The Healer (Rise of the Pride, Book 7)

  The Healer

  Rise of the Pride, Book 7

  By

  Theresa Hissong

  Dedication:

  Love comes in all forms.

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the author, publisher, or retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Disclaimer:

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. The names of people, places, and/or things are all created from the author’s mind and are only used for entertainment.

  Due to the content, this book is recommended for adults 18 years and older.

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright 2018 Theresa Hissong

  Cover Design:

  Gray Publishing Services

  Editing by:

  Heidi Ryan - Amour the Line Editing

  Formatted by:

  Wayne Hissong

  Cover Model:

  Alfie Gordillo

  Cover Photographer:

  Reggie Deanching

  w/ RPlusMPhoto

  For more information or how to contact Theresa Hissong, please visit:

  http://authortheresahissong.com

  www.facebook.com/authortheresahissong

  For exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming books…

  Join Theresa’s fan group on Facebook at:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435907040005689

  Other Books by Theresa Hissong:

  Fatal Cross Live!

  Fatal Desires

  Fatal Temptations

  Fatal Seduction

  Rise of the Pride:

  Talon

  Winter

  Savage

  The Birth of an Alpha

  Ranger

  Kye

  Standalone Novella:

  Something Wicked

  Book for Charity:

  Fully Loaded

  Bad Girls of Romance:

  The Huntress

  Contents:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Luna Ray climbed out of the SUV on shaky legs. Evie, the female panther that had saved her, promised the pride wasn’t going to harm her, and she had no other choice than to believe the warrior female. There was a sense of calm and love that filtered through the cats as her eyes scanned the home in front of her. Several pride members rushed out of a beautiful brick home, and the males, whom she assumed to be Guardians, welcomed them all with open arms and heartfelt brotherly hugs.

  She inhaled and her wolf prowled in her head at the scent of the wilderness that surrounded her. Just beyond the brick home were trees…so many trees. The wolf inside her wanted to run. The animal needed to be let out, but she wouldn’t shift yet. The last month had taken a toll on her, but she was determined to heal, and heal she would.

  No one would know if she used her powers to repair the damage, right?

  “Ma’am,” the big, beastly-looking male who’d been there to save her and the others called out before he approached. “The healer would like to see you.”

  “Healer?” she asked, frowning.

  “Our doctor,” he replied, looking over his shoulder. “Theo can walk with us if you’d like.”

  “I would like to see him first, please.” She shivered involuntarily. Theo was the only male she trusted at the moment. Getting her wits about her was harder than she ever thought possible.

  Theo approached and she felt his calming power. The older alpha had been nothing but comforting during their captivity and she wanted him close. She needed his strength so she could get better.

  “Are you well enough to walk?” Theo asked as he approached.

  “Yes,” she answered, eyeing the people who’d gathered. Luna tucked her chin and turned toward the alpha. “Are you sure we are safe here?”

  “The Shaw pride has many Guardians on their land, and our safety is their number one priority.” Theo stopped and placed his hand on her undamaged arm. The other one was still cut from the tree that exploded when the wizards fought with magic on the island. “What can I do to make this okay for you?”

  “I’m going to be okay, Theo,” she promised. “My wolf is scared and uncertain, but I understand that my nightmares are over. This is a new beginning for all of us. I just need a meal and a good long run in the woods.”

  “Let the Guardian get you some food and take you to the healer,” Theo urged, dropping his hand. “I will meet you at the healer’s place as soon as I am done with this pride’s alpha.”

  “Okay,” she replied, looking at the large male from the island. Taking a deep breath, she gave her trust over to the pride of panthers that had saved her from certain death. With her head held high, she put one foot in front of the other and followed the male.

  Luna’s wolf panted in her mind when they walked beside the alpha’s home on a gravel road that led into the woods. She could make out several little cottages, but one in particular stood out. There was a bright porch light on at the stark white home the male was leading her to. Time to meet the healer.

  Luna froze as the door to the home opened and a large male filled the doorway. His head was shaved bald, but his icy blue eyes captured her when he looked past the male and directly at her. His head tilted to the side as he watched her approach. His long, thick legs were encased in dark denim, and he wore a fitted, white cotton shirt. The muscles in his arms were so thick, it stressed the seams of the clothing.

  Closing her eyes, she scented the air and her wolf pushed at her skin. She felt the stirring of something she’d never experienced…something she’d only been told about by her mother. An ache built in her chest, but she willed it away. It couldn’t be happening, because this was not the right time for her…or the right place, and it sure as hell wasn’t the right species.

  Mate…

  No, no, no.

