The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 63

We woke up the next morning at the brink of dawn.

I could no longer await to see what the salve had done to the wound. When I rubbed it on last night, it applied very thinly despite the thick look of the ointment. Clement did not leave instructions on how often to apply, but I assumed once would be enough. I had a servant go down to the library and await Clement’s arrival so that I could confirm instructions, but the servant did not return until hours later in the early afternoon.

Aldrich and I were still in bed when the servant announced that Clement never came back to the library.

That was odd; however, I supposed he assumed his duties with me were over after he concocted the antidote on his own.

The wound did not appear any better; in fact, it looked the same. I frowned, looking to him for any signs of pain or disappointment, but he grinned at me instead.

“I feel a lot better than I have in awhile,” he said, then sat up abruptly. “I feel so great that I want to go on another date.”

I laughed at him. “Don’t you have a day of planning to make up with Alan?”

“He can wait,” he said as he practically jumped out of bed, “let’s go! We don’t have time to waste.”

“I’ve never seen you this animated,” I observed amusedly. But I felt like a more reduced version of him today; my body was finally fully rested, and I was up for anything as well.

“You’ve learned about the man I am today,” he said as the servants entered with chests of his clothes to choose from, “but not the boy I was once.”

I raised an eyebrow at him as I stepped out of bed, the wood cooling my toes. “Did that ointment make its way to your brain?”

He ignored me, summoning a servant over to him. Aldrich bent down to quietly consult with the man before the servant nodded then briskly exited the room.

“What did you say to him?” I questioned. A maid approached me with my usual recreational leisure gown. Today, it was a lilac shade of purple, flowing and feminime with a long v neck line and bulbous sleeves that draped to the floor from my elbows.

“You will soon find out,” he promised me with that beloved boyish grin.

As the maids were touching up my hair, someone stormed into the room out of the corner of my eye. “So we’ve chosen to forgive her?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, Alan,” Aldrich chuckled as a servant shined the prince’s boots, “I see you’re getting around much easier today?”

I looked over to him and noticed he did not come with crutches nor a wheelchair. The second in command warrior looked rather charming, his hair swooped nicely and his freckled cheeks flushed. He wore a nice tunic and trousers, and his posture was rod straight.

“I woke up feeling like they were never broken at all,” Alan mused with a triumphant smirk.

I cleared my throat, shooting a glare over at the bastard.

“Good morning, Cathy,” he said, his smirk deepening.

“You’re lucky I’m occupied right now,” I threatened, gesturing to the woman braiding my hair, “or I would be beating your a*s so hard, I’d break your legs all over again.”

Alan scoffed, looking toward Aldrich. “You’re going to permit her to threaten me?”

He shrugged in response. “It’s entertaining.”

“You deserve more than threats,” I snapped. “I bring you back from the dead and you give me the silent treatment?”

“I don’t trust that Clement,” he simply answered, looking at me with a tint of seriousness before turning to Aldrich, “and I don’t think you should either.”

“Well, it’s a bit late for cold feet, because I applied his antidote to my wound,” Aldrich admitted, sighing.

“You what?” Alan demanded in the same tone I snapped at him with.

“Alan, we’ve been over this. Clement is not out to get anyone. He saved your life, and because of that, his own was threatened,” I said, reminding him of the note.

“I find it rather strange that he suddenly disappeared after concocting the salve,” Adrich observed.

“I’m sure he’ll be back later today,” I countered as the maid finished styling my hair. “Can we go now?”

After catching up with a not very deserving Alan, Aldrich led me out of the estate again, except we were on foot. I was secretly contemplating what he had in mind and what he meant by alluding to his childhood. We passed through the estate grounds, then the woods, and then the deeper section of the woods beyond it. This was when I started to become suspicious, but I remained quiet, not wanting to disturb what surprise he had planned. The day was beautiful, and I treasured the last shreds of warm sun there would be for awhile, for December was approaching when it drastically cooled. We weaved through the sun soaked trees and over the dead leaves and even had to leap over a thin stream, and he held my hand the entire time.

Eventually, the trees opened up to a meadow. But it wasn’t just like the fields that were outside of the estate.

Instead of green, it was purple.

I gasped at the ocean of lavender beyond us. Rows and rows of lavender plants, venturing all the way to the horizon, going on for so long my eyes could not detect it. The sun glowed on the plants through a willow, and it made them even more vivid in color. I had ever seen something so beautiful; my gardens paled in comparison.

“This is the lavender field from my childhood,” Aldrich said, leading me through one of the rows. Before us lay a blanket topped with a picnic basket, two wine glasses, and a bottle of red.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed out, tripping over my feet due to my wandering eyes.

“This is honestly where I wanted to get married one day,” he said while looking around, memories flashing in his eyes.

We ate the meal his staff prepared while watching bunnies hop through the lavender, butterflies hover over us, and the sun glimmered down on the purple enhancing the hue. I sipped on the red wine and he asked me to dance. I agreed, and he twirled me through the lavender field, looking at me like the sight before us paled in comparison.

It was magical. As we drank the wine and danced, I couldn’t help but feel this strong, whole-being-ravaging feeling come down over me. I looked up at him after he twirled me and just stopped dancing to stare, placing my hands on his chest. He smiled down at me warmly.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, resisting the urge to lift his shirt to check the wound. I was his mate, not his mother; I would allow for us to enjoy the date for now.

“Fantastic,” he grinned down at me. I laughed at how enthusiastic he spoke, realizing I had never seen him this joyous and carefree before.

“I wonder if you’ll feel even better once the wound is healed topically,” I mused as he swayed us.

“You know what I wonder?” he said, looking down at me.

I met his gaze curiously.

“When you’re finally going to admit you’re in love with me,” he said with a boyish grin, the same one that I did in fact already fall in love with.

I hesitated.