Asa is running, running from her captor and everything she's known for the past two years. With her daughter in her arms and a handful of secrets, she crosses the Northern border into safety. Stay hidden. Stay Safe. That's the name of the game. But...
They arrived at the hospital in silence. Even Luna hadn't made a sound as if she could feel the tension in the air and choose not to interrupt it.
Zane's pace was hard to keep up with. His jaw was clenched, his mind racing with new thoughts about his mate and what she had been through. Beneath the surface, he was angry that she hadn't trusted him, but further beneath the surface he wanted to understand her reasons.
Asa could smell them before they even entered the doorway. Although she was aware of every one of Zane's movements, her focus turned to the suffering before her. She'd seen it before.
They need you.
Without thinking, Asa turned to Holly and handed Luna to her. Their eyes met for a moment, an understanding passing between them.
Asa's eyes scanned the room. Everyone had stopped, the silence was deafening, but the feeling in the air had changed. She could smell their blood and their fear, but also their astonishment.
There were children huddled together all alone with no one to hold them and mothers clinging to those they could reach. Some of the men who had survived were in bad shape, bleeding, fatigued, fighting to stay alive.
Without examining any injuries, Asa could estimate their pain. Breaks, fractures, cuts, bruises and swelling. It filled her with hatred for the man who had caused their suffering. How long would he be in control? How long would he continue to harm the innocent in his quest for power?
Asa's body was suddenly not her own. Power pulsed beneath her fingertips. She put her hand on Zane's arm to hold him back, a zap of electricity sparked between them. Her eyes briefly met his and for the first time, she willingly opened their link.
Someone must care for Luna. I will need to heal when I'm finished.
She didn't add that it had been nearly six years since she had used her powers, but she left her mind open for him in a way she had never done before.
His eyebrows pulled together in confusion and then surprise as he felt her mind connect to his.
Asa stepped forward. Her head snapped to the right. There was a young healer in the room, hiding behind her mother. So young and innocent, unaware of the power she was capable of.
He will not do this to any more healers or their families. Her wolf growled in her mind. We must do this for all.
The entire building remained silent as Asa made her way around the room. She began with those closest to her, and those with the worst injuries, laying her hands upon them and taking the pain from their bodies, absorbing it into her own. She felt every bruise, every break, every fracture. Yet, her eyes still flashed bright with power and compassion.
Whispers began after she healed the first woman and they did not wean as she moved around the room.
"Are you the moon goddess?" One of the little boys asked as she healed him.
"No," Asa replied with a smile. "But I have been blessed with my powers from her."
Zane's eyes never left Asa. He followed her around the room. Through their mind link, he could read every emotion, every thought, and he knew she was aching with the pain from their wounds. Towards the end, the light in her eyes began to fade. Her energy would not last much longer. Her thoughts were beginning to go back to her time of imprisonment. Zane could see the images so clearly in his head it made him sick with anger and regret.
Who was this remarkable woman? His mate...
The last man she healed was the hardest. As she laid her hands upon his arm, her head fell back and she collapsed into Zane's arms.
There was a collective gasp around the room as Zane pulled her into his arms. Through their mind link, he could feel that she was alive but weak.
From the corner of the room, Miriam stepped forward. Zane's eyes met hers.
"Alright, dearies. I'd say we've had enough excitement for the night. Let's get you all settled for the night."
Zane was barely aware of any thing else as he slipped out the door with Asa still in his arms.
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Zane hadn't moved for two hours. He had placed Asa gently on his bed in the pack house, called for Miriam when she was able, and pulled up a chair.
His wolf had been unusually quiet. Was it fear he sensed within him?
Zane ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He knew she would be ok. He could just sense it, but how long would it take her to wake up? How could one person heal that many wolves at once and live?
He'd heard of healers before, their prophecies and legends. He'd even met one in Greece a few years ago, but he'd never known one, not personally.
What exactly had she been through? He knew she must have been abused by someone, a lover, boyfriend? His wolf growled within him, but the man in him shook him off. Was that the reason she was hiding her powers, her true identity? Had her trust been broken so completely that she felt the need to hide even here in such an infamous pack?
Zane rubbed his temples. He needed the truth. He needed all of it. He didn't care how long it took. He would hear her story from start to finish and he would protect her at all costs.
