Olivera sighed in relief as she walked into Nick's house. Ever since the time that she had left with him away from the man who had intercepted them and had roasted them with questions, she had been on a high alert, thoroughly scared that perhaps the next minute, the Alpha of the pack would come barrelling towards them, and taking her away from her new friend.
The facial expression of the man who she was sure was of a high ranking when she had turned around to cast a timid look at him, had also chilled up her bones. It was no different from the other bulky man from last night.
Perverts. She thought angrily, settling on the sofas which welcomed and soothed her nerves.
"Are you okay?" She heard Nick ask, and nodded.
She was nowhere okay though, but he didn't need to know that. He didn't need to go overboard because of her. The Alpha was ruthless, as she had heard, and she didn't want him being in trouble with the later.
"Don't worry your pretty head about nothing. I will be fine. I'm the Pack's doctor, so, I have a say to an extent." Nick said, with a smile, reading off her worry for him on her face.
"Who is he?" She asked, looking up at him. He was standing by the door to the passageway.
"...the man who had been in charge of the three...who is he?"
"He is Seth. The gamma of the Pack." Nick replied.
Olivera took note of the way a frown masked his facial features, and realized that the doctor, like her, didn't like the man one bit.
"Okay." She ethused, bowing down her head.
"Olivera…" He called, remembering something.
"Yes." She answered.
"Stay away from him, at all costs." He ordered, and she nodded, not finding it necessary to point out that she didn't really have a say or choice in his pack.
Who knows? The gamma man might meet with her task mistress and ask for her to be sent to be him.
Would she be able to escape then?
No matter how she tried to look at it, she thought that she was doomed in that area.
Most likely, she would come to face the man again.
She didn't want to think about what might happen thereafter.
Her only saving grace would be if the Alpha let the doctor keep her as an apprentice. That way, at least, she would be safe from all the perverted wolves in the pack.
But even the chances of that happening was slim.
She feared that the Alpha, whomsoever he was, wouldn't agree to Nick's demand despite his status.
"Good, come with me." Nick stated, and she complied immediately, standing up from the sofa.
Instinctively, she carried the medicine bag which was on the table, and followed him to the passageway, unaware of a tender plant, incased in one of the many vases in the room, which had immediately sprouted out sharply from its seed as she had passed it.
**
"This herb is used for reducing the effects of the silver on our species…."
Olivera listened attentively, the base of her palm supporting her cheek, as Nick rattled on and on about the different herbs in the room which looked like a mini forest. According to him, it was necessary for her to grab some of the uses of the herbs, if not all, to help their case against the gamma; because the Alpha might insist on asking her some questions about the herbs and their healing qualities.
There were plants everywhere, which meant a lot of names and functions.
But she wasn't concerned about that, since her brain was strong enough to capture all in one sitting.
"What is the name of that one?" She asked, as she noticed that he had skipped a particular one during his introductions.
"Well, I don't really know. It has been called a variety of names over the years. But I personally call it 'the ruthless dove'." Nick replied, resting his gaze on the beautiful plant.
"The ruthless dove? Why is that?" She asked, not understanding the concept of the name at all.
Why would he name the plant the name of an animal? Worse, oxymoronized.
"Well, tell me what you think about the plant at first glance." He probed.
"The flowers are lovely. It has a healthy and strong stalk. The leaves are purely green with purple tips. Small thorns by the side. Overall, it's a seemingly beautiful plant." She answered, citing 'seemingly', because she was sure that there was a bad part of the plant that was hidden to her eyes, a reason why the doctor had added the prefix of ruthless.
"You're a good observer." Nick intoned. "... you're right too. But you see...this plant here is one of the deadliest plant in the world. Its juice is a potent poison. It can't be touched anyhow either. If the thorns prick your skin, there would be a problem. You would be poisoned. So, don't go close to it, no matter what." He said, sighing as he watched her nod, but not taking her eyes away from the dangerous beautiful plant.
**
"The girl is missing." A petite middle aged woman said, with a bow, towards the direction of the corner of the room which was shadowed. For some reason, the lights in the room stopped its reflecting functions around that corner.
"What do you mean by the girl is missing?" A voice asked from within the shadows.
"It seemed that the convoy had been attacked by their former Alpha. Their homes are deserted and wrecked. The boy is missing too." The woman stated.
"It seemed…??" The voice bellowed, causing the woman to tremble and fall on her knees.
"We hadn't seen it coming. We had thought to take her some days later, but it seemed that fate was against us." The woman mentioned, shouting as she felt her intestines tearing apart.
"Fate? Don't you use that word close to me. Your foolishness and carelessness caused the failure, not some stupid fate. Next time, you would blame the lame goddess. Get up from there and get out. And start searching for her, or else, I will have your head." The voice stated.
The woman nodded frantically, whilst struggling to get up.
" Thank you. Thank you." She muttered, before departing from the room.