Chapter 6 Everything for Silver Coins

Avira's POV

“No, Alpha King, I’m not trembling.”

Kylan raised a brow and applied a little force. The lampshade made a small sound in his hand.

I immediately shut my mouth and, as Alex finished his careful adjustment, set the lamp on the small table. The light steadied, and I could finally free both hands to hold the tray, easing some of the tension from just now.

Alex continued treating the wound. One of Kylan’s hands braced against the edge of the bed as he lowered his head to watch Alex work, as if it really didn’t hurt, but I could see that whenever Alex’s hand pressed a little harder, Kylan’s shoulder would twitch despite himself.

The old bandages Alex peeled off were tossed into my tray, and the smell of blood slowly overpowered the smell of medicine. I carefully caught the used bandages, afraid I might accidentally touch Kylan’s exposed wound.

“Are you afraid of blood?” Kylan asked.

“Of course not. When I worked at the tavern, I handled a whole deer by myself.”

“Then what are you hiding from?”

“Uh... a deer wouldn’t dock my pay if I hurt it.”

The words slipped out, and I regretted them a little, afraid Kylan would get angry. But he only moved his other hand farther inward from the bed’s edge, making room for me and Alex.

After Alex finished checking the wound, he told me to put down the tray and help take off the half-dangling shirt still hanging on Kylan and getting in the way.

I froze, hesitated, then, under Alex’s urging gaze, walked around to the back of the bed.

It’s fine. I’m just caring for an injured man. For silver coins, I can’t refuse.

“Alpha King, I’m going to touch your shoulder.”

Kylan nodded and cooperatively lifted his arm a little.

The fabric clung to his sweat-damp skin, hard to move. I gripped his shoulder and pulled the shirt down a dozen centimeters, and the muscles in his back tightened with it.

His shoulders were even broader than they looked through his clothes, and his warm skin nearly brushed my fingers. Up close, that scent of fir mixed with cedar became even clearer.

His muscles... ninety points.

Kylan suddenly turned his face to the side. I quickly tugged the last section of sleeve off and stepped back, clutching the shirt.

I hoped he hadn’t seen my flushed, burning face.

By the time I came back after putting the shirt away, Alex had already finished checking what needed checking and had taken out fresh dressing to begin mixing the medicinal powder.

“Wipe the blood off the skin around it. Be careful not to touch the wound.”

Holding a wet cloth, I sat on the low stool beside the bed and started with the spot farthest from the wound.

The muscles in Kylan’s arm suddenly tightened.

I stopped at once. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s cold.”

Seeing the slightly awkward look on his face, I couldn’t help a secret laugh. I switched to gauze rinsed in warm water, tested the temperature, then pressed it against him again.

This time he didn’t move.

After the bloodstains were wiped away, several old scars already healed appeared on the skin of Kylan’s arm. One extended onto his back. I could only see half of it, but I could already imagine how savage the other half looked.

I couldn’t help feeling a trace of pity for the young Alpha King before me. It seemed his life had not been much easier than mine as an orphan. After all, Lysander, who was the same age as him, still hadn’t gone hunting alone even now, while Kylan was already covered in scars.

“Is this okay?” I looked at Alex.

“It’s fine. Next, help me hold his arm.”

He placed folded gauze beneath the wound and told me to pin down one corner so it could catch the liquid that ran off when the medicine was applied.

When the medicine touched the wound, Kylan sucked in a breath.

Alex paused and told him to breathe slowly. But he shook his head, signaling for us to continue.

I saw the fingers of the hand braced on the bed tighten, bunching the sheet into a knot.

Only when the medicine had been spread over the whole wound did I finally let out a breath too, and only then realize I hadn’t dared breathe the whole time.

Kylan’s gaze swept over me. He said nothing, only shifted his body a little more to the side so Alex could reach the edge of the wound.

I held the gauze, my palm gradually growing sweaty.

Alex took the fresh dressing and said, not sure whether to me or to Kylan, “Just hold on a little longer.”

The moment he touched the wound, Kylan’s hand suddenly left the bed and seized my wrist.

He dragged me forward so sharply I nearly fell onto him.

“What happened?” Alex immediately pulled the dressing back.

Kylan kept staring at the wound, his breathing quick.

My wrist was trapped in his palm, and the gauze in my hand had already been yanked out of place. I didn’t dare struggle hard. I could only brace my free hand on the edge of the bed.

“Kylan, let go.”

He raised his eyes.

I had never seen his eyes from this close. For a moment he seemed not fully conscious, and that vicious, guarded look wiped every thought from my mind. Now I only wanted to pull my arm back.

“It’s me. I’m Avira, Alpha King. You’re hurting me.”

I tried calling to Kylan. His gaze traveled down along my arm, and after breathing slowly for a while, he released me.

I immediately stood up and retreated to the small table. The gauze fell by my feet, and I didn’t even think to bend down and pick it up.

Alex picked up a new piece of gauze, pressed it over the wound for the moment, then walked toward me.

“Let me see your hand.”

I held it out to him. Several finger marks on my wrist were turning red, and touching them brought a hot, stinging pain.

Kylan lifted his hand too, as if to explain something. I shrank back on instinct.

That hand stopped in midair.

“I’m fine, Mr. Alex. Hurry and keep treating the Alpha King’s wound.”

As I spoke, I pointed at Kylan’s arm. He must have been so dazed from the pain just now that I could forgive a pitiful injured man for hurting me like that by mistake.

The room fell quiet for a while.

Kylan set his hand back on the bed and did not move again.

Alex still made sure my wrist was not obviously swollen, then gave me a cool cloth to lay over it and had me sit on the chair by the door to rest for a while.

“I can do the rest myself,” Alex said.

Kylan looked in my direction, paused, and asked, “Since Alex says he doesn’t need you anymore, then... shall I have the butler send you back?”

I shook my head. “I can walk by myself. I just need to sit for a bit first.”

Though I could forgive him, and though his words were rare for how human they sounded, what had just happened was truly a little frightening. Only after I sat down did I realize my legs were slightly weak.

Across half the room, I looked at Kylan. With no one standing in front of him, I could finally see clearly that his other hand was trembling slightly too.

What followed went smoothly. Alex quickly covered the wound with dressing and wrapped fresh bandages around it. Only when the sound of scissors dropping into the tray rang out did I look over again.

Kylan had already changed into loose loungewear. Alex closed his case and told him to eat something before resting, and that he would come back in the morning to check on him again.

The butler’s footsteps came from outside the door. I opened it, and a tray from the kitchen was carried right before me. The smell of meat gravy and roasted herbs rushed in at once.

Kylan turned his head away, his brows tightly drawn.

“Take it away.”

The butler stopped in the doorway. I glanced at the greasy food on the plate and suddenly understood that Kylan was not not hungry; he simply had no appetite for this sort of thing.

That made sense. After losing blood and sweating so much, what he probably needed most right now was a bowl of warm soup.

“Does the kitchen still have ingredients? I can make something light for the Alpha King.”

“Yes, but—”

“No need.” Kylan cut off our conversation.

I turned around in surprise. He was still sitting there, his gaze resting on my wrist, his expression returned to indifference, as if all those unexpectedly human exchanges just now had only been my illusion.

“Didn’t you skip dinner?” he said. “You can go back and eat now. I’m not paying you extra to cook for me.”