The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 31

When we finally returned back to the estate, the guards looked happier than I had ever seen them. The servants bowed and the maidservants that had cast me dirty looks were now smiling at me. The busy, bustling morning crowd was suddenly a small celebration banquet. His entourage cheered for him, and the foyer dispersed a narrow path for him. I simply walked behind him, witnessing it all.

Alan came bounding down the stairs. His gaze automatically landed on me, out of habit, and his eyes slightly showcased his concern before diverting to Aldrich. Grinning, he approached his friend with one of the hugs that men do when they’re excited to see each other, but still want to appear masculine.

“You didn’t alert me of your arrival,” Alan accused lightly, his gaze secretly flitting back to me again. That one gaze screamed: we are in deep shit.

“I didn’t tell anyone,” Aldrich said, looking around at his people, “it wasn’t much of a victory to celebrate. I would’ve rather not come home to a banquet in my honor.”

“Ah, you know the King is going to throw one regardless,” Alan argued, patting him on the back.

Aldrich nodded in agreement, rolling his eyes. “Hopefully I have some time to merely sit before being obligated to dance,” he complained, turning back to Alan, “anyway, how has it been around here in my absence?”

“Good,” Alan responded a bit too quickly, and then cleared his throat, quickly recovering, “I’ve been watching over this one and Theo,” he said lightheartedly, nodding at me.

“Have there been any problems?” Aldrich asked in a business-like tone.

We both hesitated before a voice saved us from our silence. “Aldrich!”

Theo came running up to us, and as soon as Aldrich turned to look at the boy, a huge grin split his handsome face.

“My little man!” he exclaimed, then immediately dropped to his knees. Theo flung himself into his arms, and Aldrich quickly enveloped him.

I felt a twinge of jealousy in my stomach; that was the reunion hug I had been awaiting, and of course was too busy being caught in lies to receive it. What was new? I was the villain full of mysteries as usual, and Theo received all the love.

“I missed you,” Theo said, hugging him. I saw the expressions of people who passed by, curious at the warm reunion between him and the little boy. They definitely wondered if he was his son.

I uncomfortably shifted, looking away. But I was content to see Theo so happy after his incident.

“Hey you,” Aldrich called to someone in front of him, “You’re not off the hook yet, where are you going?”

Confused, I looked up to see Danika crossing the foyer from the east end to the west. Her eyes widened when she realized who was speaking to her.

“I’m right here,” I said, and he whirled around, his face contorted in puzzlement.

Danika walked over, smiling politely. “I’m Danika, Cathy’s sister,” she offered and held her hand out, “it’s so nice to meet you after everything I’ve heard.”

“Wow,” he muttered, shaking his head as if he was in a daze before turning to her, “I’m sorry. You looked so much like your sister.”

She laughed melodically, shaking his hand. “We get that a lot.”

Servants approached to take his bag from him, and offered to draw him a bath. He looked at me and shook his head, denying any requests to help him settle in. “Not yet.”

As he was giving his backpack to a servant, me and Alan shared another panicked look. Danika even seemed uncomfortable, and swiftly walked away, continuing on her mission through the foyer.

“I’d like to see how you decorated your room,” Aldrich said to me, and offered his arm. “We can address the matters at hand there?”

Chewing on my inner l*p, I nodded, and interweaved my arm with his. Theo went with Alan along to breakfast, and he promised him a catch-up as well. With that, he towed me through the traffic of the busy morning and up the long, winding stairs. Any normal couple after a long awaited reunion would be venturing to the bedroom quarters for romantic reasons; our reason was to inevitably argue.

As we traveled the stairs, I wondered if it would hurt if I jumped down and ran away.

He seemed to be genuinely intrigued with my decor when we entered, and I realized it wasn’t a full lie for privacy; he genuinely wanted to see if I’ve made his estate a home. At first I did. I hung the garden swing, I decorated the walls with vines and roses, I filled beautiful ceramic vases, and painted the window panes to match the roses on the wall. Fairy lights adorned the streams of flowers as well; they reminded me of the glowing garden that night.

But I never realized how they all wilted.

Frowning, he fingered a brown, crisp rose that fell from the vine to the floor. “I’ve never seen you let a flower die before,” he murmured, “nevertheless a whole room of them.”

“I’ve been busy with Theo,” I immediately responded, running a hand through my hair. Why did I not think to have the servants replace the flowers?

“Busy walking in the woods with a dagger,” he said coldly, turning to me.

“You know I like to have the means of self defense,” I argued, raising an eyebrow at him.

I then showed him Theo’s room, and he looked around at it with content. At least something held to his standard. He looked at the quiver filled with arrows, and a target that he kept as a souvenir when he hit the bullseye.

“He’s been doing his best to make you proud,” I offered, and he nodded, a sentimental smile on his face.

“That’s my boy,” he responded, and I didn’t have the heart to argue with that proclamation.

We returned to my room, and I was secretly hoping he was in good enough spirits to not drill me with questions.

Until his gaze swept over my nightstand then reverted back to it, landing on the note.

I froze.

“What is this?” he demanded, grabbing the note off the nightstand.