"What's happening?" I yelled out into the microphone, but no one paid any attention to me as all eyes were now on the site of the commotion.
Subconsciously, I glanced at Phoebe who seemed just as confused as me, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening.
But before I could do anything, Negan rushed up to her and placed an arm around her shoulder, trying to get her away from the ensuing chaos.
My fists clenched at the sight.
"Sir!" A female voice that I recognized instantly as my assistant suddenly called from the audience.
Lyra climbed the stairs, reaching my position with a few men from my guard detail.
"What's the meaning of this, Lyra?" I snapped, my teeth gritted with frustration.
People were fleeing their seats, either trying to see what was going on or trying to make their way to the exit.
Suddenly, another shrill scream sounded around the hall, causing my heart to sink.
"Johnathan! Johnathan, please don't do this to me." A female voice yelled out from the audience, around the seating area of the high-class wolves of Blue Moon.
Whatever was killing these nobles was now coming for my people.
This means trouble.
"Luna Lucinda was poisoned, sir," Lyra whispered into my ears, her tone shaking with fear. "According to the information I gathered, she dozed off at a point after taking a bottle of wine from one of the servers and then didn't wake up despite all the effort put into waking her up."
Poison?
Who could be responsible for this?
"Sir, we need to get you to safety." One of the guards placed his hand on my shoulder, trying to lead me off the stage.
But I brushed his hand aside with a scowl on my face. "I can handle myself. Gather yourselves and help these morons evacuate. I don't know why they're running about as if there's a Hunter or something."
But what if it was a Hunter?
Had a supernatural Hunter infiltrated our gathering and decided to take us out one by one with this mysterious poison?
Heck, why did this have to happen now?!
"Phoebe!" I called out to her as I stepped down from the stage, my eyes fleeting repeatedly from her to Negan who turned his gaze to me.
Phoebe also turned her gaze to me, her eyes brimming with several complicated emotions.
"Kaene, do you know what's happening?" Negan suddenly asked when I got in front of them, his arm slowly leaving Phoebe's shoulder. "I'm hearing something of a poison. People are already pointing fingers."
I listened to his endless talking while fixing my gaze on Phoebe, who stared deep into my eyes with barely any apprehension.
After a few seconds, however, I shook my head, turning my gaze to Negan. "My guards are leading the people outside. You should leave as well; we'll have to investigate the source of this 'poison.'"
Negan seemed hesitant at first but eventually complied when I stared at him with a stoic expression. He gave Phoebe one final glance before he walked away, his assistant following beside him.
"Do you think it's that ceremonial wine?" Phoebe suddenly asked, drawing my attention to her. "It seemed kinda suspicious how we were all made to drink from it."
Oh, she was smart. My thought process was also going in line with that. But then, there were a few problems with it.
"The drinking of the ceremonial wine is an old tradition preserved for centuries, Phoebe," I stated, amidst the chaos all around us.
People were still either crying, mourning the fallen, or arguing among themselves, pointing fingers and blaming each other for the poisoning while the guards tried de-escalating the conflict.
It was an utter mess, one that I would've never imagined happening.
Anyway, I continued. "Also, if indeed the wine was poisoned, why hasn't everyone been affected? So far, only two people have died."
Phoebe remained silent, seeming lost on what to say.
Just then, a hand tapped me on the shoulder, forcing me to turn around and focus my gaze on my mother who seemed terrified.
"We need to call off this sham of a Ball, Kaene." She blurted, her voice shaky. "The nobles are already questioning your leadership. I told you this Luna Ball was a bad idea."
Ugh, could she not do this now?
"Mother, I'll have everything sorted out soon. Just leave the hall now." I pointed at the exit, rubbing my forehead and looking away from her.
Luckily, she complied after staring at me briefly, rushing with her dress clutched by her hands.
"That includes you," I muttered to Phoebe who just stood there frozen and disoriented.
She snapped back to her senses, nodding before she scurried for the exit, followed by her maids.
Time for some investigating...
.
.
Several minutes after the beginning of the chaos, the hall had been successfully evacuated, and everyone was taken to a separate building within the estate.
Well, everyone except myself, my Alpha Council, and a select few acquainted with the deceased, of course.
The hall was now a mess, with some chairs and tables tipped over and the floor littered with food and drinks.
"This is a clear case of poisoning, Alpha." The pack's Gamma, Gamma Maverick, stated confidently as we awaited Eider Gita's analysis of the bodies.
She had her eyes closed, rotating her hands repeatedly around the two victims while silently chanting some incoherent words.
Eventually, she opened her eyes, standing up with a solemn expression.
"It's worse than I thought." She muttered, turning her gaze to me. "This poison was made by a witch. It's not well known but I was able to find out how it works."
Everyone kept silent, waiting expectantly for her findings.
"The poison seems to only work after a second dosage is taken. The first dosage doesn't have any effects and can disappear within hours." She revealed, her hand clutching her staff tightly. "These victims died because they took drinks with this poison. It takes the life of its victim as soon as they fall asleep."
Everyone remained silent, trying to comprehend everything she just explained.
"Wait..." The Alpha of Crescent Moon pack spoke up just then, his expression stoic even though he'd just been grieving the sudden death of his Luna. "So, if I'm guessing right... The 'ceremonial wine' actually contained the first dosage of this poison. And we all drank from it."
Elder Gita nodded solemnly, confirming his words.
The Alpha gritted his teeth just then, turning his gaze to me as he pointed a finger at me. "So, this was your plan all along, huh? Inviting us for the inauguration of your Luna so you could weed us out and take over our packs?!"
What?
The tension in the air became palpable as I watched the man take a step closer, his eyes burning with malice.