here?!}

"Ah, little brother... I see you couldn't handle your alcohol again tonight..." He chuckled. "Of course, no man could..." He lifted the tumbler and turned it in his hands, watching as the remaining drops of liquid moved around the inside of the glass. Placing it back down beside the decanter, he turned toward the door. "Sleep well little brother. It won't be long now..."

"Want us to move him to the bed again boss?" Cam tightened her grip on her mouth as a gasp tried forcing its way past her lips and her eyes widened as two large guards entered the room.

Fern's voice came from the doorway. "Do as you must. I've gotten all the verification I need from these trials." A sinister smile could be heard in his voice. "Now, all I need is to set the second half of my plan into action..."

Cam could feel her heartbeat against her c.h.e.s.t as if it were trying to escape as she watched the men carry her beloved to his bed and place him down as if he were no more than an infant or a corpse...

"That must have been a stout batch you mixed, Sir. He hasn't budged at all this time." One of the guards replied as he moved away from the bed.

"Yes, I doubled it from last night's and readjusted the concentrations." He gave a chuckle from farther away this time. "I really should get a patent. A tonic that can sedate an alpha, and is nearly untraceable. Think what the right people would pay for something with that ability!"

Cam waited several agonizing minutes once the doors were closed before pushing the garments to the side and stepping out of her hiding place. She tiptoed back to the desk, her eyes darting to the door several times as she went. She pulled the stopper out of the decanter and moved the bottle to her nose. True to his words, the liquid had no odd odors. It only smelled of fine scotch. She debated on dumping it out immediately but thought better of it in the end. {I need this to prove I'm right about him!} She thought to herself as she set the bottle back into place and capped it off. She made her way back over to the bed and tried to wake Ales again, but it was no use. She let out a heavy sigh as she climbed onto the bed and curled up next to him placing her head over his heart. The steady badump-badump eased her worry, as she let its healthy rhythm lull her off to sleep.

Movement from beside her cause Cam to wake. She shot up straight in the bed, her eyes moving around the room frantically terrified that one of the guards... or worse Fern, had returned while they slept. When the body beside of her shifted again her eyes moved down to a restless Ales. A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead causing Cam's brows to bunch. "Ales?" She whispered as she placed her cool hand against his forehead. "Ales! Wake up, you're burning up. You... you have a fever!" She shook him roughly as her anxiety built.

Sleep fogged cyan eyes met hers. "Cam?" He whispered groggily.

Cam nodded trying to mask some of her worry with a smile. "Ales, you're awake! Thank goodness!" She grabbed his hands and tugged him into a sitting position on the bed. "Ales, you need to shift. You've been poisoned!"

Ales frowned as his foggy brain tried to make sense out of her words. "Cam... what are you going on about?" He looked around. "How did you... Why are you in my room? My bed?" His confused eyes moved back to her. "We didn't... I didn't..."

Cam grabbed his hands and tugged him toward her, forcing his focus on her. "Ales, I'll explain later! You NEED to shift right now!" Her nervous eyes shot back to the door. "Before he comes back with the guards..."

Ales furrowed his brows as he followed her gaze to the door. "Before who comes back? With what guards?"

"FERN! He's been drugging you!" She pointed to the decanter on the counter.

Ales rolled his eyes as he turned away from her again. "Not this again, Cam. We've discussed it. I'll not have you speaking ill of my brother. He is the only family I have left, and he's done nothing but help since father's death. So-"

"He's done nothing but hurt everyone around you, YOURSELF INCLUDED! I know he's been poisoning you! It's in the decanter-" Cam's yelling was cut off.

Ales turned angry eyes on her. "Camila, it is scotch. I drank too much. It's that simple." He stood from the bed and wobbled slightly. Grabbing the post he shook his head. "I'll admit, I may have drunk too much last night... but can you blame me?" He sent her an irritated glare. "My 'wife' continues to make up useless stories on my own brother no less!" He shook the fog from his head as he pushed himself upright, still leaning heavily against the post. "What's next, Camila? Will you accuse him of being the one who killed father?"

Cam planted both fists onto her h.i.p.s as she stood on her knees on the bed. "I wouldn't put it past that snake!"

Ales ran his hand through his hair in growing anger. "Camila, he wasn't even here that night!" He shook his head as he held his head in his palms. "Just leave... get out of my room, Camila."

