Feral touch. His to hunt. Hers to heal.

“Can you believe you're turning eighteen tomorrow, Meira?” My mother beams as I finish helping her stitch up the last pack member that got hurt in the rogue attack early this morning. It was around 11 pm, and we’d been working the entire day. At least there weren’t any fatalities. “I’m sure it'll feel the same as today, Mom,” I say, already knowing where this conversation was going. Just two more stitches to go, then I can meet Danny on the roof of the pack house, I think to myself as Rob suddenly sits up. “Eighteen?” Rob says, and I give him the stink eye as he checks me out in my scrubs without any shame. Oh no. “You could be my mate. I haven’t found mine yet, and I’m twenty,” he winks at me, and I remind myself it’s not proper to roll your eyes at patients. I think any omega would be blushing like crazy if Rob Anderson were hitting on them. The son of the Beta. He wasn’t ugly at all. I found him very attractive. Green eyes, blond hair, a nice voice, and of course, broad shoulders. Just one problem. I already lost my heart to someone, and I’m praying that the moon goddess will make him my mate. “Oh, imagine my daughter mating with a guard! It would be like history repeating itself! Your father was on his watch when he scented me, you know!” My mother looks like she’s daydreaming about that day and gets a faraway look in her eyes. I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my lips. I loved my parents' story, and I loved how in love they still were after thirty years. “I would like it that my mate is known as the girl touched by the moon goddess,” Rob says again, and my hand ‘accidentally’ slips, and he grunts in pain and lies back down. “Sorry, that was the last one,” I say and give him a sheepish grin. As I finish up, I get self-conscious about my hair. My parents struggled for years to get pregnant and went to the fountain of light to ask the moon goddess for some help. So I have a random streak of grey hair between my black curls, marking me as touched by the moon goddess. “I don’t understand why you're not excited, Meira!” My mom says with a hint of frustration in her voice as she finishes up taking care of the wound on Rob’s shoulder. “I am mom! It’s just a little overwhelming for me, that’s all! I’ve never felt like love is a purpose. It’s just something you do so you don’t feel alone. It’s more about friendship for me while we chase our goals. Understand?” I say, and my mom starts shaking her head. “Now what are your goals, Meira?” Rob asks, still trying his best to hold my attention. “She wants to be the best pack doctor in the country,” My mom says, and I quickly wash my hands and take off my scrubs. “Well, aren’t you impressive?” Rob says while licking his lips, and I shake my head at him. “I’m still seventeen, one more hour, Rob.” I show him my wolf's eyes. “So back off,” I say with a playful growl. “Smart and fierce, where do I sign up?” he growls back and shows me his wolf's grey eyes. I burst out laughing. “Let’s see if you're my mate tomorrow, ok?” “Deal, but I will be coming to make sure, and if you don’t find him, I am here to teach you everything I know,” he says with a smile, and my mom suddenly slaps his shoulder. “Robert, I’m standing right here!” I take the stairs two at a time, holding the cake carefully in my hands that I made for him for our birthday. It’s so special to me to share my birthday with my best friend. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he realised the flavor of the cake was salted caramel, his favourite. Tonight would be the night that I would admit my feelings to him. I could feel it in my bones that we are mates. Only ten minutes to go, and we would know. When I get to the roof, I freeze as I find Danny sitting with a girl, crying in his arms. This was our secret place where we always met up at the end of the week since we were eight years old. We would watch the stars and talk about our dreams. He was the Alpha’s eldest son and would become the new Alpha on his twenty-first birthday. I would become the best pack doctor in the country, and together we’d change the world. No one knew about our little ritual of coming to the roof except us, and the pain I felt in my chest as this other female held him felt unbearable. “She’ll be here any minute,” He comforts her, and I get a very sick feeling in my stomach. This could not be happening. “Danny?” I whisper as I watch in horror as he kisses her on the forehead. “Mei! I don’t know how you could so easily sneak up on me!” He says, and I try to hide the hurt in my eyes as I stare at the female sitting in my spot. “What’s wrong?” I ask, and suddenly smell it in the air. In that moment, being a gifted healer felt like the biggest curse. I could smell or feel what was wrong with my patients. Since I was little, I was drawn to people with hurt. I look at the female's stomach and wish for this