ASTRID
The pathway to Korra’s cabin is as I remembered it. A picturesque worn trail through short shrubs and tall pines weaving around dark tourmaline boulders. The peace and tranquility of the land belie the turmoil in my gut.
I haven’t seen Mateo since we parted after our talk last night. He didn’t come back to the Alpha suite in the morning and I didn’t see him at breakfast.
I’m still trying to comprehend everything that happened last night.
Dinner had been an emotional roller coaster, one I would not have survived if Runa has not guided me through. She sensed Xolo’s anxiety and his sudden need to be reassured that everything was okay.
I was far from okay. Although lap sitting is fairly common among our species, it was not something I had ever done before. Runa took it in stride and helped me relax and go with the motions.
Motions. That’s exactly what they were. Acting on pure instinct to placate the needs of our wolves while our human instincts rebelled.
I could feel Mateo’s conflict, his displeasure that he had to act in a certain way all for his wolf. I want more from our mate bond than just acts of instinct. Maybe I want too much.
Varu and Deena are wonderful females, both older than me by about eight years but come with a wealth of experience and knowledge they are more than willing to share.
Varu is warm and understanding, a natural mother figure. Deena is all Gamma, a firecracker with a cheeky streak and is seriously fit and fast.
Our run this morning had me ashamed of my lack of fitness.
“No problem Luna, keep up the early runs with me and I’ll have you giving the Alpha a run for his money in no time,” she said to me sympathetically as I lay on the grass, my lungs bursting for air after a short five mile jog.
I am so unfit it’s embarrassing and the last thing I want is for Mateo to be embarrassed by me.
“Okay Deena, my ass is yours every morning.” I groaned, reluctant for the oncoming pain but determined to make Mateo proud nonetheless.
She chuckled.
“Don’t go offering your ass out willy-nilly, Alpha may just kill someone over it since he’s not going to get any of it for a while.”
I blushed hiding my face under a sweaty arm.
“I feel so bad about that.”
Deena nodded with a sympathetic smile.
“Don’t worry about it, the pack have been told the situation and understand. In fact most are excited about having a Luna who is also a healer, it’s quite an honor for the pack, we all feel blessed by the Goddess.”
Thinking about her words as I walk up the final length of the pathway to Korra’s cabin I pray that I can return the honor the Goddess has bestowed upon me and finish my training properly.
Goddess knows the temptation to give in to Mateo is overwhelming at times. As saddened as I am that he is keeping his distance I am also happy he is respecting my wishes.
“Korra?” I call out as I approach the small cabin.
The door opens and Korra pops her grayed head out the door with a smile.
“Right on time Luna, come in, come in.” She beckons and I follow her through the door into the cabin.
It hasn’t changed one bit since I was here three years ago.
Every wall filled with bottles and mason jars, dried herbs and flowers hanging from the ceiling. A cauldron bubbles over a fire place making the cabin look like a witches hut out of a fairy tail book.
“You know I’m sure Mateo would give you an electric stove if you wanted one.” I remark slipping into a chair by a paper cluttered dining table.
Korea waves a dismissive hand.
“I’m old school Luna. There’s just something about a wood fire that makes my recipes come just just right.”
I chuckle.
“Sonja was the same, although I did manage to convince her in the end to get an electric stove and I assure you in the dead of winter it comes in handy.”
“Well we will see if you can convince me.” She quips setting down two cups of herbal tea on the table, lavender, by the scent.
“How is Alfredo? I didn’t get a chance to see him last night.” I ask of her mate. She smiles warmly.
“He is out in the gardens, we’ve had a particularly good harvest of tomatoes this year and they are bottling today for the winter. He sends his regards.”
I smile warmly. Alfredo is the packs head gardener, an omega with a big heart and a green thumb. I’m sure he could make pumpkins grow from rocks if he tried.
“Tell him hello from me and I miss his sweet potato pie.”
“Oh I will, don’t be surprised if one appears at your door.” She chuckles before setting her tea cup down.
“So Luna, tell me where you left off with Sonja.” She asks.
I sip the tea and relax into the seat. The familiarity of the tiny cabin, a healers cabin, having a soothing effect on me.
I give her a detailed run down of everything Sonja had taught me and my focus in maternal wolf care.
Korra sips her tea thoughtfully, her wizened brown eyes examining me so thoroughly I feel I might have a speck on me.
I don’t feel nervous, I’m confident in my abilities but this is an unusual situation and she knows it too.
“There is a reason why healer tradition dictates we learn from our maternal line. While every healer should have a rounded knowledge of all aspects of wolf heath, the particular skill from each line allows specialties to develop. Your line has always been maternal care, Sonja is one of the best healers in that specialty in our world, why would you choose to leave her when you were so close to completion?”
