Chapter 2

Cha pter 2

Rose

"Not yet," Alpha Cade answers roughly, and my heart squeezes in empathy. I don't know his wife or child, but I can only imagine. My heart is pounding in my chest for another reason, though. I'm not stupid. I know now why Alpha Cade asked me to come to this meeting. I'm a healer. One of three in this pack. Paul isn't going to want Sage to go, and it really isn't practical. She has a little one to care for here, and Paul needs to be here to help care for the pack. There's no way Ava's going to go; she barely makes it to her two required shifts at the clinic each week. There's no way she's going to leave here and go to another pack in another state...one that is way too many hours away from Wisconsin. Then of course, there's the whole this being Maverick's pack thing.

Alpha Cade turns to me suddenly, and I realize I haven't been paying attention. His eyes are serious as they study me. "Would you come to my pack to help keep my wolves from dying?"

His request shakes me. I knew this was where this was all going, but still. Before I can say anything, he speaks again. "There's something you need to know." His eyes don't move away from mine, and I feel myself fearing what he's going to say next. But nothing could have prepared me for his words. "Maverick is dying."

I swear my heart skips a beat as I stare at the alpha. It feels like a cold fist just reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart. I can't even form the words to reply.

"Maverick?" Garrett asks, sounding as shocked as I am. I know why. Maverick is a powerful beta and as ornery as a bear coming out of hibernation. The idea of him being sick, weak... it's pretty hard to imagine. But dying? That's unfathomable.

Alpha Cade merely acknowledges Garrett's words with a nod, but he doesn't take his gaze from me. "I'm not being overly sensational when I say I honestly don't know how long he has." He doesn't give me time to process that statement before he continues. "I know thing's between the two of you are a little rocky, but he needs you." The corners around his eyes tighten. "My pack needs you."

"Okay." The word is a breath on my lips. I don't know how it's going to work; I can't think about it, or I'll start hyperventilating. But I'm not about to let an entire pack fall to their demise because I was too scared to help them. As for Maverick...I may not like the guy, but I'm not going to let him die when I can save him. "What do I do?" My voice is barely a whisper.

"I need to fly back tonight. You can go with me, or you can fly out first thing tomorrow morning with a team."

I glance over at Garrett. He studies me a moment. "Are you sure about this?" I nod because I don't trust my voice not to crack. He turns to Max. "Get a team ready to fly to Orlando first thing in the morning." Max nods. "Who are you thinking?"

"My mate, Blaine, and I," Max says.

Garrett nods. "Good."

I relax slightly knowing that Raechel, Max's mate, will be on the plane with me. She's tough, but she's the real deal.

"What about Dr. Sander?" Sage asks in her quiet voice.

Alpha Cade scowls. "He won't be a problem; he's no longer with our pack." Sage doesn't seem surprised, and I figure there's a story there somewhere.

"Is it okay if I ask Ava to go with?" I finally work up the courage to ask. Everybody's expressions are exactly what I expect them to be. Honestly, I'm not really sure she'll go. But the more I've thought about it the last few minutes, I want to at least ask her.

Garrett faces Cade. "That's your call. Ava is another healer in our pack."

Cade gives a short nod. "I'll take all the help I can get."

"She can be..." Garrett glances at me.

"Difficult," I add when he seems unwilling to.

"She'll fit right in," Cade says without skipping a beat. He stands to his feet. "Thank you, Rose." His words are so sincere, and I feel the pressure begin to build in my chest. I really hope I can live up to his expectations. No pressure or anything. Cade puts his hand out to Garrett. "Thank you."

Garrett shakes his hand. "I hope you find your answers. Keep me apprised of the situation."

"I will." Cade turns back to me once more. "I'll see you in the morning."

I decide I need to get out of there before I have a nervous breakdown or something. "Is it okay if I go?" Even though my voice is soft, no one has a hard time hearing me.

"What time do you want Rose to be ready to leave in the morning, Max?" Garrett asks.

Max meets my gaze. "Meet at the clinic at six."

"Okay," I say softly and start towards the door.

"We'll give you a ride," Paul offers, and he and Sage walk with me outside. It's silent on the drive to the healers' house, and I wonder if they're as overwhelmed as I am.

"Will he kill me if I can't save his pack members?" I whisper.

"No," Sage says sternly as she turns around. "Alpha Cade is a good leader of his pack, and he's a mate and a father. He'll make sure you're protected at all times. And if the pack members can be saved, you'll save them. You've been healing for months now; you're so much more confident in your skills."

I appreciate her vote of confidence, but I don't fail to notice the if she slipped into that statement. If the pack members can be saved. I stare out the window, wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into. "What do you think it is?"

