Chapter 106 THE HEALER’S GUILT
Edeline
Someone intended to harm me...
I knew right away who it was.
There is only one wolf who knows herbs that well and dislikes me so strongly.
The Healer Witch...
I did some digging... with our very own healer. Yesterday, after everything happened—after I watched my closest friend choke and convulse right before my eyes...
Our pack healer mentioned something about eyes as dark as Anita’s. This happens when a wolf receives blessings from the moon, like healing or enhanced vision, and then abuses those gifts for evil. To harm instead of heal. Daisy, our skilled healer, told me that Anita had abused her powers so much that it changed her. Her eyes grew darker, reflecting the depths of her soul. When she died, the moon would not hold any special significance for her.
Not many people knew this. Most wolves had no idea about the details, like the pitch-black darkness of her eyes, resembling two pieces of coal. But healers who have seen it before knew exactly what it meant. Daisy mentioned that during their training, healers are warned about this, but not the Alpha’s or Betas. None of the other wolves in the pack would have known.
I went to Daisy, desperate for anything she could tell me. She had been working with Doc to help Mirabelle, assisting him in counteracting the effects of the potent plant that had knocked her out cold. Daisy knew Anita. She had heard the stories, but she never shared them, believing it was not her place. All she could say was that Anita had chosen a dark path.
After that, I told Alpha William everything.
He was completely at a loss for words. Then the fury set in. An intruder had tried to kill one of his pack members on his territory. Instead of me, she had poisoned an Oracle in training, which was as good as a death sentence. Oracles hold a unique and valuable position within the pack.
Anita sealed her fate with that choice.
But it is not enough to just place the blame. There was no hard evidence. Alpha William had to conduct a thorough investigation before he could sentence her to death.
I sighed deeply, gently holding Mirabelle’s hand in mine. She looked peaceful, but her strength seemed to have drained away. Her skin was so pale, almost like pristine white paper. Her once-radiant blonde hair had lost its usual luster against the stark white linens, and her lips no longer held their rosy hue.
Oh, my dear Mirabelle.
A sudden yawn escaped me, and I realized I hadn’t slept since yesterday. Rubbing my tired eyes, I stood up. The strong smell of bleach was starting to give me a headache, so I decided to step away for a bit—to take a nap and grab something to eat. Bending down, I kissed her temple softly and let go of her hand, slipping out of the room as quietly as I could.
The sadness weighed heavily on me, almost too much to bear. The fear of losing someone so close... I’ve already lost Percival and Darius... My brother has been against me, and the thought of losing Mirabelle feels like it might break me. I was already questioning my sanity.
Straightening my clothes from yesterday, I tried to smooth out the wrinkles. As I walked down the clean, white hallway towards the lobby, my heels echoed with each step, a sharp reminder of the sterile environment around me.
As I rounded the corner, I spotted Percival sitting on a black leather couch in the lobby. He was slouched forward, his forearms resting on his thighs as he bowed his head, cradling it in his hands.
Sorrow hung around him like a thick fog.
I tried to act nonchalant, but his scent hit me like a wave. My body ached for his touch, our lips meeting in a tender embrace. I hated that feeling. I hated him for making me feel this way. I just wanted it all to disappear, to never surface again...
But our wolves had already recognized each other. I couldn’t stop those emotions and thoughts from bubbling up inside me. The lack of sleep only made it worse. My wolf was begging for his, pleading for comfort. I knew he could feel my wolf just as I could feel his.
But the image of his lips on Tatiana’s made my wolf retreat deep into the shadows of my mind.
I took a deep breath and walked out of the corridor, passing through the lobby without a word to him. A small smile tugged at my lips as I neared the clinic door, eager to step outside and feel the fresh air. But even then, I couldn’t escape the pull of his scent, the way it drove me wild.
"Edeline..." His voice was raspy, just one word stopping me in my tracks. A chill ran down my spine, the single word heavy with despair and guilt.
I took a deep breath, my hand still resting on the doorknob. I kept my eyes fixed on the white-painted wood of the door, staying perfectly still. I waited, bracing myself for whatever he was about to say next.
If he thought I was going to turn around and face him, he was wrong. I had already turned my back on him. Definitely.
"I apologize. I deeply regret my actions, Edeline," he said, his voice thick with anguish. I could feel the weight of his emotions as he spoke. But what was he apologizing for?
Was it for Mirabelle? For my near-defeat—or maybe his? Was it for kissing Tatiana? For lying to me? For not keeping his promises? For breaking me? Why did he make me hate him? Why didn’t he trust me? Why did he put me in this situation in the first place?
As I slowly turned to face him, his head lifted, and our eyes met. His were rimmed with red, glistening with unshed tears. A sudden tightness gripped my throat, and I hated the feeling. I hated that my body still craved comfort.