I was expecting this.
“My reason for leaving had nothing to do with Sonja’s teachings. It was for an entirely different reason, one that will not allow me to return. I cannot say more than that.” I hold her eyes firmly and she nods.
“Okay. I will need to confer with Sonja before I can take up your final lesson, but I see no issue.”
My heart skips with both joy and guilt.
“I did not have a chance to speak to Sonja when I left. Please pass her my apologies.”
“I will but I will need something in return.” Korea says with a smile I do not trust at all.
“Okay,” I reply hesitatingly.
“The mating talk for the first time runners is scheduled for the evening before they leave. It is the pack healers job to give the talk. You will give this year’s talk.”
I groan and slump in my chair, my face heating up. Of all the tasks the pack healer is required to carry out, the mating talk has been my most dreaded.
“Don’t you think they best hear the mating talk from someone um more experienced?” I nod at her pointedly.
Korra chuckles.
“There are only a handful of virgins attending, it’s not the mechanics that are important, it is everything else as I’m sure Sonja taught you. Did you not sit in on her talks?”
I cringe.
“Yes I did.” I grumble, quite unhappy.
“The purpose of the mating talk is primarily to help the participants relax. It is to prepare them for both the joy of finding their mate and also the disappointment if they don’t. They need to know that every aspect of mating is natural and beautiful. You have a mate, you know this already. You don’t have to have completed the process to be able to encourage another. Think of it like childbirth. You have never given birth, but your knowledge and training give you a unique ability to help a mother through the process. This is a task that has always been the pack healer’s job and I will not be able to pass you until you do, so unless you actually want to wait until next years festival to mate your Alpha,” she trails off with a shrug of her shoulders.
Runa growls her displeasure inside me, one that matches the ache in my chest over the very thought. There is no way either Mateo or I would be able to last that long.
“Not a problem. I’ll do it,” I grumble and Korra chuckles.
“Excellent.” She rises and walks over to a desk returning with a manila folder.
“This is Halle Garcia, a nineteen-year-old Omega. She works in the gardens with Alfredo. Her mate is a junior Epsilon. She was pupped with their first knotting. This is her first pregnancy and she is in her third trimester.”
I glance over the file while Korra fills me in on her antenatal history and everything fades as I focus on my soon-to-be patient’s case. A simple one it seems, a normal werewolf pregnancy to date.
“Thank you Korra, I think I can handle Halle’s case. I would also like to add Beta Varu as my patient, she is about three weeks along and has already agreed to my care.”
Korra looks up surprised.
“I did not scent her last night,” she says
“I have a strong scenting ability for pregnancies and also some other illnesses, particularly wolf fever. I found that out at the first Mating festival I attended in Norway. One of our participants returned scenting of peanuts, which I dismissed initially. Then when wolf fever ran through a number of the attendees and we isolated, them the entire ward smelled of peanuts. It was strange no one could scent it except me. Sonja and I worked out it was the scent of wolf fever. The next year after the festival I scented another she-wolf who smelled of peanuts and we isolated her straight away. We didn’t have an outbreak that year.”
Korra beams at me.
“That is wonderful Luna. Goddess knows wolf fever is the bane of every festival, not lethal but just an annoyance to deal with. We have a plot growing fever weed especially for this years festival since we had a bad outbreak last year. Even the Alpha caught it and he is the worst patient.”
I chuckle at the thought of Mateo with a runny nose, itchy eyes and possibly the most irritating rash the goddess could have possibly created.
“Well, I hope I can help this year,” I remark holding back a smile.
“I will definitely have you on the front lines, Luna. You should also document this for the next Healer convention, there may be an opportunity for research and development into early detection.”
I nod excitedly at the thought.
“Unfortunately I left all my notes behind in Norway but I will keep new ones for this festival. I also have a blend of tea for morning sickness that I developed which has shown good results with the she-wolves I’ve cared for.”
“Excellent Luna. We can work on that tomorrow. My doors are open every day from 10 am until 1 pm for general cases, and I visit the hospital and help Dr. Sanchez in the afternoons for special cases when he calls me in. You will need to speak to Alpha about establishing your own clinic and we will need to begin stocking it.”
For the first time, I feel like everything is going to be alright. The mess I made with Bjorn is just a blur now as I focus on moving forward. Excitement bubbles inside me. I’m finally where I am meant to be. In the pack that will be my home for the rest of my life, with my mate accepting me and my healer training coming to a close.
Everything feels almost perfect.
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