Chapter 47: Lock down the Dome

The sheer terror that slammed into Dorian when Alyssa coughed out that much blood was a feeling he had never experienced in his entire life.

"Alyssa? Alyssa, look at me," he yelled, his voice cracking under a sudden wave of panic as her body went completely limp in his arms.

"Dorian..." she gasped breathlessly, her fingers clawing weakly at her throat. "Something’s... wrong. I... I can’t breathe..."

The crystal wine glass slipped from Dorian’s hand, shattering loudly against the polished floor. He caught her as she collapsed forward, her breathing turning shallow as she tried to pull air into her lungs.

"JAKE!" Dorian roared, the raw fury in his voice making the entire structure of the Astral Dome tremble violently.

The mingling guests came to a standstill, frozen in place by the terrifying intensity of the roar. One she-wolf near the front of the throne realized what had happened and let out a piercing scream, and the Dome erupted.

In a matter of seconds, the reception turned into absolute chaos. The crowd surged forward in a wave of horror, their overlapping voices rising to a deafening roar.

Jake sprinted up the stairs toward the throne, shoving through the gathering crowd with Alec, Anthony, and Pandora right at his heels. The moment they reached, the scene before them struck them motionless.

Dorian lifted his head. His eyes had shifted to a deep, glowing crimson, and his fangs pushed past his lips. The wrath on his face was unlike anything Jake had ever seen.

"Someone poisoned my Luna!" he growled out, his voice distorted and unnaturally guttural. "Lock down the Dome! NOW!"

Jake snapped into action. While Alec and Anthony threw themselves forward to push back the surging crowd, Jake opened the pack mind-link, issuing a cold command to the guards.

[The Luna Queen has been poisoned! No one leaves the premises! Lock down the Dome!]

Within seconds, the security doors of the Dome all slammed shut, sealing everyone inside.

During the commotion, Samantha and Seth found their escape route completely cut off. As panic rippled through the sealed hall, Samantha turned to her brother, her eyes wide. "What do we do?"

Seth didn’t answer right away. Instead, tracking an unsuspecting maid hurrying past them, he deliberately stepped into her path and bumped into her shoulder.

With a rapid, unseen movement, he slipped the empty glass vial into her apron pocket, then stepped back with a smooth apology as she rushed off.

"We do nothing," he finally whispered to Samantha, his face a mask of calm. "Just act natural. Dorian can’t accuse us without evidence."

Meanwhile, back at the throne, Nina rushed to where Dorian knelt, cradling Alyssa’s weakening body. She dropped to her knees, her face pale.

"Goddess above," she gasped, reaching out to touch Alyssa’s cold skin. "Who had the mind to do this?"

"Nina," Dorian’s voice sounded broken as he looked up. "Tell me you can save her... please..."

"I will do all I can, Alpha," Nina vowed fiercely. "I just need to know what she ingested."

"Wolfsbane," Dorian said instantly, his words clipping fast. "And aconite. Mixed and added to her drink. Do you have an antidote for that?"

To his utter relief, Nina nodded. "I do. I need to prepare a healing syrup before the toxins fully destroy her organs."

"What do you need?" Pandora demanded urgently.

"Honey extract, resins, and a drop of your blood, Alpha," Nina explained rapidly. "Your blood carries the fastest healing traits. How long has it been since she drank it?"

"A few minutes. Five, at most."

"That gives us barely ten minutes to synthesize the antidote," Nina said. "I need the ingredients brought to me right now."

Pandora turned on her heel, shouting for Anthony to come with her as she raced out of the Dome to get the ingredients.

Every second felt like an eternity as Dorian held Alyssa close.

"Stay with me, my love," he whispered hoarsely, brushing the back of his hand over her cold cheek. "Please, stay with me." He couldn’t lose her. Not on their wedding day. Not ever.

Six agonizing minutes ticked by before Pandora and Anthony rushed back into the Dome, breathlessly carrying the honey extract and resins.

They dropped the items into Nina’s hands, and Nina immediately began mixing them in a plate, churning it into a thick syrup.

"Your blood, Alpha," she said, raising her head and holding the plate out.

