a solitary wanderer

***

~ONE WEEK AFTER~

Alpha Jay walked down the dirt road silently, listening to the rustle of the trees as the wind blew past- in and out between the leaves.

He was on his way to see Doctor Schulman. He had not heard from the man since the heartbreaking meeting that had occurred just a week ago.

The Alpha thought to how his Beta had been handling the news since. Locked away with his mate, taking care of her and loving her.

It pleased him that he had taken his advice. When he saw his Beta slink out of the meeting room an hour after he had left, he stopped him to make sure he was okay.

"I can't stay here," his Beta had said flatly.

Without even thinking Alpha Jay pushed his fist back and punched his Beta in the jaw. The impact caused him to fall hard to the ground.

"What?" He could feel his anger surging forth to fast, and he silently tried to reign back in his wolf, already regretting his punch.

John stayed on the ground though in a daze.

Taking this moment to talk sense into his Beta, Alpha Jay crouched down and pushed him to sit upright against the wall.

"Listen to me," he said, his dominant command forcing his Beta to refocus and stare at his Alpha. "You do not have the luxury to be a coward. Suck it up. Your mate is going through hell and needs you. You need to love her until you have her. Don't you get it? Don't do anything stupid that you'll regret."

Shoving him aside, Alpha Jay stood and brushed himself off. Realization seemed to hit Beta John's face as he gasped and sunk into himself. "Thank you, Jay," he said, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Go to her," Alpha Jay said. He watched John as he scrambled against the wall, conflict still within his eyes, but a goal now in sight.

Alpha Jay shook his head away, clearing the memory from his mind. He didn't like comforting others. Even though he oversaw a pack and many lives depended on him- he had always been silent and in the background. It was John who stayed up front and people pleasing. But if Grace didn't make it then neither would John. The Beta already couldn't stand the thought of losing his mate. If the actual reality were to occur, he would join her.

Alpha Jay cleared his head again from these thoughts that swirled around. He didn't need to think too hard about what the future held just yet. He needed to focus on the present and what he could do NOW to help Grace.

He could see the clinic now. It was coming into his eye's view, surrounded by trees, and hidden by the growth of plants and the forest.

Alpha Jay smelled the air for reassurance that Doctor Schulman was indeed present. He could have called but instead decided that he needed the walk. Many pack members had heard about Grace and John's sorrow and approached the Alpha throughout the week bombarding him with questions of how they could help. He needed to get away from them.

He wrinkled his nose at the scent that hit him when he entered the clinic. Stale BO. It was unpleasant and he soon found the source of it when he walked into Dr. Schulman's office.

The doctor looked a mess. He was still in the outfit he had worn to the meeting. Blue shirt and jeans with boots on, his white coat discarded across his chair. His hair stood on all ends as he had pushed his hand through it in frustration so many times. Stubble was visible on his face. But what caught Alpha Jay's attention were his eyes. Red rimmed but determined.

The doctor felt the presence of his Alpha and looked up from his phone call. He gave the Alpha a smile- something he was not expecting. Alpha Jay sat down across from him, waiting patiently for the call to be over.

"Where is she?" The doctor asked, excited.

The Alpha could hear the response from the phone, "I think she said she was going north after this. Usually stays for a month in a pack and then moves to the next- should be at Umbra Pack."

"Thank you," the doctor said sighing with relief.

"No problem," the person on the other line said, "I hope you find her. Sounds like you really need her."

The doctor laughed, "Yes we do. I hope she is as good as you say."

"Don't worry," the other line said, "she's moon blessed."

Closing the conversation off, the doctor put the phone down and sat back in his chair.

Alpha Jay sat, waiting for the doctor to explain his findings.

After a sip of his coffee, the doctor looked at his Alpha. "I called around within the medical community. They were all as lost as me on what to do, however, one pack doctor said something that caught my attention. He had a similar situation where a pack member had twin pups."

Alpha Jay nodded for doctor Schulman to continue. The doctor sighed and pressed on, "He said he didn't know what to do and faced the situation of losing the mother or the pups. However, a traveling healer showed up."

One of Alpha Jay's eyebrows rose in interest.

"The pack was wary of her at first, however, the pack doctor called around and found out that she was well known. She has traveled around the world and saved and birthed many pups, from Alphas to Omegas. They say she is moon blessed."

"How can we be sure that she is good?" Alpha Jay asked. It was the same question the pack doctor had asked, but he couldn't take the word of someone who he didn't know.

Doctor Schulman nodded, "I know Alpha. We haven't met her so we don't know. I have heard of her though. I didn't make the connection that this woman people talked about was the same healer that was so revered."

"So, she managed to save the pups and mother?" Alpha Jay asked.

"Yes," Dr. Schulman said, "she gave treatments to the mother and the mate to calm him down, and worked what could only be a miracle. The pack doctor said he assisted her in the procedure and saw the whole thing. He agreed she is moon blessed."

Doctor Schulman sat up in his chair and took out a file, "When pack doctors heard my situation and that I was calling for help and solutions, more and more emailed and called me, telling me to find her and ask for her help."

The doctor laid a stack of papers in front of the Alpha. He looked through them and read some of the printed-out emails. His eyebrows rose in astonishment at some of the stories. One letter caught his attention, making him stop.

"She was the one that healed Alpha Mason's mate?" Alpha Jay asked in surprise. He and Alpha Mason were close friends, and he knew the situation with him and his mate. Shae was a sterile female. It had caused grief and had almost broken their bond at one point that Shae could not give her male a pup. However, one day Mason had called Jay, his voice thick, saying Shae was by a miracle, pregnant.

Doctor Schulman nodded, "Apparently, she doesn't want a lot to know of her presence so she asked them to promise to keep it to themselves what all she does. But yes, she was the one who helped Alpha Mason and his mate."

Alpha Jay set the papers down. This was all the proof he needed. He knew how many times Mason and Shae had traveled everywhere to different healers to help. If this female could do what even the best around the world could not, then he was willing to take a chance on her.

"How soon can we get her?" He asked.

Doctor Schulman smiled, "I'm calling the pack she is staying at now and asking if she is willing to help us. Do I have your permission to drive and get her if she agrees, Alpha?" The doctor questioned.

"Of course," the Alpha said, getting up from his seat. "I'll tell John and Grace that we have a healer coming to help."

"Alpha," Dr. Schulman said, stopping the Alpha before he could leave, "I know she has worked many miracles, but...please don't instill false hope in them. We need to wait and make sure she is able to help Grace."

Alpha Jay nodded, feeling a little annoyed at being reminded of what he already knew.

"Keep me informed," he said shortly before leaving.

;)

Thx for reading

/////WORLD_JOY_/////