Chapter 103
Valencia’s POV
Snowmist Poison.
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The words rang in my head like a death knell. Wasn’t that flower supposed to be lethal to wolves? A substance so dangerous it had been banned for decades?
Caius reacted first. He surged forward with a speed that seemed almost unnatural, grabbing Joseph by the collar. The older man’s silver eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react further, Caius slammed him against the wall.
Joseph was larger, taller by a couple of inches, and broader in build. Yet Caius had pinned him like it was nothing. The sheer force, the way Joseph couldn’t seem to move against him–it reminded me of Dante.
For a moment, I thought I saw a faint glow beneath Caius’s skin, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it before Dante stepped
- in.
“Enough!” Dante’s voice was sharp and commanding, cutting through the tension like a blade.
He grabbed Caius by the shoulder and pulled him back with ease, his strength equally impressive. “Settle down.”
Caius growled low in his throat but relented, stepping away from Joseph. Dante turned his gaze to the older man, and the respect I’d seen in his interactions with Joseph was gone. There was no familiarity, no deference. Only a cold, deadly glare.
“Explain. Now,” Dante demanded, his voice low and controlled, but the fury beneath it was palpable.
Joseph straightened his collar, his expression unreadable as he glanced briefly at me.
“I’m not leaving,” I said firmly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “I’m part of this family now. Raiden’s daughter–in–law. I deserve to hear this.”
I wouldn’t have ever had the audacity to be so rude to an Alpha in my past life, but now I could, because I knew by now that Dante wouldn’t refute me. And no one else would dare go against him.
Joseph sighed, rubbing his temples before gesturing for us to sit Very well,” he said, his tone heavy with reluctance.
We all took seats, though the tension in the room was suffocating
Joseph began, “Raiden told you how your mother, Aurora, was poisoned slowly by the Snowmist flower. Being a dragon, the effects were gradual, but eventually, it drove her to take her own life.”
My eyes widened. This was the first time I’d heard of it. I glanced at Dante and Caius, whose expressions were grim, probably because they already knew.
Joseph continued, “Five years ago, when she died, Raiden took the Snowmist Poison himself, intending to die alongside his mate.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
I looked at Dante and Caius, their faces stricken. Dante’s jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might snap. Caius’s hands curled into fists, his knuckles white.
The ache in my chest was almost unbearable. I didn’t know Raiden well, but I could feel their pain as if it were my own. Now
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that my connection with Dante had deepened, sometimes our emotions seemed to meld into c. And right now he felt utter despair. It was a pain I recognized–a pain I’d felt during my miscarriages. The agony of losing someone you thought you couldn’t live without.
My throat tightened, and I forced myself to ask the question I knew Dante couldn’t. “Isn’t the Snowmist flower lethal? Then how is he still…”
Joseph finished for me. “Alive?”
I nodded.
Joseph exhaled slowly, “I brought him back before it was too late. But it wasn’t a cure. ‘Mirage‘ is just another lethal drug, which I used to counteract the effects of Snowmist Poison. It was a gamble, the chances of it working were only fifty percent. I knew even then that it wouldn’t extend his life for long. Him lasting this long is… remarkable. Likely due to his drive for revenge.”
“Revenge?” I echoed, frowning.
Joseph’s gaze hardened. “Revenge against the Wolfe pack for killing Luna Aurora.”
I froze. My mind reeled at the implication.
The Wolfe pack… had killed Dante’s mother?
“How?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Joseph’s silver eyes glinted with venom. “Tatiana Wolfe. Who else?”
The name hit me like a slap. Tatiana Wolfe–the Wolfe pack Luna.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That doesn’t make sense. Tatiana wouldn’t…” She was the one person in the Wolfe pack who seemed just. “She wouldn’t have done something like that.”
Joseph’s jaw tightened. “Believe what you want. But I have no doubts.”
Before I could press further, Caius’s voice cut through, his tone sharp and menacing. “Is there no cure?”
Joseph shook his head, his expression grim. “Not that I know of. And even if there were, Dante, you of all people should understand that Raiden wouldn’t take it. He was furious when I brought him back the first time. He didn’t want to live without his mate.”
The room fell silent.
Joseph continued, his voice quieter now. “The only reason he kept taking Mirage, despite the pain it caused, was because I lied to him. I told him that Aurora’s death might not have been an accident. That there were things that didn’t add up. I gave him a purpose–to train you and Caius to lead the Steele pack. To ensure Luna Aurora’s legacy lived on.”
Dante’s voice was cold as steel. “How did you know she was poisoned?”
‘She‘ probably referred to Aurora. And if I wasn’t wrong it seemed as though they figured out only after her death that she had been slowly poisoned.
Joseph shook his head. “No. I didn’t know. But I suspected. And owed it to her to take care of the pack and her children. I wasn’t strong enough to keep the enemies at bay. If Raiden had died without solidifying the Steele pack’s strength for you two, the pack would’ve crumbled.”
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Caius slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair. “And dad didn’t think it important enough to tell us? So what now? He thinks now that his revenge is over, now that he has fulfilled his responsibility of training and raising us he can just…go?
Is that it?”
Dante’s fingers curled into fists, and I instinctively placed my hand over his, trying to soothe him. But how could I when I felt the same emotions he did? Rage. Anguish. Helplessness.
Dante’s voice was low but resolute. “No. He can’t just leave like this. There must be a cure.”
