The Healer

Chapter 37

Victor POV

I sat silently watching her chest rise and fall with each silent breath. Her eyes closed, but she looked every bit the angelic beauty she was. Her long eyelashes fanned across her cheek. Her dark hair splayed out across her pillow, looking as if she was floating. A slight pink shade covered her face and her lips a rosy, red just begging to be kissed. If it weren’t for her passing out from shock, I’d be kissing them right now.

Thinking back to the events that led us here, I cringed at the thought of yelling at her. Especially dragging her up to the office and throwing her in the chair. What the hell was the matter with me?! I have never treated anyone, let alone Tori like that! Honestly, I was scared. Truly and honestly to the bone scared at what I had witnessed. Never before have I seen someone bring a being back from the dead. Maybe in black magic practices, they do that, but not a sweet, innocent healer like Tori. I knew Alpha Rick had some powerful healers on his mother’s side but not this level. Back from the dead? This is big news. Really big news. If anyone ever found out that she could bring the dead back to life, her life would be in danger. I swear on my life I would protect her until my last breath. She has already accepted being my mate, but Alpha won’t let us mark each other yet. I don’t think he has told Tori why, yet she deserves to know. Right now, Tori thinks he is ashamed of her and doesn’t want anyone to know. Which is the farthest from the truth. If he could, he would howl it to the entire state and regale them with stories of her childhood. As of now, it needs to be kept a secret. Since he has no Luna, his daughter is the next in line to be used against him. If it was found that she is his daughter, the threat of k********g is high. She could be used as leverage to gain wealth, warrior, or even the pack and power itself. As much as Alpha loved his daughter, he had a duty to protect his pack as well. Until he can guarantee her safety, her bloodline is to be kept quiet. Only Alpha, Gamma, and I know, and of course Tammy. I can bet that none of us will tell her secret. Now, Rick just must explain that to Tori, so she understands, but right now, she is not speaking to him. I don’t think she is all that happy with me either. I’ll deal with that when she wakes up. Which, apparently, will be soon as I hear groaning coming from her.

Slowly, Tori takes a deep breath and shuffles her legs before her eyes flutter and her head moves side to side. As her eyes open, they carefully inspect the room to learn where she had been taken. They land on me, and she goes still. Staring at me through her lashes with no emotion on her face, not a word is spoken. I sit just as still and take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. When she does speak, my heart stops at what I am not expecting.

“Well Beta, are you ashamed of me too?” Sitting up against the headboard of her bed, she realizes she is only in a T-shirt and pulls the blankets up to her chest.

“No Tori. I am not ashamed of you.” She studies me for a minute, then nods. I can’t figure out what is going through her mind. I doubt she will tell me, but I need to know. I love this woman, and I need her to know that and believe me.

“Tori… what are you thinking?” I’m playing with fire here, but we need to start somewhere.

“Well, I’m hungry. I have to pee. Where is Tammy when I need her and… oh yeah, my father and Beta are dickheads who don’t respect or care about me!” She yells without looking at me. Throwing her blankets off, she stumbles out of bed and shuffles to the bathroom. I remain in my seat so as not to startle her and wait for her to do her business. When she returns, she goes straight to her closet and disappears inside. I can hear her mumbling to herself, and it does not sound happy. Then, she goes quiet. I strain to listen for any sound. I hear a slight sniffle and then I smell her tears. Shaking my head, I stand and hesitantly walk over to the closet.

“Tori?” My hand slowly pushes open the door and I see her kneeling on the floor with her head in her hands. Her body trembles with each sob.

“Why is my father ashamed of me!? I would do anything to make him proud of me! Did he lie to me? Am I not what he wanted?” She cried into her hands and I couldn’t take it anymore. I sat down next to her and pulled her into my lap. My hands gently rubbing up and down her back as I let her sob into my shoulder. I’m sure there are many things on her mind, and she is letting them out through her tears. I didn’t question her or say anything. I will sit here forever if it makes her feel better.

“Shhh sweetheart. It’s okay. Your father does love you. He is so very proud of you as well.” She continues to cry. I place light kisses on the top of her head as she attempts to calm herself. Her breathing is interrupted by an occasional sob, but she is mostly calm and leaning against my chest as she straddles me.

“Why did you yell at me?” I hear her quietly ask between sobs. She wouldn’t look at me but remained soaking my shoulder. I sigh in frustration and squeeze her tighter. I placed a light kiss on her head before answering.

“I am so sorry I yelled at you baby. I wish I could take it back. I was just so scared at what I saw. I’ve never seen anyone do what you….did.” I held her gently to my chest as she calmed herself. She leaned back slowly and peered up at me through tear-soaked lashes.

