Chapter 3 Poisoned

Gray Wolf woke to find that night had already fallen. He noticed that Cara had been awake for some time, yet she remained curled up against him, nestled in his thick gray fur. Her gaze was distant, as if she were lost in serious thought.

As soon as she realized he was awake, Cara sent him a mind link,

'Mate, poisoned.'

Gray Wolf's eyes widened. He didn't know what had happened to his body, only that he was trapped in his wolf form and unable to shift back. But what puzzled him even more was how Cara knew this when he hadn't said a word.

Curious, he asked her.

Cara wasn't sure how to explain. She had simply sensed it through their mate bond. The feeling was vague, and she could only describe it in the simplest way,

'I can feel it.'

The most important thing now was to identify the toxin in Gray Wolf's body before figuring out how to cure him.

Cara sat up and hurried to her shelf of bottles and jars. She grabbed an empty bowl and a knife made from sharpened animal bone, then returned to Gray Wolf.

"Mate, need blood."

Gray Wolf didn't understand what Cara was trying to do, but he trusted her. So he stayed still as she made a small cut on his paw, letting his blood drip into the bowl.

Once it was about one-fifth full, Cara motioned for him to stop. He nodded and immediately started healing the wound.

Even though she had witnessed it before, Cara was still amazed by how fast he recovered. She couldn't help but marvel through their mind link,

'Mate, incredible!'

Gray Wolf was pleased by Cara's admiration. The way she looked at him with pure reverence completely satisfied his ego.

"Why do you need my blood?" he deliberately asked out loud. He had noticed that Cara rarely spoke. Perhaps, after living alone for so long, she had never really learned how to communicate with others. From now on, he would make sure to help her talk more.

'To find out what poison it is,' Cara replied through their mind link, then lifted the bowl to her nose and sniffed.

After a while, Gray Wolf couldn't help but ask again, "Did you discover anything?"

She looked up at him, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

'Smells amazing!'

His blood carried a strong, distinct scent, rich and intense, with a sharp metallic tang, mixed with the deep notes of wood and pine resin. It was raw, masculine, and utterly intoxicating. Cara wanted nothing more than to lose herself in that dangerously enticing fragrance.

Still, she didn't forget her main purpose. Sticking out her tongue, Cara licked a small drop of blood, then closed her eyes, sinking into deep thought. She repeated this process several times until she finally detected an unfamiliar scent.

It carried a faint bitterness, a cool hint of mint leaves, and a slightly creamy undertone. Amidst the strong, metallic tang of her mate's blood, this foreign presence stood out, distinct, intrusive, and something only Cara could perceive.

Cara carried a secret, though it wasn't truly a secret, she had simply never had anyone to share it with. She possessed a mysterious connection to nature. Specifically, she could sense the presence of plants, animals, and minerals around her. She understood them. Not in the sense of speaking to them, but rather, she could feel the unique symphonies of each species.

Just by sight and touch, she could discern their properties, whether they were meant for food, medicine, or poison. She could even perceive the hidden connections between different elements, instinctively knowing that when mixed in the right proportions, they could create something extraordinary.

She had no name for this ability, but it was the reason an omega like her had survived alone in the wild for so many years.

To defend herself and hunt, Cara had created all kinds of poisons. To heal wounds and treat the illnesses that often plagued a frail omega, she relied on medicinal herbs. In short, though she lived alone in the depths of the forest, she was never truly lost, because she was a child cherished by Mother Nature herself.

From Gray Wolf's blood, Cara detected the taste of a familiar plant.

'Crow Root.'

Yes, that was it, the distinct scent of Crow Root. A toxic plant that could suppress a werewolf's abilities, locking them in a single form. If poisoned while in wolf form, they would be unable to shift back into human form. If poisoned while human, they would lose the ability to transform into a wolf. Worse still, the toxin clouded the mind, leaving its victim trapped between moments of clarity and confusion. In short, it was something best avoided at all costs.

With that realization, Cara did her best to explain it to Gray Wolf using her limited vocabulary. Thankfully, because they were mates, he could understand her meaning despite the jumble of words.

He didn't know how Cara could figure all of this out just from his blood, but he knew she wouldn't lie to him.

As for Crow Root, Gray Wolf didn't care what it was. He would never be foolish enough to consume something unknown and put himself at risk. That meant someone had poisoned him.

But who?

The gaps in his memory, the uncertainty of what had happened, was an uneasy feeling crept through him, filling him with a deep sense of unease.

"Cara, can this poison be cured?" he asked.

Cara nodded. The moment she caught the scent of Crow Root, she had already thought of a way to counteract it.

As a werewolf deeply connected to nature, Cara understood one fundamental truth: everything in the world existed in a balance of opposition, where there was poison, there was also its cure. Wherever Crow Root grew, there had to be something nearby that could neutralize its toxic effects.

But that led to another problem.

Crow Root was extremely rare. In her entire life, Cara had only come across it twice, and both times, she had avoided it entirely. It had been so long ago that she couldn't remember where exactly it grew in this vast forest.

Still, that didn't matter, because she had another way.

If Crow Root extract could suppress a werewolf's ability to shift, then the cure had to be something that could trigger their transformation, something powerful enough to override the poison's effects.

Cara's eyes sparkled with realization. She knew exactly what to do. The answer was right above them.

Grabbing Gray Wolf's paw, she urged,

'Mate, outside.'

Without waiting for his response, she sprinted out of the cave.

Gray Wolf had no idea what was going on, but seeing no other choice, he sighed and followed her.

***

Author's Note: Cara is a Nature Connector-someone with an extraordinary bond with the natural world. This ability has helped her survive in the wild, and it will prove even more valuable in the future. Let's look forward to what's to come!