The Prophecy: Empress Returns

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“EDDIE!”

Kalea’s voice echoed off the timber rafters of the Hounds of the Night packhouse as she shouted from the top landing.

Hailey paused halfway up the central staircase, wincing as she looked up. “Kalea, standard volume, please! What is wrong with you?”

“I need Eddie—where is he?” Kalea paced the upper balcony, standard restraint entirely out of the question.

“He’s in a meeting with Kurt and Jared,” Hailey replied, continuing her climb step by step. “They probably have their blocks up. What’s so urgent?”

“Ugh, I swear, not having access to the mind link anymore is torture!” Kalea groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Reaching the top floor, Hailey crossed her arms and leaned against the banister. “Spill it. What do you need him for?”

“I really, really don’t want to ask you,” Kalea mumbled, ducking her head and avoiding eye contact.

Hailey raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“Because it’s... embarrassing. And personal.”

“Kalea, come on. We’re best friends, and I’m your Beta female—there’s zero judgment here. Whatever it is, I promise it’s not that—” Before Hailey could finish, Kalea yanked up the hem of her shirt and spun around. Hailey cut off mid-sentence, taking a sharp breath. “Holy sh*t! What the f*ck is wrong with your back?!”

Where smooth skin should have been, angry red welts spread across Kalea's spine, clustered in an inflamed, blistering rash.

“I don’t know!” Kalea squeaked, trying in vain to reach between her shoulder blades. “It started itching like crazy five minutes ago, and now it feels like somebody set a torch to it!”

“Okay, change of plans,” Hailey said, her Beta instincts instantly kicking in. She stepped forward, carefully avoiding direct contact with the inflamed skin, and took Kalea by the forearm to guide her back down the stairs. “We’re skipping Eddie and heading straight to the pack hospital. That looks like a severe allergic reaction—and given how fast it’s spreading, I want the doctor looking at it ten seconds ago.”

The heavy doors of the pack hospital swung open as Hailey practically hauled Kalea into the triage area.

“Doc Martin!” Hailey bellowed, her voice reverberating off the walls.

Kalea winced, glancing sideways despite the burning sensation radiating down her spine. “What happened to maintaining standard volume?”

“That was before my Luna showed me a rash the size of a planet forming on her back!” Hailey retorted without missing a beat, scanning the empty corridor before taking a deep breath. “DOC MARTIN!”

A side office door jerked open, and the pack’s new physician bustled out, adjusting his glasses. Eddie had brought Doc Martin in only recently to rebuild the medical staff from the ground up after the previous doctor’s treacherous betrayal—a breach of trust that still hung heavy over the pack.

“Yes, yes, Beta Hailey—no need to rattle the windows,” Doc Martin said, brushing a speck of dust off his lab coat as his sharp gaze shifted between the two women. “What seems to be the emergency?”

“You need to examine Kalea’s back right now!” Hailey said, pushing past him into the examination room and dragging Kalea along behind her.

“Of course. What seems to be the prob—” Dr. Martin was cut off mid-sentence as Hailey spun Kalea around and yanked up the hem of her shirt. “My word!” Dr. Martin gasped, leaning in closer with a look of horror. “Luna... when did this start?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Kalea explained, wincing as the heat radiated across her shoulders. “It started itching like crazy, and when I couldn’t reach it, I tried rubbing against the bathroom doorframe. Then it just started burning. I shouted for Eddie, but of course he’s locked in a meeting with the guys. So I showed Hailey, and she practically dragged me here.”

“Alright, let me examine this carefully before making a definitive call,” Dr. Martin said, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. “It could be several things, but given the cluster size of these welts, the rapid onset, and the burning pain, I’d wager you’ve contracted chickenpox, Luna.”

“WHAT?!” Kalea shrieked, whipping her head around to glare at him.

Hailey’s jaw dropped in equal disbelief. “b***h, you never had chickenpox?!”

“I—I don’t know!” Kalea stammered, panic finally setting in.

“How can you not know?!”

“I was adopted, remember?!” Kalea retorted, throwing her hands up.

“When you were an infant! How do you not know if you’ve had chickenpox?!” Hailey questioned in utter disbelief.

“Do you know for sure if you had it?!” Kalea spat back.

“Yeah, b*tch, I did,” Hailey shot right back. “So did Josh. I actually gave it to him when we were kids. But that’s beside the point—almost everyone back in the Silver Moon pack had chickenpox.”

“Well, obviously I didn’t,” Kalea groaned, tossing her head back in frustration, “because I have it right now, as a grown-ass adult!”

“I want to know how you even caught it in the first place,” Hailey said, turning to Dr. Martin with an accusing tilt of her head. “Isn’t chickenpox passed through direct, skin-to-skin contact?”

