I walked back to my cottage, ordered takeout food, and then grabbed a drink from the fridge. I sat down on the couch and opened the file.
Name: Bastian Silvius
Age: 26
Height: 6’4”
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Light Blue
Leadership: Alpha
Wolf: Rufus
Pack: Shadow Ridge
Region: Southern
Mate: Deceased
Note From Camilla: Bastian is difficult to get along with, I tried for a number of weeks to try to heal him, but he had refused all ways of healing. He requested that I leave and not return.
“Hmm… interesting.” I said to myself. I have known Camilla for a while, she is a great healer.
Note From Anastacia: Bastian is exceedingly difficult to get along with, after one week of being with him he banned me from his pack and never to return. He is a lost cause.
“Ha… Anastacia always thought she was one of the top healers.” I said to myself.
I looked at the photo that they have of him in the file. Ok, he is good looking. I usually wait 6 to 9 months between cases/missions. It is my way to regroup and get myself back into a normal routine. Plus, I do not like to go into heat while overseeing a mission.
I look farther down the file to see how he lost his True Mate.
True Mate: Deceased
True Mate was killed during an attack on the pack. True Mate was fighting against the Shadow Ridge pack, Alpha states that just as he had realized he had found his mate, she was killed by one of the warriors in his pack.
Yikes! That is definitely one messed up way to find and lose your mate all at once. I am surprised that he has not gone completely insane and been brought to the council to be healed.
I have seen a few cases where they had to bring the Alpha to the council headquarters because they were too far gone to be left to lead their pack. My father should have been one that they did that for. But I do not want to reopen that wound right now.
I am going to need a second opinion on this and maybe a bottle of wine, luckily, I ordered enough food for two people.
I picked up my cell and called Mak.
“Hey girl, what’s going on?” she says into the phone.
“Hey, I need your opinion on something, can you come over?” I ask her.
“On my way, girl.”
“You should probably stop and get a bottle of wine; I think we are going to need it.”
“You got it! I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” She said and then hung up.
I smile as I ended the call. I am lucky to have a good friend that I can rely on and understand the amount of stress it is to be a sexual healer. Sure, the sex can be great, but in the beginning, it was not easy for me. With my tainted past, it took a long time for me to be able to trust a male wolf again. I have yet to fully heal and have the desire to find my second mate. Women are different though, we know how to manage pain, and I have endured my fair share of pain.
Knock, Knock.
“Come on in Mak.”
“Hey girl! So, what’s going on that I had to get us a bottle of wine?” She asked as she walked into the house.
I got up and walked into the kitchen, pulled two glasses out of the cupboard, and grabbed the wine opener before I met her on the couch and handed her the opener.
Knock, knock.
“I got it, I ordered food.” I said as I moved over to the door and opened it to grab the order, tipped the driver and then closed the door.
“Thank goddess, I am starving.” Mak said.
I made my way to the couch put the food on the table before sitting down. Once I was situated, I turned and looked at Mak and said, “I have been asked to do another mission.” I told her as I held up each glass for her to pour into.
“What? But you just got back?” she said right before taking a sip of her wine.
I handed her the file and said, “Alpha Caspian is asking me for a personal favor for him. It is his son who needs the healing.” I said as I took a long sip from my glass and sighed.
Opening the take-out order I start separating the food and placing utensils in each one for us to eat out of. As much as I love to cook, there are times when I just want something nice, quick, and easy to clean up.
“Oh wow, he is like HOT! Damn, I wished he asked me.” She says as she grabs the other container and starts to eat from it.
“Don’t be hurt, Mak.”
“No, I know, it’s because you have Alpha/Luna lineage in you.”
“Yep, so sometimes it takes that Luna bond to heal an Alpha.”
“True, but it also takes a lot out of you, do you think you can do it?”
“The Alpha has already had two other healers go out there and try.” I pointed for her to continue reading who has been assigned before me.
Mak starts laughing, “They asked Anastacia, and she was denied. That is classic.”
“I thought the same thing when I saw her notes. But Camilla? She knows what she is doing.”
“Maybe I should be relieved that Alpha Caspian did not ask me to do this mission.”
“I think you should be.”
“So... have you talked to Freya about this?”
Freya: Yes, is there something that I should know about?”
I glared at Mak and said, “Thanks Mak! No, I had not had a discussion with my wolf yet, because I know what she is going to say.”
Freya: What am I going to say about what?
Me: Nothing Freya, I will talk with you about it later.
