_Leon's POV_

The next morning, I went straight to the guard quarters.

I had barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Talia's voice again.

In the drawer of her desk.

Those words had followed me into the night and stayed there like a shadow over my thoughts.

I could still hear the exact way she had said it. Calmly. Naturally. As if she had every right to know.

But she did not.

Only a few people knew where the poison had been found in Anya's room. I had made sure of that myself. I had given strict orders that no one was to speak of it before the formal punishment was passed.

So how had Talia known?

The question had burned in my mind until morning.

And now, I needed answers.

The air outside was still cool as I crossed the training yard. A few warriors were already awake and beginning their drills but I paid no attention to them. My mind was too full. My chest felt tight.

Shadow was awake too. He was restless and angry. You should have listened sooner, he said.

I clenched my jaw. "Not now."

But he was right and that only made the weight in my chest worse.

When I reached the guard quarters, the two men I wanted were already there. They straightened the moment they saw me and lowered their heads respectfully.

I did not waste time on greetings. "You two. Come with me."

They exchanged a quick glance, then followed me at once. I led them into a smaller room beside the main quarters, one used for reports and private questioning. Once we were inside, I closed the door behind us.

For a moment, the room was silent. Then I turned to face them.

Both men stood straight but I could already see the tension in their shoulders. They knew from my expression that this was not a casual matter.

"I want honest answers," I said coldly. "Think carefully before you speak."

"Yes," they both said.

I looked first at the older one. "After the search of Anya's room, did you tell anyone where the poison was found?"

His eyes widened at once. "No."

I turned to the second guard. "Did you?"

He shook his head quickly. "Never."

I stared at them for a few seconds and said nothing. I wanted them to feel the weight of the question. I wanted them to understand that I would notice even the smallest lie.

"Did you mention it to another guard? A servant? Your family?" I asked. "Did anyone hear you speak of it by accident?"

"No," the first guard said again, more firmly this time. "You gave a direct order. I obeyed it."

The second one nodded. "So did I."

My hands slowly curled into fists at my sides. "Then explain this to me."

They both went still.

"Talia knows."

Neither of them moved. I took one step closer.

"She said yesterday that the poison had been found in the drawer of Anya's desk. I never told her that. She was in the hospital when we searched the room. The only people who knew were me and the two of you. So I will ask one last time."

I looked from one face to the other. "Did either of you tell anyone?"

The first guard looked shaken now. "No. I swear on my life."

The second guard swallowed hard. "I swear it too. We never said a word."

There was real fear in his eyes. Not the fear of guilt. The fear of standing in front of an angry leader while being accused of something serious.

I kept staring at them.

Shadow's voice was dark inside me. They are telling the truth.

I hated that he was probably right.

The older guard spoke again, more carefully this time. "If... if Lady Talia knows, then someone else must have told her. But it was not us."

I held his gaze for another second before finally stepping back. "Go," I said.

They both bowed immediately. "Yes, leader."

I watched them leave the room and stood there alone in the silence.

So they had not told her.

That left only one possibility and I did not want to look at it too closely yet. Talia knew information she should not have known.

A chill moved down my spine.

Shadow spoke again. Now do you see it?

I shut my eyes for one second. "I see that something is wrong."

Something has been wrong from the start. I opened my eyes and pulled out my phone. If there was any chance that Alpha Jacob had discovered something already, I needed to know now.

I called him. The line rang once....then twice...then again. But there was no answer.

My mouth tightened. I ended the call and tried again. This time the line rang longer before cutting off. I stared at the phone in frustration.

Why was he unreachable?

He had taken Anya away under the excuse of an investigation. He was supposed to send word. He was supposed to report what he found. But there had been nothing. Not a message. Not a call. Not even a short update.

I tried one last time. Again, nothing.

A dark feeling settled heavily inside my chest. If Alpha Jacob knew something, he was not sharing it.

And if Talia was involved, then every hour that passed was another hour that Anya remained alone in Fireblood territory carrying a punishment that might never have belonged to her.

The thought hit me harder than I wanted to admit.

My mate.

The words came into my mind before I could stop them. I pushed them away at once but it was too late.

Shadow growled low inside me. You sent her away in chains.

My jaw tightened painfully. "I did what I thought was right."

Did you? he asked coldly. Or did you choose the easy lie because it protected the future everyone wanted for you?

I had no answer for that.

I lowered the phone slowly and forced myself to breathe. I needed to think clearly. I needed proof. But before I could do any of that, I had another problem.

