Chapter 19

• Bustan's POV
• The castle halls were quieter than usual, as I made my way through the dimly lit corridors toward Olivia's quarters. The recent events had left the pack on edge, we had lost a soldier to the hunters and we also lost Olivia too. Elias had become a hero among my soldiers, and rightfully so. If he hadn’t intervened, Olivia would have been lost. The thought alone sent a chill down my spine.
• I pushed open the door to Olivia's room, my heart heavy with worry. I hadn’t seen her since Elias brought her back, barely conscious, covered in cuts and bruises from Kim’s betrayal and the trap set by the Hunters. The scent of herbs and medicine filled the air, mingling with the faint, familiar fragrance of Olivia’s lavender soap.
• Inside, two maids hovered over her, gently dabbing at her wounds with cloths soaked in healing poultices. Kim had injured her while dragging and roughhandling her. Olivia lay on the bed, her face pale but alert, her bright eyes clouded with pain. My chest tightened at the sight of her, vulnerable and hurt because I hadn’t been there to protect her.
• Without saying a word, I strode across the room, my presence commanding immediate attention. The maids looked up, startled, and scrambled to bow. “Leave us,” I ordered, my voice sharper than I intended. They hesitated for a moment, but the look on my face must have convinced them not to linger. They quickly gathered their supplies and left, the door closing with a soft click behind them.
• Now, it was just the two of us.
• I sat down on the edge of the bed, my hand already reaching for one of the small jars of herbal ointment they’d left behind. Olivia watched me, though her eyes flickered with something—gratitude, maybe, or relief. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but I held up a hand, silencing her.
• “You don’t have to say anything,” I murmured. “Let me take care of you.”
• Gently, I dipped my fingers into the jar, feeling the cool, soothing paste against my skin before I began applying it to her arm, where a jagged cut ran down from her shoulder. The touch of her soft skin beneath my fingertips sent a jolt of warmth through me, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand. I needed to help her heal, to care for her—even though I didn't know why I cared for her that much.
• Olivia winced slightly as the ointment touched her wound, and I slowed my movements, my thumb tracing careful circles around the bruised skin. “Does it hurt much?” I asked quietly, my voice softer now.
• “A little,” she admitted, her eyes fluttering closed. “But it’s not as bad as it looks.”
• I frowned, not believing her for a second. “You shouldn’t have been out there in the first place,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. The anger I’d been holding back since I heard about Kim’s treachery bubbled to the surface. “You’re too important to risk your life like that.”
• She opened her eyes, meeting my gaze with a mixture of defiance and vulnerability. “I didn’t know it was a trap, Bustan. I don't know if she knew as well. She just kept dragging me and boom we almost entered a trap.”
• “That’s the problem,” I cut in, though not unkindly. “You let her oppress you. You let her bully you up and down. Don't let her hurt you in any way.”
• I moved down to her side, applying more ointment to the bruise on her ribs. The delicate curve of her waist under my hand, the slight hitch in her breath as I brushed against a tender spot—it was hard not to notice how close we were, how much I longed to protect her. But more than that, it was the way my heart clenched at the sight of her pain that caught me off guard. I was used to being the alpha, to making decisions without hesitation, but when it came to Olivia, everything felt different.
• She was silent for a while, watching me work, her gaze tracing my movements as I carefully treated each cut and bruise. When I reached her wrist, where a particularly deep gash marred her skin, she sucked in a sharp breath, her face tightening in pain.
• “Sorry,” I murmured, my hand stilling for a moment. I brushed my thumb lightly over the wound, as if I could take away the sting through touch alone. “I’ll be more careful.”
• “You don’t have to do this, you know,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “The maids could have finished.”
• I met her eyes, my chest tightening. “I want to do this,” I replied, my voice steady. “I need to do this.”
• For a moment, neither of us spoke, the quiet between us filled with the sound of my fingers gliding over her skin, applying the herbs with deliberate care. I could feel her watching me, her gaze softening as the tension in her body slowly faded. It was strange, this quiet intimacy, like the rest of the world didn’t exist, and it was just the two of us—no pack, no enemies, no Hunters, no betrayal. Just her and me.
• I finished applying the ointment to her arms and ribs, then moved to her legs, where several smaller cuts marred her pale skin. Her breath hitched again as I caressed her thigh, my touch gentle as I worked the healing salve into the bruised flesh.
• “Bustan,” she breathed, her voice low, almost uncertain.
• I paused, looking up at her, my fingers still resting against her thigh. There was something in her expression, something raw and unspoken. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say, how to acknowledge the weight of the moment between us. But I didn’t have to. The words didn’t matter.
• Carefully, I set the jar of ointment aside and leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. My hand lingered against her cheek, and she closed her eyes, leaning into my touch with a sigh of contentment. I could feel the warmth of her skin under my fingertips, the soft pulse of her heartbeat as it thrummed in time with mine.
• “You’re safe now,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. “I won’t let anything happen to you again.”
• She opened her eyes, her gaze locking with mine. There was something different there now, something deeper. “I know,” she whispered back, her voice soft but filled with conviction. “I trust you.”
• I leaned in closer, my hand still caressing her cheek, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. I could feel the strong force of attraction pulling me towards her.
• But I didn’t push it. Not yet.
• Instead, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, lingering for a moment longer than necessary before pulling back. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled—the most heartwarming smile that made my heart flutter.