Freya: Always last to find out about the details.
She says with sadness in her voice.
Me: Oh, Stop your guilt trips.
“What did Freya say?” Mak asked.
“Nothing, I told her I would talk to her later about it. But I know Freya, as long as there is sex, she will be fine until she starts pestering me about healing my heart and giving us a chance to find our second mate.”
“Do you think you are ready for that?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” I say before taking a sip from my glass.
She looked at me, “Yeah, you are right. But I do not think I am ready to settle down and start having pups. I am good at what I do, and I bring happiness to others. But… maybe, someday.” She shrugged and drank the rest of her glass before pouring more.
“Ditto!”
Mak left not long after we finished the wine. I cleaned up all the to-go containers and knew what was next.
It was time to have a talk with Freya my wolf.
Me: Freya? Are you awake?
Freya: Hmm… Yes, Ria what do you need?
Me: We have been asked to go on another mission.
Freya: Why are we being asked to do this one so quick? Usually, they let us rest for a few months. That is our agreement.
I pick up the file and opened it so that she could look at the Alpha that we are being asked to help.
Me: His father Alpha Caspian is asking us to do a favor for him. He knows that we usually need some time to recoup but he is concerned that his son is going to get worse, they have already sent out two other healers to him and were unable to help. Take a look.
I feel my eyes turn from my sight to hers, if someone were to look at me, they would see my eyes turn lavender.
Freya: Oh yes! His wolf is amazing! Yes, please take this mission. I will be more than happy to heal this wolf. Howl!
I laugh while shaking my head at her.
Me: You are so slutty, Freya!
Freya: What? We have talked about this; I am not a slut or a whore. I have an extremely healthy sex life. Can you say the same for yourself? You refuse to heal our heart so that we can have a chance to find our second chance mate. We could be happy and mated with our mate and possibly already a mom with some pups. But no, you don’t want to.
I sighed before answering.
Me: I’m sorry Freya, but Tarech screwed with my human side pretty bad, I cannot trust that our second mate would be any different or his wolf.
Freya: I understand Ria, you know I do. I was there with you every step of the way. But it has been two years. Sooner or later, I am going to start to get restless and am going to need to find our second mate or I fear we will start to head down the path your father did.
I closed my eyes as I brought my hands up to my face trying not to take myself back to that horrible time with my true mate or how my father was after losing my mother. I shook my head quickly and sighed.
Me: Freya, let us do this mission and I promise you that after this one, you and I can escape and see where I am at. What do you say?
Freya: Alright Ria.
The next morning…
After waking up and taking a shower, I decide to make the call to Alpha Caspian.
Picking up my phone, I scroll down to his number and click call.
Ring, Ring.
“Hello, this is Alpha Caspian speaking.” he answered.
“Alpha Caspian, this is Ria.”
“Good morning, Ria. I assume you have made a decision?”
“I have… I will go.”
“Thank you, Ria! Thank you! When would you like to leave?”
“We can leave tomorrow morning. How long will the trip take?” I asked.
“Just a few hours from here, I will make the arrangements myself.”
“Ok, I will see you tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I will see you then, and Ria, thank you again for helping me.”
“Hopefully, I will be able to be the help you need.” Then disconnected the call.
Well…I might as well go and repack my suitcase.
Arriving in the Shadow Ridge pack lands, we turn from the main road onto a secluded paved road with plenty of forest on both sides of the road. We pull up to a security station. A guard comes up to the back window to see who was in the car.
Alpha Caspian peaks his head out for the guard to see him.
“Alpha Caspian, it is good to see you sir. I will let Alpha Bastian know that you are on your way to the pack house.” Guard says as he clicks on the button to the let gates open.
“Thank you.” Alpha Caspian says with a nod as we pass the guard and enter the Territory that belongs to the Shadow Ridge Pack.
When we pull up to the pack house standing in the doorway is a very tall man filling up the entire doorway watching us as we gathered our luggage and headed towards the door.
Freya starts yipping in my head.
Freya: Howl! Please let this be him. Oh Damn! His wolf is fierce!
Me: Freya, please! BE QUIET!
Freya: bitch.
She says quietly.
I shake my head as I continue to follow Alpha Caspian to the front door. As we walked closer it became clear that the man was Bastian, and he definitely looked more handsome in person. His profile picture did not do him justice. DAMN!
Freya: HYPOCRITE!
Me: OH, SHUT UP!
