The Healer

Chapter 16

Alpha Merrick POV

I could not contain myself as I paced a hole in the carpet as I wondered from one end of my office to the other. Occasionally I would peer out the bay windows.

She was here.

My daughter was here.

After all these years, I finally found her. After chasing so many leads, so many sightings. More often than not they were dead ends or mistaken identities. By the luck of the Goddess, my Gamma’s mate just so happens to be best friends with her. What are the odds! If the Goddess were here, I’d kiss her feet for eternity!

I have no idea what she looks like now. Of course, she’ll have her mother’s traits and maybe some of mine. I’m sure she’s just as beautiful as her mother was. During the search and investigation of Tori, Victor found out a bit about her childhood. I learned that after they left, they spent a few years roaming from place to place barely being able to support the both of them. She went to nursing school and found a job as a nurse at small clinic. She met Chase, married, and started a new life together, but had no children of their own. I was happy to hear that Tori became a nurse like her mother. Until a few years ago when Sara was diagnosed with breast cancer, passing away a year later. I was extremely saddened by the news as I loved Sara very much.

I was young and arrogant and stupid, and I may not have treated her the way a mate should be, but I did love her. Tori was my world, my life and when they disappeared that night, I lost all reason, including my temper. My own pack members wouldn’t come anywhere near me for fear of being the recipient of my unpredictable wrath. I would lock myself away in my office for days at a time studying maps and territories on where they could have possibly run to. I called every pack within a hundred miles of here asking Alpha’s to keep an eye out for them and to call with any news. I had my Beta and Gamma scouring all over the southern US looking for any clues to their whereabouts.

Over the years, I received a few calls from neighboring Alphas, but they turned out to be dead ends. I was almost at the point of giving up. It got so bad that I hid in the bottom of a bottle, usually whiskey, on most nights. Unable to sleep due to the horrifying nightmares that would come. There was no need to go on if I didn’t have my family with me. I was ready to hand the pack over to Victor and spend my life alone as a rogue Alpha destined to become feral. Even after my disgusting treatment of my pack, they still supported me and the search. They understood the need for finding my family. After all, they wanted their Luna back home safe along with my heir. I was spiraling into nothingness. My warriors who had pups of their own, sympathized with my plight and would keep me occupied with training or sparring to release my anger or helplessness. On occasion, they would have to chain me down in silver when my wolf went on a rampage looking for his mate and pup.

Until one day when I received a call from Eric, my Gamma that he had a promising lead. Although he had been mated to Tammy for almost a year at the time, he hadn’t met her friend Tori, until about 3 months ago. Even then, he had to research and verify the information he was getting. One night they decided to go to a club to unwind and Eric had texted Victor to meet them there. Victor would stay behind in the shadows and follow them hoping to gather some evidence proving it was my daughter. Victor had explained the events of the evening and how Tori was arguing with an ex-boyfriend. He had laid his hands on her, which did not sit right with me at all, I wanted to rip the guy’s head off. But hearing what Tori did, made me as proud as I could be when he stated that she hauled off and punched the guy right in the face. Even Victor puffed a little in pride at his friend.

Here I sit, waiting patiently for Tori to wake up. My heart wrenched terribly in my chest when I saw her faint the first time. I tried not to come across too overbearing, but I was just so happy and relieved that she was there. My wolf Apache, was pacing in my head and howling for his pup. Scared that something was wrong with her after fainting, he was ready to tear the world apart for her. It took some time to calm him down after explaining that she just fainted due to the shock of everything. Although both of our patience was wearing thin, we would wait a lifetime for Tori to come around.

