The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 167

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Seven

Agatha accepted the few coins the young woman placed carefully into her palm. The payment was small- barely enough to purchase the herbs Agatha had used-but she closed her fingers around the coins as though the woman had given her something valuable.

Across the room, the young mother’s little boy slept peacefully beneath a thin woolen blanket. His cheeks. were no longer flushed with fever, and the painful wheezing that had filled his lungs only a day earlier had finally disappeared. His breathing was now slow and even. Healthy.

Agatha smiled as she watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Only yesterday, the child had been too weak to open his eyes. His mother had carried him through the rain, crying and begging Agatha to save him after the village healer admitted there was nothing more he could do. The boy’s fever had resisted every ordinary remedy. But Agatha had recognized the sickness. She had prepared a strong tea from willow bark, elderflower, and several healing herbs she had gathered from the forest. She had rubbed warm medicinal oil over the child’s chest and back, then used a careful thread of white magic to strengthen his lungs.

By morning, the fever had broken. Now the child simply needed rest.

“I am sorry,” the young woman said as she looked down at the few remaining coins in her hand. “This is all I can afford for now.”

Embarrassment colored her face.

“But I promise that as soon as I have more money, I will return arfd pay you the rest.”

Agatha shook her head gently.

“This is enough.”

“But the herbs alone must have cost more than this.”

“They did not.”

It was a lie, but a harmless one. Agatha had gathered most of the herbs herself. The rarest ingredient had taken her nearly an entire morning to find, but she would never place the price of a plant above the life of a child. The young woman looked unconvinced.

“You stayed awake with him the entire night. You prepared his medicine. You fed him when he was too weak to eat. I should give you more.”

Agatha reached across the table and placed the coins back into the woman’s hand, leaving only one in her own palm.

“Keep the rest.”

The woman stared at her.

“You may need food for him while he recovers.”

Tears gathered in the young mother’s eyes.

Chapter Opened Sixty Sev

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

Claim

“Take him home and keep him warm,” Agatha replied. “Give him the tea I prepared twice each day for the next three days. Make sure the drinks water, even if he says he is not thirsty.”

She nodded toward the small pouch sitting beside the child.

“There is enough medicine inside for the week. If his fever returns or his breathing becomes difficult again, bring him back immediately.”

“I will.”

The young woman wiped her eyes.

“Thank you, Agatha. Truly.”

Agatha smiled, but her expression became more serious.

“There is one thing I ask in return.”

“Anything.”

“Do not speak about me to strangers.”

The woman blinked. Agatha lowered her voice.

“You may tell the people in the village that I helped your son, but do not share details with travelers. Do not tell anyone where we live, and do not send strangers to our home without speaking to me first.”

Confusion crossed the young woman’s face.

“Why?”

Agatha glanced briefly toward the window. Beyond the glass, the small clearing surrounding their cottage appeared peaceful. Wildflowers swayed beneath the morning breeze, and sunlight filtered through the trees. There was no danger in sight. Yet seven months of hiding had taught her that peace could disappear in a single moment.

“My husband and I value our privacy,” Agatha said carefully. “We came here because we wanted a quiet life.”

The young woman nodded, though she still appeared curious.

“I understand.”

Agatha hoped she did. She and Lucian had agreed that she could use her healing abilities whenever someone truly needed her help. Agatha could never willingly allow someone to suffer when she possessed the power to save them. Healing was not merely something she had learned. It was part of who she was. Her magic responded to illness and pain. Whenever she sensed someone suffering, ignoring them felt like denying a piece of her own soul.

But she and Lucian also understood the risk. They needed to be careful. A talented healer would always

attract attention.

A healer who could cure sicknesses that ordinary human remedies could not touch would eventually

< Chapter Oua+mited Sixty Sever

attract even more. Not all attention was kind. Not all curiosity was harmless. Words traveled quickly between villages. Merchants carried stories from one territory to another. Travelers repeated rumors around tavern fires, and healers often visited distant settlements searching for rare knowledge.

Claim

It would take only one person speaking too freely. One stranger hearing of a young woman who healed the dying with herbs, oils, and a touch of hidden magic. One witch recognizing the description. Then everything Agatha and Lucian had built could be destroyed. They had hidden themselves carefully. Agatha created potions that concealed the magical trace of her blood. She prepared another mixture that softened Lucian’s wolf scent whenever he entered human settlements.

To the villagers, they were simply a married couple who had traveled from a distant land. Lucian was a hunter. Agatha was knowledgeable about herbs. Nothing more. No one knew he was a werewolf. No one knew she was a witch. And no one knew that their union violated laws older than either of them. The young mother glanced toward the closed bedroom door.

“Thank you again,” she said. “We are fortunate that you and your husband decided to stay in our little village.”

Her worried expression finally softened into a smile.

“Speaking of your husband, where is he today? I usually see him near the cottage.”

Agatha’s face brightened immediately.

“He went hunting early this morning.”

“For the village?”

“For us, mostly. But knowing Lucian, he will return with enough meat to feed three families.”

The woman laughed.

“He is generous.”

“He is.”

Agatha could not hide the affection in her voice.

“He should be home before sunset.”

The young woman stood and carefully wrapped her son in the blanket. The boy stirred but did not wake as his mother lifted him into her arms.

“Then we should leave before we take up your entire day.”

“You are never a burden.”

The woman smiled gratefully.

“Come visit when he is completely recovered,” Agatha said. “I would like to see him running around instead of sleeping on my table.”

“I will bring him.”

She shifted the child securely against her chest.

< Chapter Opened Sixty Sever

attract even more. Not all attention was kind. Not all curiosity was harmless. Words traveled quickly between villages. Merchants carried stories from one territory to another. Travelers repeated rumors around tavern fires, and healers often visited distant settlements searching for rare knowledge.

Clasm

It would take only one person speaking too freely. One stranger hearing of a young woman who healed the dying with herbs, oils, and a touch of hidden magic. One witch recognizing the description. Then everything Agatha and Lucian had built could be destroyed. They had hidden themselves carefully. Agatha created potions that concealed the magical trace of her blood. She prepared another mixture that softened Lucian’s wolf scent whenever he entered human settlements.

To the villagers, they were simply a married couple who had traveled from a distant land. Lucian was a hunter. Agatha was knowledgeable about herbs. Nothing more. No one knew he was a werewolf. No one knew she was a witch. And no one knew that their union violated laws older than either of them. The young mother glanced toward the closed bedroom door.

“Thank you again,” she said. “We are fortunate that you and your husband decided to stay in our little village.”

Her worried expression finally softened into a smile.

“Speaking of your husband, where is he today? I usually see him near the cottage.”

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