[6 years later]
[Hyacinth]
“I found a woman on the side of the road,” Out of breath, Drew opens the door with a slam, using his foot to kick it open, his hands too full to turn the knob properly. “Lying inside of a broken down car.”
“Set her down on the table,” I instruct him. As soon as she is flat on her back, I begin to check her vitals. “Thank the goddess it wasn’t a sunny day, or she might have been a corpse instead of a patient.”
I was on my way back from a nearby pack, so thankfully I have my usual medical kit with me. Carefully I examine her. She is very thin, and frail. Her dress is expensive, so I can tell she comes from a wealthy family, but for some reason, she was traveling alone. That’s when I noticed something.
She’s pregnant. Her belly is just starting to show.
This poor girl. Maybe she is escaping a similar shame.
And she looks sick. Thankfully, I know just how to help her.
As a pack less rogue, I treat wolves from everywhere, sometimes traveling far to treat the very sick. They say there is “magic” in my touch, as even the most injured and sick wolves seem to thrive under my care. Most packs in the area call me “The Healer,” a code name that feels more honorable than the truth.
After getting kicked out of my pack, I wandered helplessly. There was no pack willing to take me in, so I worked for scraps when I could, often eating out of dumpsters or begging on the side of the road. I only discovered I was pregnant when I collapsed on the highway and a kind old woman picked me up and brought me to her home. Her name was Linda. She was a rogue herself, but also an experienced doctor who had been wronged by her previous pack.
When she told me I was pregnant, I cried for three days. How was I going to take care of a child when I couldn’t even take care of myself?
Linda brought me out of my depression. She trained me, got me what I needed to attend a human medical school, where the stigma of being a rogue wouldn’t matter, and helped to take care of my son, Sebastian, after he was born. Soon I was joining her on the road, my child strapped to my back, helping her cure the sick as a roving medicine woman. When she passed away last year, I continued her work as a way to honor her memory.
Drew joined our crew about two years ago. He wants to learn my methods so that he can someday be a better pack doctor himself. I met him at the Sun Valley Pack, and as soon as he saw what Linda and I could do, he pledged himself to our service. I’m not sure he needs to learn from me, however, because he seems like a natural even though he says he’s still learning.
As I place a pillow behind her head, the young woman on the table begins to stir. As she blinks awake, her cornflower blue eyes are startlingly beautiful and kind.
“Where am I?” she looks around confused. “I think I fell asleep behind the wheel of my car and…”
“Shh,” I place a calm hand on her shoulder. She lays back down, her curly blond hair sticking to the sides of her face. She looks dehydrated and undernourished. Taking a jar of greenish fluid from my bag, I mix it with a glass of water and help her take a few sips. She drinks it gratefully, sitting up a bit so that she can swallow.
“Hey Drew,” I call over my shoulder. “Could you check on Bash? I think he is building a fort in the backyard.”
He nods, and leaves the room silently, giving us one last look before slipping away.
I wait until he’s completely out of the room before I ask. “Did you know that you are pregnant?”
She nods and then spends the next twenty minutes confessing that her baby’s father had not been her mate, but a friend from school that she thought loved her. He left her when she became pregnant.
Remembering the pain of my similar shame I ask, “Are you going to be safe there, with your brother?”
“Of course,” she smiles wanly. “My brother is the Alpha.”
“Even with,” I look down at her stomach.
She laughs, “Oh, he won’t care.” She shakes her head. “He’s not like some wolves. He’s a very modern thinker.”
Interesting. I’d like to meet an Alpha like that. A modern thinker, someone who realizes that the rules of the previous generation are outdated and absurd. My pack was one of the last to cling to these “traditions.”
“I need to get back home,” she insists as she tries to stand. Rising to her feet, her knees give way. I manage to catch her but it is clear that she cannot make the journey alone.
“I think you are going to need a ride,” a quick look at my associate confirms that he agrees with my judgment. We help her stand. As Drew and I help her get settled into the truck, we introduce ourselves and learn that her name is Blake.
“Where are we headed?” I ask as I take my place behind the wheel of the truck.
“Do you know the way to Gold River?”
My body freezes.“Gold River?”
“Yes,” she confirms. “My brother is the Alpha of the Gold River Pack.” Seeing my expression she adds, “Is that going to be a problem?”
I gulp, as my heart starts beating and my hands begin to sweat. I’m about to tell her I can’t do it, that I won’t do it, but then I take another look at her.
She needs me. She needs my help.
“No,” I say, swallowing down my anxiety and fear. “Not at all.”
It is a tense three hours as we make our way north. As we arrive and I pass into pack territory, my hands are trembling. I have just crossed the threshold of the only place I swore I’d never return.
Home.