  Harold knocked on the door to the exam room where Luna was resting in the bed. The injured female had turned on the television to watch the nightly news while she ate and had been waiting quietly for her alpha to arrive. His beast was prowling in his mind ever since her scent had wrapped around him after she’d showered. It wasn’t the perfume from the shampoo she’d used that sent his mind reeling. It was her natural scent.

  She didn’t smell like the wolves he’d ever encountered. They were disgusting, making his enhanced senses turn away from the stench. Luna was different; a white wolf. No one in their history had ever seen a white wolf shifter, and Harold still couldn’t believe she was real. The other alpha, Theo, had promised she was one-of-a-kind, and he had to believe the male, but in all of his years, Harold never thought he’d be giving aide to one.

  “Has my alpha come from his meeting?” Luna asked when she turned away from the television and saw him standing in the doorway.

  “He’s on his way now,” Harold replied. “I need to talk to you about what happened on that island, but it can wait until Theo arrives. If you’d like.”

  “He already knows,” she hiccupped, wiping a tear that welled up in her eye and fell over her
long, dark lashes. “He was in a cage next to mine and saw what the scientist did, but I’m fine, healer…I promise.”

  “I’m so sorry,” he sighed, pushing his panther back. His animal wanted blood for the acts against this female, even if she was a wolf. “I still want to give you an exam for our own peace of mind.”

  Another knock on the outside door had Harold turning away from Luna. He headed to the front room and opened the door. Theo, an alpha friend of Talon’s late father, and his alpha stood in the doorway. Theo was in his mid-sixties, and he looked worn down. He should’ve been back in Upstate New York with his pride, not in Mississippi, a broken man with a pride of misfit shifters.

  “Healer,” Theo greeted with a nod, stepping inside when Harold turned so he could enter.

  “Thank you for coming, Theo,” he began. “I’d like to exam Luna, but she’s pretty adamant that you were here.”

  “How is she?” Theo asked, his voice soft.

  “Scared,” Harold growled, taming the sound when Talon raised his brow. “I need to make sure she has no damage, and she will need a pregnancy test in a couple of weeks just to make sure.”

  “Could she have been impregnated by the human male who violated her?”

  “Our species cannot,” Harold shook his head, “but I’m not entirely sure with wolves.”

  “I see,” Theo scowled. “Let’s go talk to her.”

  They entered the room and Luna sat up straighter in bed. She clasped her tiny hands in her lap and took a deep breath. It was obvious that Theo was calming her. The knowledge that any shifter could live by taking the blood of an alpha of a different species fascinated Harold.

  “Luna,” Theo greeted softly and took a seat in the chair next to the bed. It was more of a stretcher than an actual bed you’d find in a home. The females had made quilts for them to make the patients more relaxed and some of the older females promised it made his clinic more inviting.

  “Yes, alpha,” she replied, but looked over his shoulder to glance at Harold. Her yellow eyes had cleared since she’d arrived and had eaten. Harold didn’t think he’d ever forget how dull and lifeless they’d been when she had arrived earlier in the day.

  “The Shaw pride’s healer will need to exam you,” Theo began, taking Luna’s hand in his own. As an alpha, he could also give strength through his touch. “I’ll give you privacy and sit in the other room. If you need him to stop the exam, you say something. I will be able to come to you in an instant.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. A lone tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away quickly, but another one replaced it. “I’d prefer not to be examined. I’m fine.”

  “You’ve been through a lot, my dear,” Theo cooed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I, as your alpha, want you to be looked at so we know you have a clean bill of health. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable when we travel back to my pride…your new home.”

  “Yes, alpha,” she sighed, resigned.

  Harold went about preparing the things he would need to exam her. As he set the items on a tray, he looked down at his shaking hands. His beast was prowling, upset and agitated. Theo made his exit and closed the door behind him. Harold had the overwhelming urge to barricade the door so no one could ever hurt Luna again. His panther growled in agreement.

  “Healer?” Luna spoke up.

  “Are you ready?” he asked after clearing his throat.

  “Yes,” she tried to say bravely. The female was wide-eyed and nervous. He had to be cautious with her, because Luna had been through so much. “Maybe?”

  “I’m going to check all of your vital signs and then draw some blood to just check a few things,” Harold explained. “I will need to do a pelvic exam to make sure there was no damage done.”

  Harold watched as Luna froze for a moment. She seemed to be having an internal struggle with the idea of being touched by him. He knew it was nothing personal, but he had to make sure she was okay. He told himself it was from a doctor standpoint, but deep down, he knew he was checking to reassure himself that she was truly okay.