“Or inhaled through airborne respiratory droplets,” Dr. Martin corrected gently, holding up a finger. “It’s exceptionally contagious. If an infected individual so much as sneezes or coughs in the same room, or if someone brushes against fluid from an active blister, transmission can occur almost instantly.”

Hailey folded her arms, her eyes widening as she connected the dots. “Wait... so if she got it from someone in the packhouse, that means—”

“That means we likely have an outbreak on our hands,” Dr. Martin finished grimly, grabbing a sterile pad from his tray. “And considering how childhood illnesses can spread through a pack before our werewolf immune systems kick in, we need to trace her recent contacts immediately.”

Kalea groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Great. Not only am I covered in burning, itchy spots, but I’m about to be patient zero.”

“Well, Luna, the bright side is that a werewolf’s adult immune system can clear the virus significantly faster than a pup’s,” Dr. Martin offered, attempting a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, that only applies if I still had a wolf to heal me!” Kalea shouted.

Dr. Martin grimaced, wincing as he remembered. “Ah... yes. Of course. I completely forgot that you no longer have your wolf spirit...”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Two years ago, Kalea had sacrificed Empress—her wolf—to save the entire werewolf species from permanent extinction. Without Empress, Kalea no longer possessed the rapid werewolf healing factor, leaving her body to recover at the painfully slow rate of an ordinary human.

“UGH! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!” Kalea shrieked, throwing her hands in the air. “NANA AND GRANDPA ARE COMING TO VISIT, AND I HAVE THE F*CKING CHICKENPOX?!”

“Well, look on the bright side—maybe we can ask them to bring Cutty so he can heal you!” Hailey suggested.

“Cutty doesn’t have healing magic, Hailey,” Kalea grumbled.

Hailey threw up her hands. “Oh... well, damn! What kind of wizard can’t even heal?!”

“Beta Hailey, you know as well as I do that not all Wiccans share the same powers,” Dr. Martin cut in gently. “Some specialize in healing, while others have different gifts.”

“Well, duh! I know that, Doc,” Hailey shot back, rolling her eyes. “I meant, what kind of wizard working for the Royal Parliament of Werewolves doesn’t have a basic healing spell?!”

“Perhaps the Queen could heal you, Luna,” Dr. Martin suggested thoughtfully.

“Yeah! Maybe your Nana can heal you!” Hailey chimed in instantly. “Or what about your dad?”

“My dad does not need to know I have the chickenpox!” Kalea jabbed a well-manicured finger directly at Hailey. “And you are strictly forbidden from telling anyone!”

“Right, Luna, mum’s the word,” Hailey said, holding up her hands in surrender before turning back to the exam table. “Now, how about we ask the nice doctor for some medication so we can go break the terrible news to your mate?”

“I’m not telling Eddie! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Kalea, you were literally standing on the landing ten minutes ago screaming his name at the top of your lungs so you could show him!”

“That was before I found out it was the damn chickenpox!”

“What difference does that make?” Hailey argued. “He’s going to find out either way when we report a potential packhouse outbreak. Everyone who hasn't had it is going to need to get screened. I mean, surely you’re not the only adult around here who missed out on it as a kid, right?” She shot a hesitant glance at the physician for backup.

“It’s actually not that uncommon for adults to have missed exposure in their youth, Luna,” Dr. Martin confirmed with a reassuring nod. “I’m sure a few other pack members will be in the same boat.”

“See?!” Hailey smirked.

“Actually, now that I think about it...” Dr. Martin walked over to his desk and pulled out a thick patient folder. He flipped through the pages, scanning the medical history. “I was reviewing the Gamma’s childhood records recently, and I don’t believe he’s ever had it either.” He nodded in confirmation. “Yup. Gamma Jared has never been exposed. So, Luna, you’ll definitely want to keep your distance from him.”

“What about Eddie?” Kalea asked, her eyes softening with genuine concern. “Has he had it? I don’t want to risk exposing him.”

“Yes, Luna. The Alpha had it as a pup, as did Beta Kurt,” Dr. Martin explained, setting the file down. “So if you need help applying the soothing ointment before the King and Queen arrive, the Alpha is the safest option.”

“Great... just f*cking great,” Kalea groaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Hey, if you’re uncomfortable asking Eddie, I can always help you apply it,” Hailey offered gently.

“No!” Kalea shot down the idea without a second thought.

Hailey threw her hands up in self-defense. “Geez, alright! Excuse me for offering.”

Kalea mumbled to herself and rolled her eyes, resting her forehead against the cool edge of the examination table. Of all the times for her body to break out in a full-blown chickenpox rash, it had to be right before Amelia and Stephen arrived for a visit.