[Hyacinth]It feels weird, being home again. So much seems the same. The town gate, the streets, the bland color of the houses, and the rolling hills. The Temple of the Moon Goddess is still standing, glowing white and pure in the afternoon sun as devotees enter for midday prayers. My cheeks flush with remembered fear and anger as I think of that temple and how I was shamed before the pack.And yet, through the haze of my strong emotions, I can also see that a lot has changed. The pack has grown considerably. There are new buildings and more homes. The people milling around on the streets seem happier and more carefree than before, their clothing nicer, their cars newer. I start to blush when I see a young couple sitting on a park bench, in a public display of affection that should have been unseemly, even amongst mates.Things have definitely changed here. Or maybe it is just me who has changed.I was hoping to see improvement in Blake on the ride here, but my tonic alone wasn’t enou
[Hyacinth] Ash starts screaming. She is angry to see me. Not just angry, livid. She yanks my hat and sunglasses from my face, pointing and shouting. I expected her to be surprised if we were to come across one another, but our relationship had always been jovial. Before the incident, we were the best of friends. Why would she be so angry to see me?“Cindy! What are you doing here?! You need to leave, NOW!”I don’t get a chance to respond before the Alpha grabs her arm and begins to drag her out of the clinic grumbling under his breath something about “behaving like a proper Luna.”I stand there, stunned for a moment as I take a few deep breaths to even out my breathing. My hands shaking, I reach down to pick up the hat and glasses, useless now that I’ve been exposed. I expected some negativity when I was finally uncovered, but that reaction from my sister hurt me deeply. She was angry to see me, but why? What have I ever done to make her hate me?Something else is going on here. Some
[Hyacinth]“She called you a bad name,” his face is hard with anger. “She’s a bad guy. She needs to pay.”Ash continues to twitch.“We’ve talked about this,” I keep my tone steady and calm. “You need to let her go.”He takes a deep breath, gives Ash one more contemptuous gaze, and then releases her mind. Ash goes very still. A little too still.“Drew,” I try to keep my tone light, but inside I’m worried that Bash has finally taken things too far. “Can you take Bash to pick up burgers and then head home? I need to make sure she is okay.”Drew leads my son away, his face concerned as he looks back to make sure I’m okay. I’m not, but I give a little wave, reassuring him that I have the situation under control. I wish I could say that this is an unusual occurrence, that it has never happened before but I can’t. My son developed this “ability” around the time he started talking about his wolf, a wolf he is FAR too young to have. Over the last two years, Drew and I have had to learn how
[Slate] [Flashback–At the Clinic] The sound of Ashlynd’s voice when she whines sounds like nails raking across a chalkboard–scratchy and painful and slightly vomit-inducing. “Ash, I told you I’d meet you at the packhouse. Why are you here?” “Darling, you know I hate waiting,” she coos as she moves in closer, completely ignoring the fact that I was in the middle of a conversation. “How does it look to the others when you make your Luna wait an hour for you to arrive?” she huffs. I want to tell her I’m busy, but I don’t get a chance. She takes one sniff of the doctor and reaches forward to pull off her hat. “I knew it!” she shouts, pointing at the doctor and snatching off her glasses, “Cindy! What are you doing here?! You need to leave, NOW!” The doctor, Cindy, just stands there, taking the verbal abuse spewing from the mouth of my fiance. Feeling oddly protective of this woman I just met, I grab Ashlynd’s hand and growl softly, “Let’s go.” I pull Ash aside, the nurses and othe
[Hyacinth]“Yes,” I look the alpha straight in the eye as I lie. “I did hurt Ashlynd. She was saying some very unkind things in front of my son. I had a moment of weakness.”The alpha is sitting across from me at my kitchen table drinking a warm cup of instant apple cider. I wish I had something better to offer him, but Bash likes apple juice and we haven’t really gone shopping for food yet. He doesn’t seem to mind as he takes another sip from my “World’s Greatest Mom” cup. “And do you have these moments of weakness often,” he looks down at his beverage. “You don’t seem to me to be the type of person who loses her temper frequently.”“I try not to be,” I admit. Hopefully, the alpha won’t pry too much into the reason behind it all. I don’t want to draw any attention to my son. He takes another big drink of his cider, wincing as the hot fluid makes its way down his throat. “I hate to ask this, but since you are admitting to having…hurt Ashlynd in a fit of anger, I need to ask about so
[Hyacinth] When Lisa showed me to my new office, I wanted to cry. There are papers piled everywhere. Boxes and boxes of them. It looks like in addition to an absent pack doctor, they also have a shortage of support staff. Before I could even make my first rounds, I found myself spending an hour clearing off enough paperwork to reclaim my desk and then another thirty minutes disinfecting it, scraping the grime of old coffee rings and melted candy bars. Part of me is tempted to just burn it all and start over, but I know that each one of those pieces of paper represents an important moment in somebody’s life. As I sift through the paperwork, I find a file with my name on it right next to one with my mother’s name on it. Interesting. Setting them in the newly cleaned-out top drawer of my desk, I promise myself that I will read those later. I have so many questions about myself and my mother. Maybe those files will give me some answers. Around 10 o'clock, I take a break from cleani
[Hyacinth] “The Alpha," Ashlynd repeats. "I need to talk to you right now about my fiance." I take a step back, giving her more space as she crowds herself into my office. There are so many boxes of paperwork piled around there is very little room for me to maneuver as I try to avoid standing in her space. The last thing I need is for her to trip over a box and accuse me of pushing her. I'm already on notice with the Alpha. If we had another incident so soon it would look really bad. I’m too tired and too hungry to engage with her right now. She looks ready for a fight and all I can think about is finding a nice shady corner outside and eating my apple and leftover fries. But instead I'm stuck here dealing with Ash's big feelings over some perceived slight. “I don’t know what I could tell you about him that would do any good,” I sigh, just wanting to be done with this conversation. “I don’t even know your Alpha. I've only met him twice.” “That's right, you don't know him," she
[EARLIER that same day--before Ash and Cindy's argument] [Slate] It’s been a long week. I am trying to pay attention to what Ash is saying, but my mind keeps wandering back to the Doctor. She is an enigma, a mystery that intrigues me and makes me want to learn everything about her. Despite being so strong and brave she also seems to be vulnerable sometimes. “You know what, Slate,” Ash huffs as she picks up the pack finances and puts them into her little pink purse. “I think lunch is over. You don’t seem to have your heart into it.” I can tell that she is irritated with me for not giving her the attention she needs and deserves. She’s right. We’ve been at the packhouse for the last 45 minutes and while she went over finances, I didn’t hear a single word she was saying. I sat there, watching the leaves blowing on the autumn breeze, thinking about a certain doctor whose eyes flashed a bright green, like the color of grass. I was also thinking of the strange changes I’ve been seeing