Reclaiming Stolen Healing Gifts

Neil arrived at dawn, when the pack house was still quiet and Cairo's attention would be occupied with border patrols. My brother moved through the healing archives with the practiced efficiency of a Beta accustomed to sensitive operations, his presence both comforting and terrifying—because his being here meant we were truly doing this.

"Show me everything," he said simply, pulling up a chair beside my workstation.

I activated the first file, my hands steadier than I expected. Cairo's voice filled the small space: "Document her baseline vocal range, then apply the harmonic resonance technique. I want her ready for the collection by week's end."

Neil's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, just nodded for me to continue.

We worked through the recordings systematically—ninety-nine sessions spanning three years, each one meticulously documented as I'd been trained to do. My grandmother's voice echoed in my memory: *A healer's records are sacred, little one. They protect both healer and patient.* I'd never imagined they would become weapons.

"Here," I said, pulling up a financial document I'd discovered last week. "These are payments from something called 'Midnight Melody Enterprises.' The amounts correlate exactly with each completed enhancement."

Neil leaned closer, his Beta mind already making connections I couldn't see. "Claire, this isn't just exploitation within pack boundaries. These payment routes—" He traced a pattern on the screen. "They connect to illegal entertainment trafficking networks. Human and supernatural. Cairo's been selling access to enhanced she-wolves outside pack jurisdiction."

The room tilted slightly. I'd known Cairo was corrupt, but this? "He's trafficking them?"

"Not physically. Worse—he's selling their voices, their enhanced abilities, to the highest bidder. Some of these clients..." Neil's expression darkened. "They're on every pack's watch list. The kind of wolves who prey on the vulnerable."

I touched the mate mark on my neck, feeling sick. Every enhancement I'd performed, every technique I'd shared believing in our partnership—all of it had fed this nightmare.

"The coalition is ready," Neil said, his hand covering mine. "Six allied packs, all with legitimate grievances against Cairo's territorial aggression. The Pack Council has already been notified of irregularities. We just need your testimony and this evidence to move forward."

"When?" My voice sounded hollow.

"The anniversary celebration. Three days from now." Neil squeezed my hand. "Maximum attendance, maximum impact. Can you hold together until then?"

I thought of Winona's mocking smile, Cairo's cold dismissal, three years of systematic erosion. "I'm already broken, Neil. But broken things can still cut."

---

The final session with Winona proceeded exactly as the ninety-eight before it. She arrived at my healing chamber wearing another purple dress, this one with silver threading that caught the light like Luna insignia. The deliberate mockery no longer stung—I was beyond such petty provocations now.

"Ready for my enhancement, Luna?" She settled onto the treatment table with proprietary ease, as if this space belonged to her now.

I prepared my instruments with mechanical precision, documenting every step as I always did. "Begin with your warm-up scales."

Winona's voice filled the chamber, that mesmerizing quality even more pronounced after weeks of preliminary treatments. I watched the frequency monitors, noting the unusual stability in her upper register—a sign that the enhancements were taking hold perfectly.

Too perfectly.

I applied the final harmonic resonance treatment, feeling my healing energy flow through the traditional patterns my grandmother had taught me. Winona's vocal cords responded beautifully, her range expanding with each careful adjustment. This was my gift—the ability to heal and enhance—and Cairo had corrupted it into something ugly.

But the techniques themselves remained pure. I would reclaim them after this was over.

"How do you feel?" I asked, completing my standard post-treatment assessment.

Winona's hand went to her throat, testing her voice with a few experimental notes. "Incredible," she breathed, genuine wonder breaking through her usual mockery. "I've never felt this kind of power."

I documented her response, dated and time-stamped the session recording, and filed it with all the others. The ninety-ninth and final entry in Cairo's collection.

"You're cleared for full vocal activity," I said professionally. "Though I recommend avoiding strain for the next twenty-four hours."

Winona slid off the table, already testing her new range with soft trills that seemed to shimmer in the air. She didn't thank me—she never had. Instead, she swept from the chamber with that predatory grace, probably heading straight to Cairo to display her enhanced abilities.

I sat alone in the silence that followed, surrounded by my healing instruments and archived evidence. Three days until everything changed.

---

The pack dinner that evening was a mandatory gathering, one of Cairo's attempts to project unity and strength to the pack. I took my place at the high table beside him, playing the dutiful Luna one last time. Winona sat among the honored guests—rogues being formally welcomed typically sat with lower-ranking wolves, but Cairo had placed her prominently, another deliberate slight.

I was pushing food around my plate, counting down the minutes until I could escape, when Winona suddenly stood. Her hand clutched her throat, her eyes wide with theatrical panic.

"I—I can't breathe!" Her voice came out strangled, rough—completely unlike the smooth tones from this afternoon's session. "My throat—something's wrong!"

The dining hall erupted into chaos as she collapsed dramatically, still clutching her neck. Cairo was on his feet instantly, rushing to her side with a concern he'd never shown me.

"What happened?" he demanded, cradling Winona as she gasped and whimpered.

Winona's eyes found mine across the hall, and I saw the calculation there—cold, clear purpose beneath the performance. "The treatment," she choked out. "Claire's treatment—she did something. She sabotaged me!"

Every eye in the hall turned toward me. I sat frozen, understanding washing over me with terrible clarity.

She'd planned this. Waited until the most public moment possible to make her accusation, to destroy my credibility before I could destroy Cairo's.

Cairo's gaze locked onto mine, and the fury there was absolute. "You did this?" His voice carried the edge of Alpha command. "You deliberately harmed her?"

I stood slowly, my hands steady despite the accusations flying around me. The recordings were safe in Neil's possession. The evidence was secure. This performance, however convincing, couldn't change that.

"I followed the exact same protocol I've used for ninety-eight sessions," I said clearly. "Every step documented and recorded."

But Cairo wasn't listening. He was already lifting Winona, carrying her toward the pack house with fierce protectiveness.

"Confine her," he commanded Derek, his Gamma, without looking back. "My mate will answer for this betrayal."