To be called Elder Healer
1096 Words
“Alpha Garen says you are to leave whatever you are doing and come to him at once,” a guard announces.
They must have told him I refused his maidservants. I will not let history repeat itself. This time, I choose myself—and the child I carry, not some god's matchmaking.
I nod to the guard. He bows and leaves. I grab the black veil by my bed, cover my face, and step outside.
Odon waits for me with a sheepish smile. “Alpha Garen has been waiting, my lady.”
That word again. My lady.
I wish they would stop calling me that. I am not bound to him yet, and I do not see it happening. I barely know how this man even looks, yet they expect me to take the place of his Luna because the gods said so. Those days are behind me. I will not walk blindly into another Alpha’s mercy in the name of fate. My destiny is my choice now.
Odon stops and points. “Over there.”
I already know. How could I forget the place where I was first brought from the Silo, the place where my own hands glowed?
“The big black one?” I ask.
“The black one,” Odon affirms with a nod, oblivious to the irony in my words. “Alpha Garen requests a private meeting with you, so I’m afraid my journey ends here, my lady.”
I expected as much, yet the thought of being alone with him tightens my chest. “Alone?”
“Don’t worry, my lady. You are safe,” Odon says, trying to sound reassuring. It does not work. "The stars foresaw your coming. The Priestess of the East already said a savior shall rise from the woods."
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"Much needs to be discussed, my lady, but it's not in my place. Not yet." He points back to the tent, "he awaits you."
I walk on alone, each step heavier than the last. When I reach the tent, I glance back. Odon is gone. Not that he could have helped me anyway.
“Come in,” a deep voice growls.
I step inside.
The place feels changed. The windows are open, sunlight cutting through in sharp rays. The air smells of water lilies under a full moon, nothing like the stale metallic scent from before.
Even the bed dome is different—white linen instead of black. Alpha Garen sits in silhouette on the bed, his shape massive and still.
“Closer,” he growls.
A frown creases my face as fear tears through my heart. I take two steps forward. That is all I can manage and still feel safe.
“Remove the veil,” he commands.
I hesitate. The veil is only for the stares outside, not in here. Slowly, I lower it.
“I hear you refused to prepare for the ceremony tonight,” he says.
I do not answer. I had gathered my thoughts, but speaking them feels impossible.
“Your silence angers me!” he snaps.
“It—it’s not tradition, my lord.” I bow my face.
“Tradition?”
“The Alpha must first call his bride mate before the pack, and then before both pack and gods,” I argue. At least here, I know I am right.
“Hmm.” A sound like a laugh escapes him. “Your name is Aria, I was told?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Was it your first time? Using your healing powers?”
What does that have to do with anything?
“Answer me!”
“It is,” I admit, forcing out the words.
“As a healer, you must know what became of your kind. Elder Healers?”
Everyone knows. Alpha Xander Voss slaughtered them and enslaved the rest of us. Once-powerful, reduced to nothing.
“Then you will understand me,” Garen says. “My people were once powerful too—until the Voss clan came.”
Where is this leading? What does it have to do with me—or the ceremony?
“I need you.” His voice hardens. “You are an Elder Healer, the only one who can cure Bluebane.”
“You are mistaken. Whatever happened yesterday—”
“You are an Elder Healer. Yesterday was only the first time you discovered it. If the Voss clan learns of you, they will see to your death. But I…” He rises. “I am here to offer you hope. Walk by my side, and together we will bring the Voss clan to its knees.”
He steps out from the dome, closing the distance between us. I try to retreat, but my feet are frozen.
“For the first time in years, I feel powerful. Strong even. All because of you. And now that I have you, I will not let you go. You and I will fight this war. Together, we will bring victory for our people.”
The light from the window spills across his face, and I see him clearly. His silvery hair is cropped short and neat. The scent of water lily clings to him.
Yesterday he was animal—fur on his skin, hair down to his shoulders. Today, he is flesh and scar, old yet bearing the body of a man in his prime.
I shake my head and force a step back. “My lord, I know nothing of war.”
“But you are an Elder Healer. That is all that matters. And my fated mate.”
“My lord, I am not an Elder Healer,” I insist. “I am only a healer.”
“You are more than that. I saw it with my own eyes. And you are my Luna.”
Luna. Elder Healer. I cannot take it anymore. “My lord, I—I can’t!”
“Can’t what?” he growls.
“Can’t be your Luna!” I shout, the words tearing free.
His eyes darken. He steps back, doubt flickering across his face. “What did you say?” His voice is low, dangerous.
“I said I can’t.” My heart hammers, but it’s now or never. “Because… I am pregnant.”
The tent exhales. The words hang between us, alive and heavy.
Alpha Garen stumbles back, almost retreating into his dome. The air grows colder. His gaze never leaves me.
“For who?” His voice drops into a deadly whisper.
- Writer
