novelbin Chapter 224: Who Wants Me Dead
Chapter 224: Who Wants Me Dead
Scarlett’s POV
"Assassin!" I screamed out loud, the word tearing from my throat as I fell to my knees.
The pain was terrible—sharp, hot, and heavy. It rushed straight from my left arm into my chest. Blood was pumping out fast, soaking the black fabric of my jumpsuit and staining the green grass beneath me. Desperately, I tried to focus, reaching deep inside myself to use my healing powers on the torn muscle and broken skin.
But the moment my magic touched the wound, it fought back. A burning, toxic sensation spread through my veins.
Suddenly, a massive wave of sound exploded inside my head. It wasn’t just my wolf—it was a chorus of worried, loud voices crashing through my mind all at once.
Scar! What is wrong?!
Scarlett! Answer me!
Where are you?!
I gasped for air, tears making it hard to see. Even though I hadn’t taken their marks yet, the sheer amount of pain had completely broken our barriers. They could feel my pain. They could feel my fear.
I’ve been shot, I sent back through the mind link, my thoughts shaking. An arrow... I’m in the back gardens.
The response was instant. A heavy wave of pure Alpha panic slammed into my chest from three different directions. I could literally feel their hearts racing as each of them ran toward me as fast as they could.
"Scarlett!"
Heavy footsteps thudded on the stone path. Three pack guards came around the bushes with their weapons drawn, but the moment their eyes landed on me bleeding on the ground, they froze in absolute shock.
"Don’t just stand there, go after him!" I choked out, sweat dripping down my face. "The woods... he wore a mask..."
I closed my eyes, forcing my healing power to fight the heavy poison in my blood. Usually, a cut like this would close up in seconds, but the arrow carried a deadly toxin meant to slow down a wolf’s recovery. It was a slow, painful process.
Within seconds, the air blew wide open.
Liam and Leonard rushed out from the packhouse doors like wild beasts, moving so fast they were just a blur. When they saw me on the ground, all the color left their faces.
"Scarlett!" Liam roared, dropping onto the grass beside me. His hands hovered over my bloody shoulder, shaking with a fear I had never seen in him before. "What happened? Who did this?!"
Leonard was right behind him, his bare chest heaving, his brown eyes turning wild with angry, dark energy. He spun around, baring his fangs to the shaking guards. "How did someone get past the gates?! Search the whole forest! Bring me their head!" he screamed, his voice so loud the windows shook.
"I’m trying... to push it out," I whispered, gripping Liam’s arm for support.
Both brothers froze, their eyes widening in shock as they looked down at my arm. Under the dark red blood, a soft, golden light was starting to glow beneath my skin. The torn flesh was slowly beginning to fix itself, forcing the dark, poisoned blood out of the wound.
"You’re... you’re healing yourself?" Liam breathed, his voice full of surprise and confusion. He looked up at Leonard, then back at me. "You are a Healer?"
I managed a weak nod, sinking further onto the ground as the effort tired me out. "Yes."
"God, Scar," Leonard swore, dropping to his knees on my other side and pulling my uninjured side against his hard chest. His jaw was clenched tight. "This arrow... it wasn’t a warning. It had a deadly poison. If you weren’t a Healer..."
He couldn’t even finish the sentence, the thought of losing me causing a dark, menacing growl to rumble against my ribs.
Liam stood up slowly, his whole body stiff with rage. He looked out toward the thick, dark woods where the masked person had fled. As the Alpha of the Full Moon pack, this wasn’t just an attack on his mate—it was a declaration of war.
"An assassin managed to get into my private gardens," Liam said, his voice dropping to a deadly, quiet whisper that was far scarier than any shout. "They walked right into my home to kill my mate."
"Liam, calm down," I breathed, my voice weak as the golden light under my skin kept fighting the poison. "I’m okay. I’m healing."
"Calm down?" Liam snapped, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light. He refused to look away from the tree line. "Someone just tried to take your life on my lands, Scarlett. I will not calm down!"
I shook my head slightly, leaning my weight against Leonard’s solid chest. "I don’t think this is a random pack enemy, Liam. I think the people who have been hunting me for years finally found me. It’s them."
Leonard frowned, his hand rubbing my uninjured shoulder as his grip tightened around me. "Who could want you dead that badly, Scar? What did you ever do to make someone hunt you for years?"
Before I could even answer, Liam’s entire body went completely stiff. His jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his neck popped. The dark energy rolling off him grew so heavy it was hard to breathe.
"I know," Liam said, his voice dangerously low. "I know exactly who did this."
He turned around sharply, his face pale and full of pure hatred.
"Liam, who?" I asked, my heart dropping into my stomach.
A sudden, horrible thought popped into my mind. My wolf whimpered inside me, feeling the exact same dread. No, it couldn’t be.
Liam didn’t answer. He just spun on his heel and began marching back toward the packhouse with long, furious steps.
"Leonard, we have to follow him," I said quickly, panicking. "Don’t let him go alone!"
Leonard didn’t waste a second. He didn’t even let me try to walk. He slipped his strong arms under my knees and my back, lifting me gently into his embrace. Even though I wanted to use my own feet, I was too drained from pushing out the poison to fight him.
He rushed inside the packhouse, carrying me through the back doors and down the long hallways, following the heavy scent of Liam’s furious Alpha aura.
We burst into the grand sitting room, and the scene before us made my breath catch in my throat.
Liam was standing in the center of the room, his face twisted in absolute rage. He wasn’t attacking a staff member or his annoying fake wife like I originally assumed he would.
I mean, can you blame me for thinking that? The sisters had threatened me, so they were obviously at the top of my suspect list.
But no. Instead, he was standing right in front of Ma’am Olivia, his large, powerful hands gripping her arms so tightly she gasped in pain.