Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 371

Nolan’s POV

I rushed to Solon’s side before I even realized what was happening, putting myself between him and anyone who might be watching. The party around us hadn’t noticed yet. Solon gripped the bar, his knuckles white as he tried to catch his breath after coughing.

“That stuff is strong,” Solon said hoarsely. “Henry, pour me another glass.”

“Stop playing around, Solon. This isn’t funny. You’re coughing up blood,” Talia said, her voice low.

Leslie grabbed a napkin from the bar and wiped the blood from his mouth. She checked his pulse, quietly counting. After a moment, her face went pale and her eyes filled with fear.

“Leslie, what’s wrong?” I asked. If he was having a relapse, I had the strength to restrain him on my own, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it without anyone seeing.

Leslie quickly composed herself and said, “His pulse is unstable. Too fast, then too slow, then fast again. We need to go. Now.”

“I’m fine,” Solon said as he attempted to stand up straighter. “Just had a little too much wine. Don’t make a scene. People are watching.” He almost fell, but he gripped the bar to keep himself from falling. “See? I’m fine.” Solon tried to smile, but the sweat on his forehead made it clear he wasn’t okay.

‘I know my brother,’ Talia said through the mate bond. ‘I know when he is trying to minimize how bad he feels. He only had one glass of wine. Solon shouldn’t have reacted like this.’

I nodded, realizing this was serious.

“You’re sweating through your shirt,” Leslie said.

“I told you the wine was strong,” Solon argued.

“Stop arguing with me and cooperate for once in your life!” Leslie snapped.

Solon didn’t argue anymore, and that’s when I realized things were worse than I thought.

I slipped my arm under his and helped him up, noticing how much he leaned on me. Solon could barely stand on his own. We needed to get him to the hospital quickly.

I turned to Leslie and Talia and said, “Stay calm, both of you. If we panic in front of everyone, it’ll only make things worse. We will leave like nothing’s wrong.”

“If anyone asks, I’ll let them know the Alpha King just had too much to drink and needs to sleep it off,” Henry added. “Just get him back safely.”

“Thanks, Henry,” Talia said, and then we left the bar. Talia pretended to be drunk, and Leslie played along by scolding her, just to keep up appearances.

We were almost out of the square, moving past the last tables and leaving the firelight behind, when someone called out to us in a mocking tone.

"Leaving so soon, Alpha King?"

I turned and saw a young Alpha standing only a few feet away. His sharp green eyes and mismatched smile caught my attention. I knew I’d seen him before, maybe at the earlier Gathering, but I couldn’t recall his pack’s name.

Leslie stepped up, guarded in a way that set off alarms. She wasn’t a fighter, but the way she braced herself said everything: she didn’t trust this Alpha at all.

‘Do you know him?’ Talia asked through the mate bond.

‘No, but he looks familiar. I don’t remember the name of his pack,’ I responded.

“I’d think carefully about your next move, Alpha Geoffrey,” Leslie said flatly. “I will not tell you again.”

“I’m simply ensuring that Silverfang will remain safe,” Geoffrey continued as he took another step closer.

“How dare you!” Leslie snapped.

"Silverfang is not your responsibility,” I said, cutting Leslie off. Talia went under Solon’s arm to carry his weight as I stepped forward to stand side by side with Leslie. “If you come any closer, I’ll consider it an insult to our Alpha King and accept the challenge on his behalf, provided the Alpha Queen agrees.”

“And I do,” Leslie confirmed.

Geoffrey stopped and raised his hands to show he meant no harm. “Of course, Luna Talia, Alpha Nolan. No offense meant. I just wish I’d had the chance to talk to him tonight. Maybe another time, when he’s feeling better.” He gave a polite, almost mocking bow, then walked back towards the crowd.

“What was that about?” Talia asked.

“Not here,” Leslie said.

We focused on getting Solon outside of the square, my jaw tight the whole time. I didn’t look back to see if Geoffrey was watching. We all knew he was. I could feel his eyes on us.

Once we were clear of the square and out of earshot, I finally let my anger surface and confronted Leslie.

“Who the hell was that guy?”