It was much easier to focus on cleaning wounds if I didn't constantly have two big warriors looming threateningly over me. A few times my eyes darted to the door to see if they came back, but each time there was nobody there.

I shook my head to snap myself out of it. I shouldn't let myself get distracted.

If this cursed man in the twin bed was not properly tended for in every way, I had a feeling those two warriors would do more than only glare at me. They were very protective over this man for some reason.

"Dad, do you know who this man is?" I asked, gently dabbing some more blood off his forehead.

Dad stood beside me. He'd grabbed a new set of clothes to change the man out of his dirty ones, but stopped his movements at my question.

I saw hesitation in his eyes. Then his expression hardened.

"If I tell you, you can't talk about his identity to anyone," he said. "Not to your friends, nor our family members aside from your mother. Understood?"

Dad was dead-serious. He was rarely this stern with me outside of my medical studies. It made the little hairs on my neck stand up. This reaction made me wonder whether I should say 'never mind.' Protect myself from screwing up, or having scary enemy warriors visit and try to squeeze information out of me.

Our warriors were scary. Enemy warriors were ruthless. They tortured you until they got the information they wanted, then killed you.

But I really wanted to know. I wanted to know why this man was so important to everyone. I couldn't seem to shake my curiosity and nodded at Dad.

"I understand," I said. "I won't tell anyone."

Dad sighed and looked down at the werewolf on the bed.

"This is Cecilia and Derek's son, Luan."

I froze the moment Dad said his name.

Since they cast me out of my pack, I had not been eye to eye with a warrior Alpha. Rarely did one have the time to visit this sanctuary. If one did, fortunately my father or my mother interacted with them while I hid in my room or tended to patients.

But I knew those names. I knew them all too well.

Cecilia and Derek were famous to the wolves of the West, and notorious to their enemies.

Two Alpha blooded wolves with a mate bond. Together, they had built the strongest pack known in history. Their children, two twin sons named Luan and Arvyn, were said to be even more powerful than their parents.

Oh my god.

This was an Alpha. I was touching an Alpha. No wonder those warriors didn't trust me around him in this rare, vulnerable state.

"Help me change him," Dad ordered me.

I did as asked, carefully slipping my arms underneath the man's head and waist. He was heavy. I needed most of my strength to even lift his torso while Dad pried the mud caked and bloodstained shirt off.

Now that the scents masking Luan's were partially gone, his scent hit me like a simultaneous brick in the face and a punch in the gut, and it was one of the best feelings I'd ever experienced.

A shiver went through my body, head to toe. Goosebumps appeared on my arms. I nearly moaned out loud, but thankfully I could stifle the sound by biting my lip. If Dad had heard me, I'd have died of shame right on the spot.

I felt Luan's strength and my wolf stirred inside me, affected as well. The impulse to press my face against Luan's chest and inhale deeply was overwhelming. I wanted to feel his power. I wanted to know him. I just wanted to be near him.

If the most powerful Alpha of the West had this effect on warriors, too, then I understood why they followed him into battle so blindly.

When Dad was done removing Luan's shirt, I took a bit of distance from him as quickly as I could. Before I could act on any of my inappropriate impulses.

From a small distance away, Luan's scent was still potent. But at least I could control myself. I watched Dad pressed his hand to Luan's chest, and I cleared my throat.

"So," I broke the silence, distracting myself by talking. "Is that why he gets the East wing to himself? Because of his status and his bloodline?"

I knew Dad had noticed my odd reaction to the Alpha's scent at least a little bit. I was thankful he didn't address it, but simply replied to my question.

"Yes," he replied, "and, because his... problem has a different nature than most. A witch cursed him. Curses are not so easily lifted, as we hardly even understand their nature."

"But we have a few covens nearby though, right?" I asked. "The ones who provide us with medicine? Can't we ask them if they know something about this curse?"

Dad pressed his lips to a thin line.

"Perhaps," he replied after a brief consideration. "But we may run into a wall. Witches tend to keep to themselves and don't like to get mixed up into werewolf affairs. To force an alliance with them, to get medicine, took years of building trust. Besides..."

Dad glanced down at Luan in pity.

"The witches providing us with medicine are old and not that strong. And even without understanding the nature of this curse, I know this is very bad. Luan's wolf is gone."

I widened my eyes.

"Gone? As in... killed?" I asked, startled.

Dad shook his head. "No, I still sense Luan's wolf alive in him. He is merely in a deep slumber. As long as he is in this state, he won't be able to shift."

I bit my lip, feeling terrible for Luan. I wouldn't know what I'd do if I couldn't go on morning runs through the forest anymore, dashing full speed ahead in my wolf form. The wolf was even more important to an Alpha, who always had to be strong.

"We will have to wake up the wolf to break the curse?" I asked.

"It seems that way," Dad replied. "We'll have to use our existing connections to the witches from the village to find someone who can help us. But we must proceed with extreme caution. This isn't just some warrior we're talking about."

I swallowed. I knew all too well it'd be an immense blow to the strength of Derek and Cecilia's pack if their son couldn't be healed. If word spread that Luan was injured, rival packs would strike. If the strongest pack of the West fell, our sanctuary was also at risk of being invaded.

"What about his brother?" I asked. "Arvyn is still in good health, correct? There is still an Alpha blooded successor for Derek and Cecilia's pack."

Dad wrinkled his nose.

"Arvyn may be Luan's twin brother, but he is a mere shadow of Luan. Cruel and unpredictable. He may have the blood of an Alpha, but he is no leader. He will not be able to lead a pack and keep it stable."

I stared at my dad, wide-eyed. Just like he wasn't stern with me unless the topic was my studies, he rarely discussed politics, nor did he give his opinion on leadership.

Dad shook his head.

"Never mind River, you don't have to worry about these things," he said. "Forget I said anything. Thanks for your hard work, you can go to bed now. I'll take care of Luan."

I breathed a small sigh in relief for being allowed to leave. Away from all these strange urges I seemed to have around an Alpha.

"Yes, Dad," I said.

I turned to leave, but Dad had one more thing to say to me.

"River," Dad said, making me look at him over my shoulder. "You understand why now, right? Only your mother, me, and you will know Luan is here for now. It's better if there's no chance this information leaves the castle and falls into the wrong hands."

"Yes, I understand," I muttered. "I will pretend I know nothing. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, River."

I wished I could forget the patient in the East wing for real. The thought of having a pack leader's son inside the walls of the castle terrified me more than all warriors put together. I'd literally pee my pants if Luan was awake and talking to me.

Then, there was the overwhelming, strange way my body and wolf reacted to being in the presence of an Alpha blooded wolf. I remembered no such reaction back when I was still part of a warrior pack.

I shuddered, trying to shake the thought off.

I'd leave the care for Luan and handling rude warriors to my mom and dad. I'd stay far, far away from anything that had to do with the warrior pack life.