The Alpha's Unwanted Healer

Ethan Gets Worst

By noon, Ethan's fever got worse.

In the morning, he was a little better. The moon flower tea I gave him helped. His face had some color. He could even drink water. I thought we were safe.

But by noon, everything changed.

His body became hot again. Too hot. I touched his head and had to pull my hand back. It was like fire. He started to shake. His eyes rolled back. His small hands grabbed the bedsheet hard.

"The moon flower helped for one hour, then it stopped," I said. My voice was shaking.

The head physician came fast. He is an old man. He has seen many sick children. He checked Ethan's heart. He checked his eyes. His face became dark.

"It's not working," he said. "The poison is too strong in his blood. The flower can only slow it down. It cannot clean it. We need a blood transfusion. Now."

The room went quiet. Everyone knew what that meant.

"We need blood from a Moon Blessed healer," the physician said. "Or he dies. In two hours, maybe less."

Every eye turned to me.

I am Moon Blessed. It is a rare thing. My grandmother had it too. When I was born, the moon was full and red. The old wolves said it was a sign. My blood is different. It can heal. It can clean poison.

But the pack did not like it. The old Alpha, Damien's father, called me weak. He said Moon Blessed wolves are too soft. Too emotional. He said we feel too much and we are not good for fighting. Because of that, many in the pack looked down on me for years.

Now they all looked at me like I was the only hope.

I stepped forward. My legs were shaking.

"I can do it," I said. "I will give him my blood."

Damien grabbed my arm. His grip was hard. His eyes were full of fear and anger.

"No," he said. "You will die. Do you know what this takes? A full transfusion for a child will drain you. You are small. You will not survive it."

I looked at him. Damien is the Alpha. He is strong. He never shows fear. But now his hand was shaking on my arm.

I looked at Ethan on the bed. He was only six years old. He is Damien's nephew, but he is like a son to him. Ethan's parents died last winter. Damien raised him. Ethan calls him Uncle Damien, but he loves him like a father.

Ethan's face was pale white now. His lips were blue. He was trying to breathe but it was hard. Each breath was short and painful.

"If I don't do it, then he dies," I said to Damien. My voice was low but clear. "That is the choice. Your choice, Alpha. Let me try, or let him die."

The whole room was silent. The other wolves, the doctors, the elders, no one spoke. They were waiting for the Alpha to decide.

Damien stared at me. For ten long seconds, he just stared. I could see a war in his eyes. He did not want to lose his nephew. He did not want to lose me either.

Then he nodded. Just once. A small nod.

"Do it," he said. His voice was broken.

The physician moved fast. He told everyone else to leave. Only he, me, Damien, and Ethan stayed in the room.

They put me on a bed next to Ethan. Ethan's bed was small. Mine was bigger. The physician brought clean tubes. He cleaned my arm with cold liquid.

"This will hurt," he said. "And you will feel very cold and very tired. If you feel like you want to sleep, you must tell me. Do not close your eyes without telling me."

I nodded. "I understand."

He put the needle in my arm. I winced. The needle was big. Then he put another needle in Ethan's small arm.

I saw my blood, dark red, move through the tube. It moved from my body to his.

At first, I felt nothing. Just cold.

After ten minutes, I started to feel dizzy. The room started to spin a little.

After twenty minutes, my hands became cold like ice. I started to shake. Not from cold, but from emptiness.

Damien stood between our two beds. He held Ethan's hand with one hand, and my hand with his other hand. His hands were warm. Very warm.

"Stay with me," he whispered to both of us.

Thirty minutes passed. The physician checked Ethan. His fever was still high, but his breathing was a little better.

"More," the physician said. "He needs more."

I nodded. I could not speak much. My mouth was dry.

Forty-five minutes. One hour. My heart started to beat very fast. Then very slow. I felt like my body was empty. Like water being poured out of a cup.

"How much more?" Damien asked. His voice was sharp with fear.

"Ten more minutes," the physician said. "Just ten more."

I closed my eyes. I was so tired. I wanted to sleep. It would be so easy to just sleep.

"No!" Damien squeezed my hand hard. "Hey! Look at me! Stay awake! Look at me!"

I opened my eyes with all my strength. I looked at him. His eyes were wet. I had never seen Damien cry before. The strong Alpha, with tears in his eyes.

"You can do it," he said to me. "You are not weak. Do you hear me? You are not weak. You are the strongest wolf I know."

One hour and thirty minutes. The physician checked Ethan again. He smiled for the first time.

"His color is coming back," he said.

I turned my head. Ethan's blue lips were now pink again. His chest moved up and down easier.

One hour and fifty minutes. Two hours. The physician took the needles out.

"It is done," he said.

The moment the tube was out, Ethan's eyes opened.

He looked around, confused. He saw Damien.

"Uncle Damien?" he whispered. His voice was small and tired, but it was alive.

Damien made a sound. Like he had been holding his breath for years. He bent down and put his head on Ethan's chest. He was shaking. He was crying for real now.

"I'm here," Damien said. "I'm here, boy."

Then Damien looked at me. Not like an Alpha looks at a weak wolf. Not like a man who is angry. He looked at me like I was something precious. Something he almost lost.

"Thank you," he whispered. His voice was so soft only I could hear it. "Thank you."

I tried to smile. I wanted to say "You're welcome." I wanted to say "He is okay now."

But before I could answer, my vision went black. The room spun fast. All the sound went away.

The last thing I felt was Damien's warm hand still holding mine, and his voice shouting my name.