Chapter 29 - 28. Soul Healers

Glen was wandering around, not knowing where to go. He didn't dare go back to the cave and be disappointed again if he couldn't stay. Even though the Alpha of Bloodhood had been understanding and assuring him Eden's state wasn't his fault, the werewolf still believed he was responsible. After all, he had rejected him. He remembered the moment he woke up right after sharing his omega's heat and his heart sank.

He sighed and continued to walk aimlessly. The alpha wasn't used to the cave yet, but luckily he had his sense of smell to help him if he ever lost. However, he took real pleasure in wandering through the cavern tunnels, guessing from the pheromones and attitudes whether he was welcome or not. Moreover, he liked being surrounded by his kind.

Strangely, even though his arrival on the evening of the banquet was done in the greatest illegality, he had received nothing but curious glances. Some of the pack members even gave him warm smiles the dominant didn't know how to respond to.

The truth was that everyone present at the banquet had witnessed, shocked, but in awe, as he subdued several alphas and other dominants just by releasing his pheromones. Pheromones are the scale for a werewolf strength, so they were sure him being powerful. The other thing that worked in his favor was that Eden's state was currently hidden from the rest of his packmates. Apart from the alpha's family and a few trusted members, the leader had chosen not to spread the news for fear of causing his pack to panic.

Glen was walking in a tunnel whose destination he had memorized. It led to a hot pool. The alpha had appreciated the beauty of the place when the beta's pack, Acher, showed him around. He had nothing to bathe with, but he decided to enjoy the water anyway.

Taking advantage of the deserted place, he undressed and put his things in a corner before stepping into the hot water. He snorkeled before going back up to the surface for a breath.

"It's rude to swim in the hot pool." A calm voice called out to him.

Glen turned to the man he hadn't spotted before. Greg was lounging with his eyes closed and his head resting on the ledge. He was sitting on a submerged stone and half of his abdomen protruded from the water.

"I thought you were back to Red Creek." The alpha retorted without bothering to pick up the mocking tone.

"I was. Now I'm back here. "

Glen moved closer to the doctor in a few strokes and rested his elbows on the edge of the spring to keep himself above the water level.

"What about your job?"

"I'm waiting to know what will happen with Connor. He might be transferred so I'm kind of… Reflecting on my options. "

"Wow. You sound like the perfect hubby. Do I have to call you Big brother now? "

"Quit it, that's creepy."

Glen scoffed. "You're just the same as your husband."

"Well, there is a reason if we're together."

Glen hummed to agree and let the silence settle between them. Greg opened one eye and scanned the man next to him who was deep in thought.

"How is Eden doing?"

The alpha sighed, his face instantly losing what little glow it had. "Still the same. Even though I didn't get to see him today. I'm bullied by a seventeen-year-old girl and I can't do anything about it because I know she has every right to think that I'm not good enough to stay by her friend's side."

"She isn't right." Greg immediately protested. "I know you're not confident but ..."

"You know that I killed her, don't you? I mean, my mother. The only time I succeeded to shift, I lost my mind. What if it happens again and I end up hurting him? "

Greg watched him, contemplative. He didn't have any certainties to offer, but he had seen Glen and his omega together.

"You know what I saw when you were with him? I saw a werewolf trying to protect his mate from others who were trying to hurt him. If you were a bloodthirsty monster, I don't think you would have handled the matter like that.

You protected him, without hurting anyone and you even controlled yourself while your omega was in heat. All of the non-bonded and unmarked dominants reacted to your omega's pheromones and you did everything to protect him. If you ask me if you're a danger, I won't lie to you, Glen.

You're and you'll stay a ticking time bomb until you know what's wrong with you and fix it. On the other hand, if you ask me if you can hurt your mate, I'm willing to bet everything that you cannot and you won't ever. Connor is right. Eden's good for whatever is wrong with you."

The alpha remained silent, soaking up the words he had just heard. Footsteps reached them in the distance and the two men snapped their heads. A group of werewolves appeared at the entrance in both human and werewolf form. Naked. They exchanged a glance and with one movement rushed out of the water, hiding their private parts as best as they could with their hands.

Greg, who had taken his bath clothes, wrapped a towel around his waist while Glen had chosen to slip into his pair of sweatpants. The group which was mostly composed of women chuckled at their demeanor and they rushed for the exit without looking back. They thus remained in awkward silence for a while before Glen broke the silence.

"I don't think I could get used to this. I mean… Don't they feel any bashfulness or whatever?"

Greg didn't retort anything and just patted his shoulder. They parted ways and Glen pulled on his t-shirt before letting his nose guide him down the path to his omega's cave.

