The Alpha's Healer

05 | His pack

Iris didn't let those thoughts distract her from the task at hand. Every bandage work was done with perfection and the ointment was spread with precision under the moonlight.

Silence steamed between them, condensed and fell cold like dew when it fell, when he finally spoke.

"What's your name?"

"Iris..." She answered. "May I know your name, sir?"

"Sebastian." The man said.

Sebastian. Her tongue rolled with that name as a warm current drenched her heart.

Once done with the process, Iris shuffled back at a safe distance from Sebastian. His hand fell from his face and once again that handsome man left her speechless with his gaze.

"Mate..."

The cold wind swept loose hair out of her face. Iris lowered her face until it became parallel to the ground. Her toes curled around wild grass, lips pursed as she gathered the courage, like she did every time before speaking up her mind.

"Thank you for letting me treat you. Your wounds are healing well. But this is a temporary fix and you should get it checked by a good doctor." She said it all in one breath, dragged in another, held it in her chest and added with every ounce of strength in her body, "As for the rejection, I think you're well enough to get through it -"

"Rejection?"

His cold voice interrupted her carefully curated words. The depth of it felt far more dangerous than the forest they were in. Iris lost the words hanging on the tip of her tongue.

A chill spread down her neck.

"You asked for my name."

"I did."

"I'm your mate."

"I noticed that. Yes."

Iris blinked at him. Was he playing with her at this time? Every word exchanged with him was already a cut on her skin. Yet, he sat there with the most unreadable face. Did she have to spell it out for him?

"Isn't it to reject me?"

Sebastian raised a sharp eyebrow. He stared at her in silence for a few seconds, his gaze unreadable, until his lips parted and a puff of laughter burst through them.

"Iris."

Another chill, like the touch of a cold hand, drifted down her spine. It wasn't fear. A sensation she didn't recognise. It felt like a caress. A fresh breeze. The caress that was cold but left behind a warm aftertouch.

What was it meant to feel like, when your mate calls your name for the first time? Iris was utterly confused and the strength mustered up to her throat felt weaker than her weakest moments.

"Exchanging names is the most basic courtesy." Sebastian straightened up, his upper body tall and proud, as he said, "Did you already make up your mind to reject me?"

Iris searched for an answer. Lie it truth? A lie would be too much and the truth felt like deception. Yes, she did make up her mind. She didn't have anymore trust to give, nor the ability to handle another heartbreak.

So what? Iris consoled her bleeding heart. To protect it, she caged it in a thick layer of thorns even if it meant to be hurt with every beat.

"We are not compatible." She whispered.

"We have known each other for three minutes. How did you conclude that?"

"My wolf is dormant. I have never shifted in my life and my skills are limited to the bandages on your body." Iris went on to list more of her shortcomings. "I'm dead weight. Besides, I am a run away wolf with nobody to vouch for my character and past. A mate like me has nothing to offer. I am not suitable to be a partner."

It was the most Iris had ever spoken to a stranger. She sounded strangely confident when it came to discrediting herself.

Amanda gave her more than enough reasons to hate herself. Each word instilled so deep that Iris believed it.

"So, rejection is the best for both of us. I hope we can part ways peacefully." She suggested with her head bowed respectfully.

Something about Sebastian called for it. Perhaps her overly timid nature feared the confident.

"That is your decision. You didn't ask me what I want. What if I don't want to reject you?"

"I am of no use."

"A person isn't reduced to their use, Iris. Whoever taught you that must be a vile human being."

Aren't they? Iris' entire life flashed before her eyes. The illusion so strong she didn't notice the scented man had long ago left his rocky throne and approached her.

Their proximity left no place for his scent to disperse and it swallowed her like a warm blanket made of silk smoke. It touched, caressed and glided right over her skin and left behind a mark.

"You told me a lot about yourself. Unfortunately, they are useless against me. I like to observe and form my own opinions. I also don't plan on rejecting my mate. And I advise you to not be so hasty. Nothing good has ever come out of it, and regret has no medicine. If you don't trust yourself, then why not trust the goddess?"

Trust the goddess? The one who gave her life and wrote misery into it? The one who watched in bleeding silence as she crawled through each day for more than a decade?

Trust the goddess who gave her a shackle of mate bond the moment she took a step towards freedom?

Iris almost laughed out loud.

"There is an old saying from where I come : When the path ahead is blurry, close your eyes and trust your step. It might lead to a destination far more pleasant than the one you had in mind."

Sebastian lifted her chin with a finger. The touch electrocuted every single thought out of her head. His lowered head kept closing in until his breath sprayed on her face. The bitterness of medicine refreshed her senses out of that quagmire.

"It might sound cheesy, but this time, instead of questioning yourself and running to conclusions, why not take a risk and choose an unknown path? Who knows, you might stumble upon something much better, Iris?"

Iris was too busy staring into his eyes and making sense of his words. Never did her name sound so warm and alive.

Suddenly, a feathery touch landed on her cheek.

The illusion shattered in that very moment. Something broke free and the picture became clear. The colours vividly spoke to her, shining with the chime of wind brushing her cheeks, igniting sparks where he touched.

"You -"

"Thank you for treating my wounds. You're quite brave to help a stranger in such a place. In wolf form nonetheless." Sebastian said.

Iris' face heated up. Nobody ever complimented her, or thanked her for anything, so she didn't know how to react. All she could do was nod and hum, unsure if any words were suitable in response to that smile.

"So, you ran away from home? Is this a serious decision or a tantrum? Any plans to return home?"

"No." Iris pinched her sleeves tightly. "I'm not returning home. Never."

"I see. Do you have a destination?"

"No." Iris repeated. A bit of embarrassment creeped into her cheeks. "It's my first time leaving the pack..."

Iris regretted it as soon as she said it. To confess such a thing to a stranger was no better than walking into a battle empty handed. Yet, it didn't seem to be the case with Sebastian.

Perhaps the fact that he was her mate, or the soothing scent, were part of the reason her guards chipped away so easily.

He didn't want to reject Iris.

He preferred to observe and have his own opinions. How envious. Iris wished she had that much courage.

However, it won't change anything. In the end, his observation would lead to the same result. Iris spent her life being useless to her family, and she'd spent a limited time proving the same to him, if he insisted.

"Then why don't you accompany me back to my pack?" Sebastian suggested.

Iris' eyes widened pooled with disbelief. "Your pack?"

"Yes. This forest is quite big and I have no talent in changing bandages. If you come along, you can help me with this favour and we'll get to know each other. You have nowhere to go, so why not take this unknown path with me?"

His offer was enticing enough that Iris found herself agreeing to it in a heartbeat. She had truly nowhere to go. To wander around the forest meant she'd inevitably attract trouble sooner or later.

The outside world was as strange as it could get. So why not...just risk it with Sebastian? At least he spoke about things that were beautiful.

The world was dangerous either way. Since Iris had the opportunity to choose the pain inflicted upon her, it felt novel to end her fingers into the fire on a chilly morning.

"Okay. I will go with you."

Sebastian smiled like a sunny afternoon. He pushed back his raven hair, and extended the other hand for Iris. She shouldered her backpack and took it, squeezing it ever so slightly, hoping she could soak in a little bit of courage out of his reserve.