Travis POV
"What the hell happened" was all I could think as I slowly opened my eyes, only to realize I was still in my wolf form with some pain in my shoulder and leg. I looked around and could see that I was laying in the deep snow by the south river. All I can remember happening last night was having a toast with Nia right before I took a sip of my wine and started feeling this burning sensation as it went down my throat. The next thing I know, my heart rate was going up right before I started telling Nia to get away from me before my wolf took over and whatever happened next, I had no control of.
The main thing that concerned me now was Nia. Did she get hurt, would she be scared of me now, or worse, did I kill her? I couldn't bear to think of that last thought happening. This was not how I wanted her to be introduced to my wolf, I wanted her to feel like she was safe around me but now I'm scared of what happened when my wild animalistic instincts took over.
I just sat there for a bit collecting my thoughts before I tried to mindlink Garrett who of course didn't answer. I then tried Stacy and luckily got a response.
"Hi Alpha, where are you and are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I just want to know how's Nia and if she's still on the pack lands?"
"After your wolf went wild attacking some of the others and took off in the woods, she seemed quite shocked but not traumatized as you would think. When two of the guards came running out with rifles going toward you, she yelled at them to stop and even got your wolf to stop temporarily and focus on her before he started running to attack, which left the guards no choice but to shoot you in the shoulder and leg."
I couldn't believe it, my mate was willing to defend me during my beastly rage when I had no control over myself. This only confirmed that the mate bond has grown strong enough to where she accepts me in both forms and that gave me such relief.
The big problem I have to deal with now is finding out who or what group of individuals are responsible for spiking my wine and setting me into that whole rage episode last night. Was this a targeted attack against me or were they planning on harming Nia and I just happened to drink the glass with the poison in it that gave me the reaction? When I find out who is responsible, they will suffer the ultimate punishment for endangering the pack and betrayal against their Alpha.
Garrett POV
"My perfect plan has been ruined!" were the only words I could say right now as I paced back and forth in my suite. Everything was going so well until Jesse had to jump in and intervene when he heard that damn girl crying out for help and If that's not enough proof that she doesn't belong around wolves then I don't know what does.
"Maybe there's some other way to get rid of her", Anna said looking up at me from the bed.
"Like what, that feast was the best way to cover my tracks and keep anyone from suspecting me of having anything to do with it but right now for all we know she could be ready to tell a group of hunters or just anyone in general about the existence of werewolves in this town from that whole ordeal she just survived, which she shouldn't have. Do you know what this means Anna,? I might have just unintentionally put the secret existence and safety of the pack in jeopardy!"
"Garrett I know things didn't go as planned and that she survived but you're also forgetting that this provides the perfect opportunity to blame her."
"How Anna?"
"Remember, Travis didn't have that bad reaction until he was alone with her and she was the one that yelled out for help, leading to Jesse the top warrior coming out to face an angry Alpha by himself and almost getting seriously injured in the process. Then more wolves came out and couldn't take him down, so you could say she turned the Alpha against his pack in a way".
She was right, that girl was a total outsider and was the only one around him when he went berserk, so it would only make sense for everyone to blame her for turning their Alpha into a dangerous wolf that could've killed someone. All I have to do now is call a meeting with the pack and put that idea in their head so they can form a distrust towards her, meaning that she will be considered an enemy of the pack and if she so much as sets foot on this land again, then she will be punished by torture and eventually death.
"Sure turning a whole pack against a single outsider is easy but how am I going to turn the Alpha against her since she is his mate? If this pack is truly loyal to its werewolf roots, then they should follow the one that upholds tradition, even if it means getting rid of the current Alpha that's about to break it."
"Even if you do follow through with that plan, how are you going to get rid of Travis and who will you get to do it?"
"The only wolf in this pack strong enough to risk fighting him is me but it's a risk I'm willing to take."