Hybrid Luna

3. A Proposal

Elaris

Mama Mirelda surely will have my skin now. I would be a cute wolf rug on her office. And I’ll be stepped on by everyone at the tavern.

As my mind reeled with many more ridiculous punishments, Tharion helped me carry Quinn to the infirmary. The tavern had one because of me, being a physician and all. It was a bit modest, but it had everything I needed to heal and control supernatural creatures, including reinforced strappings on the beds to avoid getting hit or m*rd*red while inflicting necessary pain to heal.

And Quinn was getting strapped tonight.

Treating wounds was something I was already used to, no matter how gruesome they were. I was like a military doctor during war, freelance. I treated every creature that crossed my path, no matter what species. That earned me equally bad and good reputation, placing me a bit in the spotlight and allowing me to work almost everywhere for the immense favors I harvested. Yes, I was still being bullied and beaten now and then, but at least I was recognized whenever I go and they let me in their territories. I didn’t align with anyone, so that gave me an advantage to get everywhere.

That meant free farming for supplies, herbs and rare stuff that not everyone could get their hands on.

However, when the war ended, my physician days began to diminish. Every clan, coven or pack would have their own physicians and almost no one wanted to place their hands on a hybrid, but every now and then I treated people who didn’t want their packs to know how they got their wounds, or spies that couldn’t get safe here or there.

Tharion helped me lay down Quinn and with magic I strapped him in bed. His wound was a big s***h across the abdomen and it seeped green pus. It was foul and it smelled horribly, but unlike Tharion, I didn’t flinch. I was used to that kind of smell.

“Hold him from the wrists.” I commanded, and got to work. From a shelf, I grabbed two flasks of antidotes and a needle. I shoved one bottle to Quinns mouth and the other I injected it into his thigh. Soon the first of many aftereffects started in the form of a convulsion. Green froth started seeping from his mouth and his eyes went blank. It was a really violent shake while the venom got expelled and just as Tharion grabbed him from his wrists, I did from his ankles.

His erratic movements slowed down when he expelled almost everything, but I was too late to give Tharion a warning when Quinn vomited everything in his stomach.

“Oops. Sorry, I meant to tell you about that.” I apologized, but his expression made me shut up.

With the clock ticking, I started cleaning his wound from the venom. I didn’t stop until I saw the real red from his blood getting out of the wound and I got to the next step. I sanitized my hands, the gash and my tools with a quick cleaning spell and I started stitching the cut.

Another reason why I wasn’t really a good option as a physician was that my healing magic wasn’t as strong as a pureblood witch. I had to mix human medicine with magic, for I didn’t have the same talent with the latter. So that meant slower healing and more risks.

While I was working, I noticed that Tharion just ended up discarding his shirt, and for a split of second I lost focus in my work because of the naked muscular torso. He had a nice six pack and was bulky as hell. But his chest hair was a biohazard for my surgery.

“Do you mind?” I waved my hand to get him further away, which he did with a scoff. “I cannot add more germs to my patient, thank you.”

He rolled his eyes but was kind enough to remember to get my antibiotics from my shelf and under my instructions he prepared an IV with the correct dosage of painkillers and antibiotics. Just as I was finishing the last touches on the stitches, he handed me the needle, and I inserted it on his arm.

“Oh, I’m gonna charge him some triple ceros here, jeez.” I sighed when I finished.

“You’re really good at this. It’s mesmerizing to watch you work.” Tharion murmured, still half naked.

“Thank you.” I said with a little smile, getting my bag to get some healing herbs from its magic insides. My bag was magical, by the way. “But I haven’t finished just yet. Can you get me some clean water, please? And get yourself some clothes, mister muscular.”

With a little laugh from my unexpected assistant, he disappeared while I got to grind the healing herbs into a fine powder.

Tharion returned with the promised bottled water and a black shirt that left nothing to the imagination. Since I’d seen his torso, my mind reeled with dirty thoughts, much to Aelun’s irritation.

‘What? I’m allowed to get fantasies now and then. It’s not like we will have another destined mate.’ I complained to my taciturn wolf.

‘That weakling wasn’t our real mate.’ She growled in return, but I felt her mood sour to that painful memory of the past. I didn’t want to go down there either, but my own mood soured. Aelun didn’t speak much since that rejection, even if she denied the bond we both felt with that young wolf years ago. Now I was used to being in a comfortable silence with her...

“So…” We both forgot that Tharion was still there, so I jumped a little to the sound of his voice. “What do you say? About what I said earlier?”

