HIS APOLOGIES CAME TOO LATE

CHAPTER 6

I woke up gasping for air, my hands clutching my stomach. Something was very wrong.

A sharp pain radiated through my abdomen .My nightgown was damp with sweat as I stumbled to the bathroom, careful not to wake Dominic who slept soundly, oblivious to my distress.

Once inside, I locked the door and sank to the floor, my vision blurring as another wave of pain hit me. Was I losing the baby? Panic surged through me as I fumbled for my phone.

"Healer Elena," I whispered when she answered, my voice strained. "Something's happening. The baby—"

"Where are you?" she asked sharply.

"Bathroom. Can't let Dominic see me like this."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes .I'll use the servants' entrance." She hung up without another word.

I managed to pull myself up, splashing cold water on my face. In the mirror, my reflection was frightening—pale skin, dark circles under my eyes. I changed into fresh clothes and slipped out of the bathroom.

Dominic hadn't moved. I crept past our bed and down the back stairs, each step sending fresh waves of pain through my body.

The night air was cold against my skin as I made my way to the servants' entrance. Elena was already waiting with a medical bag in hand.

"Inside," she whispered, helping me through the door. "The examination room. Quickly."

We moved through the silent house, pausing at every creak and groan of the old floorboards. Finally, we reached the small room where Elena treated minor pack injuries.

"Lie down," she instructed, closing the door behind us.

I obeyed, wincing as she pressed her hands against my abdomen. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked, mixing herbs and checking my vitals.

"What's happening?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Am I losing the baby?"

Elena's expression was grim. "Not naturally, no."

"What do you mean?"

"There's wolfsbane in your system," she said quietly. "Not enough to harm you significantly, but enough to threaten the ..." ,gesturing to my baby.

My blood ran cold. "Wolfsbane? How?"

"It was in your food or drink. Diluted and carefully administered." She mixed something in a small cup. "Drink this. It will counteract the effects."

As I took the bitter liquid, realization dawned. "Selena served us tea this afternoon. Said it was a special blend from her territory..."

Elena asked,. "Does she know you're ~?."

"No? I've been taking the concealment potion—"

Elena checked my pulse again. "The baby should be safe now, but you need to be more careful. Don't consume anything she offers you."

I closed my eyes, anger replacing fear. "She wants to kill my baby."

"Or she wants to expose your pregnancy before you're ready," Elena suggested. "Either way, you're in danger now."

A soft knock at the door made us both freeze. Elena motioned for me to stay silent as she approached the door cautiously.

"Who is it?" she called softly.

"It's Mira," came the whispered reply.

Elena opened the door just enough for Mira to slip inside. One look at my face told her everything.

"I saw your call, what happened?" she demanded.

Elena explained while I struggled to sit up. Mira's expression darkened with each word.

"This changes everything," she said once Elena finished. "We need to move up our timeline."

"I'm not ready," I protested weakly. "I don't have enough evidence against him yet."

"You don't have a choice anymore," Mira insisted

______________________________

DOMINIC POV

I wasn't asleep when Reina slipped out of bed.

My eyes remained closed, but every sense was alert as I tracked her movements through our bedroom. Her heartbeat was too rapid, her breathing shallow and pained. Something was wrong.

For weeks now, she'd been different. Subtle changes that most wouldn't notice, but I was her Alpha, her mate. How her smiles never quite reached her eyes anymore. The strange scent that sometimes clung to her clothes—someone outside our pack.

She locked the bathroom door. Unusual. In five years of marriage, she'd never once locked a door between us.

I strained to hear through the thick wood, catching fragments of a whispered conversation.

"...something's happening..."

I heard the shower turn on, but the water pattern sounded wrong. She wasn't standing under it, she was using it to mask her movements. A trick I'd taught her years ago.

When she emerged fifteen minutes later, I regulated my breathing to mimic deep sleep. Through barely-opened eyes, I watched her change clothes and slip out of our bedroom without a backward glance.

The moment the door closed, I was on my feet. I followed her scent through the house, staying far enough back that she wouldn't detect me. The servants' entrance? At this hour?

Outside, I caught another familiar scent that made my wolf bristle. Elena, our pack healer. What was she doing here in the middle of the night?

I circled around to the side of the house, finding a window where I could see into Elena's examination room without being spotted. Through the gap in the curtains, I watched as the healer pressed her hands against Reina's abdomen, her expression concerned.

Their voices were muffled, but I caught fragments that sent ice through my veins.

"...wolfsbane in your system..."

But wolfsbane? Who would dare poison my mate?

"...Selena served us tea this afternoon..."

My head snapped up at the mention of Selena's name. I moved closer to the window, desperate to hear more.

Then a new scent approached the room—Mira, my former Beta's mate. The woman who'd fallen from pack hierarchy after her mate questioned my leadership years ago. What was she doing with my Luna?

I heard footsteps approaching from inside the house and quickly retreated into the shadows. One of the night guards was making his rounds. I couldn't be discovered eavesdropping on my own mate.

I raced back to our bedroom, slipping between the sheets just minutes before Reina returned. I kept my breathing deep and even as she eased into bed beside me, careful not to wake me.

My mind raced with questions as she settled into an uneasy sleep beside me. Wolfsbane poisoning. Secret meetings with the pack healer and a former Beta's mate.

Whatever game she was playing, I needed to end it quickly. I grabbed my phone and spoke in a low tone. 'I need everything on Reina's activities for the past month. She's hiding something that could ruin us all. And if she is plotting against me... I want her eliminated. "