Chapter 8
Rose
I’m lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling when my phone rings. I roll over and snag it and answer right away when I see who it is. “Hey Paul.”
“Hey Rose, it’s Sage.”
“Hey, Sage.”
“I’m so glad we got ahold of you. We sent those samples you sent us to the lab and just got the results back.”
I sit up. “What did you find?”
“I’m putting you on speakerphone, so Paul can join in.”
“Hey Rose,” Paul says, sounding far away. “I’m glad we had you send those samples. There’s a lot going on, some of it surprising, some of it not.”
“Give us the simple diagnosis,” Sage urges. “So, we can actually understand it.”
“It’s in the blood.” Paul’s words give me pause.
“What?”
“The problem is in the blood,” Sage says excitedly. “That’s why you couldn’t heal him. You’re trying to heal organs when the infection is in the blood.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“One hundred percent,” Paul calls out, sounding far away again. “I’m still testing, but there’s something really wrong with these four blood samples you sent me. They’re from four different people, right?”
“Yes.”
“Rose, the numbers are really off in the blood. I’ve never seen anything like it. The lead levels, mercury levels, white and red blood cell counts,” his voice sort of fades away for a moment before it comes back. “…for hyperkalemia, acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, and renal failure as well as--”
“English please for us mere mortals,” Sage interrupts his tirade, which I’m grateful for because he totally lost me.
“All that to say something is really wrong. The blood tests are on four different individuals and yet they’re all saying the same thing. The blood levels are toxic.”
“So, you’re saying--” Sage interjects.
“That if they weren’t shifters, they’d be dead. They should already be dead.” Paul’s words hit me hard. “I don’t know what this is, but it’s beyond deadly. It needs to be found yesterday, or every shifter in that pack is going to die. Rose, you and Ava need to get out of there. If you get this in your system, you’re going to be dead within hours.”
I stumble and sit on my bed. Paul’s still talking, but I’m having a hard time processing it. His words are sort of a buzz in my head. And then he says something that gets my attention, my complete attention. “ Poison .” I jerk back. He keeps talking a mile a minute, but I interrupt him.
“What?”
“It’s poison, Rose,” Sage says.
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. How--” my words trail off.
“I don’t know how,” Paul says, sounding wound up. “I don’t know what kind. I’m running tests now, and I’m sending more tests to the lab. But it’s going to take time. I don’t know where it’s coming from, how it’s happening, but you need to talk to Alpha Cade now. Better yet, let me talk to him. The entire Orlando pack is at risk, whether this is coming from something in the environment or somebody is doing it, I don’t know. But I’m going to talk to Garrett; you and Ava need to get out of there. He’s on his way here now.” I shake my head but don’t get a chance to respond. “Something or somebody is targeting the Orlando pack, and they are in extreme danger until we figure out what it is.”
I hear voices, and then Alpha Garrett’s voice comes over the line. “Rose, are you okay?”
His deep voice makes my eyes tear up. He represents a sense of security in my non-secure world. “I’m okay,” I manage to say, but my voice sounds weak even to my own ears.
“Are you able to get Alpha Cade in on this call? He needs to hear this conversation when Paul explains what’s going on.”
“I’ll try to get him.” I slip my shoes on and head out into the hallway. I knock quickly on Ava’s door. When she doesn’t answer, I knock harder, more aggressively than I normally would.
She opens the door, eyes wide. “Rose, what is your problem? Why are you banging on my door this late at night?”
“Alpha Garrett is on the phone as well as Sage and Paul. They have the results of the testing and need to talk to us and Alpha Cade right away.” She must hear the seriousness in my voice because she doesn’t say a word as she slips on flip flops and follows me. I hear Sage and Garrett and Paul talking while I make my way to the other side of the building. When I get close, a shifter stops me.
“Can I help you, Healers?”
Well, at least he knows who we are. “We need to get to Alpha Cade.”
“Not tonight. It’s late, and he’s with his family. You'll have to wait until morning,” the man says in a no-nonsense voice.
“Rose,” Garrett’s voice comes across the line. “Put me on speakerphone.” It’s his alpha voice, the one that dares anybody to disagree with him or cross him.
“You are,” I say quietly.
“This is Alpha Garrett from the Northwoods Pack. This is an urgent matter regarding the danger that the Orlando Pack is in, and I need access to your alpha now.”
The shifter in front of me nods. “Yes, Sir.” Without another word, he opens the door and nods for us to follow. We follow him down yet another hallway, where he stops outside a door. He speaks to the shifter standing there, while Ava and I stand back. It only takes a moment for Cade to come out. They must have communicated through their pack link. The door opens a moment later, and a solemn Amber steps out as well.
“Ava, Rose,” he says with a nod. “Follow me.” He wraps his arm around his mate and walks down the hallway to another room. “Carl and Van, stay on task. Eli is coming.”
“Come sit, Ava and Rose,” Amber says as she settles into a chair at a long table. We sit next to her, neither of us saying a word. I put my phone on the table, so everybody can hear.
