Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 65

ARIA

The clinic doors burst open moments later. Kael strode in carrying Ivory's limp form in his arms, her body dangling unnaturally, her skin so pale it looked almost translucent. Nina was right behind him, her expression grim, carrying what looked like several vials and containers.

"She was testing poisons," Nina said without preamble, setting the containers on the nearest table. "We found her collapsed in the herb garden surrounded by wolfsbane, nightshade, and at least three other toxic plants I couldn't immediately identify. These vials were beside her—I think they're samples of whatever she was working with."

Kael laid Ivory on the prepared station with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the fear radiating through our bond. "She's breathing but barely responsive. I tried calling to her through the mindlink, through verbal commands—nothing. It's like she can't hear us."

Eliza was already at Ivory's side, checking her pulse, her pupils, the color of her lips and nail beds. "Damn it, Ivory," she muttered. "Testing on yourself again. How many times have I told you—" She broke off, focusing on her assessment. "Multiple toxins in her system. The symptoms suggest wolfsbane primarily, but there are other compounds complicating the picture."

"Can you treat it?" Kael demanded.

"I don't know," Eliza said bluntly. "Ivory's the expert on toxicology. She knows more about poisons and antidotes than the rest of us combined. Nina, check her personal stores—Ivory keeps emergency antidotes for most common poisons. If she was testing on herself, she would have prepared countermeasures."

Nina was already moving toward the storage area where the healers kept their specialized supplies. I watched her sort through carefully labeled vials and containers with increasing urgency.

"Here," Nina said, pulling out a wooden box that had Ivory's neat handwriting on the lid. "Emergency antidotes. She has them organized by poison type."

She brought the box to Eliza, who immediately began sorting through the contents. "Wolfsbane antidote, nightshade neutralizer, hemlock counteragent—she has preparations for everything. But we need to identify exactly what she ingested to know which one to use. The wrong antidote could make things worse."

"Then test the samples I brought," Nina said, gesturing to the vials she'd carried in. "Figure out what she was working with."

While Eliza worked on analyzing the samples, I found myself drawn to Ivory's side. Up close, she looked even worse—her skin had a grayish tinge, her breathing was shallow and irregular, and when I touched her hand, it was cold. Too cold.

Kael stood on Ivory's other side, his expression devastated. Through our bond, I felt his emotions—fear, guilt, helplessness, and underneath it all, that deep affection for his childhood friend that made this so much worse.

"Why wasn't she responding to the mindlink?" he asked quietly. "Even poisoned, even unconscious, there should be some connection. But it was like she'd completely blocked me out."

"Maybe she did," I said gently. "If she knew she was poisoning herself, if she anticipated losing consciousness, she might have blocked the pack bonds so no one would feel her distress."

"That's exactly the kind of thing Ivory would do," Nina said, returning from helping Eliza with the sample analysis. "Put herself in danger, block everyone out so they wouldn't worry, assume she could handle it alone."

"Why would she test poisons on herself at all?" Kael demanded, frustration bleeding into his fear. "Why not use animal subjects or start with lower doses?"

"Because that's not how Ivory works," Nina said. "She's been poisoning herself with small doses for years—building immunity, testing effectiveness, understanding exactly how each toxin affects the body. It's reckless and dangerous and completely in character."

Eliza returned, holding several vials from Ivory's emergency kit. "I've identified the primary compounds. Mostly wolfsbane, but also trace amounts of nightshade and something I think is concentrated silver solution. She must have been testing a compound meant to incapacitate wolves quickly—something that could be used against rogue attacks."

The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Ivory had been working on defenses against the very type of attack that had struck the pack this morning.

"Which antidote do we use?" Kael asked.

"All of them," Eliza said grimly. "In sequence, carefully measured. But there's a risk. These antidotes are powerful—they essentially jumpstart the body's systems to purge the toxins. It's like using adrenaline to force consciousness, except much more intense. If we get the dosage wrong, we could stop her heart."

"And if we don't treat her?" I asked quietly.

"The poison will continue to suppress her respiratory and cardiovascular systems until they fail," Eliza said bluntly. "She has maybe thirty minutes before we start seeing permanent damage."

"Then treat her," Kael ordered. "Do whatever you need to do. I'm not losing her because we were too cautious."

Eliza nodded and began preparing the antidotes, measuring precise amounts and combining them in a single syringe. "Everyone step back. If this works, her response is going to be dramatic and potentially violent."

We moved back, giving Eliza space to work. She positioned herself at Ivory's side, finding a vein in her arm and slowly—carefully—injecting the combined antidote.

For a moment, nothing happened. Ivory remained still and pale, her breathing unchanged.

Then her body convulsed.

It was violent and sudden—her back arching off the table, her muscles seizing, her eyes flying open but unfocused. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, no sound emerging, and her hands clawed at the air like she was fighting something invisible.

"Hold her down!" Eliza commanded. "Don't let her hurt herself!"

Kael and Nina moved immediately, each taking one of Ivory's arms while I grabbed her legs to keep her from kicking. Through it all, Eliza monitored her vital signs, watching the numbers on her equipment with intense focus.

"Heart rate's spiking," she said. "Two hundred beats per minute. Too high. Come on, Ivory, you made these antidotes—they're supposed to work without killing you."

Ivory's convulsions began to slow, her muscles gradually releasing from their rigid state. Her breathing evened out, became deeper and more regular. Color started returning to her face, replacing the deathly pallor with something closer to natural skin tone.