Chapter 4 Are you a virgin

The guards shoved me through the door of the healer's cottage, and I stumbled forward, catching myself on a wooden table cluttered with jars and herbs. The smell hit me immediately, lavender, rosemary, and something that made my stomach ache.

The healer was an older woman with silver-streaked hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her eyes, a pale shade of gray, swept over me with undisguised disgust. "Another one?" she muttered, more to herself than to me but I heard her.

"I am not another one and I don't need an examination," I snapped at her. The healer snorted. "You're filthy, underfed, and probably riddled with parasites. The Alpha doesn't want his heir growing in a diseased womb." She spoke indicating that the Alpha had mindlinked her. "Sit." She gestured to a rickety cot in the corner.

I didn't move. My heart hammered against my ribs, every instinct screaming at me to run. But where would I go? I was in the heart of enemy territory, surrounded by wolves who would tear me apart before I reached the border.

"I'm not sick," I said through gritted teeth. "And I'm not carrying anyone's heir."

The healer's eyes narrowed. "You don't have a choice, girl. Now sit, or I'll have the guards hold you down."

The guards had remained by the door, their arms crossed, watching me with cold amusement. I knew they would enjoy watching me be forced into submission. My stomach twisted at the thought.

Slowly I moved to the cot and sat down. The mattress was thin and lumpy, the fabric scratchy against my legs. The healer approached with a bowl of water and a cloth, setting them on a nearby stool before reaching for my arm.

"Stay still," she commanded, her fingers pressing against my wrist. Her touch was clinical. She counted my pulse, her lips moving silently, then pressed her palm flat against my forehead.

"Feverish," she muttered. "Malnourished. When was your last meal?"

"I don't remember", I shrugged.

Without replying me, she pried open my mouth to check my teeth, ran gloved fingers through my matted hair, drew vial after vial of blood from the crook of my elbow until my arm felt bruised and cold. She listened to my heart, my lungs, pressed her palm to my abdomen, then stared at my face.

“Wolf assessment next,” she said, stripping her gloves. “I need you to shift. Partial is fine. Just enough to check vitality.” She added but I didn’t bother responding her. I only glared at her and refused. The healer exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose then noted it on her clipboard.

"Spread your legs", She spoke as she moved towards my legs. "Not in front of them", I hissed.

The healer's eyes flicked to the guards, then back to me. She held my gaze for a moment, before she straightened and addressed them in a tone that brooked no argument.

"You two, outside. I can't work with an audience."

"The Alpha said we don't leave her alone." The guard on the left sneered.

"The Alpha said to have her examined," the healer shot back. "He didn't say you get to watch. Now get out, or I'll tell him you interfered with my assessment and delayed his report. We all know how patient he is."

The guards exchanged a glance. For a moment, I thought they'd refuse, but something in the healer's cold stare made them reconsider. With a grumble, they shuffled out, pulling the door shut behind them. 

"When was your last heat?", The healer asked as soon as I spread my legs. I swallowed hard. "I don't remember. A year? Maybe more. They've been irregular since I left my old pack."

She hummed, a thoughtful sound, as she adjusted the speculum and peered closer. I stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the wooden beams, trying to detach myself from what was happening. My cheeks burned, but I refused to let the shame consume me. 

The cold metal of the speculum slid inside me without warning. I flinched, fingers digging into the edges of the examination bench until my knuckles bleached white. There was no gentleness as she prodded and measured the size of my cunt. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

Out of nowhere, the door banged open.

My pulse slammed into overdrive as the scent hit first, pine, smoke, dominance and my body reacted before my mind could catch up. Every muscle locked and my breath caught in my throat like a broken glass.

Alpha Kael stepped inside and I froze more.

What was he doing here? Why was he here?

“Stop the checking,” he said instantly.

The healer flinched so hard the speculum clattered against the metal tray. Her hands froze mid-motion, still positioned between my spread thighs and the instrument remained inside me cold, invasive and humiliating.

“Is she still a virgin?” Kael asked, voice flat and cold.

“Can she still conceive?”, Before she could respond, he went on. My breath hitched, chest tightening as if an invisible hand had closed around my lungs. He didn’t want me at all but he wanted the heir so soon. The rejection still bled fresh in my soul, and he was already planning how soon he could fill me with his seed.

“Alpha, I… I haven’t gotten her full history yet.” The healer swallowed audibly.

“Get it. Right now.” His tone left no room for hesitation. The healer fumbled with her clipboard, papers rustling in her shaking grip. She turned to me, eyes skittering away from mine. “Have you ever been pregnant before?” She asked me.

“No,” I said through clenched teeth and my brows furrowed. She’d already seen everything down there, how could she even ask?

"Answer the Alpha," the healer whispered urgently, still not meeting my eyes. "Have you ever been with a male? Any male?"

"No," I bit out, my voice sharp with humiliation and rage. "I've never... I'm still a virgin. Not that it's any of your business." I added. Alpha Kael clenched his jaw at my response but he let it slide.