Chapter 201

Amber’s POV

Before we could go, I felt obligated to head back to the clinic and run some tests. The water was the problem. Soon, I was absolutely sure.

Without medicine, I tried to make a few herb-related cures for the sick people, but soon, without the antibiotics, there was a limit to what I could do.

Fortunately, as I returned to the waiting room, I found Rafael on the phone, already coordinating the delivery of some goods.

When there was nothing else we could do, we headed out of the clinic in the direction of the address.

Jessica no longer thought we needed armed guards, so she let us travel without them.

We approached the house that the address led to. It seemed a nice enough place, in better condition than some, but still with a tarp over the roof.

With some discussion, Rafael, Julian, and I decided that I should be the one to do most of the talking here, while they stayed behind. So far, my presence had done the most good, so we imagined things would keep up that way.

I walked up to the door, with the others slightly behind me and knocked.

For a moment, nothing happened. There were no sounds around or within the house. So I knocked again.

This time, I heard some shuffling from behind the door. A scurry of frightened footsteps, but also a pair of bolder ones, coming nearer.

“Go away,” said an old woman’s voice, muffled through the door. “We don’t want anything to do with outsiders around here. You better be getting on back to wherever it is you came from.”

“Please,” I said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Then go away.”

“My daughter has the same condition as your grandson,” I said, a bit desperate now. I couldn’t just leave, not without answers. “I’ve searched but haven’t found anyone else with the same condition. I think, by comparing some samples from the two, I might be able to find a cure.”

“A cure?” the old woman huffed. “Who do you think you are that makes you think you’ll be able to cure anything.”

I didn’t like to namedrop, but in this case, it felt necessary. I did have a reputation, one that I had built up with hard work over a long period of time. I knew I had the means, the abilities, and the experiences to help me see this through.

As it was my own daughter involved, I also had extreme determination and drive.

So I took a steadying breath and called back through the door, “I’m Healer Amber.”

There was a long pause, and then a gasp. In a rush, the locks unlatched and the door opened.

Just inside, standing half in the shadow of the house was an older woman, likely in her seventies. She had a hunch to her back, and her hair was white as a cloud. Looking at me through her spectacles, one lens of which was cracked, she asked, “The Healer Amber?”

“Yes,” I told her.

She looked me over once more, then seemed satisfied. “Yes, even I’ve heard of you. But…” Her gaze slipped past me, to Rafael and Julian. “I don’t know about your companions. They look like Alphas. We don’t like Alphas here.”

“They are with me,” I said. But when that didn’t seem to be enough, I continued, motioning to Rafael. “This is my brother.” Then I motioned to Julian, “And this is…” A million different words filled my mind to explain the relationship between Julian and me.

Yet they all felt lacking to one very apt descriptor. And at this moment, it also felt like the most accurate, even if he and I hadn’t really talked about it. After this, I imagined we would.

“This is my mate,” I said.

Julian went very still, but I heard his tiny intake of breath. I’d shocked him saying that. With a quick glance at his face though, and seeing the small smile there, I could tell that I’d also pleased him greatly.

My own heart raced somewhat having done so. We’d been mates a long time, really, but to say it here and now felt like something new.

It was thrilling, the possibilities for the future.

“Very well,” said the woman. “Come inside. My name is Florence.” She turned, leaving the door open for us. “Matthew! We have visitors! They are friendly, you can come out!”

Florence led us through the dark hallway to a sitting room on the far side of the house. There, a slew of windows allowed light in, showing an old couch covered in granny-square blankets and hand-stitched pillows. A coffee table was in front of it, covered in a doilies that had a few small coffee stains in it.

Florence gestured to the couch for us to sit down. I did so. Rafael and Julian chose to stand. Florence herself moved to a nearby rocking chair. There she sunk down, and immediately picked up a pair of knitting needles.

Soon, there were footsteps down the hall. I braced myself for the appearance of a small child. I was surprised when Matthew turned out to be a bit older, around twelve or thirteen. Still a child, but almost a teenager. The necklace, so like Alice’s, hung around his neck.

How long had he suffered the same condition as Alice? Gods, it must have been nightmarish for him.

“Matthew,” Florence said. “This is Healer Amber and her friends. Amber, this is my grandson, Matthew.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

He nodded, polite but watchful. I could understand his mistrust. We’d seen it in everyone we’d encountered to this point.

“We want to help you with your wolf,” I said. “We want to find a cure. But to do so, I’m going to need to ask a few questions, and then ask something else.”

Matthew nodded.

“He doesn’t talk much,” Florence said. “I will help where I can.”

“When did your wolf start to appear?” I asked.

“I was little,” Matthew said.

“Probably three or four,” Florence said. “He had a traumatic time of it, until we settled here. I think the wolf appeared to try to protect him. I like to think it doesn’t understand the damage that it does.”

That would be similar to Alice’s experience. That plane crash that nearly killed us had changed so many things. My wolf had appeared to protect us, but perhaps it had alarmed Alice’s own wolf as well, even while she had still been inside of me.

“How severe…” I paused, rethought the question. “How often does it happen?”

“A lot,” Matthew said.

“When he was younger, it was more difficult,” Florence added. “He had no control. He learned, over time, and things got better. But lately…” Florence lowered her voice. “Puberty.”

“Grandma!” Matthew said, turning red even up to the tips of his ears.

“Sorry, Matthew, but she’s a doctor and needs the facts,” Florence said. “Also, when the moon gets full, the wolf is harder to control.”

That didn’t bode well for Alice’s future then.

No, I couldn’t give up. I would find a cure.

“The necklace,” I said, changing gears. “They are hard to come by. How did you find it?”

“I wrote hundreds of letters to hundreds of towns, hoping someone could have an answer. This, for now, is the only thing that’s helped.”

For now. “I’m going to find a cure,” I said. “I promise.”

“We don’t believe in promises here, Amber,” Florence said. “If you want to find a cure, then do so. But until I see it, I will assume you are just a well-meaning fool.”