CHAPTER TWELVE: PACK MEMBERS' QUESTIONS

The next morning, I woke up feeling strange.

Not bad strange - good strange.

For the first time since coming to Shadow Ridge, I had slept through the whole night without waking up scared.

When I opened my eyes, Kieran was gone.

There was just a small dent in the blanket where he had been sitting.

But on my bedside table, there was a cup of tea that was still warm and a small note written in neat handwriting.

"Good morning, Laila. I hope you slept well. The tea is chamomile - it helps with nightmares. - K"

I smiled as I read the note.

He had thought about making me feel better even after he left.

That made my heart feel warm and fluttery again.

I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.

The kitchen was busy as usual, but something felt different today.

People kept looking at me and whispering to each other when they thought I wasn't watching.

I sat down next to Sophie, who gave me her usual bright smile.

"Good morning, Laila! You look like you slept better last night."

"I did, thank you," I said, pouring syrup on my pancakes.

But as I ate, I noticed more and more pack members glancing at me with curious expressions.

Some looked excited, others looked worried, and a few looked suspicious.

Finally, an older woman named Mrs. Peterson came over to our table.

She had gray hair and kind eyes, but her face looked serious.

"Laila, dear," she said,

"is it true that you have special abilities with plants?"

I nearly choked on my orange juice.

"What?"

"Tom mentioned that you helped Mrs. Chen's garden yesterday," Mrs. Peterson continued.

"He said the roses looked better than they had in months."

I looked around the kitchen and realized that everyone was listening to our conversation now.

Even people at other tables had stopped talking to hear what I would say.

My face got hot with embarrassment.

"I... I just helped with some weeding," I said quietly.

But Mrs. Peterson wasn't fooled.

"Tom said the plants looked like magic had touched them. Is that true, dear?"

I didn't know what to say.

Kieran had said I could choose when to tell people about my abilities, but it seemed like the choice was being taken away from me.

"Laila doesn't have to answer that,"

Sophie said firmly, coming to my defense but before I could figure out what to say, Emma appeared beside our table.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Emma said in her calm, motherly voice,

"Laila is still getting used to life here. Let's give her some space to settle in before we bombard her with questions."

Most people nodded and went back to their breakfasts, but I could tell they were still curious and I could see Jessica sitting at a corner table with a smug expression on her face.

She was probably the one who had started the rumors.

After breakfast, I went outside to get some fresh air.

I was walking toward the forest when Marcus caught up with me.

"Hey, Laila," he said, jogging to match my pace.

"How are you handling all the attention?"

"Not very well," I admitted. "I don't like everyone staring at me and whispering."

"I know it's uncomfortable," Marcus said sympathetically.

"But you have to understand - if you really do have healing abilities, that's huge news for our pack."

"Why is it such a big deal?" I asked.

Marcus stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Laila, do you know how many pack members we lose every year to injuries that our regular healers can't fix? How many of our elders suffer from pain that nothing seems to help?"

I shook my head.

"Too many," Marcus said seriously.

"If you can really heal plants, you might be able to heal people too. Do you understand how many lives you could save?"

That thought scared me.

"But what if I can't heal people? What if I can only help plants?"

"Then you can help our food gardens grow better and provide herbs for our healers," Marcus said.

"Either way, you'd be helping the pack in ways that no one else can."

As we talked, more pack members started gathering around us.

They weren't being rude or pushy, but I could tell they were all very interested in what we were discussing.

An older man named George stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Laila," he said politely.

"My wife has been sick for weeks and our healers can't figure out what's wrong. If there's any chance you might be able to help her..."

"I don't know if I can heal people," I said quickly.

"I've only ever helped plants."

"Could you try?" asked a younger woman named Sarah.

"My little boy fell from a tree yesterday and hurt his arm. The healers set the bone, but he's still in so much pain."

More people started speaking up.

"My grandmother has terrible joint pain."

"My husband's old war wounds still hurt him every day."

"Our vegetable gardens aren't producing enough food for winter."

Soon I was surrounded by pack members, all looking at me with hopeful faces.

They weren't being mean or demanding, but the weight of their expectations felt heavy on my shoulders.

"I... I..." I stammered, feeling overwhelmed.

"That's enough." Kieran's voice cut through the crowd like a knife.

Everyone immediately stepped back and looked down respectfully.

Kieran walked through the group and stood beside me, his presence immediately making me feel safer.

"Laila is still recovering from her own trauma," Kieran said firmly.

"She needs time to understand her abilities before anyone asks her to use them. Anyone who pressures her will answer to me personally."

"We're sorry, Alpha," George said quickly.

"We didn't mean to overwhelm her. We're just... hopeful."

"Hope is understandable," Kieran said, his voice softening slightly.

"But Laila will decide for herself when and how to use her gifts. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded and started to disperse, but I could tell they were disappointed.

The weight of letting down all these people who needed help made my chest feel tight.

"Come on," Kieran said gently, taking my arm.

"Let's go somewhere quiet."He led me to a small garden behind the main house where we could talk privately.

"Are you okay?" he asked, studying my face.

"I don't know," I said honestly.

"All those people were looking at me like I was their last hope. What if I can't help them? What if I disappoint everyone?"

"Laila," Kieran said seriously,

"you are not responsible for fixing everyone's problems. Having a gift doesn't mean you owe it to everyone who asks."

"But if I can help and I don't, doesn't that make me selfish?"

"No, it makes you human," Kieran said.

"Or werewolf. You know what I mean."

That made me smile a little bit.

"Besides," Kieran continued,

"you don't even know the full extent of your abilities yet. Maybe you can heal people, maybe you can't. Maybe you can help in ways we haven't even thought of yet."

"How do I find out?" I asked.

"Carefully," Kieran said.

"With people you trust, starting with small things. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, Laila. You just have to be yourself."

I thought about that.

I guess he was right. Maybe I didn't have to have all the answers right now.

"Kieran," I said,

"what if I want to try helping someone? Just to see if I can?"

"Then we'll find a safe way to test your abilities," he said.

"But only if you want to, and only when you're ready."

"I think... I think I might want to try," I said slowly.

"But not with anything serious. Maybe just something small, like a headache or a small cut."

"That sounds like a reasonable place to start," Kieran agreed.

"But Laila, promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me you won't push yourself too hard trying to meet everyone's expectations. Your wellbeing is more important than anyone else's hopes."

"I promise," I said, and I meant it.

Soon we walked back toward the house, I thought about all the hopeful faces I had seen.

Part of me was scared of disappointing them, but another part of me was excited about the possibility of actually being able to help people.

Maybe having strange abilities wasn't just about being different.

Maybe it was about finding a way to make a difference.

But first, I had to figure out exactly what I could do and that was going to take time, patience and probably a lot of practice.

At least now I had people who would support me while I figured it all out.

People who cared about me for who I was, not just what I might be able to do for them.

That was more than I had ever had before and it was enough to give me courage to try.