Ten Years Later, I Hold the Alpha’s Antidote

Ten years ago, my pup was tortured to death by a mutant wolfsbane strain. Right in the pack hospital's ER. I held her small, rapidly stiffening body. A dead, desperate cold seeped into my very marrow. Her high-and-mighty Alpha father did it. He personally ordered the pack’s only vial of pure antidote away. Just to save his childhood sweetheart's daughter. And that precious little girl? She just brushed against some silverweed in the garden. A mild allergic reaction. That was it. That day, I took a silver dagger. I carved the unforgettable mate mark right out of the flesh on my nape. Then,I plunged into the hellish world of lethal toxicology. Ten years later, I am the top toxicologist in the Northern Territories. The only one who can crack mutant wolfsbane. Today, the High Lycan Council handed me an emergency commission. A royal mandate. They promised me the Council’s highest honor and a massive twenty-million-dollar bounty. But when I skimmed the name on the commission, I gripped my vial hard. That name. That face. A top-tier Alpha in the Council's inner circle, radiating pure, feral dominance. I could never forget him. It was carved into my bones. I ripped off my lab coat. I slammed the file against my partner Marcus’s chest. "I'm not taking this job." Chapter 1 "Valerie, are you out of your mind?!" Marcus snatched the file and slapped it hard on my lab bench. "This is a direct order! You're the only one in the North who can handle this!" I lowered my eyes. I slowly wiped the vial in my hand. "I said, I'm not taking it." "Look at this!" Marcus flipped to the last page. "High-grade mutant wolfsbane infection. Her organs are failing. The antidote window is less than twenty-four hours. That's a living, breathing pack member!" I slammed the vial down. "Valerie, you're the only one. Nobody else in the North can isolate this toxin and synthesize a cure." Marcus leaned in. His voice dropped to a whisper. "If you don't go, she dies in that isolation room." I turned and looked at him coldly. "Marcus. You've been with me for six years. When have I ever turned down a case that could break new ground in wolfsbane research?" He froze. "Then why this one?" I didn't answer. Marcus panicked. He grabbed my arm. "This is a special mandate from the High Council! If you refuse, they'll strip your research credentials. You could even face exile!" I gently brushed his hand away. My voice was ice. "Let them exile me. I don't care. Even if the Alpha King himself came, I still wouldn't go." Marcus flushed red. His chest heaved. His heavy breathing reeked of anxiety. He had been with me for six years. Right from when I started in this abandoned warehouse lab. He had watched me pull 72-hour shifts at this bench until I collapsed. He’d seen me drag a dying rogue back from the brink. Only to squat in the hallway and puke my guts out after. But he had never seen me like this. Stone-cold. Untouchable. "Fine." Marcus finally gave up. He slammed the file on the table. "I trust your judgment." He walked to the door and stopped. His voice sounded tight. "But she's just a poor girl. She probably hasn't even had her first full moon shift. If you change your mind, we are ready to roll." The door clicked shut. I was alone in the lab. My eyes landed on Hector's photo in the file. He looked even more imposing than ten years ago. That Alpha aura practically leaped off the page. But his eyes were exactly the same. Cold. Selfish. Arrogant. When my pup was in the ER. When the air was leaving her lungs, bit by bit. He was holding Chloe's daughter in a VIP healing room. Promising to protect her forever. He said Chloe was the only person he ever wronged. So he would do everything to make it up to her and her kid. I closed my eyes. I swept the file straight into the biohazard incinerator without blinking. The intercom shrilled. It was the front desk. "Dr. Valerie? A VIP used top-tier clearance. They forced a connection to your private line." I paused for three seconds. I pressed the button. "Patch it through." "Is this Dr. Valerie of the biochemical toxicology lab?" The voice was deep and commanding. It carried that absolute authority of an Alpha. Ten years. I still recognized it instantly. "Speaking." My voice was raspy and harsh. After my daughter died, I cried for weeks. Plus, nine