Ayn's Healing

Chapter 26 - Ayn

The summer days finally came, the plants in my Star of Five were growing and the meadow around the village exploded with colours and smells.

I hiked around with Kari and he showed me the universe of his mountains. We wandered across dizzying cliffside paths, over glacial streams foaming white and through dark canyons where the sky almost disappeared. On almost every walk I discovered some new mountain flower or a mushroom I had only seen in books and marveled at its beauty, while my mate watched me kindly and did his best to share in my enthusiasm.

Being Kari's mate had two less pleasurable side-effects.

One was that I had to stop helping James.The good doctor had a major freak out when I entered his office with Kari's smell on me, and since then, every morning he eyed my belly with expectant fear.

I swore to him on all my Gods that, if I will ever give birth, he will not be called to attend, but this did not reassure him. In a moment of frustration I even promised him that, if he stops being so paranoid about it, I won't even call his midwife mate to help me. He ignored my commitments and kept looking at me as if I was a ticking bomb, ready to explode through his throat again.

For his comfort I decided to remove myself from his presence, left him a rich collection of remedies tailored for underage shifters and told him to call me in case he had patients with very bad injuries.

The other effect was me agreeing to train with Timo's mixed group once a week, to learn to fight in human form, with punches and kicks and slamming on the ground. This is a really big sacrifice from my side, waking up before sunrise, on my free day, when I could theoretically sleep in. Sleep is an activity which is as sacred for me as Kari's intricate braids are for him.

My fighting skills are still at most mediocre and I am only alive because both the male warriors and the she-wolves are not really giving it their all when they are assigned to be my partners. That, and my ever improving healing touch, which I can offer to myself when needed.

***

Today is a chilly summer morning and I am practicing with Colin, one of the lambda males, when I hear Xander's frustrated growl:

"She will never learn to fight like this...You, Lambda, attack like you mean it, or your next fight will be with me," He tells my sparring partner and then he turns to me:

"You will defend. You can use magic if you need to."

Colin looks at me apologetically but then immediately, and very intentionally, sends his right fist flying towards my face. I jump backwards to avoid his punch but he seems determined to show his Alpha what he's worth. He follows with a high kick to my shoulder that puts me on the ground.

I hear some gasps among the warriors watching and a small cheer when I manage to twist the leg with which he was planning to hit me again. He lands next to me in the grass and we race each other in getting up, ready to continue. We then do a ridiculous dance, in which his hits are only slashing the air, as I dodge and unwillingly retreat.

This goes on until I feel against my back the bark of the large pine tree that guards the training field. Colin's heel slams hard into my solar plexus leaving me out of breath and I realise that I have to finish this fight while I am still standing. As I see him raising his leg again, I turn my hands to have them parallel to the ground and lower them slightly.

A ditch appears under his support leg, making him lose his balance and kneel in front of me. I bring my fingers to my palms and tree roots long as whips sprout from the ground and clamp around his wrists and ankles.

I want to let myself slide next to him and I am ready to cry of pain and exhaustion.

"Add the wolfsbane," I hear Xander commanding dryly, and my face instantly burns hot with embarrassment. I think for a moment that my mate really doesn't have any boundaries with his family. Maybe he told his dad about a certain bed game we played, when I tied Kari to the bed with some ivy vines, mentioning that I could enhance them with something more efficient if needed.

"Come on, your mother did it so wonderfully," he continues.

As relieved as I am to find out that he knows about this nifty trick from my mother and not from my mate, I don't understand his request. Tying a wolf shapeshifter with wolfsbane is torture. When used only shortly, it burns them like acid and leaves ugly scars which even I cannot fully remove. When it's left on long enough, it can kill them. I was totally bluffing when I threatened Kari with it.

"No, I don't want to hurt him."

"Ah, bullshit. He was ready to destroy you before and he wouldn't have even flinched. Show the boys here what you can."

"I am not using wolfsbane on a pack member."

I feel the adrenaline that helped me to stand until now is wearing off. My legs are shaking and I am relieved when I see Kari approaching in wolf form.

Xander however is not ready to let go and barks from somewhere above my head:

"He's just a lambda. We have tens of them. Do it."

"No. You are his Alpha and you can kill him if you want, but I am done here," I say quietly. I wave my hand releasing the roots that keep Colin down and thank the tree for its help.

It's silent on the training field, because everybody is waiting for their Alpha to issue his punishment for the little witch girl who just disobeyed his direct order three times. But they might not realise that when he is asking me to use my magic, he is speaking to his pack witch. And the pack witch has a verbal contract with him that only covers healing services.

So I don't feel like I am in the wrong when I just keep holding his violet gaze, until Kari shifts next to me and whispers in my ear that it's time to go home.

We turn towards the forest and I hear the Alpha's smiling voice behind us.

"Teresa was right, you would make a great Luna, Ayn."

As his words reach me, it becomes clear that it was all a test, probably more for the benefit of the warriors watching than for his own. I can only assume he wanted to show the pack that I am to be trusted and that, even given the opportunity, I would not hurt one of them beyond what is necessary to defend myself.

I still resent him because I don't feel like I need to prove my allegiance to my mate's pack and I don't like mind games. Also because my shoulder, my chest and some other places, where I didn't even realise Colin had hit me, hurt badly.

I exhale my frustration, holding Kari's hand a little bit tighter, when Xander speaks again, with unhidden contempt:
"Too bad you don't have an Alpha by your side."