CHAPTER THIRTEEN: FIRST ATTEMPTS

Two days later, I decided I was ready to try healing a person for the first time.

Emma had cut her finger while preparing vegetables for lunch.

It wasn't a serious injury - just a small cut that had bled a little - but it seemed like the perfect chance to test my abilities without risking someone's life.

"Emma," I said nervously as she wrapped a bandage around her finger,

"would you mind if I tried something?"

Emma looked up from her cutting board with curiosity.

"What do you mean, dear?"

"I want to see if I can help heal your cut," I said quietly.

"But only if you're comfortable with it and only if you promise to tell me if anything feels weird or wrong."

Emma's face lit up with interest.

"Of course! I'd be honored to help you test your abilities."

Marcus, who had been helping in the kitchen, came over to watch.

"This is exciting," he said.

"Should I get Kieran?"

"Not yet," I said quickly.

"Let's see if anything happens first. I don't want to make a big deal out of it if it doesn't work."

I took a deep breath and gently took Emma's injured hand in both of mine.

Her finger was warm under the bandage, and I could feel her pulse beating steadily.

At first, nothing happened. I tried to concentrate, to feel for that warm sensation I had experienced with the plants but Emma's finger just felt like a normal finger.

"Maybe I need to touch the actual cut," I said.Emma carefully unwrapped the bandage.

The cut was small but deep enough that it was still bleeding a little.I placed my fingertip very gently on the edge of the wound.

I remembered also that when I tried with the garden the second time, nothing worked till I tried again imagining what I wanted it to look like.

So I imagined Emma's wound healed.

Immediately, I felt that familiar warmth flowing from my hands.

This time, it was different from healing plants.

This felt... deeper. More complex.

I closed my eyes and let the warm feeling grow stronger.

I could sense Emma's body, her heartbeat, her breathing.

I could feel the tiny torn edges of skin and the small broken blood vessels underneath, like I could speak to them in my mind.

Slowly, gently, I encouraged the skin to come back together.

I helped the blood vessels reconnect.

I smoothed away the pain and swelling.

When I opened my eyes, Emma's finger looked completely normal.

There wasn't even a scar where the cut had been.

"Oh my goodness," Emma breathed, staring at her finger in amazement.

"Laila, it's completely healed! It doesn't even hurt anymore!"

Marcus leaned in for a closer look.

"That's incredible! It's like the cut never happened!"

I felt proud and amazed, but also suddenly very tired.

Healing Emma had taken more energy than healing plants did.

"How do you feel?" Emma asked, noticing that I was looking a little pale.

"Tired," I admitted. "But good. Happy that it worked."

"You should sit down and have some water," Marcus said, pulling out a chair for me.

"Healing magic probably takes a lot out of you."

As I sat and drank some water, I thought about what had just happened.

I really could heal people, not just plants.

That was amazing and terrifying at the same time.

"Should we tell people?" Emma asked excitedly.

"This is wonderful news!"

"Could we wait a little bit?" I asked.

"I want to try a few more small healings first, just to make sure I can do it consistently.

""Of course," Emma said.

"But Laila, you should know - this is truly a gift. I've never seen anything like it."

Word spread anyway, despite our attempts to keep it quiet.

By dinner time, several pack members had approached me asking if the rumors were true.

I told them honestly that I was still learning about my abilities, but I could see the hope in their eyes.

That evening, Kieran found me sitting by the fireplace in the main living room, reading a book about herbs and healing.

"I heard you successfully healed Emma's cut today," he said, settling into the chair beside me.

"News travels fast around here," I said with a small smile.

"It does. How are you feeling about it?"

I thought for a moment.

"Excited, but also scared. What if people start expecting me to heal everything? What if I can't help someone with a serious injury and they get hurt worse?"

"Those are valid concerns," Kieran said seriously.

"That's why you need to be very careful about how you practice and develop your abilities."

