Midnight Dreaming

Gift or Curse?

   Mia slowly began to register her surroundings as she awoke. The smell of chemicals, the steady beep of a machine, the feeling of cold entering her hand and flowing up her arm, lastly the steady breathing of someone near her. She opened her eyes slowly to the dim light of what she could only assume was the pack house hospital. She slowly peered around herself taking in the various machines around her as well as the IV in her hand. She looked to the sound of breathing and smiled slightly at the sight of Rafael asleep in a hospital chair at her side. She attempted to lift her hand to shift hair out of her face and realized that he held her hand in his larger one preventing movement. She gripped his hand tighter to get his attention. He jolted out of his slumber, giving her a startled look not fully awake to realize that she was staring back at her.
"You're...you're awake! Oh my god you are finally awake. Let me go tell the doctor that you have woken up finally. I've been so worried!"
   He ran from the room only to return a few moments later with a doctor in tow. The doctor insisted on checking her vitals, her pupils and her IV before pulling up a chair on the other side of her bed to sit in before he began to talk to her.
"Well Miss Mia it is good to see that you are finally awake. Your condition remained stable while you unconscious however we were quite concerned when you did not wake up right away. How are you feeling? Do you remember anything from when you collapsed?"
"I feel ok I guess. How long have I been unconscious? Last thing I remember was arriving at the pack house. There was so many people there to greet me and I went to shake someone's hand and it felt like I was ripped away to another time. I saw the pack house on fire, there were wolves and humans fighting everywhere and the person who I shook hands with was laying on the ground before me dead. Then I was waking up here."
"Well you have been out for almost a week and a half. Rafael came barging into my pack hospital with you like a man possessed screaming for help. My best guess is whatever happened when you shook hands was taxing on your system and it could not handle it. I have never heard of anyone experiencing what you did so I researched all of our old pack medical history to see if anyone in the past has seen anything like it. There was only one known case that I found roughly 250 years ago. It was an ancestor of yours named Helsbeth. She was our pack's first recorded female alpha and she had something like this after she had ascended to alpha status. It is said that she prevented a war that would have wiped most of our pack out. Her experience was documented to be almost identical to what you just went through it is quite remarkable to see. Rafael was kind enough to fetch our pack history book from the pack library for me to read. It is rumored that she had quite a few gifts but I will allow you to read the book yourself before we discuss what possible repercussions we will be dealing with as these gifts develop. Do you have any questions for me medically speaking before I leave you to rest?"
"No thank you Doctor...um I am sorry I did not catch your name?"
"Where are my manners?! I am Doctor Brenden and I am in charge of your treatment until discharge. If you need anything just have the nurse page me. Have a good night."
   He got up, placing the chair back where he had grabbed it, before leaving the room. He shut the door quietly as she peered at Rafael in question.
"I was out for almost a week and a half?"
"Yes and you scared me half to death. I lost 10 years off my life! I could feel the grey hair starting to come in with worrying so much. Oh um here I brought a few things for you. The book for one and this. I know its an odd time but I have been waiting to give this to you for a long time."
   He handed her the book, on top of it sat a black velvet box. Curiously, she opened the lid, gasping at what was inside. Nestled inside the red velvet cushion sat a gorgeous ring set. She stared disbelieving at it as she noted the gold bands. While connected they formed a beautiful moon setting with diamonds with a blood ruby wolf howling at the moon. A tear slipped from her eye as she carefully removed them and slid them onto her finger. It gleamed back at her, glowing against her ivory skin. She smiled at the ring as he began to speak to her again.
"When I found out that I was bonded to you I had the pack jeweler make this ring for me. It is one of a kind made for a one of a kind woman that I hoped would be by my side in the future. He made one for me to go with it, said I would thank him later for making it. I could not agree more. I put it on when I left to grab stuff for you. It is the first time that I had laid eyes on it. It is a blood ruby moon with a diamond wolf howling at the moon. It is like yours and yet unique just as we are. I hope you like it."
"I love it. I will have to extend my gratitude to the artist once I get out of here. Thank you Rafael for everything."
   He smiled at her and motioned to the book. She opened it at the book mark and began to read about her ancestor with her gifts. It was said that she possessed many including her ability to see the future. She was known as a healer, a strong alpha in battle and most of all she bore the mark of her family. It was said that it originated from her, gaining it the day the goddess came to her bestowing the gifts she carried through life. Unnaturally strong, speed like lightning, healing better than any known doctor of her time, and her visions of the future. She foretold of a female that would be born as an alpha that would inherit the gifts she had as she ascended to alpha. She would need to use her gifts to save the pack once again from an outside threat. As she read about her ancestor's accomplishments she began to think to herself. Was this really a gift or was it a curse in disguise? She felt overwhelmed as she realized the pack's survival depended on her learning to use the gifts that she was given. How was she to do this before it was to late to make a difference?