The packs outcast Luna (Kaia and Theo) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 020

~~Kaia~~

“That’s such an absurd accusation. Do you know what you’re talking about” Beta Zane looks at me with

doubts.

Of course, doubts. I didn’t expect anything less.

“I’m not asking you to believe me,” I replied,looking away.” I’m stating the truth”

Just then, a servant rushed in.

“Healer,” she called out to me.“Your attention is required in the king’s chambers”

I looked at Beta Zane, expecting him to scold me but he didn’t say anything.

He looked conflicted. Maybe.

I turned to leave. “I’m going to check on the king. Excuse me”

They led me into the King’s chambers. The air was heavy,sharp with sickness and something darker.

I stepped close and froze. That scent… metallic, sour, rotted.

I recognized it instantly.

Poison.

Blackbane

The same poison that almost killed the guard on our way here.

I could recognise it from the photos but the smell is unmistakably unfamiliar.

When I walked into the king’s chamber, an older gentleman with silver hair sprouted out on the bed.

The once–mighty council King lay still beneath the furs, his breathing shallow, his lips pale.

When the Council asked me to “prove my loyalty” by tending to the Council King, I knew they didn’t mean well but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

The king was dying. Barely holding on to life.

Whatever I do here could either heal or kill him.

I know this. The council knows this.

I’m sure this is the reason why they agreed to send me here.

I froze, every instinct screaming at me.

When they summoned me to the council chambers, I knew something was off.

They’d spent weeks looking at me like a stray rogue now suddenly, I was trusted enough to look at the council king?

This wasn’t random. Someone was killing the King from within, and now they wanted me to take the blame for

1. it.

Still, I couldn’t walk away. I’d sworn to heal, not to watch someone die.

They’d been waiting for a chance to watch me fail or to blame me if I didn’t.

While thoughts run through my mind, a woman walks in with four other men, who I assume are the council members.

“Lady,” the woman calls out to me. “Please help my mate recover. I can’t lose him.” She didn’t look at me when she spoke. “Do what you must do to help him.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Mate? She must be Theo’s stepmother, Cara

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Chapter 020

I’m not sure if I can save the king.

Still, I bowed my head. “I’ll do my best.”

“The council from Theo’s Pack claims you know what to do” One of the council members‘ eyes flicked toward me, full of warning.

I said. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean,sir”

I understand what he meant. But, still.

The Council King’s health has taken a turn. You were trained as a healer, yes?”

My pulse spiked. “Yes.”

“The King’s life is in your hands now. You’ll treat him,” the man said. “If your skill is true, you’ll help him recover.

If not…”

He didn’t need to finish. The meaning hung thick in the air.

Their eyes slid to me like knives.

This is a trap.

It’s either I save the council king or I die with him.

The King’s pulse was weak, his breathing ragged.

I examined the faint purple marks along the King’s veins, the sluggish pulse beneath his skin.

It was Blackbane,no doubt about it.

I got to work.

Mixing crushed sage root, moonflower sap, and a drop of wolfsbane diluted in alcohol. A risky antidote; one that could cure or kill depending on dosage.

My hands shook, but I forced them steady. The Council watched from behind me.

“Help the king up,” I urged the servants.

Once the king was stabilized, I made him drink the potion.

Forcing an antidote down a man too far gone to fight it. His pulse fluttered, then steadied.

For one sharp, terrifying moment, he convulsed. The guards lunged forward.

I pressed harder, forcing the last drops down his throat. Then…

The King gasped. His eyes flew open.

The room went silent.

As I leaned over him, the King suddenly convulsed even more violently. His breath hitched.

Shocked.

Everyone turned to me, gasping with disgust.

One of the elders frantically asked. “What… what did you do to him?”

“Get her away from him!” one of the healers shouted. “She’s killing him!”

When the King convulsed, I heard one of the Pack’s resident healers yelled.

Hands grabbed my arms, pulling me back.

“I’m not-!” I struggled against them. “He’s reacting to the antidote!”

