The Alpha's Healer

09 | Alpha?

"You're safe here. Nobody is gonna hurt you. Especially not me." Sebastian wiped the single tear off her cheek and smiled ever so slightly as he said, "It's my first time having a mate. I don't understand how it's done and I definitely don't want to miss out. You suddenly brought up rejection and I couldn't regulate my emotions well. I'm sorry you had to see such a side of me, so forgive me this time. I will be careful moving forward."

Once the point was made, Sebastian let go of her face and moved back to his seat. The sudden loss of warmth put her at war with herself, wanting more. Iris glued herself to the seat, wiped her face and closed her eyes to recite the books imprinted on her mind.

Her breath evened out and before she knew it, the fatigue of an entire night's journey caught up and pulled her into the dark abyss of sleep. Her head tilted towards the window, only to be interrupted by a hand.

Sebastian carefully placed her head on his shoulder. Once sure that it won't move, he gestured to the driver to take it slow. The driver dragged its eyes away from the rare view mirror, nodded and slowed down.

Iris woke up to Sebastian calling her name. The car had stopped already and Sebastian was holding the door open by her side. She quickly felt for her bag but found nothing.

"I have your bag. Come out." He waved the worn out bag up for her to see. "Come on, it's a bit sunny outside. I'm practically melting."

It was strange how the climate was drastically different in the shadow ridge and fire moon. While the chill has started to spread in waves like a tsunami in her old pack, shadow ridge was still in the process of bidding goodbye to a warm summer.

Iris squinted up at the limestone walled villa. The fire moon pack was by no means poor, but there was not a single house as beautiful as the one standing tall in front of her.

The angular pillars and tinted windows of the villa suited the owner perfectly. Sebastian reached over, grabbed her by the wrist and led her inside. Her fingers curled in lightly, a bit disappointed that he didn't hold her hand instead.

Iris didn't hesitate to label herself as a hypocrite for speaking of rejection while simultaneously hoping to be closer to this mate of hers.

The inside of the villa was warm. The patio had a mirror and paintings that screamed of wealth. Sebastian guided her to change shoes as they were dirty from the long walk across the forest.

They crossed the hallway and entered the spacious hall with nearly arranged sofas. Right next to the door of the hallway was a staircase leading up to the upper floor.

The most notable thing about the hall was a wall full of paintings. Different sizes of frames carved around each other made an art out of the plain white wall. All of them, unmistakably, being a portrait of people. Some solos, many duos and some in a group.

Iris didn't allow herself to watch for long as it felt like an invasion of privacy. If she did, she might have noticed a couple of faces that were often printed in the newspaper her father always liked to read.

She stayed two steps behind Sebastion as he mapped his way across the hall, dumping her bag on the couch without a care. Iris resisted the urge to pick up the dirty bag from the clean sofa...that would be a nightmare to clean.

"Kate?" Sebastian called out loudly. His hair brushed back, he leaned against the staircase railing with a relaxed look on his face.

A particular trait most people had even they were back home. Iris, unfortunately, didn't know what it felt like. She stood like a piece of furniture two steps behind him.

"Alpha! You're back! The border patrol didn't say anything!"

Iris looked up to see a plump woman descending the stairs. The apron around her waist and a duster in hand set her apart from the identity of a family member. Iris secretly sighed in relief.

But the sigh became a thorn in her throat when she realised what that woman called him. Alpha? Who? Sebastian?

Sebastian welcomed the woman's hug and said, "I told them not to spoil my surprise. Are you glad I'm back early?"

"Nobody is happier than me today!" Kate tugged on his dirty clothes. "I don't think this shirt can be saved anymore. Go wash up, I'll get started on dinner right away. Oh - we have guests?"

Kate noticed Iris under the shadows of the staircase. Iris forgot to address her, or introduce herself. She didn't have the strength to respond to the kind looking woman when all she could hear was the title she called him with.

No sane person would casually call another person 'Alpha' unless they wished to die a brutal death. It made sense now. Those looks they received on the way, how easily Iris entered the pack, the way those hospital staff behaved and how Dr Carlos easily gave up when Sebastian refused to get those tests done.

Because his title allowed him those things. And right now, Iris felt a familiar ache rising in her chest. Like someone had stabbed her in the back and the pointed edge of the dagger had carved its way to the front.

"Alpha?" She choked.

Sebastian licked his lips and sighed. His reaction swept away whatever remaining doubts Iris had about him.

"We'll have chicken soup for lunch. I feel a bit under the weather." He said.

Kate took the hint and left without a word. Alone, Iris couldn't be bothered to hide her disappointment anymore.

"You're the Alpha of Shadow ridge pack?" Iris asked, her voice cracking with disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't have come with me if I told you about it." He explained patiently, without a hint of remorse about his exploded lie. "I didn't want to risk it back then. However, we just met last night. I don't know anything about you other than your name, so you aren't exactly in the position to accuse me of keeping a secret."

That tied up the accusations resting on her tongue. The explanation cleared her brainfog and made her aware of how bold she was about to be to accuse him.

"I am the Alpha of shadow ridge pack. But I'm a lot more beyond that. My title is a part of my identity, not the entirety of it. So rest assured, I am exactly as you saw me since we met. I didn't pretend in front of you, not for a moment." Sebastian went on to say.

His rationality gently led Iris through the initial pain of what seemed like a betrayal. It was in fact, just an illusion created on foundation of an easily mendable misunderstanding.

Sure, he was the Alpha, but so what? It didn't change the fact that they were mates and that Sebastian had humbled himself just to have a chance.

All those rumours, the ones that called him things that he probably wasn't, surged forward as if to prove his point. Sebastian was nothing like they described.

As someone once trapped in a quagmire of rumours herself, Iris should be the last person to believe the words falling out of loose mouths.

"I wanted to us to get some rest and food before telling you, but I just got exposed by my housekeeper. Just my luck. Do you wanna talk now or after lunch?" He left the decision to her.

He did that often. Iris wasn't used to making her own decisions. Every time a question was served to her, all options looked the same.

"I'm a bit hungry." He added.

Iris hurriedly nodded, grasped the olive branch and let him take the lead. "Me too. We can talk later.."

Sebastian took her to a room at the end of the upper floor. Iris locked the door out of habit and took a quick glance around the room before sliding down to the floor.

Everything overwhelmed her. Leaving the only place she ever called home was her own decision, but everything that happened afterwards was completely out of her control.

The hard hearted decision to reject him fell through and somehow she ended up in shadow ridge pack. The more prosperous a pack, the worse it was for a clueless girl like her to make it.

She didn't want to rely on Sebastian, irrespective of their mate bond status. Iris covered her face and pondered over it for a while only to come back empty handed.

The unlucky star, the useless existence. Iris couldn't refute those claims at times. Such as now, when Iris knew she wanted to live and the means were presented to her, and yet her hands were shaking and knees gave up, because she believed in her incapability more.

The whispers of the devil planted in her head were louder than the sound of a small voice that pleaded against it.