The Alpha's Healer

08 | Guidance

Iris didn't have the heart to refuse his goodwill. To be more precise, she didn't know how, because no one ever showed her enough of it to warrant a refusal.

"Um, is that a horn in the jar behind you?"

"Yes! That's from an animal I hunted five years ago! As you know, nothing goes to waste around here. My team and I discovered some medical properties in the horn of that animal and decided to preserve it. In fact, every little jar in here has a bit of treasure you can't find anywhere else. Too bad, he won't let me run any tests, otherwise I would be able to tell the exact ingredients of the medicine you have him last night."

"I can tell you. It's not a secret." Iris offered in a small voice.

The doctor went silent for a moment. Iris internally scolded herself for getting ahead of herself. Even her college professors didn't show interest in the things she did.

Evidently, Iris should have resigned from the conversation right when it started. Who was she to assume the others were interested in anything remotely related to her useless self?

"You will? From what I can tell from his condition, it has to be a highly effective medicine. I've come across many individuals who create such things and all of them have their mouths sealed with ten layers of cement and zippers that only open with money or illegal coercion."

"W-Why?"

Cluelessness smeared over her face. Her eyes widened and she leaned slightly towards the desk without knowledge of what pulled her in. Interest glimmered in those eyes like never before.

"Everyone wants recognition. Their names tied to the things they create, whether small or big and to be compensated for it. You shouldn't be so eager to share your secrets. What if I mass produce this medicine and say I made it? Your name will be buried under the sound of cheers of my name."

"I don't mind..." Iris mumbled.

She didn't see a point in hiding something that could benefit others. Besides, her medicine was nothing special to begin with. Just a modification between availability and need. She didn't see it as a loss. The new perspective presented by the doctor didn't make sense to her.

"Well you should -"

Suddenly, a suppressed cough thundered down on their focus and broke the harmonious discussion between the two.

"I'll bring her back another day to talk with your lonely soul. Right now we should head home. It's been a long day, Doctor." Sebastian left no room for refusal.

"Ah, it was my oversight. Please go home and rest." Dr Carlos said.

The brief encounter with Dr Carlos became a core memory for Iris. Everything he said was replayed in a loop in her mind.

Perhaps it was because the encounter was brief and likely won't happen again that Iris felt the need to remember it, wondering if what she just received was the sweet taste of guidance from a stranger.

Sebastian called a cab to take them to his house. Iris kept her eyes glued to the backpack squeezed between her arms. Silence between them left a lot of unsaid questions to decay between them.

They clamoured to be voiced but Iris squeezed her tongue out of sheer fear of the response she might get. What next? What now? Iris' voices were silenced by herself. Like always.

Her discomfort didn't stay internal got long. A thin layer of cold sweat soaked through her clothes in the fully air conditioned cab.

She pressed against the soft leather seat, seeking warmth in the cold surface, only to be shaken awake from the daze by a deep voice suddenly whispering in her ear. So close it blew the cold right out of her face with its hot breath.

"Would you be comfortable living with me?"

"Huh?" She whipped her head and directly faced Sebastian. He moved without a sound, catching her so off guard the patches on her heart peeled off in surprise.

Their proximity allowed her a closer look at his face. His scent was so vivid it became a tangible thread between them, tangling them together in a bond only they shared.

His hair slicked back had a few unruly strands falling over his forehead, brushed over the curled line of lashes framing his pools of blue eyes. Iris had a hard time pulling herself out of the spell.

"I have a spare room in my house that you can use. If you're not sure about living with me, I can arrange a separate apartment for you."

Iris' lashes fluttered nervously. Her cheeks grew so warm her blood boiled beneath the surface. When her chest started to hurt did she realised how long she'd been holding a breath of musk and pine.

"Say something." He urged, his eyes crinkled in the corners in visible amusement.

"Aren't both inconvenient?" She said breathlessly, to which Sebastian shook his head firmly.

"Not inconvenient. I brought you here, so it's my responsibility to make your life easier. Just chose what you're comfortable with. I'll respect your wishes."

A warm current washed over her heart. Iris took a moment to consider. She was a stranger to shadow ridge pack. It was impossible to navigate her life in it without seeking help.

"When are you going to reject me?"

"What?" He spluttered, clearly not expecting her to say something so out of context at such a time. His eyebrows jumped in shock.

Iris lowered her gaze to his chin. Looking at his face while speaking of rejection felt like committing a crime and receiving punishment at the same time.

"I can't receive your favours if you're doing them for the sake of our bond. I agreed to give it a thought but it's unlikely that I'll change my mind. Everything you do for me, I'll eventually repay you for it."

Iris had a hard time expressing herself. It wasn't something she was used to, as silence was her best defence mechanism. However, she wanted to be on the same page with Sebastian.

Sebastian didn't move. His grip on the back of her seat tightened and the leather cover ripped apart beneath his fingers. A similar ripping was felt in her heart when she saw the red corners of his eyes.

A cloud heavy with sense of fear rippled back into her mind. That look was something Amanda wore when she was angry but couldn't unleash it in front of someone that wasn't used to her ugly face.

Their faces overlapped.

The bag pressed closer to her chest in defence. What came next was always predictable. A scolding on good days, words that would dig into past wounds and leave invisible scars. A beating on bad days would mean covering up new scars.

Her body didn't realise the difference between them. Both ached similarly, both with last effects that would keep her in a state of wanting to die but unable to. A half dead state.

A familiar ache twisted behind her eyes and the rush blurred her vision. She rubbed them hastily, desperate to hide her weakness in front of him.

A hand curled around her wrist and pulled it down. Her wet eyes looked everywhere but at him, her breath held tight. She didn't even try to resist, it never worked in the past.

Subconsciously, Iris started to play by the rules she set for herself in times when her body kicked into survival more.

No resistance. No screaming. No begging. It will be over in no time.

"I'm sorry." His whisper came right before the soothing touch of his forehead on hers. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's okay. Calm down, you're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Shh, it's okay Iris."

His gentle voice seemed to caress the child hiding beneath the surface. Iris closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. The way he called her name did something magical.

The raining clowd of fear gradually departed, replaced by the gradient rays of sunshine she didn't expect. If Iris had to compare, his concerned frown felt like the morning sun on a winter day, something she always thought was a blessing from her mother after long nights she spent freezing.

The thought itself startled her into forgetting that look from earlier. His reassurance tucked back the anxiety where it came from. Amanda's voice no longer echoed in her head when her senses were filled with him. All him.

His scent, his eyes, his soothing whispers and his touch, everything felt like the medicine that could cure everything that was wrong with her.

Iris also knew it was an inevitable effect of the bond. She craved it like something she knew she couldn't have. And that hurt more than hell.