Chapter 4

Josie POV

            The day had finally arrived.  I was eating my meals, and Jenna was pleased with my limited progress.  Adam had finally agreed, although Jenna had already decided she said she wanted to give him the illusion of having a choice.  I was moved to the holding cells.  Jenna did not want to do healing in the dungeons.  Not that I blamed her, I would not want too either.  It was a dreary place.

            As I looked around the room, it was a closed in cell with a door.  The only way people could see in was through the door window.  And I could see a curtain was placed to block out inquiring minds.  I was anxious.  I did not realize how badly I wanted this to work.  I wanted to feel worthy of being with someone.  I wanted too not be a rogue anymore, and I felt like I had the option today.

            I did not know what would happen after Jenna attempts to heal me, but I would try my best to get Sam back.  I had never experienced hope before.  Now I seemed to have it, I did not want to let go of it.  I knew I would have my work cut out for me and I would do what I could to make it up to him.

            I sit rigidly on the side of the bed looking across the room.  I felt like this had been my life for so long although it really was a short period of time that I had been held captive.  Had I not come and confronted Adam and his Pack when they had captured my brother I would still be working and away from all this.  But then I would not have had a chance to be healed. 

I could hear the holding cell main door open, and I felt my body tighten in anticipation.  I looked toward the door sharply as there was a brief knock before Jenna walked in.  Shortly after she entered Adam and Jack were there.  I saw Jack standing at the door briefly glancing my way.

            “Come to watch the show?” I ask him with scorn in my voice.  I was already tense and was self-conscious of anyone watching me be vulnerable.  To be healed you had to be vulnerable.  Jenna had conducted an assessment on me first, and what she learned about me had broken me briefly.  She saw my history of abuse with my father.  She saw how he almost killed me, if Eric had not stepped in and killed my father instead. 

            She gave me hope, once again.  She told me my heart was pure and not tainted with the toxins within my body.  The rogue toxin as I thought of it.  I knew other rogues suffered with the pain of being a rogue, but I also understand being born to the Rogue King meant a stronger pain.  You had the toxins in your core.  Most rogues chose their way of life, where we were selected at birth.

            I often wondered how the Moon Goddess could be so cruel.  I still wondered.  I had never met my mother, or if I had, I did not remember her.  Nobody ever spoke of her, so I assumed she was dead.  Perhaps she was not.  Perhaps she was alive and well someplace far away from all of us.

            I would be bitter if I learned she had been alive all this time.  Bitter that she left us with a monster.  Maybe she had no choice.  But what mother would leave her children?  If I had children with a rogue, I would stay to protect them as best as I could.  Maybe I was being naïve.  Who would have been able to protect use against the strength of the Rogue King?

Jenna POV

“Alright, I am heading over to get started on healing Josie,” I say to both Adam and Jack.  They stand and follow me out of Adam’s office.  Adam locks his door before following along behind us.  Jack is aware of the process so we talk Pack business so nobody is the wiser of what we will be doing.  Most of the Pack would not be happy to know we were doing a healing session on a rogue and a rogue like Josie in particular.

As we walk through the garden to head toward the holding cells we are stopped by an elder.  “Alpha Adam,” Elder Fred says.  “What is this I hear that Josie has been moved?” he demands of Adam.  Knowing this Fred character, he is always in everyone’s business and takes his role as elder a little too seriously if you ask me.  “That’s correct Elder Fred.  Do you have a problem you need my help with?” Adam asks him.  Elder Fred understands he is being cut off, so he shakes his head walking away muttering about this generation of wolves and mistakes.

            We all smile at one another recognizing the elder for being a busy body.  I can feel my stomach roll a little as I begin to anticipate what will happen once I start.  I am remembering the last time I tried to heal Eric, Josie’s twin.  He had been the current Rogue King and the tarry substance that covered his organs was horrid.  I almost died trying to heal him.