Bastian just looks back and forth between the two of us before turning his attention to Alpha Caspian and say, “Father? To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hello son, are you not happy to see me?” Alpha Caspian spoke.
“Of course, father but who did you bring with you?” With his arms crossed over his chest he motions to me as he spoke.
“Son, I would like to introduce you to Luria Mathieson, likes to go by Ria. Ria, this is my son Bastian Silvius, Alpha of Shadow Ridge Pack.”
I put out my hand and say, “Pleased to me you.”
He looks down at my hand and then back at my face, then over to his father giving him a not too pleasing look. He sighs, turns and heads back into the pack house. “Come on in.”
Thinking to myself…Yep this is going to be a lot of fun.
I turn and look at Alpha Caspian with an unsure look. He returns the look with a bit of concern himself and we both turn and follow him into the house.
Once inside Bastian turns back around and in a monotone voice says, “Welcome to Shadow Ridge, please follow me upstairs and I will show you to your room where you can drop your luggage off at.”
“Go ahead Ria, I am going to go drop my things to my room and go find my wife. I will catch up with you shortly.
“Okay Alpha Caspian.”
I follow Bastian up to the third floor of the pack house where he stopped at a door that was far away from the other rooms that were on this floor.
Before Bastian opened the door, he said, “So…Luria.”
“I prefer Ria.”
“And I prefer that you not be here on my land, but we do not always get what we want, do we?”
“Your father is who asked me to come, so until he asks me to leave, I will stay as long as it takes.”
Bastian growled at me. Opens the door and says, “Your room.” Turns and starts to walk away.
“Well at least I know you still have some fire in you, that’s good. Now, about my stay, I prefer not to stay in the pack house, I prefer a small cottage or cabin a bit away from the pack house. I like my privacy, especially while I am working.” I say to his back.
He stops and slowly turns around, once turned he narrows his eyes at me before he replies, “Working? Is that what you call it? I'm surprised you don't call it 'seducing' the Alpha.” He says with distain in his voice. “Listen, this is not my first rodeo with you 'healers.' Sooner or later you will grow bored being here and then want to leave, I’m going to bet on the sooner rather than the later.”
I laughed at his comment and then replied, “You know, Bastian, you are not the only wolf who has lost a mate. I have healed a few wolves in my time with serving the council.”
“That’s Alpha to you, and don’t you sound like a little slut.”
“Slut! Huh…that’s a first.”
He walks up close to me as he lets his eyes roam up and down my body before saying, “I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last.” Quickly turned and walked away from me.
I yelled, “Wow, thank you for your kind manners.” Walked into my room and slammed the door behind me. I tap the back of my head against the door.
Freya: Damn! This one is going to be a challenge.
Rolling my eyes, I head for the bed and lay down on it letting out a heavy sigh thinking… What have I gotten myself into?
There was a light tapping on the door.
I quickly got up from the bed and went over to the door and open it.
A beautiful older woman with dark hair and dark green eyes stands before me.
“Ria?”
“Yes?”
“Hello, my name is Athena. My husband is Alpha Caspian.”
“Yes, hello it is nice to meet you.” I say as I open the door and motion for her to be able to come into the room.
“Thank you.” She says as she makes her way into the room.
“I must apologize for my son’s behavior. I raised him better than that. He was not always like this.” She took a deep breath before trying to speak again.
Before she could I put my hand up and said, “Not to worry Luna, I fully understand that his mannerisms and behavior are not all his fault right now. Hopefully, he will let me heal him, so that he can find his second chance mate and be the Alpha that you know him to be.”
She walks up to give me a hug which I gladly accepted. Her embrace was tender and loving, reminding me of my mom’s hugs. I get a chill and shiver as we break our embrace.
“Are you cold dear?” She asks with a questioning look.
“No,” I laugh before fully answering, “You might think this is weird, but your hug reminded me of my mother’s, and I have not had a hug like that in quite some time.”
“What a lovely compliment. May I ask who your mother is?”
“Her name was Helena. She passed away when I was 18 years old.”
“Not Helena Mathieson?”
“Yes, did you know her?”
“Why, yes, I did. For quite some time. She was a wonderful Luna and taught me a lot about being a Luna.”
“Yes, she was a wonderful Luna. I miss her every day.”
“I am so sorry for your loss; I heard your father had also passed a few years ago too?”
Feeling my throat tighten a little I answer with a head nod.
She could tell that the topic was beginning to make me nervous and quickly changed the subject.