years of harsh chemicals and silver dust had ruined my vocal cords. My original voice was gone. He wouldn't recognize me. "Good. This is Hector. You should know the mission details by now." He paused. His tone dripped with charity and arrogance. "Name your price. If I can do it, it's yours. Any Council resource you need, I will provide." I took a deep breath. I pushed down my restless wolf and answered calmly. "I'm not taking the job." Chapter 2 Silence on the line. Then, a cold, oppressive Alpha scoff. "Did you mishear me? I said name your price. Anything." "I said no." I stood my ground. "Is it not enough? The Council's highest honor. Twenty million in cash, wired to you instantly." No hesitation in his voice. Like he was talking about pocket change. "Half upfront. Save her, and the other half drops immediately." I didn't speak. He thought I was wavering. He doubled down. Annoyance crept into his tone. "You want into the Elite Science Division? Fine. I'll make you the Chief Toxicology Advisor." Still so damn arrogant. Just like always. I couldn't help but cut him off. "Alpha Hector. When I say no, I'm not bargaining." His breathing grew heavy. I could feel his furious aura burning through the phone line. "Then tell me. Why?" I gripped the phone tighter. "It's my right to refuse." "Your right?" His voice rose. "Do you know what's happening? The toxin has destroyed her wolf's healing abilities. It's attacking her heart! She's dying!" Dying? My nose stung suddenly. Such familiar words. I begged him exactly like this back then. I told him our pup was dying. But he always thought I was just trying to steal the healing serum from Chloe's kid. "I know," I said, voice strained. "You know?" He spoke faster now. Pure rage. "You are the only one who can save her! You refused without a second thought. You are leaving her to die! This is treason against the pack!" My knuckles turned white around the receiver. "Treason against the pack." I repeated it slowly. "Alpha Hector. That accusation is quite funny coming from you." He paused. "What does that mean?" "Nothing." I kept my voice flat. "Point is, I can't take this job. Go find someone else." "There is no one else!" He was practically roaring. "I checked! You're the only one in the North! If you refuse, give me a damn reason!" "Then you're out of luck." My wolf settled down. I spoke lightly. "You'd better hurry and find another way. Any later, and you won't just fail to save your precious daughter. Her bones might turn to ash from the silver-laced wolfsbane." Before hanging up, I dropped one last line. "Good luck." Marcus poked his head in. He looked at me, hesitating. "Valerie, did he pull his Alpha rank on you?" I slammed the receiver down. I went back to organizing my wolfsbane vials like nothing happened. "He can't threaten me." "But he said..." Marcus paused. "He said he'd have the Council shut down your lab." I stopped for a second. "Let them. I don't owe him a damn thing." Marcus didn't push it. But I saw the worry on his face as he turned away. "Valerie, what's your history with him?" I screwed the cap tight on the last vial and stood up. "He owes me a life." ... 2:00 AM. My dorm door burst open. "Valerie! Something happened!" I sat up on my cot. Marcus was pale as a ghost. Shaking uncontrollably. His eyes were wide with pure terror. "My daughter! My Maya!" "The Council just issued a transfer! They exiled her from the Central Pack supply depot. They sent her to the border watchtower in the Northern Wastes!" My heart sank. "When did this happen?" "Just now! She sent me a final text. Said she reached the tower. Now I can't reach her!" Tears welled up in his eyes. His voice broke with despair. "She's just a girl! She can't even hold her wolf form steady! The Northern Wastes is abandoned by the Council! No safe houses for a hundred miles! The Redwood territory is crawling with feral rogues and blood-crazed vampires! Last year, an exiled guard was ripped apart there. Not even bones left!" I took his phone. A blurry photo was on the screen. A rundown watchtower gate. Endless, pitch-black snowy mountains in the distance. The last text: "Dad, I'm here. So scared. Smells like fresh blood outside. But I'm so tired... Talk tomorrow. Goodnight." "Valerie!" Marcus suddenly dropped to his knees. A loud thud against the floor. "I know