Chapter Three

ERIN’s POV

Vera was an Omega herbalist who chose to live in isolation. Her cottage was settled between two ancient oaks that acted as protection. Herbs hung from the eaves in bundles. There were lavender, sage, and yarrows. By the side of the cottage was a garden which spread in organized chaos. The plants grew wherever Vera decided they belonged rather than in proper rows.

Erin knocked once and pushed open the door

"Vera?", she called

"In the back, child.”

Inside the cottage smelled like earth and herbs. Dried plants covered every surface. There were jars on the shelves, their contents labeled in Vera's cramped handwriting. Penny, a brown cat lounged lazily on the windowsill. He looked at Erin when she came in but quickly went back to whatever it was doing.

Erin found Vera in her workroom, grinding something in a mortar. The old woman didn't look up.

"It seems you ran all the way here," Vera noted. "Have a seat before you faint."

Erin collapsed into the worn chair by the worktable and pressed her hands against her thighs, trying to make them stop shaking.

Vera finally looked at her. For an old woman, she still looked pretty with a small frame, gray-hairs and eyes that had seen too much. She'd been old when Erin was just a baby and since then, she seemed to have stopped aging. It was as if she'd struck a bargain with time itself. Perhaps she had.

"Damien Arckwight," Vera said.

Erin froze. “How..”

"Child, I may be old, but I've got ears." Vera set down the pestle and moved to the stove, where a kettle was steaming. "I heard the news already and I’m pretty sure the whole pack will know by sunset. Damien Arckwight, future pack leader, defends the unshifted girl from warrior harassment." She poured hot water over the leaves in two cups. "Sounds romantic".

"It doesn't mean anything." Erin murmured "He was just enforcing pack law."

"Mmm." Vera brought the cups over and pressed one into Erin's hands. "Drink. Chamomile and valerian. It will help to calm down before your heart."

The tea scalded Erin's tongue, but she ignored it. The burn gave her something to focus on besides Damien and how dashing he looked when he defended her.

"Do you think he likes me?" The words burst out before Erin could stop them.

"What do you think?"

"I.." Erin stared into her tea. "I don't know. I don’t think he looks at me any differently than he does the other girls. But even if he does, does it matter?. I’ve got no wolf. I’m weak. He's going to be Alpha. He needs someone strong, someone who has shifted, someone who won't embarrass.."

"Stop."

Vera's voice cracked like a whip. Erin's mouth snapped shut.

"Who told you that being unshifted makes you weak?" Vera asked softly.

"Everybody. The pack. The laws. Basic biology.."

Vera scoffed. "Those laws were written by fools who didn’t know better. And biology? Child, you're eighteen. Some wolves don't shift until twenty. Some never shift and live full, powerful lives. The moon marks us all differently."

"But the ceremony..”

"It is in three days. I know." Vera took a sip from her cup and set it down. She reached for a basket on the shelf and began to sort through the dried plants. “Tell me what you're really afraid of."

There was a full minute of silence before Erin finally said "That no one would want me?".

"And?"

"Maybe, I'm broken. "What if there's something wrong with me and that's why I can't shift? What if the moon looked at me and decided I wasn't worth.."

Her voice broke at this point.

Vera glanced at Erin and sighed.

“The moon doesn't make mistakes, child. She sees things mortal wolves miss”, Vera said as she bundled several herbs together - rosemary, thyme, something purple Erin didn't recognize - and tied them with red thread. " “Trust in her”, she added.

"That sounds like something you say to make people feel better."

"It is." Vera smiled faintly. "But, that doesn't make it less true." She took Erin’s hands and pressed the herb bundle into Erin's palm. "Keep this with you. Rosemary for protection, thyme for courage, and wolfsbane..”

"Wolfsbane is poisonous."

"Not this kind. This kind watches for poison in others." Vera's eyes gleamed. "Helps you see past pretty faces to rotten hearts."

Erin clutched the bundle. The herbs smelled sharp and clean, cutting through her pain. "And if my mate rejects me?"

"Then he doesn’t deserve you."

"Vera..”

"Listen to me child." The old woman gripped Erin's wrist, her fingers surprisingly strong. "No matter what happens at that ceremony - mate bond or not - it doesn't define your worth. You understand? Your value isn't determined by whether some boy recognizes it."

She tapped the herb bundle in Erin's hand. "Keep that close, trust in the Moon and remember, strength comes in many forms.

"That's cryptic."

"Yes, I’m old. I've earned cryptic." Vera stood, joints popping. "Now finish your tea and get out of my cottage. I have tinctures to make."

A few minutes later, Erin stepped out of the cottage with the herb bundle clutched in one hand. The afternoon sun felt too bright after the cottage's dim interior.

Behind her, through the open door, she heard Vera whisper something that might have been a prayer or perhaps a goodbye.

The breeze caught the words and carried them away before Erin could make sense of them.

She walked home slowly, replaying Vera’s words in her mind.

The market had finally settled into the usual afternoon chaos by the time Erin returned. There were more people moving around, trying to finish up their shopping for the day. Mothers haggled over fabrics and children darted between shops, laughing with no care in the world.

Erin kept her head down, the herb bundle tucked in her pocket. She just needed to finish the shopping, go home and pretend today never happen.

As she turned the corner by the spice vendor's shop, she slammed directly into someone.

"Sorry, I..”