When Zoe opened her eyes she only saw the doctor in the room.
"Well, look who has woken up," the man smiled down at her. Zoe recognized him as Doctor Coleman. She had remembered that he was or used to be a human until his studies led him down a frightening rabbit hole, so to speak.
His appearance was that of a middle-aged man in his mid-thirties, but Zoe knew that he was far older than that. His hair should have been a thinning grey, but instead it was a vibrant full head of dirty blonder streaks. His eyes held no crow's feet nor any other signs of human aging, but many in the tribe knew his story and he came to be there.
He was a doctor and a medical scientist that had mistakenly gotten a hold of the werewolf genome. He had not told his colleagues and to avoid discovery, he used himself as a test subject. He saw that the healing properties in his samples were unlike anything that he had seen.
He wanted to cure the ailments of the world. His studies got the attention of the former Alpha of the pack, Nikolai's father. They agreed not to kill him if he swore secrecy and came back to the village. However, Dr. Coleman demanded that he was allowed off the lands to keep up appearances with the human world. He was permitted to be off the tribe's lands for a month every three months.
"It's good to see that you have finally gained consciousness. Young Zoe, you have diminished your powers to the point of exhaustion," the doctor tutted as he examined her vitals.
"Where is everyone," Zoe said. Her mouth was dry and every part of her body ached.
"Alpha Nikolai sent everyone except for Elder Grace away. He stepped out to go on patrol with the other wolves in the pack." The doctor began to look at the charts and compare them to her blood pressure as well.
"I will have Elder Grace come in and assist you, but I recommend that once I release you, that you take it easy. Do not overexert yourself again. Your body still needs to adjust to your new abilities."
As the doctor walked out of the room, he motioned from the outside for someone to join him in the room. Zoe pushed herself up using her elbows and forearms to see better. She instantly regretted it.
"You must be a glutton for pain, little one," Zoe paused when she heard the soft voice of her godmother.
"I will leave you two. I will have my orderly bring food for Zoe to regain her strength." The doctor smiled as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Zoe looked to see that Elder Grace was not in her robes; she wore a green tunic dress and brown slip-on.
"I cannot remember the last time I saw you in anything other than your Elder garb." Zoe said as Grace assisted her in sitting up. She leaned against the pillow as Grace sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"Well, considering everything that has happened, I had to be comfortable. Dealing with troubling meetings often leaves one short of breath and patience," Elder Grace said. Zoe could tell that the elder had not been getting any rest.
"If you do not mind what has been going on since I have been unconscious," Zoe asked.
Elder Grace opened her mouth to speak but then there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Enter," the elder said with authority. Sometimes Zoe forgot the way that her godmother's voice carried authority and regal tones.
An orderly entered the room with a tray of food and a smile. "The good doctor informed me that our Luna has woken up. And I thought you would like to eat something. "
That is when Zoe almost shot out of bed, "How do you know that I am Nikolai's Luna?" Zoe could not help but question a woman that she had never met before.
Zoe looked over to the elder. "Just leave the tray my dear, and I will make sure she eats. Thank you."
The orderly bowed to both of the important women of the village before turning around on her heel and leaving.
"How did she know that I am Luna," Zoe strained. Elder Grace quickly handed Zoe the practice cup.
Zoe quickly drained the cup of what she assumed was milk. Elder Grace gently pushed the tray of food towards the girl.
"You eat while I talk," she smiled. Zoe narrowed her gaze at the elder and then the tray. She removed the lid to find a ham and cheese sandwich, carrots, a bag of salted chips and a pudding cup.
As Zoe unwrapped the sandwich, Elder Grace stood up and filled the plastic cup with ice from a metal container that was on the opposite side of the room. Next to the container was a clear pitcher of water. It had to be room temperature, showing no signs of condensation.
"So, from the beginning, you have been unconscious for about three days now. It has been about a week since we all found out that you were the Luna of this pack." Elder Grace said as she handed Zoe the cup.
"Three days!" The shock almost made Zoe choke.
"Chew your food and swallow before you try to have a conversation, Zoe." Elder Grace said, shaking her head. "Yes, it's been three days. Two days ago, Alpha Nikolai ordered no one but he and I to visit you."
