MARKED BY FATE : RETRIBUTION

Chapter 3: Prime Suspect

Carolyn Pov

Alpha Alexander Stormbringer was tall and imposing.

Kneeling before him, It was easy to see where Peter got his charm from. The height, the broad shoulders, the neatly chiseled jawline-the man I had come to love was a carbon copy of Alexander, the Alpha of Silvermoon Pack. And as I knelt before him, with a chest brimming full with nervousness and tightly clenched jaws, I waited for what he had to say.

Excellent was not going to cut it, in my books.

"Hmm..." Alexander held the cup to his cheek with the right hand while his face appeared full of thoughtfulness. "This is perfect, Carolyn."

His compliment warmed me down to the depths of my heart, as I smiled and bowed again. "Thank you." I whispered, pleased with the fact that he was loving it.

Alexander came around the table, slightly opposite to where I knelt. With one leg, he pushed back the black guest chair to the side before perching on the edge of the table, while one leg dangled.

"I asked Elizabeth, some time ago, to make me Moonspice tea. And she made a disaster." He leaned forward with a toothy grin. "And you know, her excuse was that 'it was an art lost to the ages'. And you know you women; you have to love them with their imperfections."

He leaned back in and took another slurp of the moonspice tea. "But you didn't hear this from me. If you mouth out and she hears, I will deny you."

We both shared a laugh at this.

I knew Elizabeth Stormbringer, his wife and Luna. She was cold, calculating and definitely not my favorite of the Stormbringer family. I would do anything but have a confrontation with her.

"Of course, not."  I beamed, trying to keep the conversation alive. "Your words, to my last days, are safe."

I tried to do a curtsey but only ended up losing balance. It left me with no choice but to wriggle my hands in a bid to regain composure.

His eyes lit up in amusement at this, as he held the mug with both hands right. Right before he leaned forward with a slight head bow.  "Why, thank you, my fair Carolyn."

He took another slurp of the tea, in silence. I tried to rack my head  for what to say but nothing quite struck. This was the Alpha, and I had not really been alone with him before. So it was hard to navigate this.

Eventually, his eyes connected with mine, and in them, I could pick out the concerning look.

"Oh," Alexander sighed, finally dropping the tea on the table, with a forced laugh. "I had forgotten. This is the part where I say blessings and all that, right?"

I nodded with a smile and he took a deep breath.

"Come, your hands on mine." He demanded, and I scooted closer to obey.

The moment I did that, I felt the warmness of his hand and the rush of power, as if coursing from him to me. I gasped, momentarily stunned by this, only to look up and see his pupils turn red. And immediately the weight of his presence grew thick around him.

It was compelling, authoritative, forcing me to slouch in obedience. Yet at the same time, it was warm, calm and protective.  A gesture that felt more like his approval of me with his son, Peter.

His hand squeezed over my hands. "Carolyne Skye, as you have honored me this day, so shall the moon honor you."

Power ebbed over the convergence of our hands. It was like an electric current that jolted me just slightly. But before I could settle on the feeling, he squeezed my hands again, continuing his blessing.

"As you have taken the time to provide this tea, the pack shall favor you. May the twin Lunar Goddesses find you remarkable among your peers. You will be a woman admired by all."

"Yes!" I whispered in excitement at this.

But just then, I felt a slight tremor from his hand. It was unlike the electrifying sensation I had been feeling for every sentence he said.

This felt different.

"And your mate will have eyes for you a-a..." Alpha Alexander suddenly wheezed, his left hand cupping his mouth as he turned to the side.

Concerned, I looked at him. "Are you... do you need water?"

But he frowned, shaking his head at him while the firm grip on my hands resonated his desire at the moment. He wanted me to remain still.

"Your mate will have eyes for you alone. Your womb shall be blessed and out of it, shall men and women of great stature be born. You will..."

Alexander stopped and turned to the side, again. His red eyes were squeezed up in pain, and before I knew it, he was coughing-rough strained coughing that clawed its way from his chest up.

"Alpha Alexander." I gasped out, shooting up from my knees, trying to tend to him.

Only to be shook off the moment my hands touched his shoulders. Followed by a dismissive shake of his head, with those pained but determined eyes. "I m-must com... huff! Huff!! Complete the bless.."

His voice died out as to my shock and horror, white foam spewed out from his lips. The red pupils in his eyes rolled all the way up as his body tilted backwards before slumping down to the ground.

I screamed.

I was scared, terrified and my heart pumped like it was going to explode. My head spun, as anxiety and fear came crashing through my senses. Confused and yet worried, I opened the door and yelled out.

"Somebody helpppp... It's Alpha Alexander. Helpppp!" I yelled and then breathlessly ran back to his frothing frame.

I heard the rushing sounds of boots echoing closer. When the first person entered, and saw me, the first thing they asked was-"What happened?"

But I broke down in tears, as I wiggled my hands in helplessness. "I-I don't know. I swear, I don't know. He just fainted."

The next moments were a blur. The siren, the yelling of Luna Elizabeth in my face as Peter held her back, the paramedics taking the still body of Alpha Alexander to the ambulance, the journey to the hospital-all of it happened but I was barely there.

I was lost in my head, as I bit my fingers amidst teary eyes. When the pack's doctor came out of the emergency response ward they'd set up for Alpha Alexander, I jolted up from the waiting bench.  I was not the only one, Luna Elizabeth in a flowing black gown and the red scarf around her neck alongside Peter in his gray shirt and black trousers. We were the only ones allowed this close as we were family.

The doctor shook his head just as Luna Elizabeth rushed to him, clutching his white collar followed closely by Peter. "Oh no, no, don't you dare shake your head at me. How is my husband? Tell me!"

"He's..." The doctor looked past her with a silent plea directed to Peter.

"Talk!" Luna Elizabeth yelled in his face.

"I'm sorry. We lost him." He shook his head mournfully.

At that moment, I felt my world shatter. I staggered, as a sharp pain jolted right through my chest, as fresh hot tears rushed out from my eyes. As I sobbed, I held my hands in front of me, remembering how he held them before all this.

"No..." I cried.

"From the quick analysis we did, we're suspecting the usage of Nightshade, a potent blend of wolfsbane and atropa belladonna, which makes the wolfsbane nearly indiscernible." The doctor declared. "That means, he must have ingested it. What was the last thing he had?"

"Er... Dinner." Peter mumbled, splaying his hands aside. "Dinner that we all had."

The doctor's face darkened. "Was there anything else he had that was different from you all?"

At this, Luna Elizabeth turned to me, her face squeezed in a raging scowl, lips pulled back in a snarl. "You. Carolyn." She pointed accusingly at me, advancing with rage in her eyes. "What did you give him?"

Instinctively, I took a step back, my heart pounding as I muttered. "Moonspice tea."

"What did you give him?" She roared louder, lunging towards me with a ferocity that made me stumble back away as she charged me.

Only for Peter to grab her, halting her advance and holding her back as she fought to break free. "The only thing my mate had that was different from the rest of us was your moonspice tea!"

"What?" Peter croaked, his face draining of color as his eyes met mine. "No, no, mother. that can't be..."

I saw the flicker of confusion in his eyes and the disbelief, as he looked at me, as if waiting for me to clear the air. But when I opened my lips to speak, Luna Elizabeth's scream tore through the room.

"She killed him. She killed Alexander." She roared.

"You murderer!"