Page 46 of In Plain Sight

“Bran, come quick. Ruby’s awfully sick. Doc says it’s food poisoning. Clara, Lizzy, Lily, and Kelsey all have it, too.”

I wanted to throw up. The cake was for Kelsey. I had never stopped to consider the others would eat it too.Ruby!My heart stopped in my chest.

“Is she okay? Austin, is Ruby okay?”

“I don’t know. They can’t seem to stop throwing up. Ruby’s the worst though. She’s in and out of consciousness. It’s not good, Bran.”

“Where is she? Where is my mate?” I demanded.

“They moved her to your apartment to make her as comfortable as possible.”

I took off across the farm at a full run, taking the steps two at a time as I burst into the home we shared. This was all my fault. Ruby wasn’t supposed to eat the cake.

My wolf surged and all I could see was red, but the only person I could blame was myself.

Thomas, Lily, and Doc were all inside. Lily looked pale but was standing steadily and didn’t look too affected by the poison. I could hear Ruby vomiting in the bathroom. I started to go to her, but Thomas held me back.

“Bran, I need you to calm down before you go in there,” he said sternly.

I started to push him out of my way, but I could feel him using his Alpha powers to subdue me.

“I have to go to her, Thomas. I have to see she’s okay.”

“She’s not okay. She’s very sick at the moment. Doc thinks it will pass, but she’s got to get it out of her system. There’s nothing you can do for her.”

I ran my fingers through my hair. Govno! What had I done?

I was barely keeping it together as I started to pace.

“You just need to calm down before you see her, is all,” Lily said.

I turned to look at her. “Austin said you and the other girls were sick too, but you look fine.”

“Clara, Lizzy, Kelsey, and I threw up the worst of it, then shifted to allow our wolves to heal us. I feel a little weak, but I’m fine and haven’t thrown up again since I shifted back.”

“So why is Ruby still so sick? What happened?”

“I dunno, Bran,” Lily said, trying to comfort me the best she could.

Doc came out of the bathroom where he was checking on my mate. I could still hear her violently throwing up.

“Well, I’m afraid it’s going to be a long night, son, but Ruby should be fine in a few days,” the old man announced.

“A few days? Lily’s already healed. What’s happening?”

I knew what was happening. Karma was a bitch and she was after me. Ruby was sick because of what I’d done. If I lost her, I didn’t know if I was strong enough to go on living and I suddenly felt envious of Cole and Kyle for their sealed bonds, knowing they would never have to face a world without their mates.

Doc smiled at me. “The other girls were able to throw up, shift, and recover. I’m certain it was just a bit of food poisoning, nothing to get too worked up about.”

Ruby retched again. “That doesn’t sound like nothing, Doc,” I insisted, cursing myself for not bringing along an antidote.

“I really don’t know how to tell you this, Bran, but Ruby couldn’t shift. She’s got to just wait it out, so she’s going to be sicker a little longer than the others.”

My blood went cold. “What? Why couldn’t she shift, Doc? I mean, if she’s that sick, her wolf should take over and protect her.”

“It can’t,” Doc said.

I started pacing the room again. I was wracking my brain to remember everything I knew about the poison I’d used. I couldn’t remember ever hearing of this as a side effect. It made me sick to my stomach and I wanted to throw up, too.

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