“Even if we don’t know how it affects you.” His brow furrows. “I’m not a fan of taking risks with precious things.”
Memories of the dream of desolation the shinning sword aiming for my neck, flooded my senses.
“Yes. We don’t have time for hesitation.”
“Okay. I can get my hands on most of the ingredients for the ritual, but there are some I need to forage.”
“Field trip?” I perk up eager to leave the house and rest my eyes after hours of intense research.
“Yes.” He pauses. “But it’s conditional.”
“Why?”
“Because it affects more than just me.”
I want to uncover his secrets and help him carry the burden weighing so heavily on him.
I arch an eyebrow, intrigued. What secrets is the quiet man holding on to? “I’m listening.”
“I have my sources.”
“What’s that mean, Kirk?” I’m sick of being left in the dark about him.
“There are places I gather rare herbs. My silence is part of the trade.”
“What are you trading them?” Is he about to shatter the straight-laced by the book view I hold of him?
“Services. I treat them and they help me acquire what I need.”
“I thought you no longer practiced.”
“Not for the Alpha or in an official capacity.”
His bitter tone surprises me. There’s bad blood here.
“But I’ll always help those in need.”
“Why stop at all then?” I press, fishing for more information.
He rubs the back of his neck, and shots me a knowing look. “Losing the Alpha’s mate was a hard blow to everyone. I spent every spare moment I had trying to figure out the disease.”
“And.” I push for more information embarrassed at being caught digging, but afraid he’ll stop talking if I back off.
“It didn’t make any sense.” He shakes his head. “I knew it wasn’t a medical issue. There’s nothing that links the victims other than the fact they’re female. They hadn’t come into contact with any one thing that could transfer it. They also didn’t share any particular DNA markers. History often repeats itself, so I looked to our past.” There’s a vacancy in his eyes as he recalls.
Excitement rises in my chest. “You found something,”
“Maybe.” He presses his lips together. “This isn’t the first time something like this has occurred.”
“What? I’ve never heard about it.”
“And you won’t. The book was buried deep in the medical archives. I think the previous pack Healer hid it to keep it from being destroyed. The healer who wrote about it was just as perplexed as we are now. He came up with the theory that this was a sign of the old gods' anger.”
I blink several times, eyes widened as I take everything in. The words spill like water overtaking a broken damn. How long has he held on to this?
“We’ve gotten so far away from our origins that we forget that we are magical beings spiritually connected to things far greater than ourselves that we don’t fully understand.”
“How did he end the spread?”
“I don’t know.”
The torment in his voice rips at my soul.
“What?”
“The pages were missing.” Kirk’s eyes fill with anger, darkening to almost black. “I searched every inch of the library trying to find an answer.”
“Shit,” I whisper.
“I brought it to the Alpha’s attention and he exploded. Words were said, and threats were made. I removed myself from the situation and refused to return to work for a man who could be blinded by his ego.”
“What?” It clicks. “He knew and he did nothing?” A cold sick feeling settles in my gut.
“A mate is meant to balance us out. Especially in someone like Alpha. He has a lot of power, literally and politically. Without someone to challenge his decisions and smooth out his rough edges, I think he’s spiraling.”
“And no one notices?” I clench my fist.
“What would they say? Short of being prepared to challenge, there’s not much to be done. No one matches him in power levels. I’ve checked.”
