The Heartbroken Luna's Choice Banish Love novel Chapter 291

Trista's POV

Xander introduced him with a rare touch of deference. "This is Elias Manwaring. Elias, this is Trista—the healer currently capable of stabilizing Sayer's wolf soul."

I met his gaze professionally. "Hello, Mr. Manwaring. Please, have a seat. The air in here is filtered with a specific herbal blend to help ease Alpha tension."

Xander signaled to the man. "Elias, I'll leave you and Trista to discuss the details. I'll be guarding the perimeter of the territory for now. We'll talk later."

The second Xander stepped out, the comm-stone on my wrist buzzed.

He had sent a carefully worded warning. "Elias is a titan in the legal world; his firm only handles M&A involving core pack assets. His lineage is ancient, and his wealth is beyond calculation. Stay professional. Do not provoke him—he's an Alpha who can go from calm to lethal in a heartbeat."

I put the stone away and took a quiet breath.

Naturally, anyone Xander personally vouched for wasn't going to be just another werewolf.

My assistant, Zelda, tried to take the pup, Sayer, from Elias's arms, but the little guy let out an incredibly tight, high-pitched whimper. His tiny claws even tore through his father's shirt in a fit of terror.

After several attempts, Sayer was still clinging to his father's collar, refusing to let any stranger near him.

I signaled for Elias to keep holding him. "Mr. Manwaring, please describe the trauma to the pup's wolf soul in detail."

Elias's voice was deep, making the air in the room vibrate. "Three years ago, Sayer and his mother were kidnapped by rogues. Due to the severity of the attack, his mother died at the scene. Their soul-bond shattered instantly. This child witnessed everything. He has severe PTSD."

"For three years, he's managed to maintain human form, but he can't sleep naturally. He relies on heavy doses of wolfsbane diluent just to suppress his agitated instincts. Even then, he wakes up from nightmares almost every night, often mid-shifted."

Elias paused, a chilling dark red flicker appearing in his eyes. "Yesterday at school, Sayer was scratched on the head by a classmate and was victim to severe bullying. His will finally broke."

"At 1:00 AM, the duty healer tried to medicate him to sleep, but he only stayed under for forty minutes. Since he woke up, his pheromones have been stuck in this state—a sour, over-anxious scent."

My heart did a violent somersault.

Last night, Cassian had rushed out, saying Algernon had scratched a classmate and the parents were refusing to settle—could Algernon, that little bully, be the one who hurt this poor pup?

I tentatively reached out, trying to catch Sayer's frequency.

Frost, my wolf, let out a hum of approval, releasing a wave of compassion that awakened a dormant maternal instinct deep in my soul.

I leaned down and gently pressed my cheek against Sayer's feverish, tear-stained face.

Elias watched his son—the heir who hadn't cried once in three years of school bullying, the boy who had locked himself in a cold shell—now acting like a defenseless cub, clinging to a female wolf he'd just met and calling her "Mommy."

In that moment, I caught a violent fluctuation in the elite Alpha's magnetic field.

He looked away abruptly, trying to maintain the last shred of his composure.

Elias took a deep breath, his broad chest heaving as he forced his rising emotions back down into his bloodline.

He looked back at me, his voice dropping into a low, magnetic Alpha command. "Miss Holmes, Xander mentioned you specialize in psychological healing as well as soul stabilization. Name your price. If you can make Sayer whole again, I will pay it."

I gave him a polite nod. "I'm a healer at Sheptran. It's my job to save my patients. I'll do my best."

Watching the pup finally settle in my arms, I added, "His breathing isn't fully stable yet. Let's get him to a room and get him settled."