Page 14 of The Healer

“We’ll make do with what we have, although, there is a broken faucet in one of the bathrooms. I told Noah about it.”

“School supplies?” If he didn’t ask, she wouldn’t tell him.

“I asked for donations from the Inner City Educational Board, and they delivered a few boxes.”

Donations? He grimaced, not liking the bitter taste of its implications.

She darted around the couch and threw her arms over his shoulders, smacking a wet kiss on his cheek. “Quit worrying. I got this, and Brianna and I will come to you or Noah if we need something we can’t organize.”

He patted her arm, huffing at her silliness. Noah strode into the lodge; his blond hair still damp from a shower. He carried two coffees from their local café. Rhys accepted one with a nod, having skipped his morning ritual to repair his leaking roof.

Madison bumped her hip against Noah’s as she left.

“Heard the ruckus this morning. You okay?” He dropped into a chair but leaned forward to cradle his coffee between his knees.

“My leaky roof.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Rhys relished the lingering twang of worked muscles. “What has you up so early?”

“Sawyer stopped by on his way to the Inner City precinct.” Noah sipped his coffee as if he had news to share but wasn’t sure how. “Callie’s planning on running with the teams tonight.”

“She what?” Rhys jerked, then bolted to his feet, pushing his bulk off the creaking sofa. He placed his half-drunk coffee on the desk and swiped his keys.

“Callie wants to patrol to see how our units are operating.” Noah trailed him, shoving one hand deep into his chino pocket while he sipped his coffee.

“Is she fucking insane?” Rhys ran a hand over his face. “I can’t allow the Huntress to disrupt everything.”

It was madness to have agreed to this idea in the first place. But he had wanted to be close to her, to try to understand why her blood had triggered the mating call. Now that the units were rolling out and continuing on its own steam, they didn’t need to involve themselves. She didn’t need to.

“She has a right to be there with the pal’tsy as much as you do with our unit.” Noah leaned on the porch’s wooden pillar, crossing his ankles like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Dimitri shouldn’t have put her in charge of his assassins. Gabe shouldn’t have let her out of his sight.” Rhys paced on the lawn in front of the porch.

“And you shouldn’t have imprinted on her.” Noah’s soft words sliced through the ozone-scented tension.

Air whooshed out of Rhys’s lungs, and he slumped against the side of the SUV. Just like that, Noah cut to the heart of the matter. “I didn’t, but it was a close thing.”

Noah crossed the lawn to him. “Blood doesn’t lie.” He held out his palm, waiting for the keys.

Rhys grumbled under his breath, ignoring his bear’s tantrum, and dropped the keys into Noah’s hand. “I swear, that woman will be the death of me.”

“I’ll drive. Let’s head to Dimitri’s and have him resolve this. She, at least, listens to him.”

Rhys in the front passenger seat, gripped his knees as Noah drove along the winding driveway to the main road. He wanted to drive, to have something to hold onto. Bruising his knees was his only option. Tension pinged off every muscle, intensified by his lack of sleep.

If it wasn’t for the loss of a potential mate haunting him, it was discovering all their cubs and pups caged and in danger or stumbling on something Alrik had done. Not every secret had been revealed. The unknown plagued Rhys.

Noah snuck glances at him, his knuckles white where he clasped the steering wheel. Rhys tried to calm his bear and his alpha essence pulsing outward, conveying his heightened emotions and stress levels.

“Did Jase talk to you?” Noah’s soft question spiked Rhys’s heart rate.

“Yes, and I agreed, just not now.”

“I’ll set a date, and you’ll fucking stick to it, Rhys. Take care of yourself before taking care of us.”

Rhys harrumphed. “That was Alrik’s attitude, and look where that landed us.”

“I’m talking emotionally and physically, not financially. You’re not power-hungry, so quit comparing yourself to Alrik, but if you keep up this pace, you’ll burn out.” Noah stopped at a traffic light. “A weak alpha is worthless to the pack.”

“Weak?” Rhys roared, throwing a swing.

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