Hector did this! He's forcing your hand!" "Don't panic yet." My hands shook as I tried to pull him up. "How can I not panic?!" He clawed at his hair. "People get torn to shreds in the Wastes every year! How is she supposed to survive?! Please, Valerie! I know you have bad blood with Hector! But my Maya is innocent!" He sobbed uncontrollably. His shoulders shook violently. "Curse me, hit me, I don't care! Just save my daughter!" My eyes burned. I crouched down and lifted him up. I couldn't watch another parent lose a daughter. Let alone my own partner. "Marcus, get up. I promise you, your daughter will be fine." He froze. Tear-filled eyes stared back at me. "Does that mean... you'll save Hector's daughter?" "I have another way." I patted his shoulder. "I'll guarantee your daughter's safety. But I'm still not taking that job." Chapter 3 Marcus opened his mouth, but no words came out. Suddenly, a deafening engine roar came from outside. The headlights of three black armored SUVs sliced through the dead of night like swords. The whole warehouse shook. An SUV with the Council's Alpha Pack plates braked brutally at the lab entrance. The High Council's wolf crest gleamed under the streetlights. Blinding. The doors burst open before the cars even fully stopped. Hector stepped out. Perfect black overcoat. Crisp white collar. Radiating that overwhelming Alpha aura. Two massive, fierce pack guards flanked him. And a woman in an expensive cashmere coat. It was Chloe. Ten years. She still looked just as fragile and pitiful. Hector's precious childhood sweetheart. The one he’d spoiled for over twenty years. He held her gently as she stepped out in designer stilettos. Looking so fragile, a stiff breeze could snap her in half. It was them. I turned and looked at Marcus. Fear and fury battled on his face. He clenched his fists. His eyes glowed with rage. A primal growl rumbled deep in his throat. "Valerie, they brought backup..." "Doesn't matter." I slipped on my lab coat. Buttoned it up slowly. Slipped on a thick medical mask. "Let's go." Hector stood in the courtyard. His eyes swept over the rundown lab with disdain. Rusted gates. A warehouse full of chemicals. Frozen pipes in the biting wind. His lips curled in obvious disgust. Then, his eyes landed on me. He looked for less than a second before looking away coldly. He didn't recognize me. After all, the gentle, long-haired mate from ten years ago now had a sharp bob. I wore a mask to block scents. Only my dead, freezing eyes showed. Plus, my scent was completely masked by nine years of chemicals and silver dust. Even my voice was ruined. To him, I was probably just some cripple who couldn't even shift. "Who is Valerie?" Hector spoke. His voice was laced with Alpha authority and impatience. Marcus glanced at me on instinct. I took two steps forward. "I am." Hector finally bothered to look at me properly. His gaze went from my eyes down to my calloused, acid-scarred hands. "You?" "Just me." I stared right back. He scoffed. He turned and muttered something to a guard. Then he looked at Marcus. Ice in his eyes. "You're Marcus? Your daughter is doing quite well at the Far North watchtower." Marcus's eyes flared red. He nearly charged like a furious bull. I threw my arm out and stopped him. "Don't." Hector laughed even harder watching me hold Marcus back. Hector's Alpha aura slammed into Marcus like a boulder, forcing him to his knees. "I said I'd give you two hours. You refused. So I had to come invite you myself." Chloe stepped forward in her heels. Sadness and innocence plastered on her face. Releasing a sickeningly sweet, distressed Omega scent. "I know you think we're being harsh. But that's my daughter! She's only eighteen. She just had her first shift. She's been suffering in the ICU for sixteen hours!" Her eyes watered. She reached out to clutch Hector's arm for protection. Hector patted her back. He looked at me, eyes like daggers. "Twenty million. Transferred right now. You leave with me immediately." "I already told you. I can't take this job." I refused calmly. "Are you still bargaining with me?" He tilted his head. Voice full of mockery. "Fine. Name your price. Forty million? Sixty? I've seen plenty of your kind. Just looking for a bigger payout. I'll humor you." I watched his sickening display. "It's not about money." "Then what