The adults froze as they looked at each other, ‘no, she’s only been around us, and none of us would have access to something like that’ Hugh growled angrily.
The doctor scrambled to her feet, picking the little girl up and cradling her to her chest, glaring at Lilith when the woman tried to reach for her until she fell back on the ground in defeat. ‘I know wolfsbane poisoning when I see it’ she retorted, ‘someone has been dosing her with it for at least two and a half years, probably longer. Not enough to kill her but enough to make her feel slightly unwell. The problem with prolonged exposure is that it starts to affect a wolf’s organs, the lungs struggle to work, the liver can’t process properly, and the stomach becomes sensitive. Being a young child, it’s affecting Esme quicker than it would a grown wolf as she is still developing and has no wolf to try and heal her.’
Patterson glared at the doctor, ‘so you are accusing one of us of hurting her’ he snapped.
Jill shrugged, ‘you have said that no-one but the four of you have been around her, someone has been giving her wolfsbane, the rash is very distinctive. It’s not something that a child could just pick up in the wild, it has to be refined for use.’ She frowned at the four adults, ‘I have no reason to lie here, I came to help you at great personal risk to myself, I could get into serious trouble with my Alpha. You asked for my diagnosis and I’m telling you that someone has been dosing that child and if it doesn’t stop soon, she will die.’
Behind her, Hudson was studying the four adults, Hugh was angry, standing defensively beside his mate, his wolf on the surface, angry that the woman he loved was being accused. Patterson looked sick, his inability to accept what the doctor was saying, written all over his face. Standing up, he inched closer to Quinn, nudging her to get her attention before nodding toward Esme’s mother who was curled up on the ground, avoiding everyone’s gaze.
Quinn frowned before stepping closer, her eyes trained on the she wolf, ‘Lilith?’ she called out softly, drawing everyone’s attention.
The she wolf’s eyes snapped to hers, fear shimmering in her gaze before dropping her head again, wrapping her arms protectively around her legs.
‘Lil?’ Patterson choked out, shaking his head as if the movement would swat away what was silently being said.
Lilith covered her face with her hands, a sob ripping from her lips.
‘No!’ Patterson growled, ‘no, I don’t believe you!’
‘I didn’t mean to hurt her’ the she wolf whispered, ‘I just . . . ‘
‘What? What Lilith?’ Patterson snarled, marching toward her just as Hudson jumped forward, grabbing the man’s arms, halting his approach. The werewolf tried to shake the Alpha off but was no match for Hudson’s strength. Giving up, he growled at his sister in law, ‘what can you possibly say to make this OK Lilith?’ he roared. ‘You dosed a baby with wolfsbane? You could have killed her! Left her wolfless, done permanent damage to her organs that would find her picked off by other predators!’
Lilith wailed louder, rocking back and forth, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ she repeated, ‘I didn’t mean it, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.’
Patterson froze, his face going white, ‘Xavier’ he mumbled, ‘did you dose my brother as well?’ he growled, his wolf surging forward as the werewolf’s claws came out of his fingers.
‘Calm down mate’ Hudson murmured, placing a hand on the werewolf’s chest.
‘She killed my brother!’ the other man shouted, spittle flying from his mouth as his eyes flickered between his warm brown and his wolf’s almost black colour. ‘You did didn’t you!’ he added, ‘you gave him wolfsbane, and that’s what got him killed! He couldn’t fight as well because you were dulling his wolf!’
Lilith cried louder, Esme starting to cry as well as she squirmed to get to her mother, Jill, holding her tightly, refusing to let her go.
‘Mammy’ Esme called out brokenly, her little fingers reaching out, grasping at air.
‘No Esme’ Patterson ordered, his eyes never leaving his brother’s mate, ‘she’s not your mother, no mother would do what she did.’
Lilith dropped her hands, her eyes red from her tears, ‘I didn’t want to make them ill’ she shouted, her voice breaking, ‘I just wanted them to need me.’
Hugh’s mate dropped to her knees beside the other woman, reaching out a hand, placing it on Lilith’s arm, ‘what do you mean Lil’ she asked softly, worry rolling off her, ‘they needed you.’
Lilith shook her head, ‘no, Xavier only needed me when he was sick, other than that I was useless. He was the strong one, he protected us, hunted for us, and kept us safe. I . . I didn’t plan to do it, he um . . he worked in a construction job and got into a fight with another Rogue worker. The other Rogue beat him up, he had three broken ribs and his face was covered in bruises.
One of the guys he had become friends with gave him a tiny bottle of wolfsbane, told him to lace his food as payback, just a drop, not enough to hurt him but enough to slow his wolf.
Xavier wouldn’t do it, he pocketed the bottle and came back and told me about it. I forgot all about it until I picked up his clothes to take them to the stream to wash them. The bottle fell out and rolled under the bed, I picked it up and I just thought, maybe if Xavier didn’t feel too good for a couple of days he’d need me.
