Chapter 3 Thorns and Whispers

Luna

The yarrow refused to yield its healing properties.

I stared at the wilting plant in my hands, trying to ignore how my fingers trembled. Once, coaxing medicine from herbs had been as natural as breathing. Now, like everything else since that night, it felt wrong. Broken.

"Come on," I whispered, pushing what little energy I had into the plant. "Please."

The yarrow's leaves curled inward, rejecting my magic. Just like-

No. I wouldn't think about him. About the rejection. About how every heartbeat felt like glass in my chest. About how he might force me to leave if my magic kept spiraling out of control.

The thought made my hands shake harder. Already, plants were responding strangely to my presence. Moonflowers blooming out of season. Vines creeping across walls unbidden. What if it got worse? What if-

A knock at my cabin door made me jump, the yarrow falling from my nerveless fingers. No one had visited in the three days since the ceremony. Not that I'd expected them to.

"Luna?" The voice was hesitant. Sarah, the young pack healer. "I... I have a patient who needs help."

My wolf stirred for the first time since our run, interested despite her pain. Healing. Purpose. Something to focus on besides the agony of rejection and the terrifying way my magic seemed to have a mind of its own now.

"Coming," I called, hastily wiping my hands on my worn jeans. They still trembled.

Sarah stood on my porch, shifting nervously. Behind her, supporting a limping teenager, was Beta Marcus. His presence made my wolf curl into herself, remembering how he'd tried to stop us that night.

"What happened?" I asked, professional mask sliding into place. Inside, fear clawed at my throat. If my magic acted up in front of the Beta...

"Training accident," Marcus answered, his eyes studying me too intently. "Thomas here thought he could take on two dominants at once. His knee's swollen worse than any normal injury should be."

I gestured them inside, noting how Sarah's eyes widened at the abundance of flowering plants that had overtaken my small cabin since that night. They grew wild now, responding to my turbulent emotions rather than my will. Each new bloom felt like evidence that could be used against me.

"On the couch," I directed, already reaching for my supplies. The familiar motions helped steady my hands, but I couldn't stop glancing at the writhing vines along the walls. Would Marcus report this to his Alpha? Would this be what finally drove me from the only home I'd ever known?

Thomas whimpered as Marcus helped him sit. The knee was indeed swollen, angry red lines spider-webbing from the joint. Not a normal training injury at all.

"You fought with James and Peter, didn't you?" I asked, recognizing the magical signature in the wound. The two dominant wolves were known for fighting dirty, embedding magic in their attacks.

Thomas nodded miserably.

"I thought so." I reached for the wound, then hesitated. Would my magic even work now? The yarrow's rejection still stung. And worse – what if it worked too well? What if it revealed just how much I'd changed?

"You can do it," Sarah whispered, and I realized she'd seen my hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, I placed my hands on Thomas's knee. Immediately, my senses lit up with wrongness – twisted magic tangled in the muscle and bone. Before the rejection, I would have teased it out gently, a delicate healing that would leave no trace.

Now... now my magic felt different. Stronger. Wilder. Dangerous.

The plants around us began to stir, responding to power they sensed. A vine of moonflowers – which shouldn't even be growing indoors – crept across the floor toward us. My heart pounded. If the Alpha saw this, saw how I couldn't even control simple healing magic anymore...

"Luna?" Marcus's voice held a warning note.

"It's fine," I said, though it wasn't. Nothing was fine. My magic was changing, growing into something I didn't understand and couldn't control. Something that might get me exiled if I couldn't master it. "Just... different."

I closed my eyes and reached for the healing magic, praying I could keep it gentle. It came in a rush, not the gentle stream I was used to but a torrent. The moonflower vine wrapped around Thomas's leg, its blossoms glowing red-silver. I tried to pull back, to moderate the flow, but it was like trying to stop a flood with my bare hands.

Thomas gasped. Sarah made a small, shocked sound. Even Marcus took a step back.

When I opened my eyes, the swelling was gone. So was any trace of injury. And Thomas... Thomas was staring at me with a mixture of awe and fear. The same fear I felt growing in my own chest.

"That was..." Sarah breathed. "I've never seen healing like that."

"Neither have I," I admitted quietly. The power thrumming under my skin felt foreign. The rejection hadn't weakened my magic as I'd expected. Instead, it had transformed it into something ancient. Something wild.

Something that might very well get me banished if I couldn't learn to control it.

Marcus's calculating gaze told me he was thinking the same thing. How long until he reported to his Alpha? How long until I was called before the council to explain why plants grew wild at my touch and healing magic poured out like a storm?

I fought to keep my hands steady as I helped Thomas stand. One day at a time. That's all I could manage right now. One day at a time, and pray that I could master this new magic before it cost me everything I had left.

Marcus cleared his throat, still watching the glowing moonflower vine. "You've always been talented, Luna, but this is..."

