Page 41 of The Queen

I wanted to hate him. I didn’t want to share her with him, but it was times like this where I could see how well he fit. How he was already a part of us. Making her happy. Putting our needs before his own.

Was I a selfish hypocrite? Probably, but I was starting to see how wrong I’d been.

As soon as the analysis was done for the second time, he sat down hard, leaving Saphyra wobbling on her feet beside him. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was in shock.

“What’s wrong? What’s happened, Grey?” She reached for him, and he slid his hand into hers.

“The results are the same as the last test and quite conclusive. I’m being poisoned.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Saphyra

“What?” My shrill voice was startling even to me. “How could someone do this? Why would they do this?”

I pulled away from Grey’s side, my eyes landing on my men. My pulse was still elevated from the news that Lex and Shadow had been drugged, but for Grey to have been poisoned seemed much worse.

“The contaminant, in all cases, can be administered orally or by injection. I assume none of you have had any shots recently?” Grey asked, studying his datapad intently.

There was a chorus of noes that echoed around the room. My gaze whipped from face to face in concern.

“I will admit, I’ve been experimenting with a drug to suppress the mating draw, but that doesn’t explain this. That serum contains none of the toxins my blood shows. This type of thing is more likely to have been administered in tainted food.”

“What?” I repeated, shocked once again by my beta’s words. I paced away, my nerves getting the better of me. The metal floor was cold on my bare feet, and I focused on that to ground myself. Tainted food seemed a small thing next to self-experimentation. “You’re drugging yourself?” Why would my sweet mate do such a thing?

Grey rose and pulled me back into his arms. “The lure of the mating bond is strong. It’s making me sick. Being away from you is physically painful.” His words were ripped from his throat like it was the last thing he wanted to tell me, but was unwilling to lie. “Now it seems there is more at play.”

My voice was thick with surprise. “Then don’t. Don’t be away from me.” The answer was obvious. “I can’t stand to think of you in pain.”

The alphas shifted uncomfortably.

I glared at the men, each of them avoiding eye contact with me. “I don’t care what propriety says. I refuse to be parted from you. We will wait on the bond until we know more, but you will stay by my side. Won’t you?” Something in my stomach tightened, anxiety ripping through me at the thought of him possibly saying no.

“We’ll have to see. Tonight we should stay together, though,” Grey answered.

With that settled, I returned to the other issue. “Okay, good.” No one argued, so I forged on. “The food was tainted. But we still don’t know who would do something like that or why.”

Silence followed.

The source was a mystery. Any one of the many hands that food passed through could have poisoned it. The kitchen workers, the service staff. I didn’t even know how many people had been involved in tonight’s dinner service, let alone where Grey’s meals were coming from.

More importantly. “Are you going to be okay? Is there an antidote or anything that can help?” Dread crept through me as I waited for his response.

“As long as the contaminant is eliminated, I should live. Any damage that’s been done will heal in time. There are things I can take to rid myself of lingering traces and avoid further decline.”

Reality hit. I wanted to cry. The way Grey talked about his health worried me, but if he said he’d be fine, I should trust him.

Ghost clapped the doctor on the back, and he flinched under the impact. “Well, as long as you’ll be okay.”

They were all taking this very lightly.

My thoughts began to spiral out of control, considering the possibilities. Why was no one taking this seriously? “How do we stop this from happening again? How do we keep everyone safe? What if it happens again?”

Panic rushed in, and I struggled to keep my heart rate under control.

Grey wavered on his feet and shook his head as if clearing dizziness from it. His voice sounded far away, as if it was echoing down a long tunnel. “Are you feeling well?”

Black dots danced in my vision. I swayed, but Grey caught me and guided me back to the bed.

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