Dorian extended a single, sharp claw, slicing a deep line across his wrist. He held his arm over the plate, letting the dark blood drip into the mixture before the wound instantly sealed itself shut.

"Hold her head up, Alpha," Nina instructed, moving closer to Alyssa’s limp form. "And pinch her nostrils shut. We need her to swallow."

Dorian carefully tilted Alyssa’s head back, his fingers closing over her nose as Nina poured a fraction of the thick syrup down her throat.

He watched her face, his crimson eyes flickering dangerously. The air in the Dome felt suffocatingly heavy as everyone watched, waiting, hoping.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s eyes flew open.

She jerked upright in his lap, coughing harshly as her lungs desperately expanded, sucking in ragged breaths of air.

Dorian immediately pulled her back into his arms, cradling the back of her head as she breathed heavily against him.

"I got you, my love," he murmured against her ear, his voice thick with relief. "I got you."

Alyssa clutched the front of his shirt with trembling fingers. She glanced weakly over Dorian’s shoulder, taking in the sea of guests watching in stunned, worried silence from the foot of the throne.

Beside them, Nina let out a relieved sigh and began gathering her things.

"What... what happened?" Alyssa gasped, her voice raspy and raw. She lifted her head to look at Dorian, wondering why his eyes were a glowing crimson.

"It’s okay," Dorian hushed her gently, pressing a firm kiss to her hair. "I’ll tell you everything, but first, I’m getting you out of here."

His eyes fogged over as he threw open the mind-link. [André, get the car ready.]

[Right away, Alpha.] André’s response came instantly.

Completely ignoring the whispers of the crowd, Dorian lifted Alyssa into his arms and straightened to his full height. He looked down at Nina and murmured, "I owe you one, Nina," before cutting his eyes to his sister. "Are you coming, Pandora?"

"Right behind you," Pandora said readily.

The guests slowly and silently parted, clearing a wide path as Dorian carried his newly crowned Luna out of the Dome.

Alyssa shielded her face against Dorian’s chest as they stepped out into the cool night air. The burning sensation in her chest was gradually fading into a dull ache, but the trauma remained. What had been a beautiful ceremony had suddenly turned into a tragedy.

André opened the door of the Rolls-Royce the moment Dorian approached. Leaning down with gentle care, Dorian lowered Alyssa into the plush leather of the back seat.

He held her face in his hands, his thumb gently tracing over her cheek. "Anthony will take you home, my love. I’ll return soon."

She frowned up at him, her voice weak and scratchy. "Why? Where are you going?"

"There’s something I need to settle here first."

"Dorian, please don’t lie to me," she whispered, her fingers reaching up to touch his face. "What really happened?"

Dorian closed his eyes, exhaling a long breath before looking back down into her eyes. "Someone poisoned you."

The color that had returned to Alyssa’s face vanished instantly, her eyes widening in shock. "What? Who would do something like that to me?"

"That’s what I’m about to find out," he said. Leaning closer, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips before pulling back. "Go home and rest, okay? I’ll be back before you know it."

She swallowed hard, nodding against the seat. "Okay. Come back soon."

Dorian smiled softly, then straightened up. The moment he turned away from the car, that smile dropped, replaced with a ruthless death glare.

"I don’t need to tell you what awaits you if anything happens to my Luna, André," he muttered, his tone dropping into a lethal register. "Guard her with your life."

"With my life, Alpha," André vowed, bowing his head.

Dorian whirled toward Anthony. "Follow them, Anton. Take care of my Luna and Pandora until I return. Someone is operating from the shadows, and I need to find them before anyone else gets hurt."

"They’re safe with me, Dorian. You know that," Anthony nodded, his expression equally grim.

Then Dorian stood back, watching in silence as the car drove off in the direction of the mansion, flanked by six guards who followed closely in their Lycan forms.

The moment the taillights vanished from sight, Dorian turned on his heel and stormed back into the Astral Dome.

The double doors locked behind him, sealing the only exit out.

"Jake, assemble every servant who served Alyssa tonight," he growled, his Alpha aura expanding dangerously. "And bring me the feeds from every security camera in this building."