My parents were hosting Talia and her parents for dinner that evening. The plan had already been made. Servants would be preparing all day. The families would sit together and speak of wedding arrangements. Talia would be there. Her parents would be there. My mother would be watching everything. My father would expect me to act as I always did.

If I refused to come, they would all ask questions. If I acted strangely, Talia would notice. And if Talia truly had something to hide, the last thing I could afford was warning her.

So I had only one choice. I had to act normal. The thought disgusted me but it was true.

The entire day passed slowly after that. I tried to keep myself busy. I reviewed reports. I checked patrol routes. I spoke to warriors about the borders. I even forced myself to sit through a long discussion with one of the elders about food stores and trade.

But none of it stayed in my mind. Every thought circled back to the same place. Talia had known. Alpha Jacob would not answer. And Anya...

I stopped that thought before it could finish.

By the time evening came, the pack house was already glowing with soft candlelight. Servants moved in and out of the dining hall carrying trays of food. The scent of roasted meat, herbs, butter and wine filled the air.

Anyone looking at the house from the outside would have thought it was a peaceful family evening.

It was nothing of the sort.

When Talia arrived with her parents, she looked beautiful and bright. Her smile was wide. Her eyes were full of excitement. And for the first time in years, I looked at her and felt not comfort, not affection but suspicion.

That feeling sat like ice inside my chest as I stepped forward to greet her.

"Leon," she said warmly. "You look tired."

I forced a faint smile. "Long day."

She touched my arm lightly. "Then dinner will cheer you up."

Would it?

I doubted that very much.

Still, I nodded and led her inside.

At the table, the conversations started almost immediately. My mother was in high spirits. Talia's mother was even worse. My father and Talia's father spoke in the calm practical way men did when discussing alliances, guests and status.

And Talia...she sounded eager. She spoke about flowers, fabrics, music, about crowns and decorations and a ceremony she had apparently imagined in detail for years.

I listened. I responded when necessary. I played my role. But inside, I was watching.

Watching her smile.

Watching the way she laughed.

Watching the way she placed her red bag beside her chair.

And as the dinner went on, a dangerous idea began to form in my mind.

If she knew something, maybe her phone did too. That was when I began to think of a way to get it.

_Leon's POV_

The bag was half open. Just enough for me to catch the edge of a silver phone case when she reached for a handkerchief.

Shadow's voice sharpened. Take the chance.

I kept my face blank as another servant came forward with wine. Glasses were refilled. Conversation continued. My mother and Talia's mother had moved on to discussing wedding fabrics. Talia was laughing softly and describing the sort of embroidery she liked.

I lifted my own glass slowly. Then I made my move.

I turned just slightly, as if reaching for the bread plate. At the same time, I let my wrist twist. The wine tipped from the glass in a sudden red spill and splashed straight across the front of Talia's pale dress.

She gasped and jumped up from her chair. "Oh, what have you done?"

The room went still.

I immediately set down the glass and rose too. "Talia, I am very sorry, sweetheart. It slipped from my hand."

She stared down at the stain in horror. "Leon, this dress..."

"I know," I said quickly. "I am sorry."

My mother stood at once. "Oh dear. That is a terrible stain."

Talia pressed a hand to the ruined fabric. She was clearly upset. For a second, I almost believed the accident myself.

Then I called toward the doorway. "Mira."

A servant stepped forward at once. "Yes?"

"Please accompany Talia and help her change. There must be spare clothes somewhere that fit her. Help her."

My mother nodded quickly. "Yes, let her go with Mira. I have some beautiful new dresses that I have never worn and since Talia and I are nearly the same size, they should fit."

Talia's mother gave a relieved breath. "That would be wonderful."

Talia still looked distressed but she forced a smile. "Thank you."

My mother squeezed her hand. "Go, dear. It will be fixed."

Mira stepped closer. "This way, miss."

Talia turned to me before leaving. "I will not be long."

I gave her an apologetic look. "Take your time."

She left with Mira and my mother followed partway. She was still fussing gently about the stain and possible dresses. The remaining people at the table quickly fell back into conversation. My father and Talia's father began discussing guest accommodation and wine selection for the ceremony.

No one looked at me.

Slowly and carefully, I let my hand drop beneath the table. I reached for the red bag beside Talia's chair. My fingers slipped inside. I found the phone at once.

In one smooth motion, I slid it into my pocket. My pulse was hammering now. Still no one noticed.

A few more seconds passed. Then I pushed back my chair. "Excuse me," I said evenly. "I need to use the washroom."

My father barely glanced up. "Go ahead."

