Chapter 14

Maverick

I slam the door behind me and take a breath so I don't shift right here in the hall. I'm not sure when I've ever been so furious. I stride down the hallway. Pack members scramble to get out of my way, but I don't really care. Where are you? I send to Cade.

Hello to you too.

Seriously, Cade. Where the--"

I'm in my apartment, he sends, cutting off my tirade. He doesn't say anything else, and I don't either. Moments later, I knock on his door. Cade opens the door almost immediately. "Not here. Amber and Paige are in there; I'm not subjecting them to this." I follow him across the hall to one of our meeting rooms. He turns and faces me.

I rip into him, cussing him out. "What were you thinking, making her do all these healings?" I finish.

"Calm down," Cade orders. "So, we can fix it," he adds.

"How?" I demand.

"We'll just get the other healer."

Even though that's what I've been thinking, his words give me pause. I'm still going to get the blonde healer and make her heal Rose, but I mentally make a plan for how to deal with Bryce if he comes here and finds out I'm the reason his mate came in contact with the terrible disease.

"What's that look on your face?" Cade asks.

"Nothing."

"No, you looked uncertain for a moment. Why?" he asks.

I answer him honestly. "I was just thinking how best to deal with her mate when he finds out that she got exposed."

"The blonde healer is mated?" he asks in surprise. "To whom?"

"Well, they're not mated yet, but it's Bryce."

Cade gives me a deadpan look. "Of course she's mated to an alpha." He sounds tired. "Well, at least Bryce is chill."

I snort at that. "Except when his mate is in danger," I mutter.

"Fine. Just don't tell him." I nod. I'm not sure it's the best idea, but we don't really have any other options right now. "Go get Ava and have her heal Rose. We need her; she's too valuable." I nod. "Keep me actively updated," Cade throws out right before I leave the room.

I stop at the door. "I will. What apartment is Ava in?"

"Right next to Rose."

"Which is where?" I ask.

Cade gives me a look. "You don't know what apartment your mate is in?"

I growl at his words; I can't help it. "Just tell me."

"Ava's in ninety-seven; Rose is in ninety-six. It's in your wing." he says, exasperated.

I'm already on my way; I don't bother telling him I haven't stayed in that wing since I got sick. When I get to Ava's apartment, I knock on the door. Ava opens the door with a scowl but no fear. "Why are you here?"

"Rose has the sickness." I don't bother sugarcoating it. Her face pales. "You need to heal her." To her credit, she doesn't flinch.

"Okay." She follows me a moment later. I stride down the hallway, hoping she'll keep up. We make it back to the apartment I've been in since I got sick, and I open the door quietly. I take a deep breath and take her scent into my lungs. I frown when I also smell something else. It's confirmed a moment later when I see her cheeks are wet with tears. I feel sucker-punched, seeing her tears. I walk over and check on her. She's out cold, making me think she's crying in her sleep. I hate it and am ready to wake her, but a hand on my arm stops me. Ava shakes her head and nods towards the door. Against my better judgment, I leave Rose and follow Ava out to the living room.

"Don't wake her up."

"Why?" My voice is harsh, but I hardly care.

"Trauma."

I stare at her, not comprehending. "You don't wake somebody out of a dead sleep who's dealt with trauma." I look back over the door behind me. "So, you just let them sleep and endure it?" I growl.

Ava meets my gaze head-on. "Yes."

I shake my head and curse. "That's just stupid."

Ava shrugs. "I didn't come up with it. I'm just telling you that if you wake her right now, you risk hurting her even more."

"That's..." I hold my tongue. "Fine. I'll wait ‘til she wakes up, and then you're going to heal her."

"I will but not for you," she retorts. "I'm doing it for Rose."

I bite back what I really want to say and simply nod. "Fine."

"Fine," she responds. "Give me your phone."

"Why?" I ask.