gift of mine to be gone. “Mei, I need your help,” Danny says, and I can see the tears forming in his eyes. Please, Goddess, no. Please. No. “I’m Rona, my father owns the bakery in town,” she says, and I shake my head, finally recognizing her as the omega who brings the groceries to the pack house. She was older than us by three years. Unmated and beautiful. “You're pregnant,” I state, and it feels like slow motion as Danny looks at me with even more distress. “I hoped I was wrong about her scent,” he admits, and I shake my head. “He’s a minor, you know that, right?” I suddenly bellow at her, feeling my wolf trying to come out. I push her down, fighting the urge to tear this shewolf apart. “What?” she starts crying harder and grabs Danny’s hand. “I thought you said she could help us?” “Help you with what exactly?” I growl, unable to control myself. “Meira! Enough!” Danny suddenly growls and gets to his feet. His brown eyes turn the shade of his wolf eyes. “I came on to her. She did nothing wrong!” I stare at him in disbelief and then look down at the cake as I swallow my tears. “You came on to her?” I whisper. He looks away. “Yes, I did, and I love her! I need your help to mask the scent until I’m ready to tell my father I’m going to marry Rona.” Silence as my world crumbles. “No,” I whisper even softer, and the cake slips from my hands as I don’t recognize my best friend anymore. I start to turn around. He suddenly grabs my arm. I look at him, shocked at the strength he was using. I could feel my arm bruising. “You’re hurting me!” I rip his hand off my arm, and he growls loudly at me. I stand my ground and don’t even shudder a little bit. “I’m commanding you as your future Alpha to do what I ask!” He suddenly shouts, and I look at him, wondering if he could see that he was tearing my world apart. “Future Alpha?” A voice suddenly bellows behind me, and I quickly fall to my knees as our Alpha comes walking up the stairs to the roof. “Father, I can explain!” Danny throws his hands in the air and looks at me for help. I just stare at him. I’m horrified as I smell my parents and our Luna coming up the stairs. “We came up to celebrate your first couple of minutes of 18 together, but it seems there won’t be any celebrating,” his father growls, and Danny falls to his knees. I see the Luna feet stop in front of me, and when she touches my hair, I feel the tears run freely now. Luna Elizabeth was like my second mother, and I knew she could see straight through me just like my mother. “How could you make a girl pregnant before you turn eighteen birthday Danny? You haven’t even met your mate yet!” His mother growls as she stalks towards Rona. “Stand up and face me, child!” Alpha David growls. “I love her!” Danny shouts and stands up, and glares at his father. “And I am not a child!” I feel my parents' eyes on me as I stare at the ground, praying that my tears would stop. Suddenly, the clock starts ringing, announcing it’s midnight, and as I look up, Danny’s eyes collide with mine, and I feel our bond snap into place. I knew we were mates. “Do you love her enough to sacrifice your mate bond with Meira? Your best friend?” his father’s voice dripped with violence as if he wanted to tear his son apart. Danny is quiet as he looks at me. I knew that look. He wanted to prove himself worthy to his father. But at what cost? “Please don’t do this to me,” I whisper, and suddenly his mother's hand is on my shoulder. “Don’t ever beg a man,” she whispers, and I nod at my Luna and look away as Danny says the words. “I reject Meira Walker as my mate and will not go back on my decision as long as I live,” he says, and I feel the words start to break the bond. I could see that he was feeling it too as I looked up at him. The excruciating pain starts in my head, and it feels like something is being ripped out of my spinal cord. A scream tears through me as I ride through the pain. I feel my mother's and father's hands on me, trying to ease the pain. I push through, and after a couple of minutes with everyone staring at me, I stand up. Danny was still on the floor, clutching his chest. Rona was trying to hold him, but he kept pushing her away. “Meira, please forgive me,” Danny says, and suddenly reaches towards me as if remembering our friendship and what we had for the first time tonight. “Never,” I say and look my Alpha in the eyes as I ask, “With your permission, Alpha, am I allowed to leave this pack and go study in Chicago?” I could see admiration in his eyes, and for the first time, I could also see sorrow. “You would have been a great Luna,” He says, and I can’t fight the tears that roll down my cheeks. He brushes one of my tears with his fingertips and rubs it between his fingers. “You may leave Meira Walker, but with the promise that you will return to this pack when you are needed.” “On my life, thank you, Alpha David.” I can’t help but rush into my parents' arms.