Page 31 of A Luna's Revenge

"Yes." I nod in agreement. "I understand what I’ve read, but that doesn't match with what I witnessed."

"You have been through a lot, so I want to keep it brief. Here's what we have determined: Ms. Vincent targeted me. She was one of several assistants hired for the conference who catered to our needs.

“Through spells, poison, and potions, she drugged me, and I lost contact with Asher."

"What? Your wolf was gone? Why didn't you tell me?"

He runs his hand through his hair and hangs his head. "I-I was embarrassed. The last night I was there is fragmented memories. l recall drinking with the other Alphas. Next, I woke up naked in my room with Ms. Vincent next to me. She insinuated that we had slept together."

"Jenson, I-"

"Please, Charlie, let me get this all out." He takes a deep breath. "It made me sick to think that anything could have happened between her and me. I was vomiting for the next hour. After my head cleared, I immediately packed up and returned to you. But I never knew what happened for sure. If there had been sex, it was without my informed consent. So, I'm happy to know you didn't experience any symptoms of CMS. I am now sure there was nothing physical between her and me. Anyway, I was heartsick and embarrassed about what had happened to me."

"You should have talked to me about it when you got home. You didn't trust me." I accuse.

"I was half out of my mind. Asher was gone, andI felt weak. This type of thing doesn't happen to a male."

"You're wrong, Jenson. And it doesn't make you weak to fall prey to this. It would be best if you had been safe at that conference. The fault is with the vetting of their employees."

"You are right about that. She had a prior record of mate bond tampering before this incident. She should never have been allowed access to food, drinks, or conference attendees."

"That doesn't explain your actions towards her when she arrived at our doorstep.You fed her, for goddess sakes, Jenson! That is something sacred between mates, and you know it."

"This sounds like an excuse, but it was the perfect storm. Asher was gone, I had been drugged, and Dr. Bridgithad prescribed me a sedative. I wanted to talk to you about everything, but Elder Frank wanted me to act like I did to keep her occupied until we completed our investigation. She was a flight risk, and we couldn't imprison her without proof. She created and manipulated the situation.

Frank is no longer on my board, but I did promote Elder Tina to Lead Elder. Elder Tina had insisted that I talk to you beforehand, but Frank had pushed to proceed due to time constraints. I think Elder Tina kicked him out of their house, as well. Idiot!"

“So, what happened to the skank?”

Jenson’s lips curled up at the ends. “The skank?”

“Yes, that is my nickname for her. Any female who will target a married, mated male is a skank, in my opinion.” I sniff.

"Okay, then!” I agree quickly. She has since had her pup, who is being cared for by her sister. She was imprisoned in the headquarters building, butnews reports say she and other prisoners have escaped."

“Escaped?”

"Yes. Also, there is a lot of proof, and I will show it all to you when you are released. Just know how sorry I am and how much I loveyou. If it's the last thing I do, I will make her pay for the damage that has been done to our bond."

With those words, silence descended. The only noise was the beating of my bruised heart, which aches for the loss, and the soft noises coming from my pup. I am so bone tired that my eyes slip closed, and I embrace the sweet forgetfulness of sleep.

Chapter 20 - Coming Home

Charlie

"Knock, knock! How's my patient today?" Dr. Emily Sutton calls out as she enters the room. Nurse Reynold is trailing behind her.

"I am feeling much better today." I smile, caressing Xyran's cheek with my finger as he nurses. We've been here a couple of days due to Xyran's fragile condition when he was born. He has improved dramatically, but there have been some issues with his heart rate dropping a few times.

Jenson has had to meet with Alpha Commander or another Alpha a few times, but other than that, he has stayed by my side, helping with Xyran.

"We have identified the issue causing Xyran's heart rate to drop suddenly." Dr. Sutton claps her hands. "Xyran's heart rate issues always occur when Alpha Jenson is gone."

I gasp. She's right. Every episode has occurred right after Jenson has left for a meeting and continues until Jenson returns. Why didn’t I notice this before? I look at Jenson, and I can see he realizes it, too.

"Studies have shown that wolf pups are highly intelligent and are susceptible to outside stimuli in utero, especially that of their sire. We feel like the issue may be that Xyran didn't get that nurturing from his father that he needed, and when he did hear Alpha Jenson, as we all know, it brought him back from the brink of death. Compounded by the fact that Xyran's father is an Alpha."

"That's all well and fine, but what exactly are you trying to tell us?" Jenson demands.

---