Chapter 229

Prince Alexander leaned in slightly, his eyes locking with mine. "You seem to be enjoying the tea. It's a rare blend made from flowers found only in the palace gardens."

"Really?" I replied, genuinely intrigued by the unique flavor. Maybe that's why I was enjoying it so much.

"It's one of my personal favorites," the King chimed in. "We thought you might appreciate it."

The King's words snagged on my ears, and I couldn't help but look at his own glass. The liquid inside was a different shade, meaning he wasn't drinking the same thing as me.

I looked at the Prince's glass and noticed the same thing.

That's odd. If the King enjoyed the tea so much, why wasn't he drinking it himself?

The server returned to my side, with a seemingly endless supply of the mysterious tea. He offered to refill my drink for a third time.

"I'm okay, thank you," I politely declined, but the server ignored my words and poured the drink anyway.

I frowned, feeling a spike of anxiety all of a sudden. Why was the tea so addicting to me, and why were they so adamant that I keep drinking it?

"Shana, please. Drink some more," the Alpha King urged, his tone almost pleading.

I found his request strange, a sense of unease settling in.

"Yes," Alex added, folding his hands under his chin. "Drink up."

Why were they so insistent on me consuming so much? The atmosphere around the table shifted, and I felt the weight of their gazes on me.

"What's going on?" I questioned, looking from Alex to his father.

It was impolite for me to question the King in such a way, but there was something they weren't telling me. Something they were hiding from me.

"Father, I don't think it's working," Prince Alexander remarked casually, wiping a napkin over his mouth. "She is the true White Wolf."

My heart froze in my chest.

"What isn't working?" I asked, growing anxious, my eyes darting between the two of them.

Was something in the tea? Was it even tea? What had I just been drinking?

Sensing the fear coursing through my mind, Alexander sighed. "Calm down, Shana. You're perfectly fine."

"Did you just tell me to calm down?" I snapped, unable to help myself.

That only caused me to grow more irritated as Alex smirked at my tone.

"Feisty," he commented.

"Don't be upset with us, Shana," the Alpha King spoke, wiping a napkin over his mouth as he continued to chew his food. "We needed to see if what you claim is the truth."

"If what I claim?" I questioned. "What exactly are you referring to?"

"Liam was adamant that you were the White Wolf. He can sense people—it's somewhat of a talent of his," the Alpha King explained.

Recalling the magic Liam displayed earlier, I wondered if this 'talent' was a magical skill he possessed.

The realization that they were testing me, experimenting with what I ingested, left me feeling betrayed.

"You didn't believe I was the White Wolf?" My throat felt raw from the realization. "You... What did you make me consume?" I demanded, my irritation and upset growing.

"Don't worry, pet," Prince Alexander said with a smile. "You survived."

"Survived. What." The words came out of my mouth tightly, my anger fighting to come through.

"Oh Alex, don't be such a tease," the King rolled his eyes. "We gave you a small dose at first which wouldn't have harmed you. Once we realized you were fine, we gave you more."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." I shook my head as I tried to keep my composure. "I'm trying very hard right now to remain civil and not lose my cool, but as you can imagine, I'm feeling quite..."

"Enraged? Betrayed? Upset?" Alex listed off the words, a cocky smile on his face.

Did he think this was funny?

"Have you heard of Foxglove?" The King asked, ignoring his son completely. The tone of his voice was so cool and casual, I couldn't believe that we were discussing the fact that they had slipped something into my drink.

"It's such a beautiful flower," Alex continued, turning his gaze to look out the windows in the garden. "Very sweet to the taste too. Quite addicting. It tricks your brain into thinking it's good for you."

I was familiar with Foxglove—a pink or purple flower known to be toxic to the heart.

"This is the perfect season for Foxglove," Prince Alexander continued. "Our garden is filled with them."

The word 'poison' echoed in my mind, and panic surged through me. I threw a hand over my heart, fearing the worst. "Oh my God. You poisoned me? You poisoned me with Foxglove, didn't you?"

"Relax, child," the Alpha King ordered calmly. "A true White Wolf can ingest Foxglove without any symptoms or side effects. It was one of the quickest ways we could test if you truly are who you say you are."

I stared at my full glass, realization sinking in. "A White Wolf..."

"A White Wolf can consume Foxglove with zero problems," Alex's tone was pure comedy. He smiled at me, finding my fear and confusion humourous.

I can't believe that I thought the two of us were somewhat getting friendlier when he had been planning this with his father the whole time.

"You didn't even tell me you were going to test me like this," I accused my voice a mix of frustration and betrayal.

"Well, how would you have reacted if we had asked for your consent?" Alex replied, raising an eyebrow as if my reaction was expected. "Probably, not so great, seeing as you're very upset with us right now.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the anger simmering within me. "You could have at least informed me about what you were planning. Instead, you chose to deceive me."

The Alpha King chuckled. "Deception is a tool, Shana. One you'll need to get accustomed to in our world. And you trusted us too easily. That is another thing you will need to consider when meeting strangers. You can never trust anyone you don't know."

I glared at him, not willing to accept such an explanation. "That doesn't justify using me as a guinea pig without my knowledge. You... I can't believe you did that to me! What if I would've died?"

"Then we would've known that you're a liar and a fake," Alex said with a shrug. "Do you know how many people have falsely claimed to be the White Wolf? We did what we had to do."

"We needed to be certain," the King added, his tone unapologetic. "Now, we know you're the true White Wolf. Consider it a necessary test."

My gaze shifted between the two of them, feeling helpless.

"So… how much Foxglove did I consume?" I questioned, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach.

"Enough to kill an entire family, probably," Prince Alexander said with a casual shrug.

The casual manner in which he spoke left me speechless.

They were right, I trusted them too easily. The revelation of their test left me grappling with a mix of emotions—betrayal, anger, and lingering uncertainty about my judgment.

"But you're alive, so you have nothing to worry about." Alex smiled at me and even dared to send me a wink.