Page 64 of Healer’s Betrayal

“What body?” he asks.

I open my mouth, but Raechel cuts in. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to, Chica.”

I close my mouth and nod. “Okay.” I steer our conversation back, even though I don’t want to. “So, is Renee part of the,” I pause, unwilling to say it.

“Renee is actually Alicia,” Raechel says. “Ava and Bryce could give you more details. But the short version is that she was a wolf shifter in Bryce’s pack but then one day, showed she was a vampire as well.” She points a finger at my face. “Yeah, that’s about how we all feel about it. We don’t really get it all yet, but that’s what happened. So, she’s working with the bad guys, which in this case are the vampires. The vampires are after healers because they use healer blood to create and control the shifters they capture and turn into vampires. Why she broke script and gave you a shot of vampire serum, we’re not really sure. We think that’s what happened anyway. Did you know they gave you a shot of something?”

My mind races to keep up with her. I remember the prick in my neck. “I felt something sharp in my neck.” I look at her and then at Jackson. “They were trying to turn me into a vampire?” I can’t keep the horror from my voice. “Why? For what?” Nobody has any answers for me, and nobody acknowledges the absolute insanity of the questions I’m even asking.

Chapter 27

Kayla

“And why do I feel really good?”

It’s Raechel once again that answers my question. “Sage and Paul are here from our pack. He’s a doctor, and she’s a healer. They worked on you together. I’m sure he’ll give you a report, but I think you’re good to go.”

I take stock of my body. “I feel good to go, that’s for sure.” I frown. “How far away do you all live?”

“Northern Wisconsin,” she fills me in.

“Then why did they come so far?”

She waves off my concern. “They’re like that. Oh, and Garrett and Emma are here as well.”

“Who are they?” I ask.

“Garrett’s the pack alpha, and Emma is his mate. Gonna warn you right now. He's super intense, powerful, scary, makes you want to confess anything you ever did.”

I blink. “And I want to meet him, why?”

She laughs. “Oh you sweet, naive thing.” I frown at that. “You’re cute that you think you get any choice when it comes to Garrett.”

“Angel,” Max says warningly just as a knock sounds.

She waves off his warning. “I’m just preparing her to meet him.”

“Pretty sure I don’t want to meet him,” I mutter.

“Pretty sure you don’t get a choice,” she mutters right back just as Max opens the door. I watch as a couple enters the room. The woman enters first and seeks me out, giving me a warm smile that I return instantly.

“Kayla,” the woman says warmly. “It’s so good to meet you. I’m Emma.” She gives me another warm smile as she walks towards me. “Can I hug you?” Her words take me by surprise, and I barely get a chance to nod before she wraps her arms around me. “It’s so good to meet you.” I don’t know why, but emotion clogs my throat. I force it away and look up. When I do, my eyes meet the dark eyes of the male behind her. The breath gets stuck in my lungs, and I feel my body lock up. I stumble back a step, immediately looking for Noah. I grab his hand and push him behind me, never looking away from the dangerous male in front of us. I take another step back, right into a hard chest.

“Dial it back.” There’s no missing the threat in Jackson’s voice, and the already tense room gets even more tense.

Those dark eyes meet mine again, and fear floods me. My heart starts racing, and my breathing speeds up. The room seems to go still. Then he speaks. “Kayla, I’m Garrett, Emma’s mate.” His voice is low and has an edge to it that I can almost feel.

“Garrett, tone it back a little,” Emma says quietly.

“Just waiting for the rogue to stop challenging me,” he says in a very dangerous voice.

I realize suddenly that his eyes aren’t on me; they’re on Jackson, behind me. I finally turn slightly and look up at him. I see his eyes are that brilliant blue that they sometimes seem to be. “Jackson?” He doesn’t look at me; he continues to stare down the newcomer. I turn back around to face Garrett. “He’s not going to do anything to you. He comes across all gruff, but he’s actually really nice.”

Raechel snorts. “Really nice,” she repeats with a laugh. “Oh, Chica.”

“He is,” I say, defending him.

“To you,” Raechel points out.