Chapter 47

Rose

"Mav, it's okay," I say again. I reach out and touch my hand to his fur, finding my strength and courage. "It's going to be okay. I'm just going to—" I don't finish the thought before he attacks. "No!" I shout, but it's too late. He rips into the first wolf, and I gag and turn away; but there's nowhere to go. I'm completely surrounded by wolves. I watch as two wolves jump on top of Mav's wolf, and I nearly cry out but I don't want to distract him. I spin around in a circle. What do I do? And as if fate determined it, Amber's words suddenly come flooding back to my mind.

" Rogue wolves are wolves who for one reason or another lose connection with the part of them that makes them human." And her next words..." It's because they don't find their mates. "

And just like that, I know what I have to do. I know I can't get far from Mav, or he'll come to me. I stay next to him as I turn and observe the two wolves standing guard behind me. I have a feeling their job is to not let me get away. I face the smaller of the two of them and take in his mangy, dirty coat. My heart begins to speed up, but I will it to stay steady so Mav won't get distracted. I take a step towards the wolf slowly and as non-threateningly as possible. It growls low in its chest but doesn't make a move to back away. "That's good," I say in the voice I use when I'm healing. "Just stay right there; I'm not going to hurt you." I take another measured step. Be brave. You can do this. Finally, I'm right in front of the mangy wolf. And then digging deep for courage, I drop to my knees next to his side. I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing this could be the end for me. I feel hot air on my face and smell a putrid odor and will myself not to flinch. I open my eyes and stare at the wolf in front of me. When he doesn't bite my face off, I reach out my hands and put my hands on his side. His entire body jerks, and he growls at me. I ignore it and take a deep breath and let my healing power rise to the surface. It comes forward quickly, jolting me. I send the power into the wolf's body and realize quickly that something is very, very wrong. My power ricochets and comes back at me. There's a darkness to it, and yet there's something about it that knocks at my subconscious. And then it hits me, and I nearly fall back on my backside. It's the same kind of power that nearly took over us healers. It's vampire power . That thought nearly bowls me over. An energy pulsates through me when I realize that it's within my power to be able to heal this wolf. I steady myself and take a deep breath, preparing for what I have to do. Taking a steady breath, I close my eyes and force my healing power into the wolf‘s body. The vampire power in him fights against me, but I grit my teeth and force my healing power to stay inside the wolf's body. I feel the evil there, and I work to purge it. I have no idea how long I'm at work inside the rogue's body. It may be a few minutes or a few hours, but I finally get to a point where I know it's gone. I send three more waves of healing, cleansing power through the wolf's body before I pull back. I close my eyes as my senses return to me. Dizziness overtakes me a moment, but finally I feel like I'm back. I open my eyes and stare at the wolf in front of me. I hear low growling but ignore it; I need to see if it worked. The wolf sways on its feet a moment. Then it shakes itself, and I watch as its body begins to contort. A painful sound escapes its lips, and I reach forward to help but it jerks backward. The shift is painfully slow and unnatural, but finally he completes the shift and a... boy sits in front of me. I look away quickly, giving him privacy, even as my mind races. From that quick glance, I could tell that he was long and lanky but not an adult; I know that for sure. Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen ? My mind reels, trying to take it in. It's then that I notice the silence. Absolute silence when there should be fighting and snarling. I blink and look around, taking in the scene before me. Eli and Cade have Mav restrained, while the enforcers of the Orlando Pack surround the rogue wolves in a circle. The entire area looks like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

"Did it work?" Cade asks through grit teeth as he strains to hold Mav in place.

I face the lanky kid. "Um, are you okay?" I ask gently. He looks up, and his eyes meet mine. His eyes are wild and unsteady, but he doesn't look threatening. "I'm Rose," I say calmly. "What's your name?" I ask when he doesn't give me anything.

"Jesse." His voice is rough, as if he hasn't used it in a long time.

Compassion spills from me, and I smile at him. "Nice to meet you, Jesse."

"Can somebody get our new friend a pair of shorts or pants please?" I ask. I know they're kept all around the property for shifts. It takes a moment, but finally somebody throws him a pair of sweats. I look away as he stands and puts them on. When I look back, he's wearing the pants but looks like a baby deer just taking its first steps. "Why don't you sit down, Jesse," I quietly command. He drops to his backside and puts his head down. "Are you all right?" I ask after a moment.

He looks up after a long while. "I haven't shifted in four years." Shock keeps me from saying anything, and I stare at him.

"Why?" I finally ask softly.

"Vampires." He says the word hatefully. With that, the illusion of peace we'd been hanging on to shatters. Wolves start fighting again, and everything goes to chaos.

