Chapter 8: The Witch Healer
Rosalie:
He held my gaze for a long moment before a soft smile slowly curved across his lips.
"Relax," he said quietly, his deep voice carrying an odd calmness that seemed to settle into the room itself. "If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of saving your life."
I stared at him silently.
The words made sense. Still... trusting strangers blindly was exactly the kind of stupidity that got people killed. Especially after last night. Especially after learning the people I trusted most in this world were capable of shattering me without hesitation.
So no, I wasn’t foolish enough to fully let my guard down just because a beautiful man with ocean-blue eyes spoke gently to me.
But at the same time, what choice did I even have?
I couldn’t run, couldn’t fight, could barely breathe without pain tearing through my ribs.
And strangely enough, despite all the fear and confusion swirling inside me, there was something about either him or this place that slowly calmed my panic. Maybe it was the warmth of the room after the freezing river. Maybe it was the steady sound of the machines reminding me I was alive. Or maybe it was simply the fact that this man had looked at me more gently in five minutes than anyone else had the entire night.
Whatever it was, I found myself slowly relaxing against the pillows. The tension in my body eased just slightly.
He seemed to notice because his expression softened even more. "Can I?" he asked quietly, lifting the syringe slightly.
My eyes flickered toward it before returning to his face. Then, after a small hesitation, I nodded.
Carefully, he reached for my arm. His movements were precise and practiced, completely unlike the roughness I was used to from warriors and pack doctors. He injected the medicine into the IV line attached to the back of my hand.
I watched as he moved to prepare a second injection, which gave me the perfect opportunity to accidentally stare at him all over again.
The bedside lamp cast soft golden light across the sharp lines of his face, making the silver strands of his hair almost glow. From this close, I noticed tiny details I had missed earlier - the elegant shape of his nose, the faint shadow beneath his eyes as though he hadn’t slept properly in a while, and the way his long lashes lowered slightly while focusing on the syringe in his hand.
Even his hands were unfairly beautiful. He had long fingers, clean nails, and elegant veins beneath pale skin.
Seriously... was this man even real?
My gaze drifted lower before I could stop myself.
The pale blue silk shirt rested against his broad chest in a way that should not have been attractive. Yet somehow, it absolutely was.
Heat slowly crept back into my cheeks.
Oh no.
Before he could catch me staring again, I immediately snapped my gaze toward the ceiling like my life depended on it.
But from the corner of my eye, I noticed the faint smile that tugged at his lips, which meant he definitely noticed. Again.
I wanted to disappear.
The second injection was quicker than the first. Once he finished administering it, he moved toward several medicine bottles sitting neatly beside the tray.
I watched him quietly while trying very hard not to stare too much this time.
He opened two bottles, carefully shook one pill from each into his palm, then grabbed a glass of water with a straw before returning to my bedside.
"Take these," he said simply while holding the pills near my lips.
I obeyed automatically and parted my lips slightly. The moment the pills touched my tongue, I realized too late that my lips had brushed against his fingers.
It was a tiny accidental touch, barely anything, and yet my face instantly heated again.
What was wrong with me tonight?
Fortunately, he either ignored it or pretended to. After placing the pills in my mouth, he held the straw gently toward my lips. The moment cold water touched my tongue, I nearly moaned from relief.
I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until then. My throat burned from dryness, and I greedily drank several long sips before suddenly, the glass disappeared.
I blinked at him in mild betrayal while he calmly placed the glass back onto the bedside table before speaking. "Not too much immediately," he said. "Your body needs time. Wait a little before drinking again."
I still felt painfully thirsty. But somehow, arguing with him felt impossible. Mostly because he said everything with such calm certainty that my brain automatically wanted to listen.
So instead, I settled deeper into the pillows with a tiny defeated sigh.
Once he finished putting the medicines away, he crossed the room and grabbed a chair from near the glass wall before bringing it beside my bed.
He wasn’t too close, nor too far. Just at enough distance to avoid invading my space while still remaining near enough that I could smell his scent every time he moved.
And stars... that scent.
It was subtle but intoxicating - clean rainwater, herbs, and something colder underneath that reminded me strangely of winter nights beneath moonlight. It was dangerous, and beautiful... almost addicting.
The thought startled me enough that I immediately shoved it aside. What was I even thinking?
The medicine was clearly affecting my brain already.
Only after sitting down did he finally answer my earlier question. "My name is Eiden Thorn."
The name settled into the quiet room between us.
Eiden Thorn.
Something inside me stirred instantly with recognition. I frowned slightly, searching my memory. Why did that sound so familiar?
My tired brain struggled for several seconds before suddenly, my eyes widened. No way. The realization hit so hard I completely forgot to think before speaking.
"You-are the Witch Healer?" The words burst out of my mouth loudly enough that I immediately regretted them.
Oh Goddess.
If I could move properly, I would have slapped both hands over my mouth right then and there. Instead, I could only stare at him in horror while mentally screaming at myself.
What was wrong with me?!
Eiden blinked once in visible surprise before he repeated slowly, "...Witch?" His expression wasn’t offended exactly, just curious. Which somehow made this even more embarrassing.
My face burned hotter than before. "That’s just-" I stammered weakly. "That’s what people call you."
I blamed the medicine. It had to be the medicine. Because there was no other explanation for why I kept humiliating myself every five seconds in front of this man.
But instead of looking upset, Eiden’s smile only deepened.
"Oh?" he asked as he leaned back slightly in the chair. "And what else do people say about me?"
I blinked. For a moment, I studied him carefully. He genuinely looked curious. Not angry or irritated, but interested.
So slowly and awkwardly, I answered. "They say..." I hesitated briefly before continuing. "They say you are the most powerful healer to ever exist."
His expression remained unreadable, so I kept going.
"That your healing abilities are beyond anything the Moon Goddess ever blessed ordinary healers with."
There was still nothing. Only those calm blue eyes watching me quietly.
"Some people think that’s why you turned to dark magic," I admitted more softly. "Because no healer should be that powerful naturally."
The room grew quieter somehow. Even the warm lighting suddenly felt heavier. But Eiden still said nothing. So I continued carefully.
"They also say..." I swallowed slightly. "That the Moon Goddess became angry with you because of your dark practices and took your wolf away as punishment. And after that," I finished quietly, "you disappeared from the packs and started living alone in secrecy."
A deep silence followed my words.
The only sounds left were the steady beeping of the monitor beside me and the wild thumping of my heart. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Maybe there’s-
Before I could think further, Eiden suddenly laughed. Not softly, not politely, he genuinely burst into laughter.