is it?" He took a sudden step forward. His Alpha aura cast an invisible net over the entire space. "Not money? Then what? Do you have a grudge against me? Do I even know you?" I stared straight into his eyes. I stood my ground, fighting off the Alpha command that would force any lower-ranking wolf to their knees. The tenderness he used to look at me with was long gone. Washed away by time. Leaving only Alpha arrogance and impatience. "Never." "Then there's no damn reason." He waved a hand. An ultimatum. "I don't care who you are. I don't care about your attitude. My daughter is dying in there. You are the only one who can save her." He signaled his guards to step up. "Choose. Take the money and leave right now." Chapter 4 He glanced at Marcus. Bone-chilling eyes. "Or your partner's daughter. Tonight, she guards the entire sector alone. One girl, patrolling past the border wards, surrounded by those feral beasts." Marcus's face turned deathly pale. "You're threatening me with my daughter's life!" Marcus's voice shook. Hector didn't answer. He just looked back at me. "And this trash lab of yours. If my daughter dies... Tomorrow, this place gets leveled. I'll burn it to the ground." Chloe stepped forward again. Begging eyes. "Dr. Valerie. Hector and I grew up together. My daughter is like his own flesh and blood. Please save her, okay?" She reached out, trying to grab my arm to play nice. "My daughter is in there. She must be so scared. So cold. The wolfsbane is melting her from the inside out!" I yanked myself back. I dodged her touch. "Don't touch me." Chloe's hand froze in midair. A flash of annoyance crossed her face. Then she quickly switched back to her pitiful, wronged look. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I'm just so worried." Hector pulled her back to his side. He glared at me. A low, warning growl rumbled in his throat. "Last time. Your answer." I shook my head. "No." He laughed. A wild, arrogant laugh. "Fine." He pulled out his phone. He dialed a number right there. "Hello? Northern Border Watchtower? Make the new girl, Maya, guard all high-risk patrol points tonight. Yes. Alone. Deep into the redwood forest." Marcus snapped. He charged like a madman. His eyes completely crimson. "Hector! You bastard!" A guard instantly stepped up. He shoved Marcus to the ground. Marcus hit the dirt hard. He smashed his forehead. Blood seeped out. "Valerie!" He scrambled up. He fell to his knees right in front of me again. "Please! Save my Maya!" Hector hung up. He watched the scene with a victor's smirk. "See? Such a simple thing. You just had to do this the hard way." I looked at the blood oozing from Marcus's forehead. I looked at him kneeling on the freezing ground. Shaking in total despair. Then, I looked up at Hector. Ten years ago, it was like this. Now, it's still like this. Other people's lives were just bargaining chips to him. Made to be crushed and sacrificed. "You think I'm scared?" "Doesn't matter if you are." He shrugged lightly. "If you don't go, his daughter gets torn to shreds tonight. Your lab gets shut down. Risking everyone's future and lives for your pathetic stubbornness. Is it worth it?" Chloe stepped up again. Voice as gentle as a viper's tongue. "Dr. Valerie, you really just need to visit the hospital once. Then this is all over. You get the money. I'll tell Hector to spare your lab. And Marcus's daughter comes back safe." She smiled. "I mean, why do this to yourself?" I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath of the freezing air. The smell of bleach mixed with the biting autumn chill. It scraped my cheeks like blades. I opened my eyes. My gaze pinned Hector's face like poisoned daggers. My voice wasn't loud. But it burned with fatal resolve. "I will never save that girl. Just like ten years ago. You gave the pack's only antidote to this bitch's daughter for a pathetic little allergy. You let our pup scream to death under the torture of wolfsbane." I ripped off my medical mask. Revealing the horrific, jagged scar where my mate mark used to be. "Hector. If you force me to go today, I will personally inject lethal poison into your precious daughter's veins. I'll let her taste exactly how my daughter died." The words dropped. The air instantly froze. The severed mate bond. Ripped wide open in a bloody mess right here and now.