Chapter 36: Evelyn: A Bond I Don’t Understand

Chapter 36: Evelyn: A Bond I Don’t Understand Evelyn~ Caelis quickly opened his bag and pulled out some tools, his fingers moving with surprising steadiness despite his shortness of breath. He gently took my wrist, checked my pulse, then carefully examined my body. He continued to check the rest of me thoroughly, focusing especially on the areas still stained with blood. His brows furrowed in concentration as he wiped the crimson streaks from my skin, only to find nothing underneath. There were no wounds, no broken skin. The only thing that he found was smooth, unblemished skin. He froze for a second, eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Then he leaned in closer, wiped my skin again, double-checking. "This ... this doesn’t make sense," he whispered to himself. Rael, who had been pacing like a caged beast, immediately turned toward him. "What do you mean?" "I mean there’s no injury. Not even a scar," Caelis said, lifting his head to meet Rael’s eyes. "Her body should’ve been torn apart, Alpha. But there’s nothing here. Nothing at all." Rael didn’t look surprised, probably because I’d already told him that my wounds would heal quickly. He simply let out a breath, more of a relieved sigh than one of confusion. "Good. That means she’s really alright." Dr. Caelis looked at me as if I were some rare lab specimen. "Alpha, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a werewolf with such incredible healing abilities," he said, his voice full of awe. "Even your healing doesn’t work this fast." Then, cautiously, he added, "If I may ... could I perhaps conduct a little research on—" "No." Rael cut him off, even faster than I could’ve responded. His tone was cold, leaving no room to argue. "She’s my wife, not some kind of lab rat." Well, technically I still wasn’t his wife yet ... but I guess I could let that one slide. "But Alpha, this research could be useful for our kind in the future!" Caelis argued. "Imagine if we could create a potion that speeds up healing or unlocks regeneration at this level!" he continued, clearly too excited to realize just how close he was to getting thrown out the window. "This could change everything for werewolves injuries, poison, even death! If we understand her body, we could save so many lives—" "Doctor." This time, Rael cut in, his voice suddenly so serious it sent chills down my spine. "No matter how much I care about others, I will always place my Luna as my top priority." He continued, "I won’t let you conduct any kind of experiment that could affect her mind or body, even if your intentions are good." Caelis immediately backed down, raising both hands as if to show he meant no harm. "Understood, Alpha. I was only speaking from a medical standpoint. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful." Rael didn’t respond right away. His eyes stayed locked on mine, as if silently checking to make sure I was still alright. "I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Caelis added, this time addressing me directly. "I’ve just never seen anything like this before. But I promise, I won’t touch a hair on your head unless you ask me to." Oh, this was the first time anyone had ever apologized for wanting to turn me into their experimental subject. Usually, they wouldn’t care if I said no. They’d keep pushing, keep insisting. Some even tried to kidnap me just to get what they wanted. So hearing a doctor actually apologize and promise not to touch me unless I gave permission? That was new, almost suspiciously new. Still, I gave a small nod, though deep down, I wasn’t sure if I could fully trust him just yet. People always acted polite before revealing their true colors. Rael must’ve sensed the doubt in my eyes, because he immediately leaned in, placing a reassuring hand over mine. "Don’t worry," he said. "He won’t do anything without your permission, and if he tries ..." His eyes darkened just slightly. "I’ll make sure he regrets it." His gaze should’ve been enough to scare me, but strangely, it didn’t. In fact, it made me feel safe, even safer than I’d felt in a very, very long time. Neither of us said anything after that. We just kept looking at each other for a while, letting the atmosphere between us grow a little ... sweet? Was this turning into a romance scene or something? Luckily, before the situation got any steamier, I heard Caelis shout, "Alpha! Have you forgotten that I was the one who helped your mother give birth to you?! I’ve known you since the day you were born! How could you not trust me?!" Rael finally broke our eye contact and turned to look at Caelis. "Oh, don’t be so dramatic, doctor. Of course I trust you," he said casually. "But that doesn’t mean my wife trusts you." They went back and forth for a bit, throwing comments at each other, and Rael kept calling me his wife again and again. Every time he said it, something inside me fluttered. It felt weird, not in a bad way, but just unfamiliar. I let out a small sigh, thinking it wasn’t that big of a deal since it didn’t really affect my life anyway. After a few rounds of bickering, Caelis huffed in frustration and muttered, "I’m going to pretend this didn’t happen, Alpha." I frowned slightly. Shouldn’t Rael be the one saying that? From the looks of it, Rael’s relationship with his pack wasn’t just a simple Alpha-and-subordinates type of bond. It felt more like ... a big family, a group of people whose loyalty didn’t need to be questioned. Well, I didn’t really understand that kind of bond, since it’s been such a long time since I had a family. On the other side, Caelis turned to me and said, "Since Luna Evelyn’s body heals faster than any medicine I have, I won’t be giving her anything." He added, "Still, I highly recommend she get some rest. At least a full day without doing anything too heavy."