Chapter 127: The Food poisoning
Chapter 127: The Food poisoning
Rebecca’s POV
"No!"
The word tore from my throat before I could even process the horror of what the doctor was saying. My heart hammered violently against my ribs as I scrambled up from the edge of the bed. "I never took any pills! I didn’t take anything!"
Dr. Thomas didn’t even blink at my outburst. He turned a cold, hard glare toward me, holding up his medical clipboard. "I have been in this medical field for twenty years, Alpha King," the doctor said, completely ignoring my panic as he addressed Kaden. "The test does not lie. If you do not believe my findings, run another test with any other doctor in the pack. The result will be exactly the same."
My breathing became shallow and rapid. I whipped my head around to look at Alpha Kaden, desperately searching for a shred of doubt on his face.
But my heart instantly shattered at the look in his green eyes.
It was pure rage. It was a dark, suffocating anger that seemed to heat the cold morning air. He wasn’t doubting the doctor. He was looking at me like I had just stabbed him in the back. He completely believed the results.
"Alpha Kaden, please! I didn’t do this!" I sobbed, my hands trembling as I reached out toward him, though I didn’t dare touch him. "I swear to you, I didn’t!"
Kaden didn’t look at my tears. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face jumped. He turned his head toward his Beta, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low growl that made the windows rattle.
"Run another test," Kaden commanded coldly. "Call Doctor Bernard and Doctor Crystal. Make them each separately run the blood test on her. Right now."
"Yes, Alpha," Logan replied. He gave me a brief, unreadable look before turning on his heel and walking out of the room to fetch the other physicians.
The moment the door closed behind Logan, Kaden closed the distance between us. He walked up to me, his towering frame casting a massive, terrifying shadow over my small body. Before I could even gasp, his large, rough hands clamped onto my arms, gripping me tightly.
He pulled me near, forcing me to look up into his face. Up close, I could see the terrifying storm in his eyes. There was rage, yes, and an immense amount of fury—but beneath it all, for a split second, I saw a flash of raw fear. He was terrified that his plan was ruined. He was terrified that his bloodline was compromised.
"Pray that the tests come out negative," Kaden hissed, his voice shaking with a violent rage. His grip tightened on my skin, bruising me. "If those tests come back positive," he said quietly, "I won’t send you to the executioner. I’ll do it with my own hands."
With a brutal shove, he pushed me away.
I stumbled backward, losing my balance, and fell heavily onto the mattress. I gasped for air, my eyes wide with terror as Kaden turned his back on me. Without another word, he walked out of the bedroom, Dr. Thomas following close behind him.
The silence in the room lasted for only a second before Stephanie, who had been standing completely frozen and silent in the corner the entire time, rushed over to me.
"Rebecca!" she whispered, dropping to her knees by the side of the bed and grabbing my shaking hands.
"Stephanie, you have to believe me!" I cried out, the tears finally spilling over my cheeks. I gripped her hands like a lifeline. "Believe me, I didn’t do it! I don’t even know what they are talking about! I want to survive; why would I destroy my only chance?"
Stephanie squeezed my hands tightly, her eyes full of deep worry. "I believe you, Rebecca. I know you wouldn’t do something so reckless. I believe you."
"But how did they find such drugs in my system?" I wept, pulling my knees to my chest as a wave of horror washed over me. "I’m so scared, Stephanie. I haven’t been taking any pills! Since the moment I woke up from a coma, no pills have ever entered my mouth!"
Stephanie’s expression suddenly turned incredibly solemn. She looked around the room cautiously, as if checking the walls for ears, before she leaned closer to me.
"Such medicine does not only come in the form of pills, Rebecca," Stephanie whispered, her voice low and cautious. "They can secretly put it in your food. They can grind it up as an odorless herb and mix it into what you eat or drink."
I froze. The crying stopped instantly as a cold dread settled deep in my stomach. I looked at her, my eyes widening as the pieces began to click together in my mind. "Is it... is it what I’m thinking?"
Stephanie nodded slowly, her face pale. "If the other test results truly come out positive, it means only one thing. Someone in this palace has been intentionally poisoning your food with pregnancy-prevention herbs to frame you. The werewolf pack’s medical tests won’t show that it came from an herb... it will only show up in your blood as a contraceptive."
Every meal. Every cup of tea. Every bowl of soup. Suddenly, nothing felt safe anymore.
I stared at her in absolute shock, my blood running entirely cold. Someone has been feeding me pregnancy-prevention herbs.
I looked at Stephanie, my voice barely a breathless whisper. "Who do you think it is? The cooks?"
She immediately shook her head. "No. The cooks wouldn’t dare. They have sworn a sacred oath with their blood. If any cook tries to tamper with any meal in the palace, the magic of the oath takes effect, and they die that very day. So, it is definitely not them."
We were both dead silent for a long moment, the heavy weight of the mystery pressing down on us.
Then, Stephanie’s eyes narrowed slightly as a dark thought hit her. "I suspect one of the maids," she whispered sharply. "Since I am the one who always brings your food, I know the routine. But when I get to the kitchen, the food is already served and waiting on the counter. All I do is pick up the tray and bring it to you. I believe that while the cook dished it out and left it there, a maid must have done the deed. Now, we just have to find out exactly who did it and prove your innocence."
Hope sparked weakly in my chest, but before I could reply, the door was pushed wide open, and Beta Logan walked back into the room with the other doctors following closely behind him.