Healer's Mate

"God loves you, brothers. And God loves you, sisters. He loves you and wants you to be Happy. He wants you to be Healthy." The voice was loud and filled the entire the tent. She shook from her place under the hurriedly built stage. It was always like this. No matter where the tent was cast, it was the same. He stood in front of the congregation, heads and shoulders above the murmuring mob, his smooth voice pulling them along, urging them to respond whenever he took a breath. They would be leaning in as his voice lowers in volume, ears straining to catch every word. "All he wants is your love, your Faith." The man's head bows, the single spotlight shining off of his slicked black hair. "Oh Lord," He intoned, his green eyes closing dramatically, "You know that this world isn't a kind one to Your Children." His voice got louder with each word, "You know that Your Children are hurting, that we are in need of Healing. That we are in need of a Miracle!" There was the expectant silence, the weight of his words and of the stories that he had allowed to spread around the small town. He was a man of God, a man chosen to bring healing wherever he went. "A Miracle!" He repeated. That was the girl's cue. She slowly climbed the steps that would allow her to rise up from under the stage, using the shadows to add a bit of flair to her appearance. The girl didn't fully understand the need, but she did as she was told. The sermon continued and she waited with patience born of familiarity until she was summoned forward with a gesture. "Come forth those who are in need of Healing, come and receive His love." The spotlight moved until the girl was bathed in its blinding light. She took a step forward and stood still, hardly even breathing as the crowd stared. 'Still as a statue,' she thought, trying to keep her face blank and serene. 'Have to be still as a statue... or else.' She would not move until he brought the first supplicant forward. Only when the first of the many believers knelt in front of her, would she place her hands on them. The pain would follow. I was dreaming of the revival again, reliving memories that were only allowed out when I had no control of my mind. Before I could jerk my way out of the past, my sleep was shattered by the sound of a large fist slamming against the hard wood of my door. This caused me to startle awake, my sluggish brain attempting to adapt to the change of surroundings, even as I heard the owner of the fist beginning to yell. "Woman, wake up! The Alpha wants you. Now!" I knew that voice. It was the Alpha's second in command, his Beta, Byron. Byron wasn't my favorite of the wolves in the Crescent Pearl pack. He was the son of the previous Beta, and grew up with Caleb, the current Alpha. They were almost a decade older than I am and were two peas in a pod. Two very angry, very impatient peas. I thought this while throwing myself out of bed, grabbing my robe off of the chair I threw it on only a few hours ago. I tied the sash and then attempted to bring some order to the fiery mass I called my hair. Right as I got to the door, I felt it shake. Stumbling backwards, I was barely missed when the heavy oaken slab slammed inwards, nearly coming off its hinges. It took the barest of glances to realize that Beta Byron was not fully in control. His normally muddy brown eyes were wolf green and even from a few feet away I could see the fine tremor in his hands. The wolf was close to the surface. Something had happened and Byron was not handling it well. I averted my gaze, dropping it before I accidently met Byron's eyes. You don't lock gazes with an angry werewolf. It never goes well and that is a lesson you only need once. I have been a 'guest' on the pack's land since I was a little girl, my mother having brought me back to her hometown when she left my father. You don't live as a human in a werewolf society without learning a few things. There was a faint growl in the Beta's voice as he repeated his message, a sound that crawled up my spine, reminding me that as a human, I was only a single step up from prey."The Alpha wants you in the discipline hall." I shuddered at the thought. The discipline hall was hardly used in his father's time, but since Caleb took over the Crescent Pearl pack, it felt like not a week went by without the room needing to be cleaned. I licked my lips, hating the slight quiver in my voice as I asked, "Who..?" Beta Byron shook his head and began to usher me down the hallway, heading down towards the stairs that would eventually lead me to the basement, where the Alpha waited for me.