Aurora’s Pov
I was still shocked by what I had heard.
Who were they talking about?
Curiosity got the best of me. I knew I wasn’t in the best condition to be sneaking around, but I had to know. Slowly, I pushed myself up. My muscles screamed in protest, but I gritted my teeth. The pain was still there, just not as bad as before, thanks to Ryan.
One step. Then another. I limped toward the door, moving as quietly as I could. But right when I was about to reach it, my foot caught on something, and before I could react….
Thud.
I hit the floor. Hard.
“Ouch,” I groaned, wincing. “Well… that didn’t go very well.”
Before I could even try to get up, the door swung open with a loud bang, and Ryan was standing there, eyes wild with panic.
“Aurora!” His voice was sharp. “What’s wrong? How did you get here?”
I blinked up at him. Uh-oh. I had two options: lie or stay silent. And since lying required brain power I didn’t currently have, I went with the second option.
Silence.
Ryan narrowed his eyes, stepping inside. His gaze darted over me, checking for injuries. Then, his expression shifted to something much more dangerous-disapproval.
Without another word, he bent down and scooped me up effortlessly. I let out a small squeak, but I wasn’t about to fight him. He carried me back to the bed, placing me down as if I weighed nothing.
“You,” he said, his tone low and warning, “are unbelievable.”
I grinned, hoping to charm my way out of trouble, but he wasn’t having it. He turned to Nara. “We’ll talk later.”
Nara sighed, clearly irritated. She shot me a look, one I couldn’t quite decipher before facing Ryan. “Take care of yourself,” she muttered.
“Thank you,” I said quickly before she left. She didn’t respond, just walked out, shaking her head.
As soon as the door closed, Ryan turned back to me, arms crossed, his disapproving gaze locked onto mine.
“Aurora,” he started, voice slow and deliberate.
I swallowed. “Yes?”
His eyes narrowed. “What were you doing standing up?”
I bit my lip. “Umm…”
“Were you eavesdropping?”
I gasped dramatically. “Me? Eavesdrop? Ryan, I would never…”
“Try again.”
I groaned, flopping back against the pillows. “Fine. Maybe. A little.”
Ryan exhaled through his nose, clearly trying to hold back whatever lecture he was about to give me. But instead of scolding me, he just shook his head.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered again, running a hand through his hair.
I gave him my best innocent look. “So… what were you guys talking about?”
His glare deepened. “Nice try, little one.”
Damn. Worth a shot.
*****
I stared at Ryan, feeling nervous. I didn’t even know why. Maybe it was because he was still looking at me like I was a troublesome child, or maybe it was because I had no idea what to say next.
He knew I was staring, so it was probably best for me to just keep quiet.
But, of course, I didn’t.
“Can I ask you something?” I blurted out.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “If it’s about what we were talking about, don’t bother asking.”
“No,” I quickly said. “I want to ask something else.”
He exhaled, nodding. “Go ahead.”
I hesitated, then asked, “Who is she?”
Ryan frowned. “Who is who?”
“Nara,” I said, tilting my head. “She dresses like an ambassador for a jewelry store.”
A small, amused laugh escaped Ryan’s lips. “Ignore her dressing.” Then he leaned back slightly and said, “Nara is our Moon Goddess.”
I blinked. Once. Twice. Then, “Excuse me?”
Ryan looked completely unbothered as if what he just said wasn’t completely insane. “Moon Goddess,” he repeated, like I was slow.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to right now,” he said. “Focus on yourself first. You’ll understand everything in due time.”
I wanted to argue, but he cut me off. “By the way, the doctor is coming to check up on you.”
I raised a brow. “You mean a werewolf doctor or a human doctor?”
Ryan gave me a look. “A werewolf doctor, of course. What would a human doctor be doing in Shadow Haven?”
I froze. “Wait… we’re in Shadowhaven?”
Ryan smirked. “You talk too much for someone who was about to die a few hours ago.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, thanks to you, I’m feeling much better.”
Ryan leaned closer, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I think I should give you back the pain so you’ll shut up.”
I gasped and quickly made a zipping motion over my lips, sealing them shut. No way was I letting him do that.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“That must be the doctor,” Ryan said, standing up.
The door opened, and in walked a man. But… he didn’t look like a doctor.
At least, not the kind I was expecting.
He was dressed formally, wearing dark clothes, nothing like the usual white coat or medical scrubs. He didn’t even look like a werewolf. He just looked… normal.
“Alpha,” the man greeted Ryan with a respectful nod. “I am Doctor-” He said a name, but honestly, I was too distracted to catch it.
Ryan gave him a nod in return, then stepped back as the doctor approached me.
“Let’s check your wounds,” the doctor said, pulling out some equipment.
I glanced at the tools he was using. They were definitely not human medical tools. I had no idea what half of them were.
I winced when he touched my wound, and Ryan-who was standing in the corner-shifted slightly.
I noticed how his eyes followed the doctor’s every move, his expression darkening.
I raised a brow. Was he… glaring?
Oh.
He was jealous.
The realization made me smile.
Ryan’s gaze snapped to me, his eyes narrowing slightly. I quickly schooled my face into an innocent expression, but I could tell he wasn’t fooled.
Then, very slowly, Ryan looked at the doctor.
And let’s just say… the look he gave him?
Yeah. That poor doctor better check me quickly and get out before Ryan decided he didn’t need him anymore.
*****
The doctor finished checking my wounds, his expression calm but firm.
“She needs all the rest she can get,” he told Ryan, his voice serious. “No stress, no unnecessary movement. It’ll take a while for the wound to fully heal, so she needs to eat well, take care of herself, take the medication I’m going to send to her and…” his eyes flickered toward me…”less talking, especially because of the wound on her throat.”
Less talking?
How will I ask all about shadowhaven
I wanted to protest, but Ryan was already nodding.
The doctor turned to me. “Take care of yourself, Aurora.”
I gave him a small nod, and with that, he left.
The moment the door shut, Ryan turned to me, arms crossed.
“You heard what the doctor said about talking so much.”
I frowned. “I don’t talk so much.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow. “You definitely do.”
I gasped, completely offended.
“From now on,” he continued, ignoring my reaction, “keep quiet and let me handle everything that relates to you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him but decided to let it go.
For now.
Then, without warning, Ryan suddenly scooped me up into his arms.
I let out a startled yelp, my hands gripping onto his shirt.
“What are you doing?” I asked, eyes wide.
Ryan looked down at me, completely unfazed. “Taking you to my room.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I need to watch you closely every single time.”