Raine was already annoyed before Landon even opened his mouth.
It had only been a few minutes since she stepped into his room, yet he was about to give her something else to do. There was a certain look in his eyes whenever he was planning to make her life more difficult—an irritating calmness, as though he already expected her to obey.
However, even when Raine was not happy with Landon’s intention to give her extra work, she didn’t have any other choice but to listen to him.
"If it is another order," she said flatly, "you should know I’m already busy trying to keep you alive."
"You exaggerate." Landon looked unimpressed.
"You were poisoned," she reminded him. "I think that qualifies as a serious problem."
The man standing near the window let out a small chuckle, though Raine refused to look at him just yet. She was still deciding whether she disliked him or not, and by then, the answer leaned heavily toward yes.
Landon ignored the interruption. Instead, his gaze shifted briefly toward her back. "The lashes," he said in passing. "Have they healed?"
She was stunned. She hadn’t expected the question at all. Did he feel guilty? After all, she had been whipped because of the situation surrounding him.
Then, while imagining the punishment she had received not long ago and the strikes that had burned across her back, to get in the suitable mood, she shifted her expression. "No," she sighed, making her voice sound sad. "They still hurt."
Landon’s expression didn’t change, so she decided to add a little more detail.
"Actually," she continued, placing a hand over her chest as though the pain were unbearable, "they hurt terribly. I cannot sleep well at night because lying down on my back hurts, and when I wake up in the morning, I can barely move. Sometimes even breathing feels difficult."
Landon remained silent. Raine studied his expression and wondered whether she would see even a hint of guilt in his face.
However, to her irritation, Landon only looked bored. "You should expect that much after being whipped," he said with no emotion.
Raine stared at him. "You are unbelievably mean."
This time, the stranger near the window didn’t bother hiding his laughter. Raine turned sharply toward him.
He was taller than she expected, with copper-colored hair that fell slightly over his forehead and bright blue eyes that seemed permanently amused. He looked far too relaxed for someone standing in the room of the poisoned heir of a wolf pack.
Landon gestured lazily toward him. "Raine," he said, "this is Cole."
The man pushed himself away from the window and offered a small, easy bow. "A pleasure." Then he grinned. "Nice to meet the famous healer finally."
Raine studied him carefully. He didn’t look like a healer or a servant.
Landon continued. "He is one of my trusted men."
Cole then gave a small, exaggerated bow. "And by the way, I think the word ’trusted’ is a strong one," he said in a cheerful tone. "I prefer ’occasionally useful.’"
Raine glanced between them before speaking to Landon. "Okay, now I have met one of your trusted men." She glanced at Cole. "What do you want me to do?"
"I ordered him to investigate something."
"Something?" Raine raised an eyebrow.
Landon’s voice lowered. "The Azicus." The name immediately caught her attention. Her curiosity sharpened. "And the silver powder," Landon added.
The room fell quiet for a brief moment. Raine folded her arms. "You’re investigating that separately?" She frowned. "Does Alpha Janson know about this?"
"No."
Hearing that, Raine’s eyes widened. "Without telling Alpha Janson?" She looked at him in disbelief. This revelation shocked her. "But... you’re hiding an investigation from the alpha of the pack. Why?"
Landon leaned back against his pillows as though the matter were ordinary. "My father," he said, "can be biased."
The words hung in the air. Raine knew very well what he meant. Alpha Janson was not a man who liked admitting mistakes or weakness, especially when it involved his pack.
"So, after revealing your ’secret,’ what do you want me to do exactly?" She asked warily.
"First—"
"What do you mean by ’first’? Are you going to ask me to do more than one thing?" She interrupted him, looking annoyed, before he could continue.
Ignoring her interruption, Landon continued. "I need you to assist him with your insight and knowledge as a healer when he needs it," Landon said. "And... of course, not a single soul should know about this."
Silence.
Raine rubbed her temple. "You do realize," she said; her tone showed that she was unhappy with the task Landon gave her, "that if Alpha Janson discovers you’re doing this investigation behind his back, someone will be blamed."
Landon didn’t look concerned. "Yes."
Narrowing her eyes, Raine pointed at herself. "And that someone could easily be me."
Cole nodded in solemn sympathy. "That would be inconvenient."
Raine shot him an annoyed look. "Inconvenient? Your alpha might execute me."
Tilting his head, Cole seemed to consider that. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "when you put it that way, it does sound a little worse."
Groaning and rubbing her face with both hands at the unreasonable behavior of the pair, Raine said. "This is exactly what I mean. You two are dragging me into something extremely dangerous."
Landon didn’t look sympathetic. "You are already involved."
Raine opened her mouth, then closed it again. Unfortunately, he was right. While she was trying to heal him, she became tied to everything surrounding the poison.
Still... If she had to take the risk, she might as well benefit from it. She made a decision in her mind and uncrossed her arms. "Fine," she said.
Landon waited.
She clasped her hands together behind her back and gave him a sweet smile. "If I’m going to make an extra effort to keep such a dangerous secret," she continued, "I believe I deserve something in return."
Cole leaned forward to the two of them; he seemed very entertained. "Oh, here comes the negotiation. This should be interesting."
"What do you want?" Landon watched her carefully; his eyes narrowed.
She tilted her head and looked Landon in the eyes. "I want something that motivates me to keep it a secret." Landon stared at her, silent and Raine sighed dramatically. "You know," she added in a solemn tone, "I’m not good at lying."
Cole coughed to hide a laugh. Raine ignored him and continued.
"I am a very upright woman," she said with great dignity. "A truly honest person."
Landon looked unimpressed. "You are trying very hard to sell yourself as trustworthy."
Raine blinked innocently. "Well, I am a trustworthy person," she insisted. She leaned closer to the bed. Her green eyes widened in exaggerated sincerity. "Am I not?"