Page 38 of Healer's Call

I look down, uncomfortable with the praise, and take a bite of mashed potatoes. “Ooo these are really good. You’ll have to teach me how to make these.”

Amber’s eyes twinkle. “I will.” It’s quiet while we dig into our food, and I glance at the door, wondering if Maverick is coming.

“Sorry Mav couldn’t make it tonight,” Amber says, giving me a pointed smile. I look down and take another bite.

“Yeah, he’s been coming and going,” Cade says. “I’ve got him and several of the enforcers trying to run down leads for this poison.” His words have an edge to them.

“Have you figured anything out yet?” I ask.

“No. Paul sent us the results to the blood tests.” I sort of hold my breath as I wait for him to say more. He blows out a breath and meets Amber’s eyes for a moment. “I’m only telling you this because you’re a healer and need to know what you’re working with. This can’t go outside this room.”

“It won’t.”

“Paul isolated it,” he says, and I wait with bated breath. “It’s strychnine.” He glances over at me and must see that I’m totally lost. “It’s lethal to wolves. Well, it’s lethal to anybody, but it’s used on wolves in the wild sometimes.”

“That’s terrible! Why?” It’s the only word I’m capable of forming.

He shakes his head tersely, and Amber reaches out and puts her hand in his. “I don’t know. We also don’t know where it’s coming from, so we don’t know how to stop it or who to stop.”

I stare at him as his words sink in. “You think someone is deliberately doing this to your pack.”

His jaw tightens. “Yes, and when I find them, they are going to pay.”

I sit back in my chair, no longer hungry. Who would do that? My stomach hurts. “I’m...that’s so awful. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”

His face softens some. “Thanks, Rose. But you’re already helping our pack in a way we can never reciprocate.” Nobody says anything for a minute, and I see my chance to ask my question. I take a breath; it’s now or never.

“Will you tell me Maverick’s story?” I ask quickly before I lose my courage. I can tell I’ve surprised both of them.

Cade’s already shaking his head. “It’s Mav’s story to tell.”

“I know you told me that, but he’s never going to tell me. He’s never going to let me get close. I can’t even get him to talk to me. I just...I don’t know. I want to help him somehow. I think.”

Cade cracks a grin at that. “You think?”

“Well, you have to admit, the man is terrifying.”

“She’s not wrong,” Amber says as she stands up from the table and puts Paige on the floor and then picks up our plates. I start to stand up, but she motions for me to stay seated. “Tell her, Cade. She, of all people, deserves to know. You know he’s never going to tell her. I’ll make coffee.” She disappears a moment later, leaving me with Cade.

He’s quiet a moment, and I wonder if he’ll actually tell me. “Mav was nine when his six-year-old sister was brutally attacked by a wolf shifter.” I gasp at his words and clench my stomach. “He forced a shift early, but he was no match for the adult wolf.” I put my hands over my mouth, and my eyes tear up. He eyes me. “It gets worse. Can you handle it?” I nod because I need to hear this. I need to try to understand the man that is so difficult to be around. “Only a powerful wolf can force a shift that early. His pack knew he would be an alpha one day, and that didn’t sit well. His dad beat him daily, partly to punish him for what happened to his sister and partly to beat him into submission. The other adult men tried to beat him into submission as well. Mav was young and angry, and he fought back. He was too strong, and that just made it worse.” Amber comes back in with a cup of coffee and sets it in front of him. “Thanks, Love.”

“What happened?” I whisper.

“I became alpha of this pack at twenty. Maverick was fifteen. I knew his story from visiting with their pack a few times. They’re only about three hours from here. I told him he was welcome in my pack as long as he chose to come under my leadership.”

I stare at Cade with a newfound respect. “He wasn’t a threat to you?”

Cade gives a dry laugh. “Oh, he’s always a threat to me. He could challenge me for alpha any time, and it would be a challenge, that’s for sure. But no, I don’t worry about Mav. He pledged his loyalty to me, and I don’t ever doubt it. I trust himnot just with my life but with the lives of my mate and my daughter and my pack.” He turns his head to me. “Mav is rough. He's mean and ornery and impossible to get close to, but he’ll die for those he loves. He’s more loyal than anybody you’ll ever meet, and that’s why he’s my beta and my friend. I know he’s hard to get close to, but once you know what he went through as a child, you understand.” He shakes his head. “No child should have to go through what he did.”

“I don’t understand,” I say, my voice cracking. “I thought wolf packs were all about family.”

“Not all packs. There are some really awful packs out there,” he says quietly. “You’ve been in a really good pack. I wish they were all that way. Dominance trumps family in some packs.”

“And his mom?” I ask, not sure if I even want to know.

“She died giving birth to his sister.”

There’s a heavy silence in the room, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Thank you for telling me,” I whisper. “I think I’m going to head back to my room, if that’s okay.” Cade and Amber exchanged worried glances. “I needed to know,” I say, cutting off anything they’re going to say. I stand up and push my chair in. “Thank you for dinner.”

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