Water Hemlock

Zion's P.O.V.

After hearing everything Jessica had to say about Rain passing out after our arrival at the Blue Ricer Pack, Ryker and I began to worry that she wasn't as fine as she claimed to be. I ask her if she's sure that she and the pups are okay. She nods while her hand subconsciously lays on her growing belly. We aren't convinced, but we decided not to push her at the moment. I link Eithan, asking him to get the doctor to come to do a sonogram after we eat. He agrees and says he'll make it happen. I thank him before closing the link, putting my attention back on my mate as we walk through the pack house halls and into the dining room, where all the kids are seated and eating.

"Are you feeling better than yesterday?" I ask her as I pull a chair out from the table for her to sit.

"I feel fine. Still a little tired, but nothing feels wrong or uncomfortable." She says as she sits.

"We should probably take her to lay down for a nap after we eat." Ryker sugests, and I agree.

"I wouldn't mind a nap as well. My body still feels tight and slightly sore." I tell him before turning to look at Rain. She had a plate of food in front of her but looked unsure about eating it. I link her, "What's wrong?"

"Just a little nauseous." She replies.

"Should I get you something else?" I ask her, but she shakes her head before taking a small bite. She tilts her head and smells the plate before pushing it away, and I feel her panic. "What's happening?"

"Something is wrong with the food. It smells off somehow." She answers. I take a whiff of the food and am instantly on alert.

"Who prepared the food?" I ask.

"One of the Omegas in the kitchen, I imagine." Christian answers as he and Ethan get up from their seats and walk around the table toward us after noticing the panic on Rain's face. "What's wrong?"

I hand him the plate as I stand from my seat. No one else seems to have an issue with their food, which means this was deliberate. I turn to see the doctor and a few Blue River Guards walking in quickly. Eithan gives the order to lock down the pack house and gather all omegas on kitchen duty today while the doctor rushes to Rain's side and quietly asks how much she ate.

"Just a bite before I realized something was wrong." She answers as Jess gets up and stands by her Queen. They're trying to stay calm so they don't alert the pups to something being wrong.

"Let's get you a sonogram since we didn't get the chance earlier." The doctor says as he realizes she wouldn't want the kids freaking out. She nods, and I quickly help her stand and lead her out of the room as calmly as possible.

As we walked to the door, I met Eithans's gaze, and we nodded in unison as Rain, and I walked past him and into the hall. I know he will handle this situation, but I hope that he knows to keep me in the loop. The doctor led us to a room down the hall where one of the omegas had his equipment already set up and waiting for us. I help her onto the bed as we remain quiet until he tells the omega that she's dismissed, and she leaves the room.

"You only took a bite, correct?" He asks Rain.

"Yes, a small bite. I realized something was odd about it after tasting it." She says as she nods. "What was it?"

"It is a poison derived from the root of Cicuta Maculata, otherwise known as Water Hemlock. It is infused with deadly cicutoxin, especially in its roots, and will rapidly generate potentially fatal symptoms in anyone unlucky enough to eat it. Painful convulsions, abdominal cramps, nausea, and death are common, and those who survive are often afflicted with amnesia or lasting tremors. You should be okay since you are a wolf and only took a small bite." He answers, and I let out a low, menacing growl at the thought of someone harming my mate or our children. "I will do some blood tests to be sure everything is fine and that you didn't injest enough to cause any damage to you or the pups. I also suggest having someone who can detect the use of herbs that could be poisonous. At least until you can detect them yourself."

"I agree," I tell them both as Rain looks at me and nods, showing she also agrees. I had hoped it wouldn't ever come to this and that I could always make her feel safe and secure, but I wasn't expecting this.

"Let's get a sonogram before I do the blood test." He says, and I see Rain nod again. I helped her lay back, and the doctor performed the sonogram. I see his eyes go wide when he sees the twins' size. "They seem to be growing faster than Jameson had explained, but they look healthy."

"You know Doctor Jameson?" I ask him and see him nod.

"He is my cousin. We even studied together to be doctors in our home pack many years ago before I moved to the Blue River Pack, and he moved to your kingdom." He says. "He called me after you both decided to visit to inform me of the situation with the rapid growth of the twins and asked me to keep him updated on her condition."

"That would explain how you knew about Rain's condition and hybrid status when we arrived," I say, and he nods.

"I hope it isn't a problem. Jameson wanted to be sure the Queen was fully taken care of in case an issue was to arise." He says.

"It's not a problem at all." Rain says with a smile. "I appreciate that he cares enough to put in a call and ask you to watch for any problems."

"You are our Queen, no matter what pack we are in or come from. Our loyalty will always be to the royal family." He says with a bow.

"We appreciate it, doctor. Especially with everything that's about to happen. The more allies we have, the better the outcome will be." I say, and he nods in understanding.

"Please, call me Mikka. I am more than happy to lend my assistance in any way possible." He says as he gathers the needle and tubes to take blood samples for his tests. "I'll take these and have the results back within the hour. I would like it if she would take some time to rest after we are done here."

"I'm having her Beta make something for her to eat, and then we will both rest in our room for a bit," I say as he takes the samples he needs.

"Are you feeling okay, my King?" He asks when he's done with Rain. "You had quite a bit of wolfsbane in your system, and I wasn't expecting you to be up and moving so soon."

"I'm fine. My muscles are a little tight and sore, and my wolf is tired." I tell him honestly.

"That is to be expected. Your wolf had to work hard to burn the wolfsbane out of your system. You will likely feel better after more rest as well." He says while nodding in understanding. I will let Alpha Eithan or someone from his unit know when the results are in."

"Thank you, Doctor Mikka." Rain says as I help her down from the bed.

"It was my pleasure, my Queen." He says with a smile as he walks out of the room.

"Let's get you something to eat and into the bed," I say as I lead her out of the room and down the hall to the room we are staying in. We walk into our room to find everyone waiting for us to return. My eyes land on Jessica, holding a plate of food with tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay? How are the twins? I should have checked the food before you ate it. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." She rambles through her tears.

"I'm fine, Jess. Doctor Mikka took some blood, and we will have the results soon, but he says the twins are doing well. It's not your fault. I should have been more vigilant. I knew people were out to get me on behalf of Douglas and Max." Rain says, trying to calm her sister down.

"I'm sorry this happened in our pack, my Queen," Morgan says, looking on the verge of tears.

"None of this is any of our faults. We all thought Leana was the only one still working for Max. Now, we know to be more vigilant. How are the pups? We didn't want to scare them." I say, addressing everyone so they all know we don't blame them. It will likely take a bit to weed out the remaining traitors.

"We found the omegas responsible for preparing the meals, though they deny trying to harm the Queen or your unborn pups," Eithan explains. "We have them locked up in the basement since the pack doesn't have proper cells yet. The young pups are completely oblivious to what occurred. The older ones, however, did pick up on the situation but are unaware of the specifics."

"Good. I told Doctor Mikka we would rest for a bit after Rain eats. We'll let them sit for a bit and see if they're ready to talk then." I say as I look over and notice Rain sitting in bed and eating the sandwich Jessica made for her while Mia, Morgan, and Jessica sit around her.