Chapter 145: Bittersweet
Truthfully, there was niggling fear and unease in my heart. While my current room had a locked door, it would be a flimsy deterrent for anyone who was willing to break into it to steal the tea leaves. Of course, that was assuming they knew that I had such vital evidence in my possession.
It was highly unlikely, but not impossible. The tea leaves in Willow’s room had been shifted, so clearly the culprit must have been worried they’d be found out.
After all, if this was the stuff that had been poisoning Willow for years, having it removed only now and not before would mean the culprit felt that it was safe back then. The only reason why they had cleared the scene was that they must’ve realized something was amiss.
"You don’t have to drag me. I can walk," Samuel said pointedly, staring down at his wrist.
"Right, right, sorry," I said, hastily letting go of his wrist before I opened the door to my room, gesturing for him to enter before I closed the door firmly shut. The last thing I needed was for a curious servant to peep inside and see me handing Samuel a bunch of wolfsbane leaves.
"Just wait here for a bit," I said, waving a hand to the chair as I scuttered across the room to the small drawer I had tucked the handful of tea leaves in.
I had found a small pouch and placed whatever I had grabbed from Willow’s room inside. It wasn’t a great hiding place, but I didn’t have many to choose from either. This was the only thing I could make do with.
Samuel leisurely walked in, stopping in front of the couches before leaning against the backrest, choosing to stand. He calmly waited for me to search through the shelves.
"There," I muttered under my breath. I walked over to him, staring up to meet his eyes. "Do you have a bag? Or a ziplock?"
Samuel sifted through his small bag and, surprisingly, pulled out a small test tube that came with a wooden cork.
"Perfect!" I said, not even bothering to marvel at how he carried these things around with him all the time. At this point, I was beginning to suspect that his bag was simply a bottomless satchel that carried everything he could ever need.
I opened the pouch and carefully poured some into the test tube that Samuel provided. The opening was small, and I had to concentrate to make sure I didn’t spill any onto the floor, lest an unsuspecting werewolf — especially myself — accidentally inhaled it or reacted to it. Not to mention, I simply did not have enough samples to waste on the ground. It would be a pain to pick these small bits up one by one.
After a few tense minutes, I handed the test tube back to Samuel proudly, and he sealed it shut before tucking it into his bag.
"I’ll make this my first priority," Samuel said firmly. His eyes then roved over my table, where all my prescribed vitamins and medications were sitting innocently in a row. He then looked at me while pointing at them. "Have you been taking your meds and vitamins?"
I could only let out an awkward chuckle. "Yes..."
"Why do I not believe you?"
"I do take them! Just not on time all the time..." My voice trailed off, slightly abashed.
Initially, I took them just to get Rowan off my back. Back then, I didn’t trust Samuel enough to keep ingesting whatever he prescribed for me. Even though he had always been fairly neutral and fair with his hatred for everyone in the pack, he was still a doctor under the employment of the Alphas.
Now that we were on the same boat, I had no qualms about trusting him― but it was hard for me to have the habit of eating vitamins regularly.
I had spent my whole life without them, after all.
"Tsk," Samuel crossed his arms and clicked disapprovingly at me. "Swallow them now."
"Yes, yes," I said with a sigh, doing as he asked. One by one, the pills went down the throat, causing me to grimace. Some of them tasted absolutely foul. "Done. Happy?"
"This is for your own good," Samuel rolled his eyes. "But yes, I am happy with your behavior. Good girl."
I scoffed.
"Don’t talk to me in such a patronizing tone," I grumbled under my breath.
However, there was a rush of bittersweetness in my chest. For some reason, Samuel felt like the older brother I should have― the older brother I remembered Cedar once was. Maybe years ago, Cedar had once cared for me the very same way, and had looked at me with the same gentleness in his eyes despite his slightly naggy tone.
Yet, those memories were few and far between. After having spent so many years away from the pack, along with the time hated by everyone, I could barely recall the feeling other than a mere fleeting moment of nostalgia.
I felt my nose sour, and I sniffled, raising a hand to rub it.
"Are you crying?" Samuel asked with a vaguely pained expression on his face. He raised an eyebrow.
"I’m not crying," I quickly denied. "The room is just dusty."
It couldn’t have been a more horrible lie. The Alphas kept this room in pristine condition, most likely scrubbed down and cleaned before I had officially moved in. There wasn’t even a speck of dirt or dust to be found in the vicinity.
I could hear Samuel sigh. All of a sudden, I felt a hand rest on the top of my head, gently patting me a few times. The movement was soft, albeit a little awkward. I stiffened in surprise.
Was Samuel trying to comfort me? My eyes widened slightly. I didn’t think he would go through the effort to do so, or even think of doing so.
However, before I had the chance to look up, a sharp voice pierced through the air, causing both of us to jump at the sudden new addition.
"What the hell are you two doing?!"