He stepped forward quietly when a hand suddenly gripped his arm firmly, forcing him to turn around. He was forced to face an elderly woman in a simple dark brown tunic. Her eyes and mouth were surrounded by deep wrinkles that betrayed the many years she had lived.

"You… You have been cursed. Your wolf is dying."

________

Alpha Silver pushed the curtain aside and let in the two women accompanying him before entering his son's cave himself. Cherry, still dozing in her wolf form, looked up at them. Dante, who had just received a link from their leader, immediately tidied his things and stood up before calling his mate. The couple left without a word, leaving their friend with his father and the two women they had never seen before.

In the cave, the man bent down to pick up the teenager who he took out of his nest and placed him on the top of his bed. Eden's breathing was calm and his complexion was slightly rosy on his cheeks. There was no indication that the golden fur omega had been asleep for more than six days.

Even though he didn't want to expose the fact that his heir was suffering from a mysterious ailment, the Alpha couldn't stand idly by. Given how little knowledge they had about fated mates, he had deemed it wise to ask for help from people who he thought would be able to answer him with certainty and tell him what was wrong with his son. After waiting four days, Silver Bloodhood had moved to a neutral area between the territories of the Black Moon and Purple Eyes packs.

His destination was such a small place that it was impossible to call it a town. There was only one house erected in the land, and in that house lived the only esteemed rogue werewolves. Soul healers.

When a healer wanted to gain more knowledge about their kind and learn to heal wounds other than the physical ones, they could choose to leave their pack and embrace the path of the Soul Healers. These werewolves were able to communicate with their patient's inner wolf and heal any wounds that might affect it. By now, the Soul healers were almost all gone. Only five of them remained.

The last recruit to embark on this tedious path was the woman in her earlier thirties standing in the cave of Eden now. She accompanied the Elder. The most learned and the most powerful among the Soul healers.

"You can move on," The Alpha invited them to come closer with a single sentence. His gaze moved to the chest of his son who was rising and sagging slowly with the rhythm of his breathing. The woman lowered the hood of her tunic and revealed her thick copper curls. She walked over to Eden and placed a hand over his forehead before closing her eyes to focus. Her breathing slowed to the point that Silver could barely see her chest move. The werewolf's ears no longer caught the pulse of the woman who had slowed down to less than a beat per minute. By doing so, the apprentice Soul healer could more easily separate her soul from her body and come into contact with that of her patient.

When her soul left her body envelope to join that of the teenager lying inches from her, she experienced something that has never happened before. Her soul was drawn into a crisp white empty space where only one will-o'-the-wisp faced her. The copper-fur wolf tried to approach the calm blue flame, but it always stayed the same distance no matter how many steps it took. She stared, fascinated, at the manifestation which continued to undulate in the deepest stillness. As the wolf wondered what was going on, a voice echoed in her head. Since she had left her pack almost ten years ago, the werewolf had never been linked again. However, she knew very well the sensation of the connection between two minds and she flinched when she heard the voice that spoke to her clearly.

"The one who has been chosen by the Moon Goddess must prepare. When the time is right, the Chosen One will wake up from his sleep and embrace his destiny. "

The wolf stared at the flame, paralyzed by the words she had just heard. As her protégé was communicating with the Goddess' messenger, the Elder tensed, sensing something abnormal. The woman frowned and turned to the entrance of the cave. Silver was surprised to see her walk away, but didn't dare to hold her back or move away from Eden and the woman who was frozen in a trance.

The old werewolf followed her inner wolf who was leading her. Unlike her apprentice who needed to go into a trance, she had learned over the years to communicate with her inner wolf and let it take over when it was needed.

She was spinning around and around the maze of tunnels when she finally tracked down the source of the anomaly. She watched the long dark haired werewolf in his human form and peered into his weak inner wolf kept alive only by the bond that was connected with the young werewolf in the cave she had just left. His own wolf shuddered at how much the man's wolf was in pain. Reinvigorated by her discovery, she walked over to the man and grabbed his arm.

________

In a room of his mansion in Red Creek pack, a man gave a smile that showed all his bad intentions. He shut down his computer and put away the documents he had reviewed and signed prominently for his secretary to take care of. With a satisfied smirk, he loosened the tie he wore around his neck and unlocked his phone to look at the photo he had received earlier in the day. The digital picture showed a man holding a blond-haired omega male in his arms. His finger tapped on the screen with a rhythm that denoted the impatience he felt.

He had booked a flight, reserved a car. He hadn't bothered to send any request or authorization.. After all, he wasn't the first to break the rules.