Sage looks over at Paul for a moment before turning to me. "I don't know. For a wolf not to be able to heal..." she shakes her head. "Have you ever seen that happen?" she asks Paul.

"No. Not unless the wolf was too badly wounded in a fight. There are some wounds that you can't come back from like a death blow. But getting sick and not being able to fight it? I've never heard of anything like that." He goes quiet, and I knew Paul well enough to know that he'll be spending a lot of time researching and trying to figure it out.

We pull up in front of the house, but I don't get out. "I don't know, Sage. Do you really think I'll be able to help them?"

She turns in her seat all the way so she's facing me. "I don't know." My shoulders fall at her words. "I don't know what it is you're facing, but I know you're a healer. And you weren't created that way on accident."

Her words bring me a sense of peace. "Any light you can shed on what I'm dealing with will be much appreciated."

Paul turns back to face me. "Tell us exactly what you're facing when you get there, and we'll walk through it with you. We'll do whatever we can to support you. I plan on researching the symptoms tonight." His words confirm what I already knew. "I'll also coordinate with Cade to send supplies if you need them, but I think they're pretty stocked. Keep us updated."

"I will, I promise."

"Do you think Ava will go?" Sage asks, searching my gaze.

I sigh. "I don't know."

It's quiet a moment, and I reach out for the door handle before Paul stops me. "Rose, be careful with Maverick." I let go of the handle and turn to face him.

"What do you mean?" I ask cautiously.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Sage asks, turning her gaze to him.

"I just don't trust him. At all. And I don't want to see you get hurt," he says, and I don't know when I've ever been so touched.

"But she's his mate," Sage says. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt her." When Paul doesn't say anything, a sliver of unease spreads through me.

"Just be careful," he says once more.

I finally work up the courage to open the door. "Thank you. Both of you."

"Keep in touch; know that you're not alone in this," Sage says, clasping my hand through the open window.

"Thanks."

I walk up the steps, my mind going a million different directions all at once. I bypass the shifters on security detail and make my way inside. Normally, I head right to the kitchen to prep dinner when I get home from my shift at the clinic. Not tonight. Tonight, I barely make it to the couch before all the emotions I've been holding in release. I feel the tears drip off my face as anxiety and fear take hold of me. I've never been good with my emotions, but they've been worse since I was taken prisoner by the vampires for the second time. I've been to counseling multiple times, and it's been helping. But there are times when something like this is too overwhelming, and all my emotions come to the forefront.

"What's with you?" Ava asks, dropping into the armchair across from me.

That's Ava—always that one to count on when you're feeling extra emotional. Not . I wipe my eyes, trying to find some semblance of calm. "How do you feel about Orlando?" I ask in a watery voice. She shrugs, not giving me anything.

"Well, I'm heading there tomorrow. Want to come with?"

She stares at me like I've suddenly sprouted two heads. "What are you going on about?"

I sigh; it comes from someplace deep inside me. "Alpha Cade from the Orlando pack flew here to ask me to heal his pack because they have shifters dying from some kind of rare sickness or something."

She stares at me. "Isn't that Maverick's pack?"

"Yes." I don't meet her eyes.

"You're going to help his pack? What about the, ‘We don't need you in our lives, so get lost' speech?" I look down at my lap as she stands up and starts to leave the room. "Wow. One little word about him, and you're off and flying to meet him."

"He's dying," I say to her retreating back. That gets her attention. "He's dying, and they don't know what to do to save him. Alpha Cade says they've already lost pack members, and Maverick will be next if I don't get there to heal him." She says nothing, and I dig deep for my courage. "I want you to come with me."

To my shock, she doesn't immediately shut it down or give me some snide comment. "Why?" she asks instead.

"I don't want you to be alone." She starts to turn away, shaking her head. "And I don't want to go alone," I add. I stare at her, the opposite of me in almost every way, except that we're both healers and scared to leave the house. She's sarcastic, cutting, edgy, even in her hairstyle and what she wears. Her green eyes pop with color, so different from my basic brown ones. And she's always changing the color of her hair. That's one thing she hasn't lost—her ability to keep getting her hair done. I barely manage to get my plain brown hair trimmed every few months by one of the hair stylists in the pack, even though she comes to our house.

I stare at her now, wondering what she'll decide. "When do we leave?"

I stare at her in shock before sitting up straight. "Are you serious? You'll come with me?"

"Not if you're going to keep making a big deal out of it," she retorts.

I throw my hands up. "Nope. We leave at six."

Her eyes widen. "In the morning?"

I nod and then make my way from the living room quickly before she has a chance to change her mind. I don't let her see my face, because I'm finally smiling for the first time today. I can't believe she's coming with me!