The Alpha King's Secret Healer

Chapter 8: The Glow

Several people looked toward the healing quarters, but no one moved.

"What's wrong?" I asked, stepping forward.

"My son," she gasped. "He's burning with fever, and the palace healers are all attending to some emergency in the east wing. He can barely breathe, and I don't know what to do."

Without thinking, I moved toward her. "Take me to him."

"Mira," Nessa hissed behind me. "You can't. The High Priestess said—"

"I don't care what she said." I looked at the panicked mother. "Where is he?"

She led me up the stairs, through a maze of corridors I hadn't seen before, to a small room where a boy of maybe eight years old lay on a bed, his small body shaking with chills despite the sweat beading on his forehead.

I knelt beside the bed and placed my hand on his forehead. His skin was burning, but underneath the fever, I could sense an infection, deep in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

"When did this start?" I asked his mother.

"This morning. He was fine yesterday, playing in the gardens, but when he woke up he could barely stand."

I closed my eyes and let my awareness sink deeper. It was pneumonia, I was almost certain, but complicated by something unnatural.

This was new and would need to study it. The smell felt like decay, rotten, could it be he was spited by a witch?

My hands began to warm against his skin, and I felt that familiar sensation—like energy flowing through me, connecting me to the illness, showing me how to fix it.

"What are you doing?" his mother whispered.

"Helping," I said simply.

The warmth spread from my palms into his body, and I felt the infection beginning to break apart, his breathing easing. His fever started to drop, the violent shivering slowing to occasional tremors.

"How are you—"

"Don't ask questions you don't want answered," I said softly, keeping my focus on the child.

After several minutes, his breathing became steady and deep. The fever broke completely, leaving him sleeping peacefully instead of fighting for each breath.

I sat back on my heels, suddenly exhausted.

"He'll be fine now," I told his mother. "The fever should stay down, but give him plenty of water when he wakes up. And maybe some broth if he's hungry."

She stared at me like I'd just performed a miracle. "I don't understand. How did you—"

"Lady Mira."

The voice from the doorway was ice-cold and absolutely furious.

High Priestess Calla stood there with two guards flanking her, her face a mask of rage.

"Step away from the child," she commanded.

"He's better now," I said, standing slowly. "The fever broke, and his breathing…"

"Step away from the child!"

I moved back, confused. "I don't understand. I helped him."

"You contaminated him," she spat. "Guards, escort Lady Mira to her quarters immediately. She is banned from all healing facilities, all medical supplies, and any contact with the sick or injured anywhere within this palace."

"But he was dying," the mother protested. "She saved him."

"She exposed him to unclean energies," Calla replied without taking her eyes off me. "Whatever temporary improvement you think you see is an illusion. The corruption will show itself soon enough."

"That's not true," I said. "I would never—"

"You would never what? Use dark magic? Practice forbidden arts? Pretend to powers you don't possess?" She stepped closer. "I warned you once. I will not warn you again. If you are found attempting to heal anyone else in this palace, you will be removed from court entirely. Do I make myself clear?"

The guards moved to flank me, and I realized I didn't have a choice.

"Crystal," I said.

"Good. Now go."

The walk back to my quarters felt endless. The guards said nothing, but I could feel their judgment, their certainty that I was exactly what the High Priestess said I was—a pretender, a fraud, someone dangerous.

When we reached my rooms, they waited until I was inside before closing the door behind me with a soft but final click.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the opulent space that was supposed to be my home, feeling more alone than I had in years.

I didn't know if I should cry or scream because of how crazy my life had become in the past few days.

Only few believe in my powers, blessed by the goddess condemned by my people. I had to hide for years, until the hollow creek incident. That day changed my…

A soft knock interrupted my brooding.

"Come in," I called, hoping it might be someone with good news for once.

It was Nessa, carrying a small tray with a steaming cup.

"I thought you might need this," she said gently, setting the tray on the small table near the window.

It was the tea she'd given me earlier, the herbal blend that was supposed to help with stress and hormone balance.

"Thank you," I said, and I meant it. At least someone in this place didn't think I was either dangerous or useless.

I took the cup and settled into one of the chairs, breathing in the earthy, soothing scent. It tasted even better than it smelled—warm and comforting, with just a hint of something sweet I couldn't identify.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Nessa said, taking the chair across from me. "That was incredibly unfair."

"Was it, though?" I stared into the tea, watching the steam rise. "Maybe she's right. Maybe I am just pretending."

"You are not pretending," Nessa said firmly. "I saw what you did for that child. His breathing changed completely. His color came back."

"Then why does everyone act like I'm lying?"

"Because they're afraid," she said simply. "People fear what they don't understand. And you... you're something they've never seen before. Just like back then, but I believed you were blessed by the goddess herself. Forget what Calla said, she is just a bitter witch."

I took another sip of the tea, feeling some of the tension in my shoulders ease. "I just want to help people. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I know." She reached across and squeezed my hand. "And someday, they'll understand that. But for now, you need to be patient. And you need to take care of yourself."

She gestured to the cup. "Make sure you drink all of that It's important to keep up with it daily. Also take a bath and relax.”

I nodded, taking another sip. The warmth was spreading through my chest now, making me feel calmer than I had since arriving at this place.

"Nessa," I said softly. "Thank you. For being here, for believing in me. I don't know what I'd do without you right now."

"You don't have to find out," she said with a smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

After she left, I finished the tea and curled up in the window seat, watching the sun set over the gardens below. The day had been brutal, but somehow, with the warmth of the tea still spreading through my system, I felt like maybe I could survive this place after all.

I was almost drifting off when another soft knock came at the door.

"Come in," I called, expecting Nessa again.

But it was one of the court assistants, a young woman with nervous eyes and fidgeting hands.

"Begging your pardon, Your Majesty," she said quickly. "I just thought you should know—word came from the eastern borders this afternoon."

My heart jumped. "What kind of word?"

"The King," she said, and I could hear the excitement in her voice despite her obvious attempts to stay professional. "He's returning tomorrow.”