I turned in my chair and gazed out my window. I saw the warriors training in the sparring fields. Some in wolf form and others in human. I was very proud of my warriors and the rest of the pack. Everyone of them stepped up to care for one another and protect each other during my time of reclusiveness. I earned the “Evil and Ruthless Alpha” title during that time, but they never left me. They never betrayed me or try to take over. They believed in me and knew that one day we would find my Luna and daughter and we’d all be a family again. Unfortunately, they would never have their Luna again, but they would have the heir. Victoria, my daughter, my heir. Will one day take over for me becoming the Alpha of the pack. It was not normal practice to have a female as Alpha of a pack, but In my eyes, she will be my successor. If she takes a mate, then he will take over as Alpha, it’s up to Tori. I did notice Victor becoming quite protective over her. They were very close when they were young, and even now that they are together again. I see the way he looks at her like she is the only woman in the world. He admires her strength and her beauty. He won’t say as much, but I feel the possessiveness he has when Tori is around others. I can tell he is fighting his wolf to pull her away so no one can touch her. I know they are not fated mates, but if they did choose each other, that would make me very happy. Victor is more than capable of taking over the pack. Tori would be his second chance mate, so I know he would treat her like a queen. If he is ready, I have no objection.

I mind link Victor to bring Tori to the office when she is awake. He answers that they will be here shortly. My heart flutters and my mind racing. I’m almost embarrassed at myself for how nervous I am. I sit behind my desk and look at some files I needed to sign. I close my eyes and attempt to control my breathing. I can hear Jeremy in the hallway asking Tori if she’d come to the bonfire this evening. She tells him that she will try to attend. That would be wonderful if she could some of the pack, to integrate back into pack life. Hopefully she will give it a chance and not run away. I hear Victor knock on the door. I take one last calming breath and answer.

“Come” I look down at my file, my hands shaking just a bit as they step into my office. I look up to her and see her bright and shining violet eyes surveying me. I hold no emotion on my face, but my eyes light up when I see her. She looks well, maybe a little tired, but well. I can tell she is nervous about being here, so I try to relax and make her feel comfortable.

“Tori” I greet easy enough as I try not to let my excitement, or my impatient wolf take over.

“Alpha” She greets in return with a slight bow. She keeps her head down waiting for my command. It may be a sign of respect, but she is my daughter, she does not need to bow to me. I stand up from my desk and walk around to the other side. I stop in front of her and lean against my desk.

“Look at me” I said gently. She slowly raises her head and looks me in the eye. Normally that would suggest a challenge, looking an Alpha in the eye. But here, she is showing her strength and lack of fear in facing me. She knows nothing about me and yet she still looks me in the eye. Of course I would never lay a hand on her, but she doesn’t know that. I respect her for it, Apache stands tall with a wolfy grin on his face. “That’s my pup!” He exclaims proudly. I mentally agree with him and nod.

“How are you feeling?” I ask softly.

“I’m okay, thank you, I believe I’m over the initial shock of things. It all seems so sudden, but I’m glad…. “ She stops suddenly and lowers her eyes. Her heart rate spikes, and she becomes nervous again.

“Glad for what?” I ask.

“I’m… glad we got t-to m-meet.” Her face becomes flush, and her eyes are still down. She braves a quick glance at me and lowers them again. She was getting more nervous waiting for my reply. Thinking I did not want her here or did not feel the same.

“Me too, Tori.” I sighed closing my eyes trying to remain calm. I did not want to overwhelm her with my happiness and relief of having her here after so long. I take a seat in front of the desk and motion to the other one beside me for her to sit.

“Well, I guess you may have some questions for me?” My posture is relaxed with my legs crossed and my hands folded in my lap portraying a comfortable setting. She takes a seat and holds her hands together. Taking a breath as she thinks.

“Ok, wow, where do I start?” She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. “Alpha… “ I immediately hold up my hand and shake my head.

“You can call me Rick. Alpha is too formal, especially from my own daughter. Until you are comfortable around me to call me dad.” I interject with a hopeful look. Still remaining calm, I see a ghost of a smile on her face as she contains her surprise at my response.

“Alright. Rick…. “ She asks me if I have any more children. Sadly enough, her mother and I never got the chance to have more although we wanted a large family. I explain briefly about my mistakes and behavior that I’m not proud of. I never took a chosen mate after Sara left. I couldn’t do it. I only wanted my Luna. I have gone through hell to get where I am now, and I want to move forward in a positive light. I try to move the conversation towards Tori. I ask her about herself. She tells me about her nursing career, that her best friend is Tammy, my Gamma female. I was surprised that of all people to be so close to it turned out to be my Gamma female. I am certainly not going to question it, it brought her to me. I heard a slight growl from Victor when she mentioned being friends with Eric.