I walked out at a controlled pace. I did not hurry until I had turned down the corridor and reached the private washroom near the west wing. The moment I was inside, I locked the door.

Then I pulled out the phone. For one awful second, disappointment hit me.

It was locked.

"Damn it," I whispered.

The screen waited silently. I frowned, then typed Talia's birth date. The phone unlocked.

A humorless breath escaped me. "You should have used something else."

Shadow snorted darkly. She was never as clever as she wanted people to think.

I moved quickly. First I checked the call logs. They were blank. Everything had been deleted.

That made my suspicion even worse. Then I opened her messages. There were normal threads at first. Messages from her mother. Friends. Dressmakers. One group chat about decorations.

Then I saw it. A contact saved under one simple name. Doc.

My fingers went cold. I opened the thread. And the world seemed to tilt beneath me. Message after message stared back at me.

Talia had written first. I need something that will make me very sick, but not kill me.

A reply came below. That is risky.

Then another message from her. I do not care. I need it to look like someone poisoned me.

My breath stopped. There were more.

I need symptoms fast....It must be convincing....No one can know.

The replies were careful but clear. I can help but this is dangerous. You must follow the amount exactly. You are taking a serious risk.

Then came Talia's answer. It will be worth it.

My hand tightened hard around the phone. Below that were later messages.

You did your part well. The money has been sent.

Then the reply that made my blood run cold.

Received. If you need my services again, feel free to contact me.

For a second I could not move. I just stared at the screen.

Shadow was raging inside me now. She framed Anya. She did all of it. She lied. She lied to us.

Images hit me one after another. Anya in chains. Anya crying. Anya begging me to believe her. My own voice condemning her. My own orders sending her away.

A sick wave rolled through my stomach. I had done this. I had let it happen.

My chest hurt so badly that I had to brace one hand against the sink. "You were telling the truth," I whispered to the empty room, though Anya was not there to hear me.

I forced myself to focus. I needed to save the contact number.

Quickly I copied the number into my own phone contacts under a false name. My fingers moved fast but inside I was shaking with fury.

Then I erased the recent view and locked Talia's phone again. I checked the time. She might return any second now.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket, unlocked the washroom door and quickly walked out. Every step back toward the dining hall felt unreal. My mind was burning. My blood was boiling. Yet my face had to stay calm.

When I returned, I felt relieved that Talia was still not back. My father was talking about guest quarters. Talia's father was answering. Neither of them paid me any attention as I resumed my seat.

Under the table, I slipped the phone back into the red bag exactly where it had been. A minute later footsteps approached. I looked up.

Talia entered wearing one of my mother's deep green dresses. It fit her almost perfectly. My mother followed beside her. She was smiling proudly at the success of the change.

"There," my mother said happily. "Much better."

Talia gave a soft laugh and sat down again. "Thank you. It is beautiful."

Then she turned to me with a teasing smile. "You owe me for ruining the other one."

I looked at her face....at her smile. At the woman who had almost died by her own design and then pointed the finger at Anya.

I made myself smile back. "I know. I will make it up to you."

The rest of the dinner stretched on like some twisted performance. They continued discussing the wedding. Talia continued sounding excited and eager. She talked about flowers, music and silk banners as if her world was full of nothing but happy dreams.

All I could think was that every word from her mouth was poison.

At last the evening ended. I stood beside my parents and watched Talia and her family leave. She hugged my mother. She smiled at my father. She touched my arm once and said softly, "Do not stay up too late."

I nodded. Then she was gone.

The moment the doors closed behind them, I turned and walked away without another word. I pulled out my phone and called the number I had saved.

It rang twice. Then a man answered.

"Doctor Mike here, how can I help you?"

My face went hard. "Are you Doctor Mike Johnson?" I asked.

"Yes," the man replied. "Who is this?"

I stepped into the darkness of the corridor, my grip tightening on the phone.

"There is an emergency, Doctor."

His voice sharpened at once. "What kind of emergency?"

I looked out into the night beyond the window. My heart was pounding with rage, with guilt and with something close to dread.

"I am coming to see you right now," I said coldly. "Then I will explain."

Before he could answer, I ended the call. The silence around me felt heavy.

Mike Johnson.

The same doctor who had treated Talia. The same doctor who had stood over her bed and spoken of poison with grave concern. The same doctor who had helped send Anya to hell.

Now I knew.

Talia had done this to herself.

She had planned it.

She had chosen the doctor.

She had paid him.

And I had believed her.

Shadow's voice came low and savage inside me. Go.

I started walking. Because now there was only one thing left in my mind.

I needed the full truth.

And after that, I needed to rescue Anya.

