Chapter 62 The poison works 1

Chapter 62: Chapter 62 The poison works 1

Talia’s POV

The toast ended, and the hall erupted in cheers.

Wolves clapped and laughed and raised their cups. The music started again, louder this time, and couples returned to the dance floor.

I sat at the main table, with my hands folded in my lap, and my heart pounding as I kept my eyes on Vivienne.

She was still standing near her table, with the golden glass in her hand. Celeste was beside her, still adjusting her new dress, and still muttering words I was sure were about the spilled wine.

Vivienne had stopped looking at me, and maybe she thought I had drunk her poisoned wine during the toast. But little did she know what had happened.

She moved to sit down at her spot at the table. Celeste was still fussing with her dress, and still whispering complaints that I could not hear. But Vivienne was calm.

She looked like a cat waiting calmly to pounce on a mouse. Her smile was fixed, and her eyes were sharp, and every few seconds, she would glance at the glass in her hand.

She finished her drink, and added a little more from the bottle on her table. She was busy enjoying herself, but she did not know I had already switched the glasses.

I smiled at how Piper, Nora, Elara, and I had carried out the plan.

All of us had done it. Piper came through with her distraction, Nora with her steady presence, and Elara with her sharp ears and willing hands. I could not have done this alone, and if not for them, I would have drunk that wine. But they saved me.

We had done our parts well, and now, I just had to wait, and watch for the poison to work.

Leaders from other packs approached the main table.

There was an Alpha from the Stoneclaw Pack, a Beta from the Moonshadow Pack, and an elder from the Frostfang Pack. They bowed to Alpha Aldric, they nodded to Kaelen, and then they turned to me.

"Luna Talia," one of them said, raising his glass. "May your reign bring prosperity to Shadowfang."

"Thank you," I said, smiling.

Another stepped forward. "To the Alpha and his new Luna. May your bond be forever unbreakable."

I nodded. "Thank you."

More people came to make more toasts, and said more words I did not hear, because my eyes kept drifting back to Vivienne.

I nodded when I needed to, and I smiled when I needed to. But my mind was elsewhere.

It was with Vivienne, with the glass in her hand, and with the poison swimming in her blood. How much longer? How much longer until everyone saw? How much longer until she could not hide it anymore? I counted the seconds in my head. One, Two, Three.

Alpha Aldric stood up from his seat, cleared his throat, and the hall went quiet.

"Wolves of Shadowfang," he said, with his voice carrying across the room. "And honored guests from allied packs. Thank you for joining us tonight."

He walked to the center of the hall, and the crowd parted for him.

"This is a night of celebration," Aldric continued. "A night to honor the future of our pack, and a night to welcome our new Luna."

The wolves cheered, but I forced a smile.

Aldric spoke about tradition, about loyalty, and about the strength of the Shadowfang Pack. His voice was warm, steady, and confident, but I did not hear his words, because my mind was somewhere else.

I was thinking about the glass in Vivienne’s hand, and why she was still so calm. I kept thinking how long would it take? What would it look like? Would everyone know?

My stomach turned, and my hands were sweaty and shaky, but I pressed them flat against my thighs to keep them still.

Kaelen’s hand brushed mine under the table just for a second.

I froze.

His skin was warm, rough, and familiar. I wanted to hold on, to squeeze his fingers and tell him everything. But I could not, or at least not yet. So I let my hand stay still, and I let him brush against me like a ghost.

Then he was gone. I looked at the table, and at my empty hands.

I looked at him, but he was looking at a different side of the hall. I looked away and brushed off my thoughts, because his touch could just be a sign from him to let me know he was there, or just a mistake.

I did not look at him again, and I kept my eyes on Vivienne, and I waited.

About five to maybe ten minutes passed.

But Vivienne was still sitting calmly at her table, with no reaction or change to her fake smiles.

I started to doubt if Elara had been wrong, or if she drank from the wrong glass. The poison was too slow. My heart was a drum, and my palms were wet. What if Elara was wrong? What if the poison did not work? What if Vivienne figured out the switch before it was too late?

I pushed the thoughts away, because it was too late for that, and I had already done it.

Now I just had to watch, and wait, and trust. But as I continued to think, I saw her blink rapidly, like something was in her eyes.

Then she shook her head, as if trying to clear fog from her mind.

My heart skipped instantly.