Page 48 of Shifting the Flame
Garron took the glass she offered with a nod of approval. "Perhaps you're not so bad for our Alpha after all," he said with a wink, raising his glass in salute before taking a deep swallow.
His face contorted instantly. The wine glass slipped from his fingers, shattering on the ground as he clutched his throat. His eyes bulged, locked on Danica's face with shocked accusation before he collapsed, his body convulsing once before going terribly still.
For one frozen moment, no one moved. Then chaos erupted.
"Poison!" someone shouted. "She's poisoned Garron!"
Danica stood paralyzed, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. "I—I didn't—" she stammered, looking wildly around for Joni, who had vanished completely.
Two council members knelt beside Garron, checking for a pulse, but their grim expressions told the story. Another sniffed at the remnants of wine in the broken glass.
"Dragon's bane," he hissed, rising with fury in his eyes. "Dragon's bane mixed with nightshade. Deadly to any shifter."
"No," Danica whispered, backing away. "I was just helping with the drinks. Joni asked me to?—"
"Joni?" A woman frowned. "I saw you come alone with those drinks."
"That's not true! She was just here with me!"
The crowd began to gather, eyes filled with suspicion and fear. Whispers traveled like wildfire.
"Outsider..."
"Human..."
"Never trusted her..."
"Poor Asher..."
A mother standing nearby suddenly grabbed her young daughter, yanking the child behind her as though Danica was contagious. The little girl's eyes widened in fear as she peeked around her mother's legs.
That small gesture cut deeper than any accusation. Three days of work, of slowly building trust, of feeling she might belong—gone in an instant.
I've become exactly what they feared. A liability. A danger.
Murmurs grew louder around her, some defending her, others condemning. Danica felt the ground beneath her feet shifting like quicksand. Everything she and Asher had built together was crumbling before her eyes.
Where is Asher?she thought desperately, scanning the crowd for his tall frame.He'll know I didn't do this. He'll believe me.
But in that moment, Danica realized the terrible truth. Even if Asher believed her—and she knew without question he would—it might not matter. His position as Alpha depended on the trust of his people. How could he lead if he stood by a woman half the town believed had murdered his most trusted advisor?
She stood frozen, caught between the instinct to run and the knowledge that flight would only confirm her guilt in everyone's eyes.
NINETEEN
ASHER
Asher adjusted his platinum watch as he leaned against a lamp post, listening to Caleb's report on the wolf shifters they'd encountered last night.
"Border trackers found where they entered our territory," Caleb said, his blue tie fluttering in the evening breeze. "Pack markings suggest they're from the Delta clan."
Asher's jaw tightened. "Reginald Delta always did have an issue with my father's leadership. Seems he's passing that grudge to me."
"Want me to send a diplomatic warning or something less...diplomatic?" A dangerous smile played at the edges of Caleb's mouth.
Before Asher could answer, a wave of disturbance rippled through the festival crowd. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up – an instinctive reaction to brewing trouble. The sound of The Firebreathers' signature rock song abruptly cut off mid-chorus, replaced by a growing rumble of angry voices.
"Something's wrong." Asher straightened, scanning the crowd. His gaze swept over the area where he'd left Danica, finding nothing but empty space.
