Chapter 66

Claire POV

I sighed as I sat back in my seat, feeling pleasantly tired after another healing session at home with my father.

Healing always took a bit out of me, and lately it seemed my headaches were also triggered by doing too much in one day, but I always felt so calm and satisfied after using my abilities.

And Dad was responding so well to the increased treatments. Now that I lived in the palace, I was able to administer almost daily treatment.

His wolf was calmer, less easily agitated now. And Dad told me every day that he hadn’t felt this fit and healthy in a long time.

“Another excellent session, darling. Have I told you lately how extraordinary your gift is?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s been forever. Since yesterday, at least,” I joked.

He reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. “Well then, allow me to say it again: your abilities truly are miraculous.”

I thought about telling him of my hopes to actually cure his frenzy condition. And my dream of taking what I was learning about the disease during our sessions and using it to develop a treatment for everyone suffering the terrible fits and rages.

Being hopeful was far from having an actual cure, however, and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I decided to wait until I was sure.

But at the clinic, I couldn’t help but share my hopes with Dr. Baldwin. I knew he’d understand how much work there was left to do, but also how exciting even the possibility of a cure was.

He joined me in my office for our regular morning meeting and planning session. When he asked me how my morning had been before coming in, I couldn’t help but tell him everything I’d stopped myself from telling Dad.

“Princess…” He trailed off, clearly emotional. It was an unexpected reaction, certainly not the excitement I’d been expecting.

He cleared his throat. “That truly is incredible to hear. I - I don’t speak of it often, as you know how taboo the subject of frenzy can be. But my own mother suffers from the condition.”

I reached across the table and touched his hand. “Baldwin, I had no idea.”

“Of course not. Like I said, it’s just not something people are supposed to talk about. But you’re not just talking about it, are you, Claire?

“You’re curing it.”

“Well, I’d say a cure isn’t guaranteed, and it’s definitely still quite a way off. But I am hopeful, yes. Can you…”

I hesitated, but I was too curious not to ask.

“Your mother, how is she doing?”

Clearly troubled by the topic, he took a moment to respond. “Not well, I’m afraid. Her condition has declined enough in the last few years that I had to move her to a private long term care facility specializing in patients with her issues.”

He shook his head. “I try, every time I visit, to help her. To treat her, somehow. But frenzy is such a complex disease. I am astounded, Princess, that you’ve been treating it in your father so successfully.”

I thought about this conversation as I made my rounds to patients throughout the day.

Was I truly the only one who’d been able to treat this terrible condition?

While that seemed like progress, I also realized that I could be doing even more to help, by sharing the knowledge I’d gathered so far with other doctors. Especially other healers like Dr. Baldwin.

So when an elderly patient was rushed to the clinic by her terrified family, a patient clearly experiencing her very first full-frenzy episode, I realized I’d been handed the perfect opportunity.

“Dr. Baldwin!” I called out, catching sight of him down a hallway. “Come with me.”

He followed me down a different hall, toward an exam room where the sounds of an older wolf clearly in distress could already be heard.

“Princess, what’s going on?”

“A frenzy patient. I want to show you what I’ve been doing, so you can treat your mother. And so we can begin sharing our knowledge with other doctors and healers.”

Inside the room, the woman admitted by her family had shifted, and now her wolf was nearly mad with fear and anger.

She was surrounded by her frantic family and two nurses, everyone trying to restrain her for her own safety. While also dodging her snapping jaws and the quick swipes of her still razor-sharp claws.

“Stay back!” Dr. Baldwin cried as soon as he saw what was going on inside the room. He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me behind him. Protecting me.

While I appreciated the gesture, I gently laid my hand over his.

“It’s alright, Baldwin. Trust me.”

He looked at me for a long moment, then at the chaos going on behind me. “Alright,” he said eventually, letting go of my arm. “But be careful. Please. I know how bad this could get.”

He knew because, like the family around the woman, he’d no doubt had to deal with his mother experiencing just such an episode.

Sympathy - for Dr. Baldwin, for this family, and most of all for this woman - filled me as I stepped forward. I let it grow as I drew on my healing abilities, pulling them up from my very core.

The familiar soft warm glow began to emanate from my hands. The family, eyes wide, stepped back to let me through.

And the wolf of the old woman stared at me. Still growling, it watched me as if it was in a trance while I began to speak to her.

“It’s alright,” I said, keeping my voice low and gentle. “I’m here to help you. I can help you. Don’t be afraid.”

Once she let me lay a hand on her head, I used my abilities to scan inside of her, diving deep until I found the woman trapped within the frenzy. Once I did, I focused on drawing her out.

And within moments the wolf had calmed enough to allow her to shift back. Suddenly an exhausted older woman was laying on the bed.

Her family rushed forward, relieved, and comforted her when she looked around in confusion.

“Princess, that was…” Dr. Baldwin was clearly deeply moved as we stepped back out into the hall to give the family some space to recover together.

Emotion swirled in his eyes as he stared at me. “I don’t even have words for what I just witnessed. Thank you. Thank you for your work, and for sharing it with me.”

Now that the healing was over, the familiar fatigue was settling into my shoulders. But I smiled up at him.

“I’m glad I had a chance to show you that so soon after our conversation. I hope now you can - ”

I cried out in pain as what felt like lightning suddenly stabbed through my temples, nearly doubling over with the force of it.

“Claire!”

The alarm in Dr. Baldwin’s voice registered, as did the fact that he put his arm around me and led me down the hallway. But the pain was so bad I couldn’t respond to him, or even keep track of where we were going.

It was all I could do just to put one foot in front of the other.

By the time he sat me down in a chair I was shivering and nauseous with pain. And also afraid.

This was the worst headache yet. In fact, it was the worst pain I’d ever experienced in my life.

What was happening to me??

Then I felt Baldwin’s cool and soothing touch as his hands began to massage my head and shoulders. Almost like magic he found every tense and sensitive area, and chased the pain away.

After a moment I was able to take a deep, cleansing breath and begin to relax. It was only then I realized he’d brought me up to my office, and was now standing behind me as I sat at my desk.

The pain was getting better and better as his hands continued to gently rub and squeeze my shoulders. Despite how much the headache had hurt, I was grateful he’d brought me up here before healing me.

I didn’t want people to see, and be alarmed.

And I certainly didn’t want word getting back to my father. At least, not until I could figure out what was going on.

Lost in my thoughts, and the simple relief of not being in pain anymore, I didn’t hear my office door open.

I didn’t realize someone was there until his voice boomed out, making me jump.

It was Nathan!

“What the hell is going on here??”