Page 32 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
“You’re not fine.” I grab several herbs from my dwindling supply—silver-root, moonbell, and the precious healing moss I’ve been hoarding. “Wolfsbane thrives on how strong you are. It’ll kill you within an hour if we don’t neutralize it.”
He tries to push himself upright, but the movement makes him hiss in pain. “I don’t need—”
“Please, just let me help you.” I start grinding the herbs with urgent efficiency. “I know what I’m doing. I can get the poison out, but I need to work quickly.”
He watches me silently, though his eyes are narrow in suspicion.
“This is going to sting, but it’ll draw out the poison.” I add a few drops of water to create a thick paste.
I move toward him with the mixture, but his hand shoots out to grab my wrist in an iron grip. His touch sends an unexpected jolt of electricity up my arm.
“What are you doing?” His voice carries a note of authority that suggests he’s used to being obeyed without question.
“Trying to save your life.” I meet his eyes steadily. “The wolfsbane is already in your bloodstream. I can see it starting to affect you. Your pupils are dilating.”
He studies me with those intense, cobalt blue eyes, and I can practically see him weighing his options.
“Considering you just saved my life, it would be pretty stupid of me to try to hurt you, don’t you think?”
“You don’t know me,” he says, his fingers still firm around my wrist. “I could be worse than the men I killed.”
“Maybe. But you’re not the one who threw my cat against a tree.” I keep my voice gentle but urgent. “This paste will draw out the wolfsbane, but I need to apply it directly to the wound. The longer we wait, the less effective it’ll be.”
His eyes search my face for a long moment, but the suspicion in his eyes does not fade. “If you’re lying—”
My patience finally snaps. Without warning, I smack him on the back of the head with my free hand. Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough to get his attention.
“Cut it out!” I snap, my voice sharp with irritation. “I’m trying to do what I do best here, which is keeping people alive. You can either let me help you, or you can sit there and argue while the wolfsbane kills you. Your choice.”
He blinks in shock, clearly not accustomed to being smacked by anyone, let alone a fever-weakened woman he just rescued from certain death. “Did you just hit me?”
“Yes, and I’ll do it again if you don’t stop being difficult.” I glare at him, my earlier gratitude battling with newfound frustration. “Look, I appreciate what you did for me, but right now you’re bleeding and poisoned, and I’m the only one who can fix you. So, either trust me or don’t, but make up your mind fast.”
For a moment, we just stare at each other. His expression is caught somewhere between surprise and ire. Then, slowly, he releases my wrist.
“Fine.”
“Finally.” I carefully pull his shirt away from the wound, trying not to notice the impressive muscle definition beneath the blood. “Now, hold still.”
The gashes are deep, four parallel cuts across his abdomen where Kane’s claws connected. The edges are already turning black from the wolfsbane.
“This is going to hurt,” I warn him, scooping up a generous amount of the paste. “I’m sorry in advance.”
“I can handle pain.”
“I’m sure you can.” I press the mixture gently but firmly into the deepest cut.
He arches against the tree with a sharp intake of air, his jaw clenched, but he doesn’t pull away.
“You’re doing great,” I murmur, working the paste into the other wounds with careful efficiency. “We’re almost done.”
His fingers dig into the ground, but he doesn’t utter a sound. When I glance up, I find him watching me with an expression I can’t quite read.
“You know what you’re doing,” he observes, his voice slightly hoarse.
“I’ve had a lot of practice taking care of myself.” I apply the last of the paste and sit back on my heels. “There. That should start drawing out the poison within a few minutes.”
I start cleaning my hands on a spare cloth and look around at the dead bodies in the clearing, finally letting the shock settle in. They came here to do one thing.
