C5 The Healer

Victor POV

"Beta...We have a problem." I glance at Tammy and then back at Eric before I step aside and let them in. They quickly step in and head to the bar area. He grabs her hand and gently rubs it.

"Give me a second." I grab some clothes and head into the bathroom to dress. A minute later I return in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

Eric was sitting on a stool by the by the bar in the kitchen with Tammy standing next to him with her arms wrapped around his bicep. Her head down staring at her shoes.

I take a seat on the couch opposite them and stare at Eric with an expectant look on my face.

“What is it?” I deadpan.

"Go ahead baby." Tammy nodded her head absently and looked back at Victor.

“Tori told me something that you might not like, according to Eric. Although I don’t see a problem with it since this is what she does.”

“What is it that she does?” I got an uncomfortable feeling in my gut and waited semi-patiently for the answer.

“Well …” She fidgeted awkwardly, “… Tori has been offered a side job.”

“What side job?”

“Dr. MacDonald has asked her to take care of a homebound patient. Apparently, he’s having trouble assimilating back into the real world.”

Victor's eyes shot up and he leaned in further to hear the rest. Tammy shifted and rolled her eyes before continuing.

"He is having trouble mentally and emotionally. That is one of Tori's strong suits. Helping people with their emotional states and returning to a normal or somewhat normal life."

"Okay. What am I missing here?" I asked still intrigued by the conversation.

"The request came from the Hidden Falls Pack." Eric finished quietly as if he knew the answer was going to upset me.

I took a moment and let the last statement sink in before I reacted. Tori was going to a pack to help rehabilitate an injured wolf.

Wait....what? I felt Ivan come forward to listen in on the conversation as well.

'What did she just say?' Ivan, my wolf perked up.

"She's going where?" I asked not quite understanding.

" Our boss asked Tori if she would go to the Hidden Falls Pack to help the future Alpha recover from some injuries." Tammy repeated. "I don't see what the problem is. This is what she does."

"This is not good" I walked around the room absentmindedly while thinking of a way to keep her from going.

"If she goes, she'll be on another Alpha's territory." Tammy was not yet understanding the seriousness of the situation. She shrugged her shoulders in confusion.

"We cannot go on to another territory without being invited. Especially if we want one of their invited guests. It could start a war." Eric explained.

"Why do you want her?" Tammy asked a little defensively. I sighed and answered lowly without facing her.

"I have my orders from my Alpha."

"Orders? What orders? What do you want with Tori?" Tammy was getting frustrated and upset. She just wanted to protect her best friend and keep her safe.

"I have orders to bring her back." Tammy gave a questioning look. "To bring her back home" Tammy’s face showed shock as she took that in. Her eyes darted around the room as she finally started to understand why they were there. “No! You can’t take her away! That’s my best friend you’re talking about! Practically my sister! Nooo! I won’t let you!” She jumped away from the bar and stared straight at Victor, almost challenging him. Victor stood and leaned down to stare right back.

“Eric, you need to explain to your mate about some things” he said in a low growl, not liking the standoff with this small human female.

“Baby, there’s nothing we can do. Alpha says…. We do.” Eric answered apologetically as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back between his legs. Victor did not like to be questioned or challenged.

She slid her eyes to Eric and saw a look of pleading as he gently tugged her arm. She huffed a little and leaned against his side.

"Home. Your Alpha is her Alpha?" I shook my head. I looked at Eric and he nodded his head.

"My Alpha....is her real father." Every muscle went limp in her body. She couldn't believe what she heard. Tori had given her bits and pieces of her life as a young child. She could barely remember her father. She did have warm memories, even if she didn't know what they were. No feelings of fear or pain came from them. Tammy knew that Tori often wondered about her real father. Where he was, what he was doing. Was he still alive? Did he miss her? Did he want to see her again? The fear of those answers kept her from going to find him.

"What if she doesn't want to go?" Both men turned their heads slowly in her direction, clearly not thinking that that was an option. "She has a life, a family. I mean her mother just passed away a couple of years ago, but a father that raised her that she loves dearly."

"Her father has been searching for her for seventeen years. She was taken from him without his permission. He will not hurt her; he wants to know his daughter." Eric's voice held a slight pleading tone.

Tammy sat there quiet for a moment with her eyes closed. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and glared at Victor.

"You have to tell her. You cannot keep this from her." Victor held a look of panic for a moment before hiding it. "She has known her whole life that her dad was not her real dad. She wants to know where she came from. She talks about finding her real dad and meeting him, whether he's an ass or not. That was always a bone of contention between her mother and her. Her mother would never give her any information about him. Even when Tori would beg and plead, that she has a right to know her father. But no, her mother would never give in. They would get into screaming matches for hours about it and then Tori would storm out of the house and ignore her for months at a time. Her stepdad knew very little but shared with Tori what he did know and anything he could find out. The worst part was that she doesn't even know his name. Tori was given her mother's maiden name and Chase couldn't even adopt her because Sara couldn't get the parental rights release from the real father. Tori was depressed about it for a long time even before I met her. But she has decided now that she's out of school, she will take some time to find him." Victor stared questioningly at Tammy.

"Does she have any idea who he is? Or where he is?" Tammy shook her head.

"Only that he is an Alpha. She mentions short memories that she has about growing up before her mother took her away. She does remember a friend that used to play with her. Nothing detailed, but it always brought a smile to her face. I think she recalls good feelings and happiness when she thinks about him." Victor perked up a bit, as did his wolf.