“You can still back out, Jenna.  None of us will think less of you,” Adam says through our mind-link.  Jack jumps in, “He is right Jenna, there is nothing wrong with changing your mind.”.   I look at them both and murmur “Thanks, I am good,” as I look toward the holding cells.  I see a few people mingling around and I suspect they are also here to question Josie being moved.  I leave it to Adam and Jack to address as I move into the building.

            I walk down the hall to where Josie is being housed.  I see there is a curtain up in front of the door.  I knock softly on the door and then unlock the door with the master key and walk in.  I am surprised to see Josie sitting there waiting for me like her life was depending on it.  “Wow I am surprised you are up and ready to go,” I say to Josie.  “I can hear people milling around out there.  I can hear them asking why I was allowed out of the dungeon.  I was afraid … I am afraid … you will change your mind,” she says. 

            I moved toward her when I get a mind-link from Adam, “Do not start without me!” he says as he continues dealing with the little group outside.  Adam was adamant he wanted to be here to protect me and pull me back from healing if it got too intense.  “I am not backing out, Josie; Adam is dealing with the people outside and then we will get started,” I promise her.  I move towards the side table and take a bottle of water.  I will need the water and snacks that are laid out to keep up my strength as I heal each organ.  It will take some time to get through her stomach first, so I am going to start there.  It seems to be the most filled with toxins.  And she confirmed for me yesterday it was where she carried a lot of her pain.

            Just as I was starting to get antsy, Adam walked into the room and locked the door behind him.  Jack was standing guard, so nobody could disturb us during the healing process.  Josie looks between both of us anxiously, “Whatever happens, thank you,” she says sincerely.  Adam nods at her and I move forward to take her hand.  “Let’s just both focus on this working, okay?” I ask her.  I need her on board to make this work.  Josie nods, “I am in a hundred percent,” she says.  “What do you need me to do?” she asks eager to get started.

            “I just need you to lay down on the cot,” I say to her.  I move to stand beside her as Adam takes a seat off to the side.  He knows not to interfere unless things look bad.  By bad I mean bleeding from my nose, eyes, or ears.  Otherwise, I have told him he needs to expect the process to look bad but likely it is not.  I also anticipate that I will be able to stop when it gets too overwhelming.

            “Try to open your mind up to the healing, Josie,” I say to her softly as I take a position beside her bed.  I move my hands slowly over her body to complete a full scan.  I am disturbed to see some tar substance in her brain.  I had not seen that in Eric, or rather I had not had time to study Eric.  I went to work so quickly I never did a full scan of his body.  Her stomach was the darkest and full of the tarry substance so I determined I would start there as I had originally decided.

            I spoke with Josie through some of the process.  This was so much better than when I had been forced to heal Eric.  I decided to really delve into her stomach area.  I was less chatty now, as I was absorbing her pain.  I do not know how she had endured this much for so long.  Eric was evil, so it was not so surprising.  It was surprising for Josie to have suffered.  I did not understand why or how she had got so much of the substance in her stomach.  It took me hours to work on Josie.  Every time I cleared a spot the substance would ooze and fill in the empty space.  At times I felt it was too much and pulled out of her and back into myself. 

            Adam was there to wipe my face for me with a cool cloth.  He gave me some orange pieces and part of a sandwich to help keep my strength up.  When I needed a break, he pulled me into his lap, and I swear now that we had mated and marked one another, he was able to absorb some of the pain I was feeling.  The pain always lessened when I was in his arms, and it allowed me to go back at the healing faster.

            I murmured along the way to Josie when I could.  I told her what a good job she was doing.  She kept thanking me when I was not working on her.  She could see it was taking a toll. When I finally saw the end of the substance in her stomach, I took another break.  The substance was not filling in the empty spaces any longer.  It was holding and I had one small part left to heal.

            “Jenna,” Josie says while she lies there breathing faster than I would expect.  “Yes?” I ask her as I stand to move closer to her.  “I feel lighter already.  Thank you,” she tells me.  “You are welcome, Josie, but do you feel alright?  Your breathing has changed,” I say to her.  She smiles, “I knew there would be a punishment for trying to heal me.  I think I am dying,” she murmurs as her eyes close shut.