Page 45 of Heartstone

“I made her two scrambled eggs.She probably ate one,” Dominic said.

“And some toast,” Melinda said defensively.“And tea.”

“And this is the same tea you always drink.I think you said it was made by a local?

“Mona Dumont.She’s an herbalist,” Ethan said.“We work together often.She’s very talented with natural medicines.”

I cocked my head.In the circles where I travelled, ‘natural medicines’ was usually said with a sneer.But Dr.Barnes seemed sincere.I flipped to a new page in my mental notebook and added all kinds of new things to think about.“What’s in it?”

“Chamomile, lemon balm, fennel, ginseng.I’ll get you the list.”

My mother had shoved enough wellness teas down my throat for me to recognize some standard ingredients.“I’d appreciate that.Melinda, now that I’ve looked over your file, I have some questions.”I had her walk me through it again: the onset of her weakness, the steps she’d taken to improve, the symptoms she’d experienced.There was nothing that flagged my attention.“And what about shifting?”

Melinda sat up straight, trying to look authoritative in her hospital gown.Instead, she looked too thin, too pale.“What about it?”

“How does that play into the illness?Do you feel better in your wolf form, or worse?”I was proud of how calmly I said it.

She looked at Dominic.He widened his eyes, then shrugged.

Melinda sighed.“What I’m about to tell you can’t leave this room.”

“Of course.”

It took her a moment to pry the words out of her mouth.“I haven’t been able to shift for well over a month.”

“Melinda,” Dr.Barnes breathed.“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“No one knows.Not even the boys.They would all worry too much if I told them,” she said defiantly, as if we’d questioned her decision.“Besides, you know what would happen if this got out.”

“You don’t know what will happen,” Dominic.“You only think you know.”

“I know that if I can’t lead the clan in the end-of-season pack run, a challenger will kill me before this disease has a chance to,” Melinda said.She looked so tired, so beaten down.Dominic crossed his arms over his chest but didn’t argue further.

“I’m sorry,” I said to Ethan.“What is this run?”

“Twice a year, in the spring and the fall, the Alpha leads the pack on a hunt.It’s really more of a celebration of the clan,” he said.“They usually do it after the Lodge closes at the end of September.”

That was the same timeline they’d given me to find a cure for Melinda.Now I understood why they were so secretive, and so desperate.“What happens when you try to shift?”

“It’s been a while since I tried,” she said, looking at Dominic.

“It was seventeen days ago,” he said.“It knocked her flat.”

“That’s not--”

“I found you flat out on the bedroom floor,” he said severely.

“I got a little dizzy,” Melinda said.She pulled a pendant out from under her gown and cradled the bright green stone in her hand.“I can feel her, I can feel my wolf.I know she’s still there.”

“The last time you tried, were you able to complete the transformation?”I asked.

“Yes,” she said, “but I couldn’t hold it.It was like there was a tow rope on my ankle, bringing me back to my human body.”

“Maybe it would be easier if you show us,” Dr.Barnes said, his voice tight.I assumed he was resentful that Melinda would tell me this important bit of information, and not him.

“She too weak,” Dominic said.

“No, I’m not,” Melinda said.“Weren’t you the one who said I needed to shift more often?”

---