Eighteen nights after meeting the General
The next day I found myself waking up among strangers.
Most of the beds in the sleeping quarters were occupied with figures still lying motionless under the covers.
On the bed next to mine, however, a man was sitting.
He was wearing a healer’s tunic, reading a book, his onyx hair framing his face as he looked down at it. He smelled of roses. I sat up.
“Good morning,” the man whispered. I responded similarly, unsure of what to do.
“Get ready and come to the infirmary,” he said. His voice was commanding despite the low volume. I nodded at him. He left the chambers, and I rushed to get ready before anyone else woke up. Having to meet one person was enough for now.
I tiptoed to the infirmary, careful not to wake any of the other healers. When I entered the infirmary, there were two young women working. They must not have slept at all. Three elderly patients were already in the infirmary, and were likely those in need of constant care.
“Gabriel!” The rose-scented man I had just met entered my space, and to my utter shock, hugged me as if we were old friends. I let out a yelp. The man only hugged me harder. “My name is Inge.”
“Nice to meet you,” I finally responded when my shock waned a little. Inge threw me a beautiful smile. I returned it rather weakly.
“Good, good.” Inge started rattling away about my responsibilities during the first week. Throughout the day it was rather easy to follow him around the infirmary. He taught me about all the ingredients in the pantry with a smile on his face.
The following days passed faster than any had ever passed before.
From dawn till dusk each day, I shadowed Inge as he bandaged wounds with thicker cloth than would be used for humans.
As he mixed local herbs into unique remedies for ailments only werewolves could get.
As he joked around with the patients to relieve their pain a little.
During the hours where I was free to do as I pleased, I still found myself in the infirmary. I sat and observed the workers, from apprentices to senior healers, until my body was no longer tense. Until I was moving around the infirmary much like the others.
Working kept me from going insane. The days were a whirlwind, but they followed a certain rhythm. It became the one place that was not new to me anymore.
Within that peace there were still strange occurrences.
The first of such incidents happened during my second day in the infirmary.
I was making a paste for a child with a fever, when a servant entered the infirmary through the entrance to the omega quarters.
She handed Inge a package, whispering to him in a low voice.
I was trying not to eavesdrop, pointedly focussing on my own activities.
Not long after, Inge handed me the package.
“This is yours,” he said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“No idea. Apparently, it's from Axel himself.” This caught my attention. My mouth fell open. In Inge’s eyes, I saw no jest.
Despite my shock, I noticed the familiar way in which Inge spoke of the General. My stomach lurched at the thought, bubbles exploding within me, like in the boiling medicinal concoction I was stirring. But Inge was carrying a mating mark, while Axel was not.
It was not the only gift I received during those first weeks.
In total, I received three packages. One of them contained a golden comb, another one held a silver knife, and the last one carried an emerald necklace.
I kept the details on their contents to myself.
What would the other healers think of me, knowing that for some reason, the General was sending me gifts?
Something about Axel’s interest terrified me.
Not because I disliked it, but because I liked it too much.
Was getting involved with someone so influential necessarily a good thing for my long-term chances of survival?
Then again, it could also end up being the very thing that kept me from a worse fate.
Inge kept giving me looks. We were too busy for him to approach me. On the seventh day of the week, he mustered up the courage to ask me about the packages. We were washing up before bed in the common bath, and found ourselves alone.
“Is Axel threatening you?” he asked. I scoffed at this.
“What? Why would you say such a thing?” How could Inge speak of his General in such a manner out in the open? Would that not be considered treason?
“The packages. What are they?” he asked. I avoided his gaze.
“Nothing of importance,” I said.
“Fine. Don't tell me,” he said. The familiar feeling of a bubbling tummy returned to me. Inge spoke of Axel familiarly. Despite being mated, he was certainly a beautiful omega, and in a position of power as well. What if he was curious because he was entangled in an affair with the alpha?
“You call him by his first name,” I said.
“Who?”
“The General.” Inge stood up to get out of the bath.
“We grew up together,” he said. I kept my gaze averted, giving him privacy as he got dressed. “He is a younger brother to me.”
“Really?” While I felt relieved at this answer, I also at once had a million questions. “You grew up in the Empire, then?” I asked.
“No, I grew up here. The General first came to Kanna as a young teenager. My family took him in,” he said.
“He was just a pup back then. And we were one of only a few families remaining in Kanna. Most of the packs settled in the forest after the kingdom collapsed. I never expected that such a quiet little boy would unite us all.”
That night I twisted and turned myself to sleep.
Thoughts whirling as if they were being stirred.
The idea that a man like Axel had a family was as ridiculous as the thought of him sending me presents.
Yet Inge had described him as his little brother.
On top of it all, the next day would see me attending to my own patients for the first time.
Bubbles were exploding all over my body.
I would do well tomorrow. For the night, I became seafoam.