“Garrett, I’m here with my mate and Rose and Ava. I’m just waiting on my head enforcer.”
“I’m here with Paul and Sage,” Garrett returns.
Cade sits down at the table and takes Amber’s hand in his. He’s giving off seriously powerful vibes right now, so I just keep my head down. It only takes a few minutes for the door to open. “Eli, good. Come on in.” A man that looks as big as Max comes into the room. He’s dark skinned and has tatoos all over. He’s massively built, and I can see instantly why he’s the pack enforcer. When his eyes meet mine, I quickly look away. “Eli, thanks for joining us. This is Rose and Ava.” Cade points to each of us as Eli settles at the table. “Garrett is on the phone.” Eli takes all this in without a word, reminding me of Max. I wonder if that’s a head enforcer thing—you have to just grunt a lot and have the muscle to make things happen. Cade’s words bring me back to the issue at hand. “Everybody’s here, Garrett, go ahead.”
“I’m going to have Paul explain what’s going on; I haven’t heard it all in detail yet myself.”
The room is silent as Paul’s voice comes across the line. “Good evening. I’m sorry for the late call, but the results came back just a little bit ago from the blood samples Rose sent. The results are too important to let go, even overnight.” Then he goes on to explain everything he said to me. He mostly loses me again until he uses that word poison again. The tension that was already present in the room ramps up, and I feel myself unable to breathe.
“Cade, dial it back,” Amber says softly. “It’s getting hard to breathe.” Instantly, it becomes easier to breathe.
“You’re saying my pack is being poisoned?” Alpha Cade’s voice is fierce, and I decide in that moment that he’s just as terrifying as Garrett. I keep my eyes downcast as I listen.
“Yes.” There is no doubt or hesitation in Paul’s voice. “I don’t know how or from what yet. I’m still running tests, and those tests are going to take a little bit. I’m also going to need some samples from some of the shifters that have passed,” he says quietly. My fists clench and unclench at his words. I’m not looking forward to getting those samples, but I know I will do whatever is necessary. When Paul finishes speaking, the room stays absolutely silent.
Garrett’s voice comes over the line. “Upon Paul’s recommendation, I believe we need to pull Rose and Ava from your pack and bring them home.”
I don’t look up, but I feel Ava startle next to me. I can feel her gaze on my face, but I don’t turn my head. Paul jumps in at this point. “If they were to come into contact with this, whatever it is, they will be dead in hours.” I swallow hard, and the silence grows thicker, if that’s even possible.
“You want to take away the only chance we have of surviving this thing?” Cade’s voice is low and nobody can miss the menace there. “You would condemn our pack to certain death?” Cade shoves his chair backward.
“Cade,” Amber says in a warning tone.
“And if this was your pack,” Cade nearly snarls. “Your mate and child at risk? I don’t see you sending your healer away.”
It’s quiet on the other end for a moment. “With all due respect,” Paul begins. “My mate is mated to me, and I can stabilize her power through our bond. Neither of the healers there are mated, and they’re also not nearly as experienced as my mate.”
“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Doc,” Ava mutters.
“The healers are coming back here. It’s not up for discussion.” Garret’s voice is final. “Rose and Ava, be ready to go tomorrow. The jet will be there by late morning. Max is dealing with something, so I will send Kyle and Madison and Blaine.”
Cade smacks the table, and I jump in my seat. He ends the call and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. Amber stands up a moment later and leaves the room without a glance in our direction, leaving us with just the intimidating enforcer. I can feel his gaze on us, but I keep my head down. I slowly slide my chair back and stand to my feet, still keeping my eyes averted. “Which one of you is Maverick’s mate?” he asks in a low voice. It’s gritty, like he doesn’t use it a lot.
I’m not going to answer, but Ava does for me. “She is.” I’ll have to remember to thank her later for that . I walk to the door, keeping my attention on the floor and nearly fall into a large chest. I make the mistake of looking up at the intimidating enforcer.
“So, you’re okay just letting your mate die?” his words are more of a growl.
“I’m just following orders,” I tell him without looking at him. “Excuse me, please.”
He finally moves and I walk past him and out the door. “I guess it’s better this way.” His words give me pause. “Mav will die without ever knowing his mate could have saved him and chose not to.” I turn to him, agape at his words. “I’m glad he doesn’t have to be mated to you. You’re pathetic.” He stalks off, and I stare at his retreating back, feeling like I just got kicked in the stomach.
“Time to go pack again,” Ava says as she walks past me. It takes me a minute to follow after her. My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I silence it when I see it’s Sage. I don’t think I’m up to hearing from her and Paul right now. The walk seems to take forever, but we finally make it back to our rooms. Ava slips inside hers without a word to me, and I step inside mine and lock the door behind me. Feeling numb, I kick off my shoes and walk over to my bed. I drop onto my bed and stare up at the ceiling, thinking through everything that has transpired in the last twenty-four hours.