"Different," I finished softly, drawing away from Thomas. "I know."

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "The magic feels..."

"Wild," Thomas blurted out, then immediately ducked his head when Marcus shot him a sharp look. "I mean... thank you for healing me."

I forced a smile I didn't feel. "Just be more careful with your training partners next time."

"About that," Marcus said, his deep voice taking on an official tone that made my wolf bristle. "James and Peter shouldn't have been using enhanced attacks during practice. I trust you'll report any lingering effects?"

The question carried weight beyond simple concern for Thomas's health. I recognized the careful probe for what it was – the Beta testing how much of a threat I might pose.

"Of course," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the fresh wave of fear. "Though there shouldn't be any. The healing was... thorough."

Sarah stepped closer, her healer's curiosity overtaking her initial hesitation. "How did you do that with the moonflowers? I've never seen plant magic integrated into healing before."

"I didn't exactly mean to," I admitted, watching as the vine slowly retreated. "It just... happened."

"Things just 'happening' could be dangerous," Marcus observed quietly. "The Alpha will need to-"

"I'll learn to control it," I cut in, perhaps too quickly. The plants around us shivered in response to my spike of anxiety, and I forced myself to take a deep breath. "I mean... I'm working on it."

Thomas shifted awkwardly on his newly-healed leg. "It doesn't feel dangerous. It feels... kind of nice, actually. Like spring."

"Spring doesn't belong inside houses," Marcus countered, but his expression had softened slightly. "Luna, you know I have to report this."

My heart clenched. "I know," I whispered, then straightened my spine. "But I'm still the pack healer. Magic or no magic, altered or not, I have responsibilities."

"No one's questioning your dedication," Sarah interjected, shooting Marcus a look that surprised me with its boldness. "Right, Beta Marcus?"

He sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "No, we're not. But Luna... be careful. The council is already unsettled by recent events. This could..."

"Make things worse?" I finished bitterly. "Believe me, I know. Is there anything else you need? Any other signs of my instability you'd like to document?"

The words came out sharper than I'd intended. A potted herb on the windowsill suddenly sprouted thorns.

"Luna," Sarah murmured, distress coloring her tone. "He's just doing his job."

"And I'm just trying to do mine," I replied, exhaustion seeping into my voice. "Despite everything."

Marcus studied me for a long moment. "You know," he said finally, "some might see this development as a gift rather than a curse."

"Those people," I responded quietly, "probably haven't seen the Alpha's face when something disrupts his perfectly ordered world."

The words hung in the air between us. Sarah inhaled sharply. Thomas looked at his feet. And Marcus... Marcus's expression held something that might have been pity.

"Come on," he said to Thomas, gesturing toward the door. "Your mother will be wondering where you are. Sarah?"

She hesitated. "I could stay, help you organize your herbs..."

The offer of companionship almost broke me. "Thank you," I managed. "But I think I need some time alone."

"Of course," she nodded, but pressed a small pouch into my hands. "Chamomile. For sleeping. The normal kind – no magic required."

I clutched the pouch like a lifeline. "Sarah..."

"I know you do not have many friends or none at all, i will be your friend if it pleases you" she whispered fiercely. "No matter what anyone says. No matter what... changes."

After they left, I sank to the floor among my wild, uncontrolled plants. The moonflower vine crept back toward me, its blossoms still faintly glowing.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered to the empty room.

The only answer was the soft rustle of leaves as my magic continued to transform the world around me, one bloom at a time.

A knock at the door startled me from my misery. My heart lurched – had Marcus returned already with orders from the Alpha?

But the scent that drifted through the cracks was familiar in a different way. Mae. The pack's eldest female, though she held no official position.

"I know you're in there, little healer," she called, her gravelly voice tinged with amusement. "And I know why you're sitting on the floor feeling sorry for yourself."

Despite everything, a small laugh escaped me. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Because that's exactly where I found your grandmother thirty years ago, when her magic changed."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I scrambled to my feet, yanking the door open. "What did you say?"

Mae stood on my porch, her silver hair gleaming in the afternoon light. Her eyes – still sharp despite her advanced age – fixed on the rioting plants behind me.

"Well," she mused, "yours seems a bit more... enthusiastic than hers was. May I come in?"

I stepped back wordlessly, mind spinning. My grandmother had died before I was born. I'd always been told my healing gifts came from her, but no one had ever mentioned...

"Your plants are afraid," Mae observed, settling into my one comfortable chair. "They're trying to protect you."

I looked around at the thorny growths, the twisting vines. "They're out of control."

"No." Mae's voice was firm. "They're responding exactly as they should. You're the one fighting it."

"Fighting what?" The words came out more desperately than I'd intended. "I don't understand what's happening to me."

"Sit," she patted the ottoman beside her chair. "It's time you learned about the White Healers."

A chill ran down my spine. "The what?"

