Chapter 3

River Kane's POV

It had been days without Raven, and it truly felt weird. Almost like a vacuum had been left in my heart. I tried pushing it aside, especially after realizing that when she was available, we weren't always together.

“So, when are you going to send the money?” Elora stretched her palms in front of me. It was all that mattered to her ever since she moved back. Money. I had once felt my dad was punishing me when he stopped me from seeing her, but every day with her proved that he had made the right choice for me.

I thought I knew what love was... I didn't.

“What about the one hundred thousand dollars I sent you yesterday?”

She frowned, spreading her arms around me. “That was yesterday, and it's gone. I have to look good for the gram.”

“I love how you look.”

I pulled her closer, but she shrugged me off.

“I want to look better, and it requires money to do that.”

Heaving a sigh, I realized it was actually hopeless trying to argue with Elora. She would win anyway.

“I'll send it later.”

I stepped out of bed. I couldn't believe a request for money was the first thing I had to deal with in the morning.

“What about breakfast?”

I halted in my steps.

“Are you asking me that question? I should be asking you. You're the Luna.”

“You are the Alpha, so just call for it and stop arguing.”

Reluctantly, I reached for the house landline.

“Can you send breakfast now?”

“Yes, sir.”

They hung up.

I retreated to the bathroom. For some reason, it held beautiful memories. After my first night with Raven, we had also made out here and spent so much time talking about nothing in particular, but it had been fun.

After washing up, I stepped out of the bathroom to find breakfast arranged on the table. Elora was already eating, so I joined her before my phone buzzed.

It was Alex.

“What's up, man?”

“There's trouble!” His rough breaths accentuated his point.

“What trouble?”

“Council member Kim slumped during training today.”

My throat immediately dried up. Kim was the head of my administrative staff. He was the same man who had worked with my father, and I couldn't afford to lose him. He was the only person who knew how to run the pack's administration.

“How? Where is he now?”

“He's being brought to the pack house for immediate treatment because we're in the middle of an important deliberation. We really need him.”

Nodding affirmatively, I replied, “I know that. I'll get everything ready for him as soon as he gets here.”

Elora looked up immediately after I hung up.

“What's going on?”

I pushed back my chair and wiped my mouth with a napkin.

“One of my council members just slumped. He's been brought here.”

“Here?” She scoffed. “Shouldn't they be taking him to, like, a hospital?”

“It's a pack house. We're werewolves. A healer would do it better.”

I kissed her forehead.

“I have to go now.”

I rushed out to the healer's quarters. Lady Aurora was the oldest healer who had served the pack for as long as I could remember.

“The lady is taking her bath now. I can help you pass the message, my lord.”

I wished I could convey the message with such urgency that she would understand the desperation of the situation. But I'd rather wait for her.

I returned to the reception area to receive Council member Kim, who arrived in the company of his weeping wife and other members of the council.

“My lord... please save my husband,” she wept in a desperate tone,bowing her head.

“He's a member of this pack, and I'll do all I can to ensure he's safe”.

I led them into the council room. They wheeled his unconscious body to the center of the room.

“The healer will be here soon, so please, let's all exercise patience.”

Judging by the worry etched on their faces, I doubted they believed me, but words of encouragement were all I could offer until Lady Aurora arrived.

After five minutes that seemed like forever, Lady Aurora was led in by her apprentices. She leaned on her cane for support as she moved.

“Greetings, Alpha Kane.” She smiled, revealing her decaying teeth.

“This is my faithful ally, Kim. He slumped earlier today and is in desperate need of a healer.”

She nodded as I spoke, advancing toward Kim's body on the stretcher.

“I know Kim.” She smiled as her hands reached for his right arm.

She massaged it for a while before ordering, “Nine-centimeter scalpel.”

Her assistants handed it to her immediately.

“He has heart failure, but I'll wake him up.”

She made a slight incision on his right arm before stepping aside and taking a deep breath.

I had seen healers perform their duties several times, so when her hands waved in the air and the first spark appeared, I expected what would follow to be a bigger flicker of flame.

But it didn't happen.

Lady Aurora made several failed attempts to summon the fire, but nothing worked. She sucked in a breath before revealing the most disappointing truth.

“My lord, I'm sorry... I think my time is up.”

My heart raced.

“What do you mean your time is up? You're the pack's healer, and you're the best at it, so why can't you heal him?”

“I've always feared that my time as a healer was coming to an end.” She heaved a sigh. “And here it is. I'm sure my powers have weakened with time. It's time for the new healer to take over. Please take him to the pack doctor,now”. She commanded,her eyes laced with confusion and anxiety.

“What do you mean?”. I asked, confused and agitated.

I turned to her aides.

“So, which one of you is her successor? Time is of the essence. We have to save his life!”. I roared,with my eyes blazing uncontrollably.

“My lord!” Council member Kim's wife fell to the ground. “Please save my husband”. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

Her words added more pressure to the situation.

“Which of you is her successor?!”

“None of them!” Lady Aurora snapped.

“How?” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Shouldn't you already have a successor before your powers run out?”

“I do!” she affirmed with a stern face. “She's just not part of my aides.”

“So where is she? How long is it going to take to get to her?” Alex asked, echoing my urgency.

Lady Aurora shook her head.

“She should be here. Her healing gift was activated two weeks ago. I even told her how lucky she was to be the pack's Luna and healer.” She exhaled sharply, smirked knowingly and added. “For now,I will advise him to be taken to the doctor…..he also has a deep wound on his waist that had refused……”

“Wait!” I waved my hands, confused by her words. “Are you trying to say Elora is a healer?”

She frowned.

“Elora? Who's that? I'm talking about your Luna, Raven.”

Ice-cold dread ran down my spine.

This couldn't be happening.

“How? But... she never told me or anyone. Are you trying to say she's the pack's healer?”

She nodded affirmatively.

“She is, and you know a pack can only have one healer.”

How could Raven have kept such a secret from me?

Then again, how could I blame her when I was the one who had chased her away?

She had hidden her identity from me, and now I was beginning to wonder how much I had never known about the woman I thought I understood.

“Alex, get the cars ready. I don't know what it takes, but we have to get Raven back to this pack!”

I turned toward the door, my mind racing. Kim's life depended on finding her, and I wasn't prepared to lose him.

But one thought continued to haunt me.

Raven had hidden her identity as the pack's healer from me. What else had she kept secret, and would she even agree to return after what I'd done to her?