In the house where Marcy was...
Talia, James, Dawn, and George were in the kitchen, all seated on chairs and staring at the screen of a laptop that showed the live feed from Marcy's room.
Marcy was on the bed, and Doctor Travis was checking her vitals and taking notes on his tablet.
Dawn was nervously squeezing George's hand and he gently caressed her knuckles, silently assuring her that Marcy had no effect on him. And she didn't. The truth was that George didn't want to be there, but as Commander George, he needed to be present.
James observed with a boorish expression, and Talia was tense because she knew that Damon will enter the scene.
Upstairs, Damon stared at the door like it was his mortal enemy while silently chanting James' last instruction, "it needs to be convincing".
Damon hoped that just words will be enough and Talia won't blow a fuse. He could feel her anxiousness spilling into him and he took a deep breath to stabilize his emotions. If Marcy sees through him, all this will become a fantastic shitshow.
They needed Marcy to cooperate and only Damon could do this.
James said it will work, and Damon hoped that youngster's confidence was not just for show.
After a short knock, Damon pushed the door open.
Travis was sitting on a chair next to Marcy's bed and he bolted to his feet. "Alpha!", he greeted with his head lowered.
"Continue…", Damon said and leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.
Marcy opened her mouth for Travis to put a thermometer, and her eyes drifted toward Damon. His intense gaze was trained on her and she held her breath, unable to look away. He was super-handsome without trying and his appeal was enhanced by the sharp aura coming from him. Dangerous. Powerful. Dominating. A true Alpha.
She bit her lower lip. How much did Damon know?
She woke up some time ago, and this doctor entered her room a few seconds later, introducing himself as Travis, the doctor assigned by Alpha Damon to take care of her.
Travis told her that he was watching her since yesterday, her condition was serious, but improving, and that Alpha Damon was on his way.
Travis didn't mention breaking of the mate bond and she wondered if he didn't know about it or if he was not allowed to talk about it. In either case, Marcy decided to keep quiet and see how things went.
Marcy used this time to assess Damon's attitude. Surely, if Damon knew that George was Marcy's mate and that they broke off the bond, his Alpha pride would kick in and he would send her packing. Or maybe to the dungeon. Or worse.
The fact that Damon provided her medical aid in a house, outside prying eyes, told her that Damon either didn't know about what happened or was trying to conceal it. Was it possible that Damon was fearing her father and was willing to overlook her error of coming here to be his Luna while having a mate?
But George accepted the rejection, so there was no evidence, and no obstacles for Damon to mark her.
If George didn't spill the beans, they might think that she only passed out from unknown causes. And if George said the truth, he would be in danger also, and George was not stupid or suicidal, so... there was a chance that Marcy can come out of this scot-free.
Travis removed the stethoscope from around his neck and turned to Damon. "Done."
"How is she?", Damon asked.
"Her vitals are steady but somewhat weak. I expect that in two-to-three days we will see a full recovery."
"Thank you, Travis.", Damon said and moved while gesturing toward the open door. "I would like privacy with Miss Marcy. Please wait downstairs. I will have some instructions for you."
Travis bowed his head and took his medical bag before making his way out of the room and closing the door behind him.
Marcy's heart thundered against her chest. This is it, the moment when she will find out what will happen.
Damon knew that this was not fair but facing a choice between the safety of Talia and his pack vs Marcy's, the choice was obvious. He also reminded himself that Marcy came here with her mate while hoping to become his Luna, so deceiving her won't be a big offense. She was doing the same.
'It needs to be convincing!', James' voice echoed in Damon's head, reminding him that this was not the time for doubting priorities and weighing who is right.
"How are you feeling?", Damon asked while taking a seat on the chair that Travis vacated, next to Marcy's bed.
Marcy's eyes widened. Was that question full of concern directed at her?
"F-fine.", she stuttered before adding, "A bit weak, but fine." She repeated what Doctor Travis said. If she says that she is completely fine, Damon might kick her out.
Damon ran his hand through his hair. "You got me worried."
Marcy was not sure what to think about this. Did he say he was worried? "Thank you for your concern, Alpha Damon."
She blinked a few times before deciding to ask, "It seems I missed the event."
"Yes, you did."
"How did it go?"
"It was nearly a disaster. Everyone expected you to show up and I announce that you will be my Luna, and when you didn't come, I had to improvise." Well, that was almost-truth.
Now the acting came. Damon's role was to convince Marcy that he was clueless about the rejection.
"I'm sorry, Marcy."
Marcy's stomach dropped. Was this the part where he tells her to pack and leave? Or will he send her into a dungeon? "About?"
"My doctor believes that you were poisoned. Considering the condition of your wolf, he thinks it was wolfsbane.", Damon said with a pitiful expression.
Marcy wondered if her ears malfunctioned. She was poisoned? "What?"
"I hope you can forgive me the negligence. I have no idea how an enemy sneaked into my packhouse, but my people are working on it. By the time I found out that someone is targeting my future Luna, it was too late and when I arrived, you were already on the floor. I brought you here and got my best doctor to take care of you. I couldn't risk taking you to the pack hospital because I didn't know who was behind the attempt on your life."
Marcy blinked while staring at him stupidly. Poisoned? He was sorry? She couldn't decide if he was serious or maybe baiting her into something, but there was no way she will admit to anything.
"You think that someone poisoned me?" She had to make sure about this.
Damon nodded solemnly. "Your bloodwork was clean, so it must have been a mixture that is difficult to detect. But only wolfsbane will weaken your wolf in such a way. The good news is that given enough time, you should make full recovery."
Marcy couldn't believe her luck. Her wolf was weakened from her rejection, and she took another blow when George accepted the rejection, but Damon thought it was wolfsbane. This was fantastic!