And then I hear Cade yell above it all. "Shift!" There's so much power coming from the command, I can practically feel it. I know his wolves feel it, because they duck and lower themselves to the ground. The wolves all around me start shifting back, and I drop my gaze to the ground. There's so much nudity all around me. Cade starts barking orders again. I'm feeling a little lightheaded from my healing, so I find a chair and drop into it. Somebody places a cup of juice into my hand. I don't even get a glimpse of who it is before I throw my head back and swallow it in three big swallows. I drop my head again and wait for my equilibrium to come back. My mind races trying to figure out what just happened. I don't understand. How could a teen be rogue? Surely, he's not even old enough to even have a mate yet. It makes no sense. My head tightens painfully, and I am aware that I have a headache coming on. Each of Cade's shouts reverberates through my head.

"Rose." I lift blurry eyes and see Maverick in front of me. I can see the anger coming off him, and I'm too weary to have this battle right now.

"I know you have to deal with all this. I'm fine." My words are breathless, belying my words. But I push on. "I'm just going back to your room."

He stares down at me. "Carl! Van!" His words are harsh, and the two enforcers stand at his side a moment later. "She's going back to my room. You're on protective duty." He eyes each of them. "If something happens to her, I'll be coming for you."

"Mav," I say with a weary sigh.

He steps close to me and leans down so we're eye to eye. "Straight to my room. Don't stop to heal another rogue wolf along the way." His words are fierce, but his hold on me is gentle. "Get some sleep."

I nod. "Okay, Mav." I turn away, but a tug on my wrist has me turning back. And then I'm swallowed up in Mav. His arms come around me and pull me close to his chest.

"You took years off my life tonight," he rumbles against my hair. I smile despite myself. "Don't ever do that again."

I shake my head. "So bossy," I mutter against his chest. He's quiet a moment.

"I thought I was going to lose you tonight." I hear the brokenness in his voice, and I look up at him. His eyes are darker than usual; I can see them clearly in the light of the fire behind us.

"You didn't," I remind him.

"But I could have." He shakes his head and swears. "I was surrounded, outnumbered. It was the first time in a long time that I was truly afraid."

"I'm sorry, Mav. That must have been terrifying. I'm so sorry."

He tips my head up with his finger. "I wasn't terrified for me. I was terrified because I thought I was going to lose you. I've never known fear like that...not since I lost my sister. And even that couldn't compare to what I felt, Healer." His words end on a whisper. He runs his thumb over my cheek, and I close my eyes. "I made a vow to myself that if we got out of that, I wouldn't waste any more time pushing you away," he pauses and stares into my eyes. "If you want to, whenever you want to, I want you to become my mate in every way. It doesn't have to be right away. You can take as long as you need; I just don't want there to be any more hesitation on my part or for you to think that I don't want you because," he takes a step closer and runs that thumb over my lower lip. "I want you," his words are gravelly. "I've wanted you from the moment I first saw you. I just didn't let myself. When you're ready, if you want—"

He doesn't finish the sentence before I throw my arms around him. "I want," I tell him simply. He wraps his arms tightly around me and lifts me off my feet. And then his lips meet mine in a kiss that is nothing like the experimental kiss he gave me before. No, this one is hungry and desperate and filled with... love ? I return his kiss with my own passion, passion that has been brewing for a while. He groans low in his chest and pulls me even closer as he all but consumes me in a kiss. My skin begins to heat, and I think I'm going to combust. That is until somebody clears their throat, and my surroundings come crashing down around me. I pull back, gasping for air. Mav looks down at me, his eyes running over my face. Then a scowl fills his face. "You'd better have a really good reason for interrupting us," he growls.

Somebody coughs. "Cade needs you."

That pulls me out of my stupor. Embarrassment floods me when I remember that we're practically in the middle of an all-out war with rogue wolves, and Maverick and I are over here just making out like it's not a big deal. "I'll be there in a minute," Mav growls. "Look at me," he says gently when whoever it was that was bothering us is gone. I lift reluctant eyes to his. "We are not ashamed of this." He motions between the two of us. "Never of this." He stares into my eyes. "Did you mean it?" his question is quiet, almost uncertain.

"Mean what?" I ask. My brain is absolutely mush after that kiss.

"When I asked if you want to be my mate, and you said—"

"Yes." I interrupt. "I meant what I said, Mav." I hold his gaze, letting him see the sincerity in my eyes. "I want this."

He takes my hand and interlaces it with his. "I can't promise nice. I'm not nice, Healer."

I smile up at him. "I know, Beta. I don't want you to be something you're not. I just want you to be you. It's not like you're getting a great deal. I'm broken, remember?" I say, referencing the conversation we had the other day.

He growls low in his chest. "There is nothing broken about you. You're beautiful and strong."

I laugh. "I am not strong, Mav."

"Rose, you went against a rogue wolf. You got close enough to him to touch him, to heal him. That is not something that anybody in this pack has ever done or was even willing to do. You're more brave than everybody in this entire pack, myself included. And I know you're not getting anything special, but if you will let me, I will love you and protect you with my dying breath."

"Oh, Mav," I say, wiping a tear away. "That's all I've ever wanted."