Page 88 of Ascendant King

“So, somehow, my mother was infected with the poison?” I frowned. If she didn’t know what she was looking for, if she didn’t know the danger, there had been too many opportunities for someone to infect her while she was here. They could slip it into her food or simply leave it on the banister for her to touch.

“It’s more insidious than that. I think Leon infected her with an early version of Thorn.” Cade started to pull his hand away, but I wrapped my own around his, squeezing lightly. He laced our fingers together. “It would make sense. Your mother was powerful, but she was being controlled like a puppet. I could sense it. Couldn’t you?”

I nodded, reminded of that feeling again where every time I had tried to fight back against the poison, it had come up with another reason for me to continue the battle.

“And if she was under his control, then it makes sense how her ring got in the prison cell.” Cade looked down at my right hand, stroking his finger over the ring finger. He reached into hispocket and pulled out the signet ring, slipping it onto my hand. I had given it to him to hold back at the dryad village, and that felt like a thousand years ago, but I was relieved to have the weight back on my finger.

“But why? She was evidence of what he had done. Keeping her alive was dangerous.” I flexed my hand, the ring a reminder of my position and the responsibility it carried.

Cade continued staring at my hand, not responding to what I had said.

I worked it out myself. “But if he was experimenting, checking to see what worked, then he would need her alive.”

My stomach sank. I had suspected they had tortured her, kept her alive in that little cell and hurt her for their own amusement and revenge. Why was this so much worse?

A soft knock at the door interrupted us, and when I called for them to come in, Gabe poked his head inside. “Boss, you need clothes?”

“Yes.” I dropped Cade’s hand, walking over to where Gabe held my pants and a shirt. He had my boots and socks tucked under his arm.

As I changed, I asked, “Where is everyone? Cade and I need to talk to the mages, Nia, and the representatives from the other packs.”

“Yeah…” Gabe slipped in, shutting the door behind him. He kept his eyes on the ground, a sign of submission, as though he expected me to rage as soon as he said his piece. “There’s a problem.”

He hesitated, and I held my anger in check. I couldn’t go proving him right, couldn’t become the alpha that got angry every time something didn’t go as expected, until his pack didn’t even want to tell him when shit hit the fan.

“What happened?” I buttoned my pants and looked toward Cade. He automatically stepped forward, coming up beside meso that we were shoulder to shoulder. His hand trailed up my hip before dropping back down.

“The wolves that we captured—Ghost Pack—they overwhelmed Heather and a guard. They escaped.” He kept his eyes fixed on the floor, the room suddenly heavy with silence.

“Is Heather okay?” I asked immediately.

“She’s fine. Bit of a headache. They knocked her out. She’s leading the hunt to find them.” Gabe rushed to defend her. “She wasn’t being careless. There were just too many of them.”

Gabe visibly winced, realizing that now he was accusing me of not thinking things through, leaving Heather without the people necessary to do her job.

“I just mean, she made a mistake—” Gabe stopped when I raised a hand.

“I should have brought them inside. That was my mistake. I just didn’t want to see my sister anymore.” I kept the words flat, neutral, even though I felt anger twisting my insides. Not at Heather but at myself. I had been cowardly, and one of my people had paid the price.

Cade wrapped a hand around my wrist, squeezing tight, pressing two of his fingers to my palm. “Is that where everyone is? Hunting them down?”

Gabe nodded. “Most of the wolves, yeah. The mages—something went wrong with the ones we captured. They’re all in the ballroom.”

“Tell them we’ll be down momentarily.” Cade waited for Gabe to leave, still looking like his tail was tucked between his legs. “He’s afraid he disappointed you.”

I nodded, knowing I would have to fix this, make both him and Heather feel like their value to me wasn’t measured the way it had been under Declan.

“Areyou disappointed in her?” Cade frowned, looking me over.

“No,” I said immediately. “No, it’s just Miriam…”

Cade’s face cleared, and he stepped close again. “She hurts you, the same way Leon hurts me.”

I exhaled shakily, nodding. “Are you sure you want in on this? It’s a bit of a soap opera. Evil sister, dead parents, revenge, my boss turned into a tree, sister escapes even when she’s under lock and key. Next thing you know, a twin of mine is going to show up and try to take my place.”

“Are you kidding? I have an evil uncle, a plot to assassinate my family, and the magic that made up my house became sentient.” Cade raised an eyebrow. “If I brought this to the producers ofThe Young and the Restless, even they would say it’s too far-fetched.”

I laughed, the sound a sharp exhale of amusement. “No, no, it’s not going to be too far-fetched until we find out that I’m Leon’s secret love child, making us cousins.”