I stopped grinding, my mind racing a bit. What did he say earlier? What was it?

I tried to recall the conversation, but neither Aelun nor I could remember.

“Uhm… what was it? I got really distracted with Quinn.” I said with all honesty, resuming my grinding, adding water to the mix to make a cataplasm.

“Oh… ah, nothing. Nevermind.”

Uh-oh. It was something important, wasn’t it?

“No, tell me. You wanted to talk about something?” I asked in my most friendly tone. “We have privacy here. You wanted to talk alone with me, didn’t you? What is it?”

I saw him shift uncomfortably in his legs, avoiding my gaze for some unknown reason. That made me feel a bit nervous.

“Well, it wasn’t…” He started, making me sigh ever so softly in relief… “Or maybe you’re right. You’re almost never free, anyways.” I tensed. Free for what, exactly? “I was wondering… well... We’ve known each other for a couple of years now. And I’m sorry now for the way I used to treat you at the beginning… "Now?" Mirelda really made me see beyond my own prejudices. I should thank her for that.” My hands kept working, but I was frozen in my mind. I didn’t like where this was going. “You are a really nice girl, very knowledgeable and smart. Kind even to attend to every species, even if you shouldn’t. And... I was wondering… what if we… well, got together? As a couple, I mean. We could be chosen mates. If I had you by my side, I know that we could have something great. Maybe even we can rebuild my old pack, and you can be my Luna. I know that you would be great at it. You are powerful and kind enough. We would be great…”

“Sorry, no.” I blurted out, unable to hear one more word coming from his mouth.

The silence that followed was heavy and cold. I couldn’t bring myself to look up, but I felt his piercing stare making a hole in my head.

“What?” He asked in a hushed tone, laced with a dangerous undertone that I didn’t want to acknowledge. “I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

Now I did identify the warning in his voice, his alpha aura starting to flow in slow, menacing waves off of him. It made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t flinch to it. I sighed, finishing the cataplasm and getting up from my seat to get it over the wound before using magic to cover it with bandages.

“Sorry, Tharion, but I can’t do that.” I repeated, but I needed to weaken the rejecting punch. “It’s bad enough to be a lone hybrid wolf, let alone be a hybrid Luna. Nobody would accept that, not to mention that I’m not fit to be one. Haven’t you seen my aggressive fits already? Lunas should be kind and maternal. I’m none of that.”

Although the anger in Tharions eyes didn’t disappear completely, his voice got a controlled edge that I didn’t like.

“Elaris, you are kind. And you’re very resourceful. Nobody would be able to tell you otherwise. Aside from the markings on your forehead, no one would ever know you’re a witch as well. You could hide them with makeup and pass as a wolf easily, so you don’t have to worry to be recognized. We can start elsewhere.”

That definitely didn’t sit well with me now. One thing was my personality and the obvious issue of being a hybrid, but I would never, ever, lie about my nature. No matter what had happened with my father, I would never deny either of my parents. They didn’t do it to me; I would never do it for them.

“I said no, Tharion.” I refused again, but with a new warning lacing my voice. “I won’t be your Luna, and I certainly won’t deny what I am just for you to start over anew with your pack. I don’t care about it.”

That started to break a damn.

“You crazy? No one will ever accept you for being a hybrid!” That hit a very sensitive cord, and Aelun and I started to infuriate. “I’m the only one who willingly would accept you as what you are, and I would hide it for your sake. I’m the only one you’ve got to have a happy ending. You won’t get another chance like this, half-blood.”

I already broke one nose. What was another one?

Just as my punch was traveling to his face, he was fast enough to stop my hand, showing the difference between an ordinary werewolf and an Alpha in their reaction times. I also felt the strength with which he crushed my hand, and I felt a surge of anger originated from the pain it caused.

With shocking speed that not even Tharion could follow, I headbutted him hard in the nose and the crack I heard was sickening, but it felt nice. I saw blood in his face when he retreated to cover his face, and I felt myself smiling from it.

“Half-blood? That was very sweet of you to say, mutt.” I spatted icily, and he suddenly paled. It seems like he said it just in reflex, but I wasn’t about to hear his excuses now. I wasn’t one to forgive easily. When angry, one tends to say what’s really on your mind. And in his, I was still just hybrid scum. “And here I was thinking about how good of a friend you were starting to be.”

“No… wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

But I was already out of the infirmary, shutting the door with full force making a loud bang that caught everyone’s attention. I ignored everyone and went directly to Mireldas office.