_Leon's POV_

I drove through the night with my jaw locked so hard it hurt.

The road blurred under the headlights but my mind was sharper than it had ever been. Every breath I took felt too hot. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles had turned white.

Beside all of that rage was something worse; guilt. It sat in my chest like a stone. It was heavy, cold and impossible to ignore.

Shadow was pacing violently inside me. His growls rolled through my mind like thunder. I told you something was wrong.

"I know," I said out loud, my voice rough.

You should have listened sooner.

My throat tightened. "I know."

That was the worst part. He was right.

I should have listened to the unease inside me. I should have paid more attention to the way Talia had acted. I should have looked harder when Anya cried and begged me to believe her. I should have stopped everything before it ever reached that point.

But I had not. I had failed. And Anya had paid the price.

The doctor's house stood near the edge of the pack lands, far from the main road. It was a large stone house with a private clinic attached to one side. A single light was still on upstairs. Another light glowed near the entrance.

I parked hard and stepped out before the engine had even fully settled. The night air hit my face but it did nothing to cool me down. I walked to the front door and knocked once. Then again, louder.

A few moments later, footsteps approached. The door opened and Doctor Mike Johnson stood there in a plain shirt and dark trousers. His hair was slightly untidy as if he had been preparing to sleep. His expression was annoyed at first but the moment he saw me, his face changed.

"Leon?" he said in surprise. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

His tone sharpened immediately. "Is it Talia? Is she unwell again?"

I looked straight into his eyes. "There is an emergency."

The doctor stepped aside at once. "Come in."

I entered the house. The smell of medicine hit me immediately. It was the same smell that had filled Talia's room after her so-called poisoning. That memory alone made my anger rise again.

He closed the door behind me and turned back to face me.

"What is it?" he asked. "What kind of emergency?"

I did not sit. I stood in the middle of the room, still wearing my coat, still carrying the cold night with me. The doctor looked confused by the silence that stretched between us.

Then I said, very carefully, "Yes. There is an emergency. I need to ask you some important questions and I hope that you will tell me the truth."

The doctor blinked. For a moment he looked intrigued more than alarmed. He gestured toward the chairs near his desk. "Questions? About what?"

I did not move.

He slowly lowered his hand. "Leon?"

I stared at him and said, "Talia paid you a large sum of money to lie to everyone, did she not?"

The color in his face changed at once.

I took one step closer. "She asked you to give her something that would make it seem as if she had been poisoned. She staged the whole thing to frame Anya."

His eyes widened. For one heartbeat, the truth flashed clearly across his face. Then he pulled himself together and frowned. "I do not know what you are talking about."

My hands curled at my sides.

He went on quickly, "When Talia came in, she was barely breathing. I helped stabilize her and place her on a ventilator. Then I administered medicine to counter the poison and improve her condition. That is all."

Every word made my blood burn hotter.

Shadow snarled inside me. Liar.

I stepped forward again. "Stop."

The doctor straightened. "Leon, I think you are upset, and perhaps...."

"Stop lying."

My voice cracked through the room like a whip.

He froze.

I did not even remember crossing the distance between us. One second he was standing near the desk and the next my hand was fisted in his shirt collar, dragging him forward.

His eyes went wide with shock. "Leon!"

I slammed him back against the wall.

"Do not lie to me," I said through clenched teeth. "I know that you worked with Talia to frame Anya. I saw the messages. I saw every filthy word. I saw her asking you for something that would make her look poisoned. I saw you warning her that it was dangerous. I saw her paying you for your services."

The doctor's face went pale.

Still he said, "You are mistaken. You must have misunderstood...."

I tightened my grip on his collar until his voice cut off. "No," I said coldly. "I understood perfectly."

His breathing turned uneven. I leaned closer and lowered my voice.

"You have two choices right now. You cooperate with me and I will not take this to my father. But if you keep lying, the Alpha will know everything. He will know that you conspired against an innocent woman. He will know that your false testimony helped send her away to suffer for a crime she did not commit. And when he finds out, he will punish you severely."

The doctor swallowed hard. I let the threat settle between us before I continued.

"It is better for you to tell me the truth quietly."

The room was silent. I could hear his breathing. I could hear my own heartbeat. I could hear the clock ticking somewhere behind me.

The doctor looked away first. His shoulders sagged. For several seconds he said nothing. He looked like a man whose strength had just left him all at once.

Finally, in a low voice, he said, "Let go of me first."

I stared at him.

Shadow growled. Do not trust him.

