Chapter 27

Julian’s POV

As the press conference was set to start, I followed Head Healer Eric out of the office and to the front of the building. By now, a podium had been arranged, with several different news organization’s microphones attached to it.

Everything about this still felt wrong to me. I had wanted to delay the conference until I could speak with Amber, but Head Healer Eric had been adamant that there was no time to delay.

“This potion could save lives,” he had said. “We need to deliver it to the people right away.”

Against my better judgement, still wanting to believe in him, I had accepted his words. Though the unease still sat with me, and likely would remain until I could actually speak with Amber.

For now, I followed Head Healer Eric out to the front of the building.

The crowd had already been warmed up by an administrator from the hospital office, who introduced Head Healer Eric. As Eric approached the microphone, I stayed nearer the hospital doors, watching.

“Thank you all for coming here on such short notice,” Head Healer Eric said to the crowd. “This news couldn’t wait. Because, you see, I have personally developed a cure that will stop the rampaging illness that has been terrorizing the most vulnerable of our population.”

A collective gasp sounded among the crowd, followed quickly by clapping.

I frowned, noticing that Head Healer Eric did not give any credit to Amber or Noah, for the parts they played in this cure, despite Eric himself having earlier told me that he took over the project from them. It would have been the most accurate to give credit to the entire team rather than taking all of it for himself.

It made me even more suspicious.

“Jon. If you could come forward,” Head Healer Eric said.

A thin, pale man stepped out from the crowd and started walking up the stairs. At the same time, some of Eric’s assistants prepared a chair and set the potion on a nearby makeshift table.

“Jon is suffering from the illness and has been for some time,” Head Healer Eric told the crowd. “We have prepared a dosage of the cure for him. He will be the first, but not the last, to receive it.”

When he reached the chair, Jon sat down. He was panting, out of breath.

Head Healer Eric moved away from the microphones and started pouring a smaller bit of the potion into a short drinking glass.

That didn’t seem particularly scientific. Surely the amount should be measured with instruments. But Head Healer Eric had been at this job a long time. Perhaps he was capable of designating liquid amounts just from sight.

With the potion in the glass, Head Healer Eric started to hand it over to the eager hands of Jon.

Just then, the front door of the hospital opened and Amber came running out.

“Stop!” she cried out.

My heart leapt up into my throat.

Though I hadn’t truly been ready to believe it, I could see it now – even more clearly in person than in the picture. Amber was standing there in a lab coat, with her credentials pinned to the breast pocket.

There could be no mistake, no denying it. My treacherous thoughts couldn’t twist their way around this anymore.

Amber was absolutely, one hundred percent confirmed Healer Amanda.

“You can’t do this, Head Healer,” she said. “The potion isn’t ready.”

“Nonsense,” Eric said, and shoved the potion more fully into Jon’s hands.

Amber rushed forward then, and smacked the glass away from Jon. It smashed onto the concrete stairs, shattering, the cure now just a splatter on the ground.

Amber’s POV

“You are out of line!” Head Healer Eric said.

“You almost poisoned this man!” I shouted, my fury overwhelming me. Inside of me, Eve was growling fiercely.

“Not just a thief, but nearly a murderer!” she cried in my mind. “And he’s supposed to be Head Healer!”

“I did no such thing!” Head Healer Eric replied, face turning red with outrage.

This man took the same oath as me, to always protect the people and do no harm. Yet here he was, his hubris getting in the way of his sense. And for what? Popularity? Glory?

What would have happened in a few hours’ time when this man became sick again?

“The potion wasn’t done,” I told Head Healer Eric, hoping he would understand. “The cure in that bottle is only temporary. Soon, the illness would return and not only would this man be sick again, but he’d be paired with all kinds of new symptoms.”

Head Healer Eric paled as he straightened. “Nonsense.”

“We hadn’t released the potion yet because we were waiting on important test results to ensure the cure was safe for human consumption,” I told him. “Those results have since returned, and they showed us that the cure needs tweaking.”

“Nonsense!”

“I’ve corrected the formula,” I explained. “But that will need time to be tested too.” Allowing my wolf to speak through me, I leveled Eve’s accusation at the Head Healer. “It’s one thing to steal someone else’s work, Head Healer, but it is another to needlessly risk the public. What about the Healer Oath?”

Head Healer Eric’s mouth tightened. As he swallowed hard, a muscle ticked on his jaw. For a long moment, he just stared at me. The crowd was quiet and watchful, as if waiting for what might happen next.

In that moment of quiet, Julian moved to stand beside me. A shot of panic surged through me. Reaching up, I touched my face only to realize that my mask was missing. Yet, though Julian was looking at me in wonder, he didn’t seem particularly surprised.

Did he know I was Healer Amanda? For how long?

He didn’t say anything. He gave no indication that he knew.

Perhaps this was a recent development. My heartrate started to pick up.

Yet, as much as I wanted to evaluate that, I had more important matters to attend to at the moment than my personal life. This potion, if wrongfully distributed would have caused harm.

Head Healer Eric needed to face consequences for that.

“You developed this potion?” Julian asked me.

“Yes,” I said. “But it’s not finished yet. Someone took if from my lab before it was ready.”

“Someone…” Julian parroted, as he looked up at Head Healer Eric. “Did you steal this potion from Healer Amanda’s lab, Head Healer?”

I looked at Julian in surprise. I could accuse the Head Healer until I was blue in the face but even as somewhat of a celebrity, I wasn’t sure to be believed. The Head Healer had been around for a long time. He was trusted in the pack.

He didn’t reply to the accusation, though his shoulders did slink down. Looking at me, he said, “Is it truly not ready?”

I nodded. “I’m working on a fix at the moment. But like I said, it will need tested too…”

“This kind of behavior cannot stand,” Julian said loudly. He was all Alpha now, the strong and confident leader of our pack. “Head Healer Eric, you have shamed yourself and the pack with this action. As such, I will see you punished. For a crime like this, exile might be in order.”

“A-alpha, please…” Head Healer Eric said, fumbling now, looking every inch the old man that he was.

Something stirred within me. He had committed a serious crime here, that was true. But… exile?

Julian started to open his mouth, likely ready to dole out the punishment.

Quickly, I said, “Wait.”