'Maybe she does remember us!' Ivan yipped happily in his head. Victor nodded and Ivan bounced around like a puppy full of excitement in his head.

"What is it?" Eric asked as he watched the expression on Victor's face. Victor looked up at the Gamma and chuckled.

"Ivan is having a hard time controlling his excitement." Eric grinned at his friend.

"Who's Ivan?" Tammy asked curiously.

"My wolf" Victor answered absentmindedly as his eyes flashed to Ivan's for a second before returning to normal. Tammy nodded but then stopped. Snapping her head back to Victor and stared as if trying to read his eyes.

"Babe? What's wrong?" He quickly stood up as if in defense.

"You're the warm memory!" She announced to Victor.

Victor just sat there watching her. Trying to catch up to her thought process and waiting to see where it leads. He glanced at Eric who was doing the same thing.

"We have to tell her" She finally answered before sitting down again, lost in thought. Victor shook his head.

"No"

"What? Why?"

"My orders are to bring her back to the Alpha. After that, it's up to him to tell her."

"And how are you going to do that!? You said yourself, you can't take her away from another territory. If I know Tori, which I do, she sets her mind to something she finishes it. There is no talking her out of it. Who knows how long it will take." Victor's face fell at this piece of information and sighed in defeat. "Why can't you go with her?"

"It doesn't work like that babe; we have to be invited. An Alpha doesn't take too kindly with outside wolves on their lands. Especially Beta's and Gamma's. He might take that as a threat." She shook her head in frustration.

"Geez! Men and their ego's! You're making this too complicated." Victor released a growl.

"Especially packs we aren’t allies with. He’s not known for being friendly and inviting. You have no idea how our world works!" Victor shot a little irritated with her tone.

“You are my Beta, but that is my mate you are yelling at. She is still learning about our ways.” Eric stated calmly as not to anger Victor, but enough heat to project his meaning.

Victor shot him a warning glare and Eric bowed his head. Only because he is my friend am I being tolerant of her, but the whole situation has me on edge in the first place. We finally find Tori and now she will be just out of our reach for an unknown amount of time.

"Whenever we do intake on a new patient, there are always two of us that go into the room to assess them. For safety reasons as well, but one of us does the vitals and the other takes notes for the objective view." Both men stare at her with a blank expression as Tammy sighed in frustration and paces the room.

"I have no idea what you just said" Eric announced as he leaned back against the counter.

"Tori would never go in alone" She answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Okayyy" Eric responded. Victor stood there nodding his head.

"Right. She needs someone to go with her." He looked right at Tammy.

Tammy shot up from her seat and backed away from them shaking her head.

"Oh no! No way! I'm not going to some den of wolves especially when one is wounded! I watch Animal Kingdom; I know they get aggressive and violent when hurt!" She held her hands up as if fending off an attack.

“Baby, you can be her assistant! She trusts you and you know what you’re doing.” He gently explained.

“Yeah? What if something goes wrong, huh? I can’t defend against angry wolves! Much less protect her! I’m a nobody, I have no wolf, you guys have wolves, Tori has a wolf…. sort of, but she can kick butt if she wants to, I can’t even kick a habit….so no!”

Eric let loose a loud growl and his eyes turned black causing Tammy and Victor to jump.

“Don’t ever say that about yourself again! You are not a nobody, you are my mate, my life, my reason. I will not stand to hear….” Tammy stepped up to him and grabbed his face in her hands. With a sad smile, she leaned up and kissed him gently.

“My mistake. I did not mean it that way. I meant; I am not a wolf. I am not strong enough to do anything if it all goes bad.” Rubbing her thumbs down his cheeks, he closed his eyes and purred at the feeling. He took her hands in his and squeezed. Putting his forehead against hers, he calmed his breathing and his wolf then turned to Victor.

“She’s got a point. We can’t let just the two of them go alone. There must be another way.”

Victor sat watching their interaction and felt a ping of hurt in his heart. Thinking about a mate, and the feeling of love that they have for each other. One to calm the other in times of need. He took a deep breath. His hurt turned to longing, he felt a lump in his chest but ignored it and pushed it down.

“I will have to bring this up with the Alpha and see what he wants to do. Did she say when this would happen?”

Without looking at Victor, she shook her head. “No. I will have to talk with her tomorrow and find out. I could ask her about going along to help.” Eric gave a small smile and Victor nodded.

“Get some rest. We’ll talk again in the morning. I will call Alpha tonight and let him know.” Eric turned and lead Tammy to the door before Victor’s question stopped him.

“What did you mean about Tori?” She turned and furrowed her brow in confusion. “you said she has a wolf…sort of. What does that mean?”

“Well, I’ve never seen her change into one so I assume she can’t. Of course, she just found out that I know, but I’ve known for a while now. She doesn’t display any of the characteristics of wanting to change like Eric does sometimes. I know she has excellent hearing and eyesight. I do think whatever is inside of her helps her with her patients. To heal and recover.” She answered with a shrug.

Eric led her to the door and turned back to bow his good night to the Beta. Victor closed the door and locked it.

Sighing, he returned to the bathroom to finish his night routine and changed into some boxers for bed. What the hell is she thinking? Going to another territory and heal a wolf?! That’s just crazy considering she hasn’t been around wolves all her life. Or maybe she has and didn’t know it.

All I know is that the Alpha is not going to like this bit of news at all. Just another roadblock for him to navigate until he can see his daughter again.

Sitting on his bed, he picks up his cell phone and dials his Alpha’s number. After three rings, he answers.

“Did you find her?”