"I was thinking," I said, closing my book,

"maybe I could work with the pack healers? They could teach me about different injuries and illnesses and I could learn when it's safe to try healing and when it's too dangerous."

Kieran nodded approvingly.

"That's a very wise idea. Dr. Martinez, our head healer, has been working with werewolves for over twenty years. She would be an excellent teacher for you."

"Do you think she'd be willing to work with me?"

"I think she'd be thrilled," Kieran said with a smile.

"She's always been interested in alternative healing methods."

Before I could respond, there was a commotion outside.

We heard raised voices and what sounded like someone crying.

Kieran immediately stood up, his Alpha instincts kicking in.

"Stay here," he told me, but I followed him outside anyway.

In the courtyard, we found George, the older man who had asked me about his sick wife yesterday.

He was supporting a young woman who was crying and holding her arm against her chest.

"Alpha!" George called out when he saw Kieran.

"It's my daughter Julie. She fell off her horse during evening patrol. I think her arm might be broken."

Dr. Martinez was already hurrying toward them with her medical bag, but Julie was clearly in terrible pain.

She was pale and sweating, and her arm was bent at an odd angle.

"Get her to the clinic immediately," Dr. Martinez ordered.

"I'll need to set the bone and—"

"Please!" Julie gasped, looking directly at me.

"Please, Laila, can you help me? It hurts so much!"

Everyone turned to look at me. I could feel their expectations, their hope that I could somehow make everything better instantly.

But this wasn't a small cut like Emma's.

This was a serious injury that could go wrong if I made a mistake.

"I don't know if I can help with something this serious," I said honestly.

"I've only tried healing small things."

"Please, my mum is human, so I can't heal like normal wolves" Julie begged again.

"Just try. I can't stand the pain."

I could understand her pain.

I looked at Kieran, then at Dr. Martinez.

"Doctor," I said,

"would it be safe for me to try to help with the pain while you set the bone? Not try to heal the break, just maybe ease her suffering?"

Dr. Martinez looked thoughtful.

"Pain relief wouldn't interfere with the bone setting," she said slowly.

"And it might actually help me work better if she's not in agony but only if you're absolutely sure you can do it safely."

I took a deep breath. I was scared, but Julie was suffering so much.

If I could at least help with her pain...

"I can try," I said.

"But Dr. Martinez has to be in charge. I'll only do what she says is safe."

Julie's face filled with relief.

"Thank you," she whispered.

As we helped Julie to the clinic, I felt the weight of responsibility settling on my shoulders.

This wasn't just about me anymore.

People were counting on me to use my gift to help them.

I just hoped I was strong enough to live up to their trust.

In the clinic, Dr. Martinez quickly examined Julie's arm.

"It's definitely broken," she confirmed.

"Laila, if you can help with the pain, now would be the time."

I gently placed my hands on Julie's uninjured shoulder and concentrated on finding that warm healing feeling.

But instead of trying to fix anything, I focused on absorbing her pain and replacing it with calm, peaceful sensations.

Julie's breathing slowly became easier.

The tense lines around her eyes relaxed, and she stopped crying.

"Better?" I asked softly.

"So much better," Julie said with wonder.

"The pain is almost gone. How did you do that?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "But I'm glad it helped."

Dr. Martinez worked quickly to set Julie's bone while I continued to keep her calm and pain-free.

When she was done, she looked at me with amazement.

"Laila, that was extraordinary," she said.

"I've never seen anyone manage pain like that without medication."

As we left the clinic, with Julie resting comfortably and her arm properly set, I felt both proud and exhausted.

I had helped someone with a serious injury, and it had worked.

I also realized that word of this would spread quickly through the pack.

Soon, everyone would know that I could heal people, not just plants.

My life was about to get much more complicated.

But as I saw the grateful look in George's eyes as he thanked me for helping his daughter, I realized that maybe complicated wasn't always a bad thing.

I guess being able to help people was worth the challenges that would come with it.