  Chapter Two

  Luna felt a weight release from her shoulders as the healer returned to the room after walking out her alpha, Theo. She didn’t know if the calming presence she felt was from Theo, her new alpha, or the healer. Every time the healer came in the room to check on her while they waited for Theo to arrive, the wolf that lived inside her would peek out from behind the wall she’d built to protect it in her mind. It didn’t matter what her wolf thought; she was just so thankful for the kindness of the panthers who had saved her and their sensitivity to what she’d endured on that island.

  “May I see your right arm?” the healer asked, setting down a few empty vials on the bedding at her feet. She held out her arm while he retrieved a pair of black gloves from a box on the counter across the room. “Okay, Luna. Ready?”

  “Ready,” she echoed, looking down at the blanket that covered her lap. Whoever had made the beautiful quilt should probably sell them on the internet to make some extra money. They were beautiful and could probably fetch a big price. It made Luna sad that she hadn’t knitted in months. She didn’t even know when, or if, she’d ever be able to do it again.

  “Just a stick,” Harold said as he wrapped the tourniquet around her arm and began to draw the blood. The stick of the needle wasn’t painful at all. That was easy compared to what she was going to have done in the next half an hour. She had to tell them she wasn’t hurt…but how?

  “Now, I want to talk to you about the exam,” Harold said as he rolled his stool over to the counter to set down the vials of blood.

  “I’m not damaged,” she blurted out, knowing her body was already healed from the violation. She didn’t need the doctor to exam her. Her powers weren’t affected during her time on that island. In fact, she had kept that part of herself hidden so the scientists didn’t study her for that, too.

  “It’s imperative that I check you,” he stated, frowning. A wrinkle formed between his brow when he did that, and Luna wanted nothing more than to reach over and rub away the tension with her thumb.

  “Honestly, healer,” she swallowed, “I know that I’m not damaged in any way.” How was she going to tell him?

  “I need to know if you’ve had any pain or discomfort since you came off the island,” the healer asked, his eyes changing slowly over to an amber hue. There were little tiny specs of gold mixed in with the natural blue of his eyes, and the sight fascinated her. “Have you had any more bleeding?”

  “No,” she said, scrunching up her nose. She was a shifter like him, but she was a different kind. She’d never dealt with the big cats before, and she wondered if he knew anything about her magic.

  “I will need to perform an internal exam to make sure your body was not damaged when the scientist violated you,” he stated gently. The icy blue of his eyes flashed amber. They sparked like a live wire, and she tilted her head to the side in awe. “I know you think you are okay, but it would be better if I looked. I promise you, it will only take a few minutes.”

  “I’m healed from the human male’s touch,” she rushed out, her eyes going wide. So much for easing the information out into the world, Luna. “I healed myself.”

  “You cannot know that for sure,” the healer answered, then sighed. “If you are not comfortable with me, I can call in a female healer from another pride.”

  “No, you do not understand me.” She paused, weighing her words. “Do you know anything about my kind?”

  “I’m sorry,” he replied, resting his hands in his lap and rolling the chair back away from her to give some space. “I’ve never worked with wolves. They’re our enemy and are feral.”

  “I’m not feral,” she denied with a growl. Her wolf was agitated and she commanded it to stand down. The male knew nothing about her.

  “I can see that,” he agreed.

  “I’m a white wolf,” she began, praying she wasn’t making a mistake. “We are…well, were very few in nu
mbers. My pack consisted of twelve, and all of them were killed except my baby brother and myself. They killed him on that island, and now it’s just me. My histories say that there are no others.”

  “I’m sorry.” The healer breathed out a heavy sigh and rolled his stool closer but did not touch her. “I know nothing of your kind. I am a doctor by the human’s schools, but I’ve only worked on panthers like myself.”

  “White wolves are different.” She paused, looking into his beautiful eyes that had returned to the icy blue of his human self. “We…we have a magic inside us to heal ourselves.”

  “All shifters have fast healing abilities,” he stated.

  “No, you don’t understand,” she shook her head, “I have a magical ability to heal myself as long as I am able.”

  “Wait, what?” he asked, his eyes wide. “You can heal? With magic?”

  “I was unable to heal myself on the island when the warlocks were fighting and a piece of the tree sliced through my arm, because I was so weak. Once I regained some strength, I was able to repair all of the damage.” Luna was certain he knew nothing about white wolves from the stunned expression on his face. The pride of cats had been her saviors, and Theo trusted them, so she knew she should too. “You did not know this?”

  “No,” he replied, shaking his head when she turned to lift the sleeve on her hospital gown to show him the wound was gone. “The doctor side of me wants to know more, but I refuse to study you. It would make me no better than the men on that island.”

  “That is not true, Healer.” She smiled at him. It was a soft smile, only the corner of her lip lifted to give him peace. “Let me show you.”