Cam narrowed her eyes. "Fine!" She moved off the bed and stomped over to the decanter. "If you don't believe me that this is poisoned, then I'll simply have to prove it to you." She grabbed the bottle and pulled the cork from it before lifting it to her lips in rapid movements.

Ales watched in frozen shock as she began to chug the amber liquid. "Camila, enough!" He moved to pull the bottle away from her, but she'd already begun losing her grip on it. He watched in horror as her knees gave out and her fiery eyes held his as she collapsed onto the floor. The bottle fell beside her but didn't break. He struggled over to her side and fell to his knees before her. He pulled her upper body onto his l.a.p as he cradled her face. "Camila?! Cam!" He patted her cheeks until her eyes fluttered weakly open.

"Figure out his plan..." Was all she could say before the power of the tonic forced her into slumber.

Months of pain and heartache came crashing down on Ales all at once as all of Cam's many warnings reverberated in his brain. He let out an agonizing, animalistic howl as his bones began to shift and contort. He lifted Cam into his arms and carried her back to his bed with the last bit of control he could muster. He'd barely gotten the door of his room opened before the beast took over completely. His claws ripped through the tapestries and wallpaper lining the hallways as he made his way to Fern's private chambers. To his surprise and the beast's enjoyment, there was a guard posted outside the room. He must have worried something like this may happen. Just as the guard moved to block his entrance, Ales grabbed the man by the throat and shoved him hard into the wall knocking the man out instantly. He kicked the door open, not waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. "Get up you coward!" He growled against the long canines filling his mouth.

Fern lifted one edge of the sleep mask he wore and eyed his brother tiredly. "What is it, dear brother? What could possibly have you busting through my doors at this hour?" He glanced around the beast, not showing any signs of worry as he studied his door and what could be seen of the crumpled guard.

"What was in the decanter?!" The beast growled, doing its best to force human words.

Fern pulled the mask down around his neck as he nodded toward a decanter on his own dresser. "Merely a sleep tonic mixed with scotch. It's been such a stressful time for the both of us, I thought you could use it as well. Now go back to bed, brother, there's much to be done on the morrow." He lifted the mask and lowered back into his bed.

Ales stalked over to the dresser and lifted the decanter, smashing it against the wall over the head of the bed. "What was in it! The one you gave me!" He roared.

Fern rolled over with a sigh. "You really aren't going to let this go, are you? So be it." He pushed up from his bed and lead the way to his office. He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a tiny vile. Handing it to Ales, he said with an arched brow. "Do you think we can speak like a.d.u.l.ts now? Or do you insist on staying in that form?" He crossed his arms over his c.h.e.s.t as Ales slowly shifted back as he studied the container.

"What is this?" He asked Fern.

"It's a sleeping aid, as I've said. It's what was used on mother during her last painful days on this earth." He shrugged. "I started using it some time ago and thought you'd enjoy it as well..."

He slammed the vile down on the desk. "Camila is in a coma upstairs as we speak from taking no more than one drink from the bottle! She said she heard you brag to your guards about poisoning me!"

Fern arched a brow and forced out an amused laugh. "Did she now?" He turned to walk around the desk, placing his hand on Ales's shoulder, he said. "Little brother, why would I want to poison you? Have I not been doing my best to help you? You cannot rule this kingdom without me and I not without you." He guided Ales from the office. "I fear your bride is unwell little brother... And I assure you, it has nothing to do with the tonic she drank tonight... the same tonic you and I both drank..." He pushed him past the doorframe. "Go back to bed, and we'll discuss how best to deal with her disillusions tomorrow." He gave Ales a sorrowful frown. "So much loss and trauma at such a young age... The poor girl may be better sent to a convent. I wouldn't be consummating that marriage just yet, little brother." He shook his finger back and forth as he shut the office door in Ales's face putting an end to the conversation.

Fern's facade disappeared the second the lock of the office door was secured. "That nosy little bitch... I should have disposed of her first..." He paced back and forth in the room, before finally walking over to the statue sitting in front of the bookshelf. He pulled back the head of the statue and waited as the bookshelf slid open. He grabbed a torch and stomped angrily down the narrow staircase. "Get back to work, all of you! We need to step up production!"