Page 101 of Healing Fate
“Are you telling me Vada’s a healer as well?”
I hesitated, regretting opening my big mouth, but it was too late for that, so I slowly nodded.
“Wow, you have two healers? That’s crazy,” Baine said.
I shrugged trying not to make a big deal out of it. There was no way we were going to keep Vada’s gift a secret within the Pack. It might be the largest Pack in the world, but it was still like a small town filled with gossip. She was too young to fully control it and it was only a matter of time before others noticed.
“Is that how Lucy healed your grandmother?” Ben asked.
“Yeah. She was close on her own, but Vada gave her the power boost she needed to complete the healing,” I confessed.
I knew I could trust these guys with anything, even this, but I didn’t enjoy sharing my family’s secrets like this. It was my job to protect Vada. Still, I wasn’t an idiot. Having Bravo team in on this could only help down the road. They were the most elite special ops shifter team in the world, and they would protect my daughter against all outside threats if it ever came down to it.
“That’s awesome. We could certainly use more healers in the Pack,” Ben added.
I started to relax a little. For so many generations, witches were feared. They were forced into hiding and treated like dirty little secrets. Thanks to Kyle and Kelsey, those stereotypes were changing. We had welcomed many witches into our Pack and celebrated their individuality. Perhaps Vada wouldn’t have to grow up in fear of her powers. Just maybe it could be a normal part of her life and nothing to be hidden or ashamed of.
I remembered how worried Lucy had been about me finding out she was a witch. I didn’t want our daughter to ever go through that. She was perfect just the way she was, not an abomination or someone to be ashamed of, and I vowed to remind her of that every day of her life going forward.
She was unique and special. We would celebrate that and encourage her to just be herself. No hiding, just unashamedly Vada.
“So why haven’t you sealed your bond with Lucy already?” Tarron blurted out.
I groaned. “I told you; we just haven’t found the right time. It’s going to happen though, soon.”
The subject was thankfully changed as we chatted to pass the time. Before long, I dozed off and slept until the plane lurched to a stop waking me.
“Are we here?” I muttered, still sleepy.
“Yeah. Grab your gear and let’s roll out. We have a hotel lined up here and will start the journey around noon. There’s a team already on-site running lead for this. We’re only here to assist as needed.”
From what the report had said, the vicuna in the area were being poached. Their hides were being taken, leaving the poor animals to wither in pain until they died. It was brutal and unnecessary. There was absolutely no need for the hides when all they wanted was the wool.
These poachers were merciless and brutal. They were also idiots. By killing the vicuna instead of just shearing them, it was a one and done process. If they were smarter about it, they could harvest the wool each and every year, but there appeared to be more to it than just that. The hides were perceived as trophies for these poachers, and they truly didn’t seem to care about the animals they left behind.
On the ground, we were met by none other than Jacob Winthrop himself. I was honestly surprised to see the man. He’d recently lost his wife in the final battle to defeat the Raglan and last I’d heard he was locked away in mourning.
“Jacob. I’m shocked to see you here,” Silas confessed as the two men shook hands.
“When this call came in, I had to come see for myself. Such senseless brutality enrages me.”
“Understandable from what we’ve been briefed on. Are you okay?”
“I’ll never be okay again but locking myself up in a house filled with memories and drinking myself to death is not what Annie would have wanted for me.”
Silas nodded.
None of us could even imagine what he was going through. By the time Lucy and I were together as long as he’d been with his wife, I would hope our bond would be fully sealed so I could peacefully follow her into death. As humans, Jacob had no such peace with the loss of his wife.
Jacob Winthrop was a prominent member of the Vendari, an ancient brotherhood dedicated to the survival and protection of shifters. I didn’t know a lot about them, but despite their rogue offspring called the Raglan that was defeated by Bravo team, the Vendari were supposedly the good guys.
I struggled to trust any humans, but I knew many did.
“Clara and Gage are here with a team. They are already up the mountain working to try and save as many as possible,” Jacob explained.
“Grant and Micah are happy to assist them.”
“Wonderful. I have a car waiting to take them there now.”
