POV: Ethan
Blood dripped from my finger onto the white bandage I was rolling.
"Ow," I mumbled, sticking my finger in my mouth. I'd been so focused on sorting medical supplies that I'd grabbed the wrong end of a broken glass bottle. Sometimes being a healer meant hurting yourself while trying to help others.
I was reaching for a clean cloth when someone knocked softly on my office door. "Come in," I called, wrapping my bleeding finger.
Maya Rivers stepped inside, holding her left hand against her chest. Her face was pale with pain, and I could smell the burn before I even saw it.
"What happened?" I asked, jumping up from my desk.
"I spilled soup on myself," she said quietly, not meeting my eyes. "Mrs. Peterson said I should come see you."
"Let me look." I gently took her hand, and she winced. The burn covered most of her palm—angry red skin that would blister soon if not handled properly.
"This needs immediate care," I said, leading her to my treatment table. "Hot soup burns are serious."
As I gathered cooling salve and clean bandages, I noticed Maya watching my every move with interested eyes. Most pack members just sat quietly while I worked, but she seemed truly interested in what I was doing.
"This might sting at first," I warned, applying the mending salve.
She didn't even move. "What's in that medicine?" she asked.
"Aloe, willow bark, and honey," I answered, surprised by her question. "The aloe cools the burn, willow bark stops infection, and honey helps new skin grow."
"Like the plants I grow in the garden?"
I looked up at her. "You grow willow bark?"
"By the stream," she nodded. "And I have aloe plants in the greenhouse. I dry the willow bark every fall and store it for winter."
My hands stopped in their work. "You know about preserving medicinal plants?"
Maya blushed. "I read about it in old books. Elder Rose lets me borrow them sometimes."
"Which books?" I asked, truly curious now.
"'Healing Plants of the Northern Forest' and 'Traditional Pack Medicine,'" she said softly. "I hope that's okay. I know omegas aren't meant to—"
"Those are advanced texts," I interrupted. "I studied those during my healing training. What else do you know?"
Her eyes lit up, and suddenly she didn't seem shy anymore. "Chamomile tea helps with sleep problems. Echinacea fights colds. Ginger calms upset stomachs. And if you mix lavender oil with carrier oil, it helps with headaches."
I stared at her in amazement. "That's... that's completely right. How long have you been learning healing?"
"Since I was twelve," she revealed. "I started when I got sick with fever, and Elder Rose gave me plant tea that made me better. I wanted to learn how it worked."
"Six years of study," I said, carefully wrapping her burned hand. "Most pack members don't know half of what you just told me."
Maya looked down at her wrapped hand. "I know it's not my place. I'm just an omega who works in the kitchen. But I like helping people feel better."
Something twisted in my chest at her words. "Why do you think healing isn't your place?"
"Because I'm not smart enough for important jobs," she said sadly. "I can cook and clean and grow plants, but that's all."
"Maya." I waited until she looked at me. "You just showed more medical knowledge than some trained healers have. You're not 'just' anything."
Her cheeks turned pink. "You really think so?"
"I know so. Your herb garden provides the best healing plants in our territory. The chamomile you grow is stronger than what I can buy from other packs." I finished tying her bandage. "Have you ever thought about becoming a healer?"
"Me?" She laughed, but it sounded sad. "Omegas don't become healers."
"Says who?"
"Everyone. The pack rules. The way things have always been." She stood up, holding her bandaged hand. "Thank you for fixing this. I should get back to work."
"Wait." I didn't want her to leave yet. Something about Maya intrigued me—the way she absorbed information like a sponge, how she cared about helping others despite being told she wasn't important. "Would you like to see the rest of my clinic?"
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
For the next hour, I showed Maya my medical supplies, explaining what each medicine did and when to use it. She asked smart questions and remembered everything I told her. When I showed her my collection of dried herbs, she recognized most of them correctly.
"This foxglove is old," she said, studying a jar of purple flowers. "See how the color is fading? Fresh foxglove should be bright purple. Old medicine doesn't work as well."
"You're absolutely right," I said, impressed again. "Where did you learn that?"
"Trial and error," she smiled. "I made tea from old herbs once and it tasted awful and didn't help my headache. Elder Rose stated that plant medicines lose strength over time."
"Maya, you have a real gift for healing," I said seriously. "You shouldn't waste it in the kitchen."
"But what choice do I have?" she asked. "I'm an omega. The pack needs me to cook and clean."
"The pack also needs healers," I pointed out. "What if I talked to my father about letting you help me here sometimes?"
Her face went pale. "No! Please don't do that. I'd get in terrible trouble."
"Why would helping people get you in trouble?"
"Because it's not my job," she said strongly. "Sophia already thinks I'm getting thoughts above my station. If she heard I was trying to become a doctor..."
"What does Sophia have to do with anything?"
Maya looked at me like I'd asked why water was wet. "She's going to be Luna soon. She'll decide what jobs omegas can have."
Something cold settled in my stomach. "Sophia isn't Luna yet. And even when one of us mates with her, that doesn't mean she gets to crush other people's dreams."
"Dreams don't matter when you're an omega," Maya said softly.
Before I could argue, she headed for the door. "Thank you again for helping my hand. I'll change the patch like you showed me."
"Maya, wait—"
But she was already gone, leaving me standing in my office with a dozen questions spinning in my head. Why was such a smart, talented girl being wasted in the kitchen? Why did she seem so afraid of Sophia? And why did I suddenly care so much about an omega I barely knew?
I was still thinking about our talk when Logan burst through my door an hour later, his face white with panic.
"Ethan, something's wrong," he gasped. "Really wrong."
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
"It's not me." He grabbed my arm. "It's Maya. Kai found her collapsed in the yard. She's glowing, Ethan. Actually shining with silver light."
My blood turned to ice. "Glowing?"
"Like moonlight under her skin. And there's a mark on her wrist—a mark that shouldn't exist yet."
I was already getting my medical bag. "Where is she?"
"Kai's bringing her here. But Ethan..." Logan's voice was deadly serious. "That mark on her wrist? It's not just any mate mark."
"What do you mean?"
"It's the Triple Star Mark. The one from the old tales." Logan met my eyes with a look of pure shock. "Maya Rivers is mated to one of us."