“Well, I do hope you enjoy your stay here with our pack. Lunch will be served soon and then my husband would love to give you a tour of our pack land.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
She smiled and started making her way to the door.
“Come let us go see how my son is doing with you being here.”
I returned the smile and followed her out the door.
When we got to the dining hall it was already crowded with pack members. Oh wow. It has been quite a while since I have been with a large pack.
I stayed close to Athena as we made our way through the serving line and getting our food and then making our way up to the table that was designated for the higher council of the pack.
Caspian stood up and pulled a chair for his wife to sit down next to him and then pulled out another one for me to sit.
“Thank you Alpha. Nice to know that Chivalry is not lost.” I said giving a slight glare to Bastian who rolled his eyes and continued to eat his lunch and talk to the young guy next to him.
“Bastian, don’t you think introductions are in order?” His father asked.
“Of course, Father, she is your guest. Please go ahead.”
With a displeased look on his face, he stood up from his chair and said, “May I have your attention for just a moment?” The pack quieted down for their past Alpha, and he then continued, “I would like to introduce Ria Mathieson. She is here from the High Council and is here to help out with the pack. Please make sure you show her pack respect while she is here. Thank you.”
Caspian sat back down and continued, “Ria, allow me to introduce the rest of the pack council, this is Jasper, Bastian’s Beta and to his left is Barlow his mate.”
She smiled shyly to me, and I returned the smile. Jasper gave me a head nod before returning to continue his conversation with Bastian.
I look down at the food that was in front of me and slowly started eating.
“So, Ria, how long have you been working at the High Council as a healer?” Athena asked.
I finished chewing the bite I had just put into my mouth before answering, “About two years now.”
“Have you healed many wolves?” Barlow asked.
I looked over to her and smiled before answering, “Just three. I usually go to the packs with Alpha’s that need healing.”
“Hmph,” came from other end of the table, but I paid no attention to him.
“Does it take longer to heal an Alpha?” Barlow continued with her questions.
“Depends on the Alpha, some are receptive to having their heart healed so that they can move on and find their second chance mate. Some wolves are a little resistant but after a few weeks they are willing. Of course, there are those few that are just downright stubborn, they can take more months to heal. But in the end, I have healed all the Alphas I have been assigned to.”
“Do you miss being a part of a pack?”
“Sometimes, but there are a lot of wolves that live up at the High Council, so it still gives off a pack feeling, but it is a much more independent life compared to where I grew up.”
“What pack did you grow up in?”
I was a little hesitant to answer this question, but knew it was going to come up at some point.
“Blood Wolf Moon, it’s farther north from here.”
“Isn’t that Tarech’s pack?” Bastian said with a concerned tone.
Before I could comment, Alpha Caspian spoke, “Yes, but that was after Ria left, Ria are you all finished I would love to show you the town.”
“Is it okay if I tag along too?” Barlow asked.
“Yes, that would be great. Ria?” Alpha Caspian spoke.
“Yes, Alpha Caspian, I am finished and ready to take that tour.” I answered while I quickly gathered my plate and glass and stepped away from the table.
Quietly I nodded in respect while saying, “Alpha Bastian and Beta Jasper.”
I could tell there was something behind Bastian’s eyes, but he just nodded to my leaving the table.
It was surprising to learn how big the Shadow Ridge pack land actually was. The pack had close to two hundred members which is a good size. The land had more than fifty acres mostly forest that surrounded the pack. There was a large field behind the pack house where they held their outdoor trainings.
The main pack house was large up to three stories, but it was connected on the right side to mini units which looked like an apartment complex for all the wolves that were eighteen and older and still unmated.
It seemed like a nice area to be in a pack. It almost made me miss my old pack when my parents were still alive.
“Ria, are you ok?” Barlow asked.
“What? Oh yes, no I am fine. Your pack just reminded me a little of how mine was when my parents were still alive.”
“Well, I guess we should take that as a compliment, right?” asked Alpha Caspian.
“Oh yes, definitely.” Ria replied.
Barlow’s eyes glazed over for a moment: the pack-link.
“Sorry, looks like I am needed. Here let me put my number into your phone. Just in case you need anything.” Barlow said while extending her hand out to get Ria’s phone from her.
I pull out my phone and open it for her to enter her number.
She puts it in and sends herself a text.
“There now I have your number too. I will see you both later.” She waved and was off.
“Well let’s get you back to the pack house and let you get settled in.” Alpha Caspian said.
I nodded my head and followed him.