Free Web NovelChapter 98: Chapter 98
Cane’s POV
I had been running for what felt like forever.
My lungs burned and my legs felt heavy but I did not slow down for even a second. Summer’s small body rested in my arms and she was too still. Her head kept falling against my shoulder every time I moved and her breathing was so faint that it scared me.
She had stopped coughing a few minutes ago and that somehow made things worse.
At least when she coughed I knew she was still fighting. freёwebnovel.com
Now she looked pale and weak and the blood on her lips had already dried.
"Stay with me, kid," I muttered under my breath as I kept running.
The healer’s house was on the far side of the territory, separated from the pack chambers so that sick wolves could be treated quietly without the noise of the main compound. Normally I would shift and run faster in my wolf form, but I could not risk dropping her or hurting her while transforming.
So I kept running like this.
Step after step.
My mind kept repeating the same thought again and again.
If something happens to this girl...
Gunnar will lose his mind.
Not just anger.
Not just rage.
Real madness.
And the entire pack would feel the consequences.
I could already imagine the look on his face if he came back and found out his daughter was dead.
I pushed that thought away and ran harder.
Finally the healer’s house appeared in front of me.
I kicked the door open and rushed inside.
The room smelled strongly of herbs and medicine.
Leslie was already inside treating someone else. A man was sitting on one of the beds while she checked his arm.
The moment she saw me burst into the room with a child in my arms she froze.
Her eyes widened.
Then she quickly stood up and bowed her head respectfully.
"Alpha Cane," she said quickly.
But her attention immediately shifted to the girl in my arms.
Her expression changed completely.
"What happened?" she asked urgently.
"You have to be very fast now, Leslie," I said immediately as I walked toward the table.
I laid Summer down carefully on the bed. Her body looked even smaller lying there.
Leslie moved closer and stared at the child for a second.
"What happened to her?" she asked again.
"She’s been poisoned," I said.
Leslie’s eyes snapped to mine."Poisoned?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I don’t know," I said quickly. "We saw her coughing blood and she collapsed. That’s all we know."
Leslie did not waste another second.
She turned around immediately and started grabbing tools and small bottles from her table. Her movements were fast and precise.
Leslie was not like most healers.
Many people in the pack still remembered the day she arrived years ago to compete for the healer’s position in Obsidian Veil. There were older healers who had served the pack for decades and they did not like the idea of a young outsider taking their place.
But Leslie proved them wrong.
She had studied medicine outside the Obsidian Veil for several years before returning. She knew modern human medicine and she also possessed the healing abilities of a gifted wolf.
When she combined those two skills together she became better than anyone expected.
That was how she won the position.
Now she worked quickly in front of me, gathering everything she needed.
She took a metal tool and rushed to Summer’s side.
"Hold her arm steady," she told me.
I did as she said. She pressed the tool against the girl’s chest, listening carefully.
Then she grabbed another instrument and checked her breathing.
Her face became more serious with every second.
She wiped the blood from Summer’s mouth using a small cloth and then collected some of it on a thin glass strip.
She walked to the table again and placed it under a small light device she had built herself.
For a moment she stayed silent while studying it.
Then her eyes widened.
"She was poisoned," she said quietly.
"I know that already," I replied.
She looked back at me.
"What kind of poison?" I asked.
For a second she hesitated. That hesitation made my stomach tighten.
"What is it, Leslie?" I pressed.
She looked down at the sample again before answering.
"Morveth Draught," she said slowly.
I frowned."What?"
"Morveth Draught," she repeated.
I stared at her."I’ve never heard of that."
She nodded."Most people haven’t."
"Then explain it to me."
Leslie took a deep breath and leaned against the table.
"Morveth Draught is a very rare poison," she began.
"How rare?" I asked.
"Extremely rare," she said. "It is not something you find easily and it is not something ordinary poison makers can create."
I folded my arms."Then who makes it?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Witches," she said simply.
That answer made my jaw tighten."Of course."
Leslie continued.
"The poison was first created a long time ago by a witch who lived near the territories of the Blood Tithers."
My eyes narrowed."The Blood Tithers?"
"Yes," she said.
That name was not something I liked hearing.
"You’re telling me this poison comes from their territory?" I asked.
"Yes," Leslie replied.
She walked back to Summer and gently checked her pulse again.
"Morveth Draught is made from a rare plant that only grows in their forests. The plant itself is not poisonous, but when it is mixed with certain herbs and witchcraft rituals it becomes extremely deadly."
"How deadly?" I asked.
Leslie looked at me seriously.
"It attacks the body slowly. First the victim feels weak and dizzy. Then the poison starts shutting down their organs little by little."
I looked at Summer again. Her breathing was still shallow.
"And the coughing blood?" I asked.
"That happens when the poison reaches the lungs," Leslie said.
My jaw tightened."How much time does she have?"
Leslie hesitated again."That depends."
"On what?"
"On how much poison she ingested."
I clenched my fists."Tell me the worst case."
Leslie sighed quietly."If the poison spreads fully through her body then she will start losing consciousness like she is now. After that her breathing will become slower and slower until..."
She didn’t finish the sentence.
I already knew what she meant.
I walked closer to the bed and looked down at Summer.
Her small chest rose and fell weakly.
The girl had always been strong and loud whenever I saw her.
Seeing her like this made something twist painfully in my chest.
"Can you cure it?" I asked.
Leslie looked at me carefully."There is an antidote."
Relief rushed through me for a moment.
"Good," I said quickly. "Then make it."
She shook her head slowly."It’s not that simple."
"Why not?"
"Because the antidote requires the same plant used to create the poison."
I frowned again."And where do we find that plant?"
Leslie met my eyes."In the territories of the Blood Tithers."
For a second I didn’t say anything."That’s days away," I said.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
"Do we have that much time?"
Leslie looked back at Summer again. Her expression turned serious.
"Alpha Cane," she said carefully.
"Yes?"
"If the antidote is not found within seventy two hours..."
She paused.
Then she finished the sentence."She will die."
