Chapter 116 - Wolf chasing rabbit

"Fortunately, I didn't find any poison in the Alpha's body. The silver must have hindered his healing abilities, but it's not something that we should be concerned about. His wounds will heal by themselves, but if you're worried, I'll prescribe an ointment for them," said Ronald, the pack's doctor.

After we'd gotten home, I urged him to call a doctor to tend to his wounds—which he quickly refused, insisting that he was fine. In the end, due to his persistence, I had to drag him to Ronald's house after asking several people for his address.​​

Even after the unexpected visit, the man remained calm and composed, allowing us to enter his abode without much question. Ronald appeared to be in his early forties, living in a house not far from the manor all by himself.

Anyone would know at first glance that this man was the pack's doctor. His slick black hair and thick glasses were what gave it away. Everyone here was always so lively and loud, while this man gave off a somewhat aloof aura. I didn't even need to ask if he was the pack's doctor to know that he was the right person I was looking for. 

"See? I told you I'm fine," Luke shrugged as he sipped on the tea Ronald served for us. "Those two little worms won't do me any harm." 

"Have you not heard about the saying 'better safe than sorry'?" I asked, frowning at him. "I'm just worried something bad will happen to you. We don't know what kind of spell those black witches put on those snakes." 

"I know," he smiled at me, as if content with my concern. "Now that we know that there's nothing wrong with me, can we go home? I'm sure Ronald is in need of a rest, and so do we." 

I cast a glance at Ronald, who occasionally sends me a smile to not come across as rude with his aloof attitude. "I apologize for being a nuisance to you so late in the evening. I'm just worried about his well-being," I tapped on Luke's shoulder and gave Ronald an apologetic smile.

"Please don't apologize. You're far from being a nuisance," he returned my smile, then politely bowed. "It is my responsibility to ȧssist both of you, so please do not hesitate to request my ȧssistance. I will always be happy to ȧssist you in any way I can."

"Thank you," I thanked him and stood up, smoothing my dress. 

"Thank you for your help, Ron," Luke said and shot him a wink. "You do know that you've always been my favorite doctor, right?" 

Ronald's eyes widened slightly as he heard it, but he maintained his calm demeanor. "...I'll take that as a praise, sir," he said after a brief pause, his courteous smile remaining on his face. Luke nodded at his reply, a wide grin splattered on his face upon hearing it. 

Ronald led us to the door, bidding us his farewell. I thanked him one last time for his ȧssistance, then walked back to our manor. 

"He seemed like a nice person," I said to Luke, gazing at the twinkling stars above. Time had flown by so quickly that I hadn't even realized it was already this dark. "Is that why he is your favorite doctor?" 

"No," he denied, and I tore my gaze away from the stars. I glanced at him, my curiosity rising expectantly at his answer. 

"Then, why?" 

"Because he's the only doctor our pack has had for decades," he chuckled, and I finally realized the reason why Ronald didn't seem to be that happy when he first learned about it. It turns out that even Ronald couldn't escape this man's cheekiness.

"You're so... annoying," I shook my head disapprovingly at him, and he gasped as if shocked. 

"Isn't that a given?" he said, and I almost agreed with him when he added, "Annoyingly handsome, right?" I walked away upon hearing it. "Wait for me!" He laughed. 

The road was empty, with only a few people seen outside their homes. It was around dinner time, so it was just right for people to be inside their houses to eat warm dinner with their families. The few people who caught a glimpse of us greeted us with a wide smile, pleased to see us again after such a long absence.

Along our way home, I noticed the unpleasant smell that still lingered in the air. The stench must have gotten caught in our clothes for them to be smelled even until here. 

"We should've changed our clothes before coming to Ronald's house... right?" I hesitated to ask him the question, knowing full well that I was the one who forced him to meet Ronald as soon as possible. "I'm afraid his house will reek of this smell as well." 

"Do I smell?" He asked, opening his arms as if he wanted me to smell his body. Seeing it, I leaned closer, sniffed his body, and couldn't even hide the disgust on my face for a second. "Is it that bad?" He burst out laughing at my expression. 

"What about me?"

Instead of leaning closer to smell my body, he leaned closer to my face. I took a step back in surprise, as our noses were suddenly only inches away. He closed his eyes, sniffing, then opened them with a dazzling smile. 

"Don't worry," he ȧssured me, ruffling my hair into a mess. "You still smell as good as ever." 

"Y-you shouldn't lie to my face," I looked away bashfully, pushing him further away from me. "We should quickly head home and take a bath," I said, and he stared at me as if I'd said something weird. "What?"

"Together?" 

I frowned at his question. What does he mean by together? It took me a while to figure out what he meant by it. 

I subconsciously backed away from him, hugging my body together. "W-w-what do you mean together? Of course, I-I mean we should take a bath separately! W-why would we take a bath toge—" I came to a halt, unable to complete my sentence.

"Why not?" He smirked, clearly satisfied with the reaction he was getting. "I don't think it's a bad idea." I was speechless in the face of his brashness, but he merely laughed as if he was not the least ashamed of his own remark. 

I felt blood rushing to my cheeks, and suddenly, the weather turned a lot warmer. As I couldn't afford a reply to his boldness, I walked away hastily, leaving the man behind with his vexing laughter. I loathe this man to the bone at times like this. 

"My little rabbit sure does have a tendency to run away from me," he continued from behind me, his voice a little louder for me to hear. "Fortunately, no matter how far you flee, this wolf will always chase after you."

...how is that fortunate?

I turned back to him, seeing how he stopped going after me when he noticed me doing so. "Y-you should stop saying embarrassing things. It's... embarrassing."

He walked closer to me, smirking, then raised my chin with his fingers. "But I love seeing you with flushed cheeks, so why would I stop?" 

Getting annoyed at how he was constantly teasing me, I decided to carry out the plan I'd been thinking about for a long time. To turn the table around. 

His eyes widened in response to the unexpected force with which I jerked him towards me. His red eyes were now in a straight line with mine, and I could feel his breath occasionally tickling my face. I attempted to maintain a calm demeanor, but my heart was the polar opposite of calm. I was hoping that he wouldn't hear my heart's furious beatings, else it would break this facade of mine. 

"What if... what if I'm no longer flustered?" 

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. 

Luke froze, taking in all that was going on, but he showed no signs of being flustered—well, maybe a little. I noticed how he swallowed deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in his throat, and how his eyes fluttered a little too quickly than usual. 

However, they all left as swiftly as they had arrived. The man has returned to normal, and that smug smirk of his has made its appearance—yet again. 

"Well... I'm not sure if I like this change," he said, his voice undeniably alluring at this proximity. His smirk then turned more and more upwards as his eyes flicked down to my lips, the same time as he moistened his own. "But I think I'll like it too." 

Abort plan! The plan backfired!