Chapter 54: She's Awake
1169 Words
Luna's POV
I scrubbed at the wooden floors with a soaked rag, my knees aching against the cold stone tiles. The scent of soap mixed with herbs filled the air.
The elders had gone off to their daily meditation, leaving me with chores they never seemed to run out of.
Same old routine. Same spine-chilling silence.
Until I saw him.
Ray?
He was sprinting across the field, his shirt half untucked and his face flushed like he’d been running for miles. He stopped just outside the old stone windows and called my name.
“Luna!”
I wiped my hands on my apron and stepped outside, frowning. “What are you doing here?”
His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. “It’s Elena,” he said, eyes wide. “She’s in some sort of coma. The Alpha sent me to find you. He said only you may be able to help.”
I blinked, trying to process all he just said. What did he mean she was in a coma?
I scoffed and turned around, heading back inside to grab my broom. “Figures,” I muttered. “They toss a good healer aside, then come running the second they need her.”
Ray followed after me, grabbing my wrist gently but firmly. “Luna, please. You didn’t say anything. According to what I heard, you didn’t even fight for your place yesterday. You just left.”
“Because they made it clear I wasn’t wanted,” I hissed, freeing my hand. “The queen literally threw me into the bushes on my first day there. Do you remember that?”
“Come on, Luna,” he said quietly, voice laced with a hint of sadness. “I may not know much about magic, spices or herbs. But I know that the whole pack will fall apart if Elena dies. She's next in line to rule. If something happens to her, we won’t survive the following wars. No one, not even you, will be safe.”
I stood still for a moment, looking down at my cracked hands. I hated how much his words made sense.
I hated that no matter how hard I tried not to see reason, I couldn't lie to myself. I had to help.
After a long pause, I sighed. “Fine,” I said. “Let’s go.”
*******
The palace hadn’t changed—although I'd only be gone for a day.
It's golden walls, guards stationed at every door, and the same scent of royal blood in the air. I walked beside Ray in silence, the echo of our footsteps reminding me of how nervous I’d felt in this place the first time I came.
We entered the royal wing, and there they were—Ryker and Lucy. The Alpha King and Queen.
Lucy was the first to step forward. Her eyes were softer than I remembered. “Thank you for coming,” she said.
I gave a nod. “Where is she?”
“She’s in her chambers,” Ryker said, his voice low and tight. “I found her lying on the ground, unconscious. No wounds, no blood… just—” he stopped and scratched the back of his neck. “Just like she collapsed.”
I moved closer to him instinctively, sniffing the air. Something wasn’t right. There was a strange scent on him—something faint but sharp, something familiar.
Alpha Ryker stepped back slightly. “What are you doing?”
I reached up and plucked a small, crumpled particle from the collar of his shirt. I held it between my fingers, brought it to my nose, and inhaled.
My eyes widened.
“You don’t know what’s wrong with her?” I asked, almost laughing. “You just gave me the answer.”
Ryker frowned. “What?”
I opened my palm to show them the particle. “This is a piece of the moonlight drop leaf.”
They all gasped like they knew what I was talking about.
Lucy’s brow creased. “Is it poisonous?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “But it’s powerful. If consumed in the wrong form or amount, it doesn’t kill. It immobilizes. For months. Sometimes years even.”
Alpha Ryker cursed under his breath. Lucy grabbed his arm.
“Can you make an antidote?” she asked.
I crossed my arms. “Yes. But if I do this… I want my job back. I want to stay here. Officially. As the royal healer.”
They exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them.
Then Lucy nodded. “Deal.”
*******
The antidote wasn’t hard to make. Time-consuming, yes. I stayed up for two nights straight, crushing herbs, mixing roots, boiling them over low heat while muttering old chants I hadn’t used in years. Every second felt like a countdown.
Three days after I gave Lucy the antidote, Elena awoke.
I wasn’t in the room when she opened her eyes. I didn’t feel like I should be. So I stayed just outside her door, pacing, chewing my lips, wondering if I’d done enough, if the antidote worked.
The door creaked open, and I stopped.
Lucy stepped out, shutting it gently behind her. She turned to me, her eyes surprisingly kind. “Were you about to go in?”
“I was just… checking on her,” I said.
“She’s fine,” Lucy replied, blocking my path. “Still groggy, but awake.”
I let out a small sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
There was a brief pause, and then Lucy added, “Walk with me?”
I hesitated but nodded. We walked down the long hallway side by side, passing stained-glass windows with murals all over them.
“I owe you an apology,” Lucy said after a while.
I looked at her, surprised.
“You came here willing and ready to serve this family, and I treated you like you were some enemy. I was wrong,” she continued. “A lot was going on behind the scenes when you arrived, things I couldn’t discuss. I didn’t trust easily… but that’s no excuse for how I treated you.”
I didn’t know what to say. I tried to find the words.
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
I nodded slowly. “Thank you… for saying that.”
She smiled faintly. “You’re talented, Luna. And you certainly do care, more than you let on. You proved that.”
We reached the edge of the garden, where the moonlight streamed along the vines. The air smelled of sweet cherries.
“I’m glad you came back,” she said. “We need people like you around here.”
I felt something warm in my chest for the first time in a long while.
“Maybe I need this place too,” I admitted quietly.
I was starting to enjoy my time here. It was all smooth sailing from here.
- Writer