“Problem Beta?” I mind link Victor with a hint of teasing.

“My apologies Alpha. My wolf didn’t like hearing that.” I chuckle to myself as I look on at Tori.

“No worries Victor” I grin at Victor and he turns his head hiding his flushed face.

We sat there for awhile talking about her childhood, all her activities and interests. She mentions Dr. MacDonald had given Sara a job and that’s where she met her husband. I had to suppress a growl, but I couldn’t blame her too much. Sara had a hard time assimilating into wolf life. Although the pack loved her, it was my mistakes that sent her running. I was glad to know that her new husband treated her well and took care of Tori. It sounds like she had a full and happy childhood with her stepfather, Chase. She cared for him deeply. I had a ping of jealousy and hurt, but again, it was my fault it happened. She started tearing up when she spoke about herm other being diagnosed with cancer and then passing away about a year later. I had to close my eyes and take a breath before I lost control of my own emotions. Shaking my thoughts away, I leaned forward and grabbed her hands and squeezed.

“Tori, I am really sorry to hear about your mother. I want you to know that I loved her with everything I had. I wish I could go back and change history and make better choices. She was an incredible and amazing person. She taught me so much about myself and best of all… she gave me you. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. Unfortunately, I went down a dark path. The rogue attacks were getting worse, and it was weighing on me heavily. I turned to the bottle and that became my best friend.” I dropped my shaking head and took a deep breath. “One night, I let it get the best of me and your mother found me with… another woman. I had so much to drink that night that I didn’t even comprehend what I was doing. Not that that is an excuse or justifies anything. My poor choice cost me my mate and my pup. I can only ask for your forgiveness and hope that we can move forward in a different light. To rebuild our relationship however you want to. I will always be here for you.” I looked her in the eye to show my truth. I hadn’t planned to show my vulnerabilities like this, but to late. It’s all out there now and in her hands. I plead in my mind for her to at least accept that I want to do better by her and for her. I expect it to take time and slowly build as much as she’s comfortable with.

I could see in her eyes the inner turmoil playing in her mind. Wondering if I’m being honest or not. Whether she was ready to or not. Her eyes were glossy with unfallen tears. I suddenly felt bad that I caused her to cry. Apache was yelling at me in my head for hurting out pup. I was about to stand up and leave the room thinking she needed space, when she did the least expected thing.

She jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around my neck. Instantly, I caught her out of reflex and wrapped my arms around her and held tight. Her tears were now falling and wetting my shoulder. I brought my hand up and gently stroked her hair trying to calm her.

“It’s okay sweetheart, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” I held her tight and cooed to her telling her it was okay and I’m here for her. She sat across my lap as she had a death grip on me with her tears flowing down her face and onto my shirt. She wiggled her face into my neck and I could hear her smelling my scent. I was holding her tight giving her the time she needed to let it all out. I have waited so long for this very moment and I vowed to myself and the Goddess to always be there for her. I would never leave her again. I will give my life to protect her and make her happy. She leaned back and wiped her face with an embarrassed smile on her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry like a baby. I’m just so happy that we found each other.” She whispered in between sobs. I continued to sooth her by rubbing her back giving her time to calm down.

“No need to be sorry. I’m just glad we did find each other will make a new start.” She nodded happily and took a deep cleansing breath and moved back to her seat. I glanced up at Victor and saw him with a genuine smile across his face.

“I’m happy for you Alpha” He mind linked me and I just grinned in return. I took a moment to look at my girl as she continued to wipe her eyes and straighten herself out. Once she had calmed down a bit, I decided to move onto the next bit of business.

“I think we have something important to talk about.” I saw Tori freeze in her chair and look wide-eyed over at me.

“Umm… what… what would that be?” She fidgeted in her seat before hesitantly looking at me.

“I believe we need to talk about you going to another territory.” I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms against my chest. I gave a pointed look at my daughter as I waited for her to explain. She glanced up at Victor who was trying not to chuckle at her obvious discomfort.

“Well…. “ She started before sighing deeply and slowly leaning back in her chair defeated.