Chapter 488
Marcus
The healer's hut smells of dried herbs and old wood. Bundles of sage and lavender hang from the rafters. A fire crackles in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the cluttered shelves.
Madam Vee is at her table, grinding something in a stone mortar. She does not look up when I enter.
"Alpha Marcus."
"Madam Vee."
I stand in the doorway. This is not the first time I have come here. I have been coming for months now.
She sets down the pestle. She looks at me with those milky eyes—eyes that have seen more than any wolf should. Eyes that have witnessed the rise and fall of generations.
"The same as before?"
"Yes."
She rises from her chair. Her movements are slow, deliberate. She walks to a shelf and begins selecting jars.
"She is still struggling?"
"Yes."
I pause.
"It is getting worse."
She nods. She does not ask more.
I watch her work. She measures powders. Crushes leaves. Mixes them with practiced hands.