“Are you scared of me?” Her lips started to tremble, and I knew she was about to break into sobs again.

“No baby, I was scared for you! You have a very unique power. Many people would love to have that kind of power. Or control the one that does.” She gave me a scrunched face. Honestly, she looked so adorable. “With that kind of power, anyone could control the balance of power. An Alpha would never die and leave the pack to an heir. A very selfish Alpha could live technically forever and upset the balance of continuing a bloodline. No heir is needed and therefore a decline in the population of Alpha blood. There would be fewer and fewer Alphas. Fewer challenges for control over packs. Alpha Rick is trying to think of a way to keep you safe. If it got out that you are his daughter, and have this healing power…..”

“I’d become a target.” I felt her tighten her grip on me and lean her head on my chest. I kept rubbing her back to soothe her anxious mind. Her fingers started playing with my hair and I could feel her heartbeat pick up. I leaned back to look at her. Those beautiful violet eyes staring back at me with so much emotion, so much need. Oh, how I wanted to claim her right here and now, but Alpha would have my head. Her fingers were like magic running through my hair and brushing against my neck. Sending chills down my spine and into my groin.

“Tori” She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against my chest.

“I know.” I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I held her tighter and set my chin on the top of her head. “You don’t have to say anything.” She dropped her arms and pulled her legs up so she could stand, but I grabbed her before she could.

“What are you talking about?” I frowned at her and hid the pain in my heart.

“I’ve just become a liability to you, my dad, and the pack. I need to leave.” She tried to stand again, but I held tighter, almost in anger. Sometimes she can be infuriating!

“Enough! I don’t want to hear you speak that way again! You are far from a liability!” She gave me a sad look and shook her head.

“I have just put everyone in danger by being here. You know as well as I do that everyone saw me heal Tyler, and Ryder. I guarantee that some of your older wolves know exactly what I did. You think they can keep that a secret?” I rolled her over onto her back on the closet floor when she tried to leave again. I straddled her so that her legs were trapped, and my arms were holding hers against her body. She had nowhere to go.

“You listen to me, and you listen good. You will not be leaving this pack! You belong here, with us! Do you think your father spent seventeen years looking for you just to find you have some freakish power and then leave?! He would be devastated! It would crush him!” She frowned at me and bowed her head.

“He would be crushed.” She repeated back to me. I was about to agree when Ivan perked up.

‘Careful dumbass. She’s testing you!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You just told her why she shouldn’t leave.’

‘Yeah’

‘Her father would be devastated.’

‘He would be. So?’

‘How do you feel?’

It dawned on me why she was upset.

“Tori” She bolted up to her feet and walked out of the closet. Apparently, she was speaking to me, but I was listening to Ivan and didn’t hear her. She thought I ignored her.

“Tori!” I called for her and ran out to the bedroom. She was grabbing her clothes and a towel as if heading to the shower. She didn’t even look at me, just stopped in her tracks, her back to me. I cautiously stepped up behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders. “Tori” I saw her head slightly move side to side and then I heard her sigh.

“I’ll be leaving in the morning. I’ll be at the Hidden Valley Pack. Send my things there.” She pulled away and before she could take one more step, I grabbed hold of her and threw her not too gently on the bed. I saw her bounce and then her eyes went wide. I jumped on top of her straddling her, again.

“You listen here little Missy!” I was inches from her face. Her violet eyes staring back at me in shock. My Goddess, she was beautiful! I wanted to claim her and mark her here and now, but I can’t. I was not about to let her leave; I certainly was not going to let her believe she was some liability to the pack! Yes, her father would be devastated, but me? I would not be able to live any longer if she left. I needed to tell her how I felt about her. Only, I suck at it and don’t know how.

“I… You….” I had no idea what I wanted to say. She waited patiently, a look of fear on her face as I stuttered out my words. I was so angry at her for feeling this way. I had no words to say, so, I did the only thing I could.

I took hold of her hair and smashed my lips to hers. I was not gentle. My kiss was rough, demanding, needy, and dominant. I was telling her she was mine and I wasn’t letting her go. After the initial shock, her hands started roaming down my shoulders and across my back where I could feel her nails digging in. Her hips were rotating against my groin causing me to moan deeply. Our tongues continued to collide with one another as we urgently tasted each other. We pulled back in need of air.

“Victor” Her breathless voice sounded so erotic, I closed my eyes and moaned again. Her hands came up to cup my face and I opened my eyes to find her staring back with determination in her eyes.

“Make me yours…mate” My eyebrows shot up and I saw a grin form on her face. She pulled me back down and kissed me again with her own fervor and dominating need.

No words were needed.