"You've noticed your wolf's coloring, I assume? Rather distinctive, especially for one so recently... transformed."

I wrapped my arms around myself, remembering the shock of seeing my reflection that night. My wolf had always been grey, unremarkable. But after the rejection...

"White as moonlight," Mae nodded, as if hearing my thoughts. "Just like your grandmother's. Just like mine, once upon a time."

"Yours?" I whispered.

She smiled, and for a moment I glimpsed the young woman she must have been. "Oh yes. Though I was never as powerful as you're becoming. The gift shows itself differently in each generation. Your grandmother's affinity was with herbs – she could grow anything, anywhere. Mine was with bones and blood. But you..."

Her eyes tracked the moonflower vine as it crept closer, drawn to our conversation. "You have an affinity for life itself, it seems."

"That's not-" I shook my head. "I can't even control it. The Alpha will-"

"The Alpha," Mae cut in, "knows nothing of our history. None of them do, not anymore. They've forgotten what it means when a healer's wolf turns white. When the old magic awakens."

"What does it mean?"

Mae leaned forward, her expression intense. "It means, my dear, that you are exactly what this pack needs. Whether they know it or not. Whether *he* knows it or not."

A bang from outside made us both jump. Mae's expression shifted to one of concern.

"We should go to the dining hall," Mae suggested, her eyes too knowing. "You haven't eaten properly in days."

My stomach twisted. "I can't. Everyone will-"

"Avoid you? Whisper? Stare?" She stood, offering her hand. "Better to face it now, with me, than alone later."

She was right, of course. But knowing that didn't make it easier when we entered the dining hall and the usual dinner chatter died. Wolves who'd known me my entire life suddenly found their plates fascinating. Others openly shifted away as we passed.

My wolf whimpered. *Pack. Family. Why?*

"Head high," Mae murmured. "You've done nothing wrong."

We collected our food in silence. I tried not to notice how the serving wolf – Katie, who'd come to me just last week for help with her morning sickness – refused to meet my eyes.

The only table with space was near the back, close to the council's private dining room. Mae steered me toward it, her grip on my arm brooking no argument.

I'd barely taken two bites when the voices drifted out.

"The Northern Pack's delegation arrives next week," a male voice – Elder Richards – said. "Everything must be perfect."

"The mating ceremony preparations are well underway." The female voice was Selene's mother, Amanda. "My daughter has chosen the traditional red and gold theme, of course. Very fitting for a future Luna."

The food turned to ash in my mouth. My wolf howled in our shared mind, the sound full of such anguish that several nearby wolves flinched.

"Kieran seems... distracted lately." Elder Richards again. "The rejection bond-"

"Will fade," Amanda cut in sharply. "That's what rejection is for, after all. Once he and Selene complete the mating ceremony, any lingering effects will disappear. The pack will have a proper Luna, one who understands her place."

The fork in my hand bent. Around us, the potted plants that decorated the dining hall began to wither.

"Breathe," Mae whispered. "Just breathe."

But I couldn't. Because Selene's voice had joined the conversation, sweet as poison.

"I've chosen my dress already," she was saying. "White, of course. Pure. Untainted. Not like..." She laughed softly. "Well. We all know what happened with *her*."

The glass of water beside my plate shattered.

Heads turned. Whispers started. Through the blur of tears I refused to let fall, I saw Katie take an actual step back from our table, fear plain on her face.

"I can't," I choked out. "Mae, I can't-"

"Luna?"

The new voice was young, uncertain. I looked up to find Sarah standing there, a tray in her hands. Behind her, Thomas shifted nervously.

"We thought..." Sarah glanced at the other tables, then lifted her chin. "We thought we might join you?"

"There's plenty of other seats," someone called out. "Empty ones. Away from the *reject*."

My wolf snarled, but before I could say anything, Thomas surprised me.

"Good," he said loudly. "Then no one will mind if we sit here. Since you're all so busy avoiding the healer who saved my leg today. The one who's helped every single one of you at some point."

He sat down firmly beside me. Sarah took the seat opposite, her usually shy face set in determined lines.

"The plants," Mae murmured in warning.

I looked around and realized the withered plants were now growing thorns. Long, sharp ones, pointed toward the other tables.

"Sorry," I whispered, trying to rein in my pain, my power. "I'm trying to control it."

"Don't apologize," Thomas said fiercely. "Not for this. Not for them."

But I could still hear them in the council room, discussing flowers and guest lists and how lovely Selene would look beside him. My wolf was clawing at my insides, desperate to run, to hide, to do anything to escape the knowledge that in one week, we would watch our mate bind himself to another.

Sarah reached across the table and gripped my hand. "We're here," she said simply. "Whatever happens, we're here."

The thorns slowly retracted. Not because I was any less broken, but because for the first time since that night, I wasn't completely alone.

Even if next week would shatter what was left of my heart