Chapter 359 Whispers in the Night
Author ’s pov
The clinic was dead quiet, the kind of silence that felt heavy and wrong.
Cecilia stood frozen, her face pale as the truth sank in.
Next to her, Alpha Sebastian clenched his jaw, his whole expression turning cold.
Cassian noticed the shift immediately and stepped in.
“Look, this has to be a mistake,” he said quickly. “I’ll talk to my grandmother in the morning. We can go together if you want.”
His voice stayed calm, but the tension in his shoulders gave him away.
“My grandmother would never hurt anyone. But if those cakes really came from her place, then something’s seriously off.”
He blew out a long breath.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. I messed up. I’m sorry.”
Alpha Sebastian’s voice was low and sharp. “Your territory isn’t as safe as you think. Someone’s changing the rules.”
Cassian didn’t argue. He knew exactly what that meant.
After what happened years ago, Martha had moved to this mountain town and cut ties with Maggie. Since then, Maggie had never dared come near this place.
Twenty years of peace, undone by one poisoned cake.
This wasn’t a mix-up. It was a message.
Cassian’s face hardened as the truth settled in.
Cecilia didn’t say anything. Her thoughts were spinning too fast to put into words.
She walked over and sat by Harper’s bed. The IV line clicked softly as it dripped.
Harper was mumbling in her sleep, saying things that didn’t make sense. Something about commanding officers, nests, and traitors.
Cecilia’s chest tightened. She never should’ve brought her here. But Denver hadn’t been safe either.
Behind her, Beta Sawyer was checking on Tang and Levi. He leaned in and kept his voice low.
“What about Levi’s wife ? Yulia, right ? Didn’t she eat the cake too ?”
Cecilia blinked. “She did. After dinner, we all went upstairs. I haven’t seen her since.”
Beta Sawyer frowned. “What if she’s affected too, and no one noticed ?”
A chill ran down Cecilia’s spine. She’d been so caught up in Harper and Tang, she hadn’t thought about Yulia at all.
She turned to Cassian right away.
He didn’t hesitate. Within minutes, he had people out looking for her.
Cecilia ’s pov
By the time the IVs were done, it was close to midnight. All three patients had finally fallen into a deep, heavy sleep.
We found Yulia thanks to security footage.
After she ate the cake, she brought her empty plate to Martha’s house.
The video showed her chatting with Fiona at the door. They were both smiling when they walked inside.
Nothing seemed wrong. No panic. No struggle. Not even a raised voice.
So why didn’t she come back out ? No one knew.
The guards didn’t dare knock.
That was Martha Locke’s house. People around here still treated her like royalty.
At least we knew Yulia was in there. That was something.
Sebastian and Cassian made sure someone stayed behind to watch the clinic, then brought me along to Martha’s place.
I didn’t really want to go. But I was the only one who’d seen it all and was still on my feet.
Deep down, I knew this had something to do with me.I couldn’t avoid it forever.
Sebastian held my hand the whole walk. Every few steps, he’d ask, “You okay ? “
When we got there, the lights on the second floor were still on. Cassian punched in the door code and went up first to look for Martha and Yulia.
Sebastian and I waited in the sitting room downstairs.
I glanced around at the familiar furniture, the same lunch table from earlier today. And that car outside…
Yulia said it belonged to Martha’s granddaughter.
Then it hit me. If Martha was a Locke, then her granddaughter had to be a Locke too.
“What are you thinking about ?” Sebastian’s arms slid around my waist from behind, his voice warm and low.
I blinked and looked up. “The woman who arrived at lunch. Martha’s granddaughter.”
He paused. “Which one ? Do you know her name ?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t see her clearly.”
Then I turned to face him, a little sharper than I meant to. “How many granddaughters do you know ? Could you list them if I asked ?”
I knew I sounded jealous. And based on the look in his eyes, he knew it too.
He smiled, clearly not mad about it. “I know of two. You’ve met Xenia. The other is Cassian’s kid sister. She just finished middle school. His uncle has a daughter too, but I’ve never met her.”
I nodded, trying to keep my voice flat. “Got it. I just figured you might know more than you let on.”
He leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear. “I just wanted an excuse to keep talking to you.”
My heart skipped.
I pressed a hand to his chest. “We’re in someone else’s house. Behave.”
“Cece,” he whispered, then kissed me.
It was soft. Slow. When he pulled back, my lips were still tingling.
But we didn’t have time to get lost in the moment. Footsteps came pounding down the stairs.
Cassian burst in, face tight.
“No one’s upstairs,” he said. “I checked every room. They’re gone.”
Sebastian’s expression went dark.
I stared at Cassian. “Did you try calling them ?”
He nodded. “Yeah. But the cameras show they never left the house. So they have to be here. Somewhere.”
He turned to Sebastian. “Come help me search again. Cecilia, stay here. Don’t move.”
He didn’t wait for a response before running off.
Sebastian leaned close. “Don’t go anywhere, okay ? I’ll be quick.”
I nodded. “I’ll stay. Just hurry.”
And then they were both gone.
I sat on the couch, but something didn’t feel right.
The quiet started to feel… too quiet.
I stood up and walked toward the hallway, turning lights on as I went.
Then I heard it.
A soft sound. Like a cry.
“Woooo…”
It drifted from somewhere deep inside the house.
My skin prickled.