Page 67 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part Two

I had to do right by her and my pack.

With one last fleeting look at Ven curled up on her bed in the middle of the greenhouse, I pulled the gem out of my pocket and headed out into the night.

No matter what, my pack was going to live.

18

VANESSA

Iwoke up with a lazy yawn, my dreams having been vague but pleasant. Eyes still closed, I reached over, feeling for Leo. There was nothing quite like a sleepy, early-morning cuddle before my bladder got too insistent and I had to run inside to the upstairs bathroom. Unfortunately, the downstairs half-bath had been destroyed, along with the kitchen, my reading area, and part of my living room. There had been talk about getting a porta potty, but no one had gotten their hands on one yet. It certainly made things more complicated.

All thoughts of the bathroom fled my head as my hand found nothing but an empty space next to me. Brow furrowing, I patted this way and that, but no, Leo wasn’t there.

I finally rolled over, cracking my eyes open. I had to admit, I was quite disappointed to see his side of the bed was utterly empty, and when I rested my hand in the slight indentation his body had left on my mattress, it was cold.

Oh, well. It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for him to get up before I did. Shifters didn’t need as much sleep as humans. Still, I hurriedly threw on some appropriate clothes and headed out to find him. I couldn’t even be mad because if he was gettingup at the crack of dawn, it meant he was taking the planning seriously, and that was all I’d asked of him.

When he’d first admitted he was going to hand himself over to Katarina, my heart had shattered into a million pieces. All of a sudden, the future I had begun to believe could be mine was gone in a puff of smoke. I couldn’t believe it. Thankfully, I’d gotten Leo to see reason.

“Hey, have you seen Leo?” I asked Tabitha as she came out of the bathroom.

“Uh, no, I can’t say that I have. But I only got up, like, twenty minutes ago.”

“Oh, that’s okay. No worries.”

In truth, I was starting to get worried.

I tried to keep myself calm as I went from group to group, but a sinking feeling grew in my gut with every person who hadn’t seen him. He wasn’t with Ricky. He wasn’t with the mercenaries. He wasn’t in the garden.

I asked every single shifter, which took me nearly an hour. When I knocked on the door of the last RV and the shifter inside said they hadn’t seen him since the night before, I came to a truly horrifying conclusion.

No, I had to be wrong. He’d promised me he wouldn’t do it.

He promised!

Hoping against all hope that I was wrong, I ran back to the greenhouse as if I would suddenly find him there. But there was no strapping alpha waiting for me. Only my cats and my mattress.

No.

No, no,no!

It was getting harder to deny by the second, and I sank to my knees, fighting off the urge to scream. I had to be wrong. I just had to.

My cats were all over me, sensing my heightened stress levels. Mudpie was head-butting my side, demanding attention, while Fork was sniffing around, no doubt trying to figure out what had upset me. Goober caught my attention. Or rather, the folded piece of paper tied in a loose ribbon around his neck.

It was a miracle it hadn’t fallen off as it was quite slack, but I took it with trembling hands and unfolded it. I knew what it had to be, and yet I didn’t want to believe it, even as I began to read the hastily scrawled words.

My darling Ven,

I amsorry to do this. I know what I promised, but I also know what I must do. I don’t need you to understand, but I do need you to keep yourself safe.

My entire life has been one of uncertainty and violence. Even before I had to fight the usurper who orphaned so many of us, I still faced challenges no child should have to go through. My life was not meant to be an easy one, and I’ve always known that.

Meeting you changed all that, my beautiful Vanessa, and nothing will ever take that away from us. You showed me things and gave me experiences many alphas can only ever dream of. I want you to rest easy knowing how much joy you brought me.

I know you struggle to see it in yourself, but I promise you, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’d do everything all over again as long as it ensured I met you. Your kindness. Your smile. I love all of it. And I carry it with me in my chest as I march to my end. I wish we could spend more time together, I do, because even a hundred years wouldn’t be enough.

I am so incredibly grateful for the time we’ve had.

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