Return of The Alpha Heiress

Chapter 84: Richard – The Healer

Alpha Frost welcomed us with a troubled expression and led us straight to the pack center.

"A group of vampires attacked just minutes ago, Commander," he reported.

I looked at him sharply. "Where are the vampires now? How many casualties? Any corruptus? Anyone kidnapped?"

"Thanks to Lady Rissa’s guards, we managed to drive those cunning creatures away and minimize the damage. Several warriors were injured. No one was taken. One warrior turned into a corruptus, but Lady Rissa is treating him now," Alpha Frost explained.

Rissa.

That was The Healer’s name.

Usually, she was addressed only as The Healer due to her exalted position, second only to the Lycan King and the Luna. And since it was still unclear which of the three candidates would ascend as the next Lycan King, The Healer currently held the highest authority in the empire.

For a mere alpha from a small border pack to address her directly by name meant one of two things.

Either he was close to her.

Or she was a fool who didn’t understand the weight of her position.

Regardless, my priority right now was the vampire attack.

"Noah," I ordered, "take several enforcers and pursue the vampires."

Noah moved immediately, selecting his men and questioning Frost Pack warriors about the vampires’ escape route.

I turned back to Alpha Frost. "Take me to The Healer."

He nodded. "She’s at the pack square, treating the corruptus warrior."

As we moved, my mind began to wander.

What kind of woman was The Healer? Was she young or aged by time? Cooperative or irritable? Calm or severe?

Her role was pivotal, especially now that the prophecy clearly stated that The Healer would be the one to identify the next Lycan King.

Her words would decide the empire’s future.

Beyond that, her abilities were extraordinary. She could heal without medical tools. More importantly, she alone could cure corruptus.

When a werewolf was bitten by a vampire, there were three possible outcomes.

First, death.

Second, transformation into a vampire. Those who turned were immediately abducted and absorbed into vampire society. This outcome was precisely why The Sire attacked humans and werewolves alike. Vampires could not reproduce. They could only expand by converting others.

The third outcome was becoming a corruptus.

Creatures that were technically vampires, yet devoid of consciousness. Their sole instinct was to drink blood. Any werewolf attacked by a corruptus would die.

The only one capable of curing a corruptus, of restoring their consciousness, was The Healer.

With such importance, she should have been heavily guarded by elite enforcers at all times.

Yet according to Noah, ever since her appointment in the capital, The Healer had refused elite protection, insisting she would wait for the legion of the future Lycan King candidate instead.

Alpha Frost had just said it was The Healer’s guards who helped repel the vampires.

Who were these guards? Where had she found such capable protectors?

Was Lady Rissa someone far more influential than she appeared?

My train of thought halted when Alpha Frost pointed ahead.

"That is The Healer."

A woman stood with her back to us.

She wore a white robe, the robe of The Healer. Long, wavy brunette hair was tied halfway, stark against the brightness of her cloak. Beneath it, a glimpse of red fabric peeked through.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

Heat spread through my body. Obby began to howl inside my mind.

It felt as if my heart was being pulled in a single direction.

Toward The Healer.

Is this what happens when the Lycan King meets The Healer?

Does that mean I’m the Lycan King?

My thoughts raced, but I shook my head.

This feeling isn’t unfamiliar.

I’ve felt it before... just never this strong.

My body was practically being dragged forward. Obby strained to take control without my consent. I fought it desperately.

This wasn’t right.

The last time I felt something like this was with the woman I loved.

Clarissa.

I couldn’t possibly feel this way toward another woman, let alone The Healer.

With every step, the distance between us shrank. And with every step, my control weakened.

I closed my eyes and forced my focus elsewhere.

Only then did I notice the man bound to a pillar in front of her. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging unnaturally beneath his skin. He thrashed violently, mouth opening and closing, trying to bite the woman before him.

A corruptus.

It had been a long time since I’d seen one.

The sight reminded me how dangerous this world truly was.

As a Lycan King candidate, my duty was to save it by killing The Sire.

That duty itself meant little to me.

But if one day Clarissa, wherever she was, were to encounter vampires and suffer the same fate...

I would not allow myself to live.

That was why I would still hunt and kill that despicable creature someday.

Our unhidden approach finally drew The Healer’s attention.

I wondered if she felt the same magnetic pull that was tearing me apart.

The moment she turned around and revealed her face, every thought in my mind vanished.

Obby fell silent, utterly enchanted.

Violet eyes, bright and clear. Pale skin. Thin, lovely lips.

I had seen this face up close before.

I had imagined, countless times, how she would look once the scars on her face were gone.

I hadn’t been wrong.

She was beautiful.

Unforgettable.

She was the woman I had been searching for.

The woman who gave me purpose through five brutal years of training.

She stood before me now.

Clarissa...

The name tore through my chest. It wasn’t just a thought. It was something deeper.

She approached me with graceful steps, offered a polite smile, and spoke in the voice I had longed for every day.

"My name is Rissa, The Healer. Commander Black."

Her voice sounded distant. Formal. Mature.

Different from the Clarissa I remembered.

And yet, I knew.

"You know me?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.

She smiled again, professional and composed.

"Of course. If not Commander Black, leader of Legion Black and one of the three Lycan King candidates, who else could have sent a mind-link to me?"

I can... mind-link?

...