She rolls her eyes. "So, I can send you nudes." I scowl at her, and she puts out her hand. "So, I can put my number in your phone so you can text me when she wakes up." I hand her my phone and wait for her to input her number. I almost smirk when she hands back my phone and I notice she put her number in under the contact name, Blondie. "Text me as soon as she wakes up, and I'll be here."

She's almost ready to leave when I blurt out, "Do you even know how to heal?"

She doesn't turn back. "Guess we'll see, won't we?"

I'm scowling at the door long after she's gone. Then I walk inside and over to the bedroom and look at the dark-haired healer. My wolf growls low in my chest, but I quiet him. She needs sleep, I communicate to him.

Mate.

That's the only thing he sends back, and I feel it deep in my chest. I rub my hand over my chest as I watch fresh tears drip down the healer's cheeks. I don't know if I've ever seen something so awful in all my life. I lean against the door frame and watch her sleep. I count each rise and fall of her chest, making sure this sickness or whatever it is hasn't already gone to her lungs. When her breath catches a few times, I straighten and walk over to her. I lean over her, though I have no problem hearing her heartbeat even from across the room. It's not her heartbeat that has me concerned, though. It's her breathing. She's struggling; I can hear it. Alarm spears through me, and I reach out, ready to wake her when her eyes pop open. She cries out in fear when she sees me hovering over her.

"It's just me," I say quickly, trying to reassure her, not that it's real reassuring, given our past.

She puts a hand to her chest and tries to sit up. I reach out to help her but then drop my hand. "You scared me," she says putting a hand over her heart. She blinks, looking a little dazed. "Did I fall asleep?"

"In my bed." It's the only thing I get out.

She looks alarmed and quickly climbs out of the bed. I step in front of her, effectively cutting off her escape. "I'm sorry," she says, looking up at me with those doe-like eyes and cheeks that are still wet from her tears. My gut twists.

"The blonde healer is going to heal you," I say gruffly. It's the only thing I know to say.

She recoils. "Absolutely not."

I shrug. It's a done deal. I don't care what she has to say about it. As soon as I make sure she's okay, I'm texting the blonde healer to get in here and heal her. "Cade already okayed it."

"Well, too bad because she's not going to."

I cock an eyebrow, surprised she's talking back to me. She's usually so mousy. "So, you're going to stand up to me and to Cade now?" I can't help it.

"Yes." I bite back a smile at her trying to be belligerent because she looks conflicted like she wants to apologize at the same time. "Give me a chance to fight it; I might be able to."

I look at her with skepticism. "Yeah, that's not going to work."

She lifts her chin. "It might; I'm going to try."

I stare down at her, wondering how much to push her. Normally, I wouldn't care, but I can't get the sight of her tears out of my mind. I finally relent, knowing I'll keep an eye on her in the meantime. If she gets worse, I'll force the blonde healer. "I'll give you twenty-four hours. After that, you'll let the blonde healer heal you." I narrow my eyes at her. "And don't heal anybody else in the meantime."

"That's for me to decide."

It takes me a moment to realize she's arguing with me. "Don't heal anyone." My words are slow and distinct. "I am the beta of this pack, and I am giving you an order."

"Well lucky for me, I'm not part of your pack," she says, crossing her arms over her chest. I drop my eyes for a moment before lifting them lightning fast back to her face. I think I'm in shock. Who is this woman that is fighting with me and standing up to me? In the moments it takes me to respond, she's out of my room. I stare at the closed door, wondering what in the world happened to the timid, mousy girl. I shake my head and decide I need to head to the weight room for a workout. I grab my earbuds and phone and change into shorts and a t-shirt. I'm out the door moments later. I've just started down the hallway when Van races around the corner.

"Your mate. She dropped..."

He doesn't finish what he's saying before I'm running. I follow her scent down the hallway. I see her on the floor and race to her, dropping at her side. She's lying on her back, and her entire body is convulsing. My heart nearly stops. "Get the other healer!" I thunder at Van. I Iift her head carefully. Her body continues to convulse, and she starts choking, like she can't breathe. A vice clamps around my heart.

