Amber’s POV


    While I started to bringponents together for a cure, I sent Julian out to find and retrieve Mayor Gibson. I was mostly certain of the cause of this disease, but I would need a few answers from the mayor


    to be one hundred percent sure.


    Fortunately, the cure could be made using another medicine as the base, so I didn’t need <i>too </i>manyponents. The basic supplies of the tinyb would suit my purposes in this case.


    Which was a major relief.


    The hospital would still have to be restocked immediately though. Perhaps Julian’s ne could go to his pack to collect some supplies. That could wait for now though. It seemed as if there would be enough.


    Assuming my hunch was right, and the cause was what I suspected.


    Just as I was finishing the cure, Julian returned with the mayor in tow. As a machine was currently mixing the ingredients, I left Julian to watch over things and ushered the mayor into the hallway.


    Two people in theb was crowded. Three was unbearable.


    “Alpha Julian said you needed to ask something of me,” Mayor Gibson said. “Whatever I can do to help,


    please…”


    They seemed genuine, which told me I didn’t need to be confrontational in this conversation. <b>For </b>the mayor to be like this, he likely didn’t realize what he’d done.


    “This pack produces a lot of textiles, doesn’t it?” I asked.


    “Yes,” Mayor Gibson replied. “We are the leading textile producer on the continent.”


    “That’s quite a feat for such a small pack. You must have a lot of automated factories to get that to


    happen.”


    “Yes. Cutting edge,” Mayor Gibson replied. “In fact, we just built a new factory justst year.”


    “All that automation,” I said, leading, “How do you have enough power to support everything?”


    “This factory is special,” Mayor Gibson said. “It has its own nuclear nt, making it entirely self- sustaining.”


    I was dreading that answer, and hoping for it at the same time, “Nuclear nts produce a lot of waste. Where are you sending it all?”


    The mayor paused a moment. “I’m not sure… That’s up to the discretion of the factory owner.”


    That seemed strange. I was no city nner, but I was under the understanding that typically something like that, which would affect public health, would be closely monitored. “Perhaps you should find out,


    Mayor Gibson.”


    “<b>You </b>can’t think that is responsible for this?” he asked, a bit of defensiveness rising in his voice.


    <b>“</b><b>I </b>think some corners might have been cut to ensure that your pack remains the number one textile


    producer,” I said, no longer feeling the need to y nice. “There’s an entire hospital of sick children here,


    Mayor Gibson. It never urred to you to investigate your new factory which opened only a couple months before the first sick child appeared?”


    He paled slightly. “We did allow for some regtion cuts to get that factory online as quickly as possible.”


    “Test the water line,” I said. “And the ground. The air. See where that radioactive waste is going. If there is a choice between being first and saving your children, I trust you will pick the correct option.”


    The mayor became sheet white. “If you will excuse me.”


    As he turned to leave, I called after him. “Get me the results as soon as you can, mayor. The cure will be


    waiting for the confirmation.”


    Mayor Gibson nodded and then he hurried away, faster than I’d seen him move before. As he reached the


    stairwell, he already had his phone in his hand.


    When I turned back to theb, Julian was standing in the doorway looking at me. “Waste from a nuclear


    nt?”


    “They’ve been careless,” I said. “I studied up on the packs we would be visiting while we nned this trip. I knew about the new factory but I didn’t make the connection until I really sat to think about it. The


    children’s symptoms… Adult werewolves could fight the contamination but children cannot. Even Alice and her wolf are both too young to be able to hold it off.”


    Julian’s face twisted into a barely–contained rage. “If anyone’s greed is the cause of harm for our child…”


    “I’m giving them one chance to do the right thing,” I said. “The cure will not work if the contamination is


    not stopped. The kids will just keep getting sick.”


    A low growl escaped the back of Julian’s throat. “If they do not shut down that factory, I will go there


    myself and see it done.”


    An angry, Alpha father could see anything done, I had no doubt he would tear that ce to rubble if it meant helping our daughter. In this case, I wouldn’t even stop him. Instead, I might be right there at his side.


    Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. Not even an hourter, Mayor Gibson called me on my phone to tell me, “The factory has been closed. Preliminary tests of the air and water show contamination. You were right, Healer Amber. Please do what needs done, and I will do the same.”


    With that confirmation, I told Julian, and together we split the main potion cure into various vials, which we then distributed to each of the healers. We moved like a wave through the hospital, injecting the cure into each sick child. Before we even reached thest child, the first was waking up, feeling better.


    One even hopped out of bed with enough energy to want to y.


    When we reached Alice, I carefully gave her the injection, then held Julian’s waiting hand. We both held our breaths as we watched her face.


    Slowly, the pain in her features evened out and she blinked her eyes opened.


    “Mommy? Daddy?” she said, blinking a few times. “Do I still get ice cream?”


    Julian and Iughed a little in relief.


    “Of course, Alice,” I said.


    “I’ll break into that ice cream shop if I have to,” Julian said.


    I gave him a look that I hoped conveyed he shouldn’t be teaching our daughter such things. “Or go to the grocery store.”


    “Or that,” he said, lowering his head slightly, sheepishly, properly scolded.


    We sat together for a while, before I was needed elsewhere. “As soon as she’s cleared, take her back to the


    hotel,” I said. I hated seeing her rested on chairs.


    Julian agreed.


    Hourster, after most of the children had been cleared, the healers wanted to have a celebration. I


    declined. They looked even more tired than I felt.


    “Our celebration will be some well–deserved sleep,” <b>I </b>told them.


    “Perhaps we could celebrate in a few days,” the Head Healer agreed.


    Leaving the hospital, I headed outside and was surprised to find a car waiting for me. I didn’t think much


    of it though. After all, Julian could have called someone for me, or the hospital did. They all knew how


    tired I was.


    So, without giving it much thought, I climbed into the backseat of the sedan. The partition was up between the backseat and the front, but I didn’t think much of that either. Likely Julian would be calling me soon to tell me what was going on.


    Except…


    As the car started forward, the doors suddenly locked. That was strange.


    I knocked on the partition. “Excuse me? Hello?”


    There was no answer.


    Feeling uncertain now, I tried to open the door, but the lock wouldn’t budge.


    What was going on?


    Was I trapped?!