“Don’t let her come close to the king. Pull her back”

Some guards came forward to stop me but I didn’t stop.

I tore free, pressed my hands to the King’s chest, and whispered through gritted teeth, “Breathe, please breathe. Don’t you dare die now.”

For a heartbeat, there was nothing.

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Then, a sharp inhale. His chest rose. The color returned, faintly, to his lips.

The silence that followed was deafening.

“She… she saved him. The king is alive!.” Someone, who I didn’t know said.

I was drenched in sweat and fear.

His breathing steadied. The dark lines along his neck began to fade.

The king stirred faintly, groaning.

I exhaled slowly. “It’s draining out,” I whispered. “He’s fighting it.”

Minutes later, the King opened his eyes, weak, but conscious.

“Let the king rest alone for now. He’s still very weak, his body is not strong enough” I said.

I wanted to leave immediately but one of the elders stepped forward, face pale. “That… that you didn’t hurt the king, did you”

“I wouldn’t dare think of hurting the king. Rest assured, I gave him the right potion for his illness” I answered.

Cara turned to me slowly. “How did you know what to use?”

I wiped the blood from my fingers. “Because it wasn’t an illness,” I said quietly. “It was deliberate.”

“What are you talking about?” Cara looked at me seriously.

“Your Grace, what I meant was the king’s illness is something I’m familiar with. That’s why I knew what to use”

“Oh,” she sighed. “That’s good”

Behind us, the Council members murmured among themselves – half–relieved, half–afraid.

One man remarked. His voice was laced with masks of false surprise. “Impressive. I didn’t expect the healer from Theo’s Pack to be any good at all”

Another said too smoothly. “It seems our… guest has some skill after all.”

Meanwhile, the pack’s healer came close to me,asking.

“Kaia,right?”

I nodded,not moving my eyes from the king.

“Can you tell what exactly is wrong with the king?” She asked.

I swallowed hard, my throat raw. “Isn’t that the Pack’s healers‘ duty?”

My voice was low,not loud enough to grasp the others‘ attention.

“Yes,but you seem to know so much. You wouldn’t mind sharing,do you?”

I looked up, meeting her gaze with the faintest smile. Obviously not reaching my eyes.

“The king had a high fever which was blocking his heart so I made him drink the potion and ease the blood circulation. He will be fine”

I turned back to the King, adjusting the blanket around his shoulders, pretending not to notice the change in the air.

“You see,” I said softly. “Sometimes a fever is just a warning for something bigger.”

They all looked at me, nobody spoke.

I turn to the healer. “I would like to head back. Please let me know if the king needs anything”

She nods.

They watched. Silently as I walked out of the king’s chambers.

Anger thick like smoke raging from within.

When I came out of the king’s chambers I found

Zane pacing outside, his jaw tight. “You shouldn’t be here,” he muttered.

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“I need to speak to you,” I said, stepping closer. “It’s important.”

He turned, his expression sharp. “Make it quick, Kaia. The King’s condition is-”

“I know,” I cut in. “And that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I think he’s being poisoned. The same poison I mentioned earlier from our injured teammate was found on him. The Blackbane toxin”

Zane froze. “You’re accusing someone of poisoning the Council King? That’s treason if you’re wrong.”

I spoke under my breath, lowering my voice. “I’m not wrong,” I said quietly. “I know that scent. That decay beneath the blood. It kills slowly without a trace and this is what it looks like. I’m telling you the truth”

Beta Zane furrowed his brows. “Didn’t you tell everyone it was high fever??”

“It isn’t a fever, Beta Zane. Someone’s poisoning him. Slowly. The same residue I found on that guard.”

His eyes flickered, testing my conviction. “You’d better pray you’re right.”

“I could be wrong about the type of poison but the council king is really being poisoned,” I revealed. “I don’t know who to trust reason why I’m telling you this”

I turned my head slightly looking towards the door.

“Believe me, the council King’s life is in danger”

His jaw tightened. “Are you sure?”

Beta Zane didn’t know what to believe.

Trusting a stray is ridiculous.

But not trusting me could cost the king his life.

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