I only meant to do it once, I swear, but when he was sick, he was so grateful to me for looking after him, I fed him with a spoon and warmed him with my body heat when he shivered. He’d tell me I was the best mate and he was so lucky to have met me, I felt . . . important’ she whispered.
Swallowing hard, she picked at her fingers, ‘I didn’t mean to weaken him, I tried to stop him going to get medicine for Esme, she didn’t need it, not really, but he insisted even though he was unwell too. I begged him to let Patterson go instead but he just kept saying that we were his responsibility and his baby needed medicine.’
Her shoulders shook as she tried to keep her tears in, ‘it was an accident with Esme, I had her juice next to Xavier’s soup, I was startled when he came inside the tent, I splashed a tiny bit in her drink. I was going to pour it away but Xavier picked it up and took it out to her. I couldn’t tell him, he’d have hated me!’
Patterson shook his head as he growled angrily, ‘but you kept dosing Esme’ he snarled, ‘even after her father was killed, because of you! You kept on giving her that stuff!’
Lilith whimpered, ‘I just wanted her to need me, I just wanted to help her feel better.’
Patterson’s breathing was laboured as he tried to keep a hold of his wolf, the only thing keeping him from shifting was the Alpha wolf holding him as he knew Hudson would put him down before he completed his shift. ‘How did you even get it?’ he demanded, ‘that vial couldn’t have lasted all this time.’
Lilith gulped, ‘I used the money you gave me to go toward a doctor for Esme’ she whispered. ‘Each time I said I was taking her to see someone, I would go and buy some from another town.’
The black haired werewolf closed his eyes, his teeth clenched together tightly as he spoke. ‘You killed my brother’ he hissed, ‘and you let me believe he died because of me, let me live with the weight of that guilt for all this time.’
Lilith reached out toward the werewolf beseechingly, ‘Pat’ she whispered desperately.
Patterson jerked away from her questioning hands, ‘don’t touch me’ he yelled, ‘don’t you ever touch me or my niece ever again.’
Lilith gasped, ‘no!’ she cried, ‘Esme is my daughter, she’s mine! You can’t take her away from me, I won’t let you.’
Patterson glared at her, ‘she stopped being your daughter the moment you poisoned her’ he snapped. ‘I owe it to my brother to protect his pup from you and your vile acts. You even try to take a step toward her, and this Alpha will have to kill me because I’ll fight until I get to you and tear your head from your shoulders.’
Lilith glanced around at everyone, her lip trembling as she took in the furious faces of both Hugh and Patterson, The horrified expressions of the two she wolf’s, and the wary look that Hudson was giving each werewolf, his body coiled, ready to interfere if needed. Her gaze finally landed on Esme who was now clinging to the doctor, her whimpers the only sound in the small clearing.
‘I . . ‘ she started before halting and swallowing thickly, ‘you need to stay with uncle Pat baby’ she said painfully.
Esme cried harder, her little body shaking from the strength of her sobs as she shook her head, burying herself into the she wolf’s shirt.
‘I’m sorry’ Lilith whispered again, before jumping up and rushing into the trees, disappearing from sight.
Jill hesitantly loosened her grip on the tiny pup, Patterson stepped around Hudson to reach for his niece, the Alpha allowing him now the she wolf was gone.
Esme reached for her uncle, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs locking around his waist as he held her close, smoothing her hair with his hand.
‘It’s OK Esme, I’m going to take care of you’ he murmured softly, ‘you are going to get better and everything will be fine.’
Over her head, the werewolf sent the doctor a questioning glance, silently asking her if he was speaking the truth. Jill nodded as he reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle, handing it to him.
‘Get her to take one spoonful every four hours for the next two weeks’ she said quietly, ‘it will help with the pain and sickness whilst the wolfsbane is leaving her system. Keep her hydrated, good food in her belly to give her the energy she needs to fight the poison.’
Patterson nodded, taking the bottle and putting it in his pocket, his other hand keeping his niece plastered to his body.
Closing her bag, Jill stood up, giving a small smile before walking toward Hudson, the pair turning to head back through the trees.
‘Wait’ Patterson called, halting the pair as they turned back to him in surprise. ‘Thank you’ he mumbled gruffly, ‘for helping Esme, I have let my brother down by not seeing what was happening right in front of me, I’ll never make that mistake again.’
Jill nodded acknowledgment, Jill, tapped Hudson’s arm and jerked her head toward the trees, ‘we need to get back before we are missed’ she murmured.
Hudson nodded, glancing at Quinn who quickly hugged the three adults goodbye, placing a soft kiss on Esme’s hair before waving to the two other children and hurrying to Hudson’s side.