Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 143: A Race Against the Sinking Ship

Ronan had claimed that Mona once poisoned his father, Arnold Warren.

Arnold had been dead for more than fifteen years, around the same time Samuel Sullivan, Damon’s father, also passed away. But Arnold’s death had always been a mystery, because no one ever knew what really caused it.

According to Ronan, his father was found dead in his sleep, which was strange because werewolves couldn’t possibly suffer from heart attacks in their sleep like humans did.

Their healing ability should’ve automatically repaired any damage in their bodies, including diseases that affected their organs.

Because of that, his case remained unsolved. The forensic team found no trace of poison in his system, and in the end, they concluded that his healing ability had failed due to old age.

"He was a bastard," Mona said between violent coughs. "Just like your father, he deserved to die, maybe even worse."

Damon was about to say something, but the ship sank even deeper into the ocean. The smoke slowly began to clear, and the paralyzing effect was fading away.

Charlotte glanced at her watch and set a timer. "Damon, we only have about forty-five minutes left to find the antidote."

Her heart was burning with anger because Julian and Ronan kept playing with people’s lives as if they were nothing more than toys.

Back then, Damon also had to search for an antidote to save her from the Nightshade poison, and now he had to do it again, this time for his mother.

She knew this cruel game was Julian’s idea from the start, just to make Damon suffer even more.

"Alright, stay here with Mom," Damon said. "I’ll go inside the ship and find the antidote."

"No, wait!" Charlotte grabbed his hand tightly. "We should go together. Our time is limited, so it’s better if we don’t split up."

If they waited on the ship’s deck while Damon searched inside, there was a chance he wouldn’t make it back in time to save Mona because it would take too long for him to return once he found the antidote.

That was why it was safer for them to stay together, so the moment he found the antidote, he could immediately give it to Mona.

"The ship is sinking," Damon warned through clenched teeth. "If we move too slowly, we might get trapped inside."

The ship was going down slowly after the explosion; they still had a little time to search, but every second counted.

However, it wasn’t impossible that the whole ship would suddenly plunge into the ocean while they were still inside.

"There’s no time to argue." Charlotte gently cupped his cheek. "We’re fated mates, Damon. If you die, living without you would hurt too much. So I’m staying with you."

If Damon died, she wouldn’t survive the pain. She would rather drown by his side than live on with a wound in her heart that would never heal.

He was her fated mate, so losing him would break her completely, so deeply that she knew she might never want to go on.

She had lived through so much pain already, and she was terrified of falling back into that dark place. If life expected her to go through that one more time... then she would rather sink into the ocean with him than face a world without him.

Damon stared at her for a moment, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with a mix of fear and love.

He didn’t like hearing her talk like that—like she had already accepted death just because he was involved—but deep down, he understood because he felt the same way.

"Alright," he said at last. "But stay close to me. Don’t let go of my hand, no matter what happens."

Charlotte nodded. "I won’t."

He carried Mona on his back while Charlotte tied her cardigan around both of them to keep Mona from slipping. Her skin had turned so pale, maybe as white as paper, that Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder what kind of poison could harm a werewolf like this.

That poison had clearly destroyed her healing ability, just like the substance Julian once injected into her.

"Watch your step," Damon said as they walked into the ship.

It was difficult for them to walk inside because there were so many people running out, trying to save themselves. Charlotte held her breath when she saw bodies on the floor, some crushed by falling debris, others lying unconscious.

She wanted to help them, but at the same time, she had to prioritize Mona. After all, there was no way she could save everyone.

"They’re the victims of us," Charlotte murmured, turning her face away from the corpses scattered on the floor. "If only we—"

"They’re victims of Ronan," Damon interrupted firmly. "That’s all."

Charlotte wanted to argue, but she chose to stay silent because it wasn’t the right time to decide who was right or wrong.

After a moment, she asked, "Do you still remember the scent of the antidote?"

Even though the poison inside Mona’s body was different from what Julian had used on her before, Charlotte was sure the antidote would smell similar, since the poison had almost the same effects as Nightshade.

"I do," Damon said, his face filled with worry. He didn’t even blink because his mind was focused completely on saving his mother. "But it’s hard to trace the scent of the antidote in this chaos."

People kept rushing past them to escape, and the strong smell of the sea made it even harder to catch any scent.

"I have a question," Charlotte said. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Damon only hummed in response, so she continued, "Do you think Ronan really wants us dead?"

It was an important question because if he did, then there was almost no chance they’d find the antidote. He might have hidden it in a part of the ship that sank first.

However, if he actually had plans for them after this, then they might still have a chance to find the antidote.

"I don’t know," Damon replied. "But if revenge is what he’s after, I doubt someone like him would let us die that easily."