Cade drops to his knees next to me. "Mav," he says, his face grim.

"No," I growl at him.

The blonde healer runs over and drops down beside me. Her face is pale, and her hands are shaky. She stares at Rose but doesn't move. "Healer!" I bark at her, and she jolts. "Heal her," I demand.

"I don't...I don't know what to do." She stands and starts backing away.

I gently lower Rose to the ground and jump to my feet. "You are a healer, and you are going to heal her. Now." She looks at Rose with fear in her eyes. "Look at me," I demand. She meets my eyes. "You can do this. You know what to do. You're a healer." She doesn't respond. I will myself to focus on the blonde healer and not the one on the floor behind me. "If you don't heal her, she's going to die. Tonight."

Her face pales even more, and she finally nods. "Okay. Okay." I lead her over to Rose, and she kneels next to my mate. Her hands are shaky. She puts them on Rose and then pulls back. She tries again and closes her eyes. My hands clench into fists as I watch her. She pulls back. "I can't. I don't..."

I curse and pull out my phone and dial the alpha's personal cell. "Maverick," Garrett's voice comes across the line.

Before he can say anything, I jump in. "I need the healer there on the phone now."

Garrett is quiet a moment. "What's going on?"

"Don't ask questions!" I bark at him and swear again. "I need the healer now!"

"I'm on my way to her now." Garrett's voice is calm while I'm feeling anything but. I pace and wait for the healer's voice. "What's going on?" Garrett asks.

I cave. "It's Rose. She got this...this...she..."

"Hold on, Maverick. I'm getting Sage." Garrett's voice is quiet and calm, too calm for me. Anger courses through me. Anger and something else I'm not willing to think about. Something that feels a lot like fear. Soon I hear voices, and then a female voice.

"Hello."

"Is this the healer?" I bark into the phone.

"This is Sage," the calm female says. If I was in my right mind, I would recognize her voice. I've dealt with her before, but nothing about me right now is calm.

"And Paul, her mate," a male voice adds, and I snarl into the phone. I couldn't care less about the doctor right now. I put the call on speakerphone and shove it toward Ava.

"Tell Ava to heal Rose now."

It's silent a beat. "Ava?" Sage's voice comes through the speakerphone.

"I'm here," Ava says tersely. "I don't know what to do."

"Okay. Take a breath. It's okay Ava. You--" Sage starts.

"It's not okay," I cut her off. "You're a healer. Heal!" My voice reverberates off the walls of the hallway.

"Maverick," Cade says in warning, but I don't care.

"I'm not going to let my mate die on this floor right next to me when there's a healer sitting. Right. Here." My voice is filled with rage.

"Maverick." This time it's Paul's warning voice on the line, but I couldn't care less.

"Tell me what's happened to Rose," Sage says through the phone.

I can't take it. "She's got the sickness," I all but roar.

"It progressed really fast, or maybe she didn't share how sick she was," Cade's calm voice says. "But she's convulsing on the floor now like she's having a seizure." I curse low and fierce. I want to tear something apart.

Sage takes control. "Ava, pull up her shirt." I growl at that. Sage ignores me and continues. "You're going to do just like we've practiced."

"I tried; it didn't work!" Ava says in despair.

"What happened when you tried?" Sage asks.

"I don't know...it just didn't...do anything," Ava says in distress.

"Ava, you have to send your healing power into her blood. Do it again and tell me exactly what's happening. I'll be right here the whole time." Sage's voice is calm, and Ava leans up and over Rose. She takes a deep breath and leans forward. When she reaches for Rose's shirt and begins to pull it up too high, I snatch it away and pull it back down, keeping just her stomach exposed for the healer. She closes her eyes and breathes out.

It's silent in the hall, and I hardly dare to breathe. After several long moments, I watch Rose's struggle to get air begin to diminish. "It's working," I breathe.

The next hours pass slowly. The blonde healer continues on and on until she finally sits back. "It's done," she says wearily.

"Why isn't she waking up?" I demand.