"I am not asking you to trust me," the doctor said weakly, as if he could somehow feel the wolf's rage through me. "I am asking you to let me breathe."

Slowly, I loosened my grip and stepped back, though I was still ready to grab him again if he tried anything.

He adjusted his collar with shaking hands and avoided looking directly at me. Then he said, "Talia contacted me before the incident."

The words hit me like a blade even though I had already known. Still, hearing him say it out loud made everything feel even more real.

He swallowed and continued, "She asked me to give her a substance that would make it look as if she had been poisoned. I told her it was risky. I warned her that it could harm her body if the antidote was given too late. I told her I wanted nothing to do with it."

I said nothing.

He gave a humorless laugh full of shame. "But she was very determined. She kept insisting. Then she offered me a large amount of money. More money than I had ever been offered for anything."

His voice dropped lower. "And I accepted."

My stomach turned.

The doctor rubbed his face with one trembling hand. "I had to lie to everyone and say that she had been poisoned. But in reality, it was I who gave her the substance that put her into that condition. Later, I gave her the antidote to reverse the effects."

He looked at me then and there was fear in his eyes now....real fear.

"That is all I know," he said quickly. "Please. Leave me alone. I do not know anything else."

For a second I could not speak. My chest felt too tight. My heart was pounding so hard that it hurt.

Talia had done it. She had truly done it.

She had poisoned herself. She had paid a doctor. She had lied to everyone. She had watched Anya be blamed. She had watched Anya cry and beg. She had watched Anya be dragged away.

And she had said nothing.

Shadow was furious now. She deserves punishment.

"She does," I said under my breath.

The doctor looked at me uncertainly. "What?"

I ignored the question and stared at him with disgust. "What you did was wrong. Do you understand that? Anya was falsely accused because of you. She is the victim in all of this."

The doctor's face crumpled. "I know," he whispered. "I know. I am sorry. I was blinded by greed. I let the money tempt me. Please forgive me."

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. "Forgive you?" I repeated.

He flinched.

"You should ask Anya for forgiveness. Not me."

He lowered his head at once. "You are right."

I kept looking at him and for a moment I thought about dragging him straight to my father that instant. I thought about exposing everything. I thought about making sure he paid for what he had done.

But I also knew one thing with complete certainty.

Anya mattered more.

Every second I wasted here was another second she remained far from me. She was surely feeling hurt and alone and believing that no one would come for her.

"Since you told me the truth, I will not denounce you to my father tonight. But do not mistake that for mercy. If I need you again, you will answer me. If you run, if you hide or if you warn Talia, I will know."

The doctor nodded quickly. "I understand."

"I hope you do." I turned away from him and strode toward the door.

Behind me, he said in a trembling voice, "Leon."

I stopped but did not look back.

"I truly am sorry."

I let out a slow breath and said, "That will not undo what you did."

Then I walked out. The cold night wrapped around me again. I stood beside my car for a long moment, staring into the darkness.

So it was true. Talia had stooped that low just to hurt Anya. No. Not just hurt her....but destroy her.

She wanted Anya disgraced and completely broken. She wanted her out of the way so badly that she had put her own life at risk to make it happen.

My hands shook with fury. "She is insane," I muttered.

Shadow's voice came out low and dangerous. She is cruel.

"Yes."

Cruel and selfish.

"Yes."

And you almost married her.

That hit me harder than anything else. I closed my eyes. I had almost married her.

I had stood before my family and agreed to bind my future to hers. I had looked at her smiling face and thought I knew the woman standing beside me. I did not know that she was cruel and jealous. But this... this was beyond jealousy. This was wickedness.

This was poison in human form.

"How did I not see it?" I whispered.

Shadow answered with brutal honesty. Because you were blind.

I swallowed hard. I had been blindly in love.

And because of my mistake, Anya had suffered. Her face rose in my mind at once. Her tear-filled eyes. Her pale skin. Her trembling lips when she tried to defend herself. The pain in her voice when she told me she had done nothing.

Then came the memory that cut deepest of all. Her looking at me as if I was the one person who might still save her.

And I had failed.

"What must she think of me now?" I asked.

Shadow was silent for a moment before he answered. That depends on what you do next.

I drew in a sharp breath. He was right. Regret meant nothing by itself. There was only one thing left for me to do.

I had to act.

Alpha Jacob had taken her away. At the time I had let it happen because I thought it was a legal matter tied to the poison.

Now I knew better. A dangerous growl rose in my throat. "I am bringing her back."

Shadow responded at once. Yes.

I got into the car and started the engine. I would go to the Fireblood pack and bring Anya home.

No matter what it took.