Zoe took a bite of her sandwich when the elder stopped. She knew that Elder Grace was serious when she meant she would talk and Zoe would eat.
"Our Alpha ordered both the Acolyte and the High Priestess back to the mountain and I will act as their mediator on your progress until further notice."
Zoe took a drink of water and then she laughed. "I don't know why you bothered. It's clear that both of them wanted nothing to do with me," she said. Her tone was angry and sadden at the same time.
"Even though it may seem that way, both have reasons for their actions. Even though I do not support all of them, I do want to make sure they are aware of your status."
"So did you know that they fashioned an amulet to halt the progress of my CHANGE?"
The shock on the elder's face told Zoe that it was news to hear. "You cannot—I will speak with them on that matter later. Does Alpha Nikolai know?"
Zoe shook her head, "Not all of it but he knows most of it."
Elder Grace sighed deeply. "On the topic of the Alpha, he also made an announcement declaring you his official mate. And that the Ruhn would not be happening anymore."
Zoe dropped the rest of her bread on to the plate. "He did what?"
Zoe knew that no good would come from this announcement. Many females saw Alpha Nikolai as a perfect candidate as a mate. Zoe was a temple maiden and should not be in the running for any mates.
"I have to warn you, Zoe. And you must listen to me closely," Elder Grace said in a serious tone.
"Not everyone will like the Alpha's new relationship with you. Many will be furious that he is mated to a priestess, especially given the recent developments."
"Recent developments?"
"The Alpha removed your title of Tribal Whore as well," Elder Grace whispered.
Nikolai had made it clear he did not want anyone using Zoe's formal title.
Removing her formal title did have pros and cons, but declaring Zoe his official soul mate would bring trouble her way. Not every female would accept this proclamation; Zoe knew that many of them would try to challenge her for the title of Luna.
"Well, since we are sharing, I should tell you that when I blacked out I got a message for the beyond." Zoe said quietly.
The beyond was a force that gave many priestesses foresight. It could be anything from intuition or even visions of the future. Zoe
had never connected to the beyond but she heard from other temple priestess that the experience was terrifying.
They had not been exaggerating.
"What did you see," Elder Grace asked.
Zoe tried to focus on her lingering memories.
The flash of images were blurry and unclear.
"I remember trying to resuscitate Janiva after she attempted to expand the barrier and when she failed. I watched the life fade from her eyes."
"That explains what you asked Beta Lex," Grace muttered.
"He knew Janiva as a friend the same as me."
"What else did you see," Elder Grace said. She pulled Zoe away from her fears and memories of the past. She wanted Zoe to focus on the future.
"I saw the moon. It was full but it changed colors. First it was pink, then it was red," Zoe said.
It was the same color as Nikolai's eyes. It scared me to be honest. She did not want to share that bit of information with the elder.
"That is the Pink Moon. It symbolizes the coming of spring. And the red changing moon is the Blood Moon. It marks many things. Sometimes the lunar eclipse when weres and wolves are at their strongest, but it is also when the Ruhn was supposed to happen." Elder Grace left off the part of it being cancelled.
But Zoe knew that since Alpha Nikolai declared her his mate there would be no Ruhn.
"Then I saw the form of a young woman lying limp at the bottom of a ravine. Her eyes were open and in the background wolves were howling. I think she was dead."
Elder Grace stayed silent. Zoe did not wish to continue but she needed answers.
"I finally saw Janiva's body being carted off by Ordinator." Zoe looked up at her godmother's face. She was scared to see the look she was giving Zoe.
"Your past haunts you because you were able to complete a feat that Janiva was unable to do. No other priestess, not even High Priestess Cylvia, are able to accomplish what you did. You feel guilt and you have to release yourself from that." Elder Grace put her hands on top of Zoe's.
"Something special might happen during those moons, but no one can be certain."
"What about the dead woman in the ravine," Zoe asked.
"That, my child, I cannot be certain, but I know that no good can come of that omen." Elder Grace said that she would not inform the council until she got a better understanding of Zoé's vision. She recommended that Zoe try to get some sleep.
But how could Zoe get any sleep when she knew what that image meant? Zoe was going to die during the Blood Moon. Her body was going to be at the bottom of a trench.