Page 48 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part One

Leo and I lingered in bed a bit longer before finally deciding it was time to get out of bed and get our day started. As he was helping me carry the tray and everything else down to the kitchen, he froze mid-step, his face going pale.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, worry swamping me.

“I remembered.” His voice was so soft, as if he was afraid he’d scare the recollection away by speaking too loudly. “I remember the name of the man who took Ricky away.”

“Holy shit! Really? What is it?” In an instant, I had my digital notepad ready.

“Chadwicke Plutus,” he said with so much derision I was surprised actual acid didn’t drip from his lips and burn through my floor. “That’s the bastard who collared my friend.”

18

LEO

This can’t be real.

“Leo, you okay?”

I swallowed hard, reminding myself that I needed to blink. I did so, slowly, and tried to pull my thoughts together.

“That’s him,” I barely managed to breathe, my brain consumed by a maelstrom.

When Ven had called me over to her computer to see what she’d found, I had expected maybe a tiny lead about large wolf sightings in a quiet neighborhood, or an illegal animal hoarder being busted. The last thing I’d anticipated was the face of the smug bastard who’d taken Ricky away like some kind of pet.

Seeing his face triggered a release from my brain, and dozens of memories rushed through my head.

The man’s too-white teeth as he laughed, as if enslaving sentient beings was the most hilarious thing ever. His dark hair, dutifully coiffed with products that no doubt cost more than the average person earned in a month. The suit so painfully designer that even years of saving wouldn’t be enough to afford it. The malevolent glint in his eyes as he locked a shock collar around my beta’s neck.

And he wasn’t alone.

Five figures in all, gloating and celebrating like they were having the time of their lives.

The hand on my shoulder jerked me out of the surge of memories, and I looked into Ven’s dark brown eyes. She had the most beautiful gaze, and it calmed the storm trying to consume my thoughts.

“Leo, are you all right? You’re shaking.”

“I’m remembering,” I ground out, trying to focus on the screen in front of me, but it was so incredibly blurry, like I was a wolf who couldn’t read again.

“Remembering what?” Ven asked. Her voice was so full of concern, it anchored me back in the moment. She really had a knack for saving my skin, but I couldn’t be pulled out of the deluge of memories yet—not when I was so close to remembering something that seemed so goddamn important.

Closing my eyes, I tried to picture those five figures to remember anything I could about them. Some of their features came into focus, like auburn hair or dark curls, bright yellow eyes or even shining purple, but no full faces. Other than Chadwicke, of course, who looked every bit of the smarmy asshole I’d envisioned him as ever since I remembered his name.

But who were the others? I knew that somewhere, locked deep within me I knew, and it was vital information. I dug for it, scouring through my mind, trying to figure out what group of four would want to hurt my pack on such an intimate level.

That’s when I remembered that there should have been seven.

Fuck!

“I remember who cursed my pack!” Adrenaline poured through me like I hadn’t felt in years. I grabbed Ven by her arms and spun the two of us around, so happy I could cry. Who knew, maybe I was.

“I thought you already remembered that it was this Chadwicke douche I found.”

I shook my head. “He was only a part of it. It was an entire group. Wait, no, not a group—afamily.”

“A family? What do you mean?”

Ven had an adorable habit of repeating what I said in the form of a question. I found it endearing.

“Seven sons. They were the seven sons of a powerful witch,” I said. My voice trembled, but I didn’t care. My thoughts flicked between the present and the past, but instead of feeling overwhelmed or confused, I was having a revelation. “I… I can’t remember her name, but I know she’s someone you wouldn’t want to mess with.”

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