Oops, I Fed My Future Boss Instead of the Wolf

Chapter 2

Knowing he could still identify me as an Omega eased some of my fear. At least Mara hadn't completely destroyed his wolf instincts.

"I won't take advantage of you while you're weak." I pushed the bowl toward him. "Eat."

"Take it away."

"It's only meat, vegetables, and medicine."

"Get out!"

He sounded furious, but at that exact moment, his stomach growled.

I pretended not to hear. Ten minutes later, a film of fat had formed on the cooling soup, and he still hadn't touched it. Then Mara sent me a message.

Mara: He must finish all his medicine. Don't go soft. If he still refuses, pry his mouth open and feed him.

She wanted me to pry his mouth open?

I stared at the message for several seconds before picking up the bowl.

The man tried to bat it away. I caught his wrist, pinched his chin with my other hand, and said, "If you won't eat, I'll pour it down your throat. I've fed wolf pups that fought harder than you."

He gave an incredulous laugh. "Do you know who you're threatening?"

"A patient too weak to beat me right now."

While he was speechless, I lifted the spoon to his lips. He clenched his teeth, so I waited. When one wrist grew sore, I switched hands.

"You need food if you're going to escape," I said. "You can't starve yourself in protest until my aunt suddenly develops a conscience."

He stared at my face for a long time. Finally, he opened his mouth and swallowed the soup.

I seized that tiny victory and fed him the entire bowl. He watched me with every swallow, his ears gradually perking up.

When my spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl, he asked, "What do you want in return?"

"For you not to die." I pressed a glass of warm water into his hand. "At least stay alive until I persuade Mara to turn herself in."

He held the glass at his lips for a moment, then slowly drank all the water.

A few minutes later, the red glow around the black lines behind his ear faded. His grip on the glass relaxed, and the orange light beside the gray wolf icon flashed twice.

His ears were still trembling. I followed the instructions on his chart and reached for the restraint at the tip of his tail, but my phone suddenly buzzed. Mara was calling.

I rushed into the hall to answer and lowered my voice. "Hello?"

"Did you feed him the medicine?"

"Yes. He just finished it."

Mara hummed in approval. I heard her rummaging through something. "By the way, he didn't break the kennel door down, did he?"

What door? I wondered, then casually answered, "No, it's still securely shut."

Only then did she ask, "Was he good? Did he bare his teeth at you?"

I stole a glance at the man in the treatment room. "He was pretty fierce at first, but then he ate like a good boy."

"Then you can take the restraint off his tail. If it stays on too long, it will cut off his circulation. He's been uncomfortable. Start brushing slowly from the base of his tail—"

My face burst into flames. "The base of his tail?"

"Where his tail meets his back. That's where the fur is thickest, and he can't reach the tangles himself. Once you brush them out, he'll feel much better. He might even rub against you—"

"I got it!"

I hurriedly hung up, only to turn and meet his gaze. At some point, he had come to stand in the doorway. His silver eyes narrowed.

"Where exactly are you planning to brush me?"

My face burned. "Your tail! The restraint! I'm taking it off! Don't get the wrong idea!"

The tips of his ears were suspiciously red. The orange light on his collar flashed faster.

I forced myself to return and open the clasp.

"Don't touch it."

"It's rubbed you raw."

"Anna," he ground out. "A wolf's tail isn't something you can touch whenever you please."

The clasp had already sprung open. My fingertips brushed his burning skin. His back and shoulders tensed, and his ears flattened into his hair. His newly freed tail, however, curled around my wrist and tugged me a step closer.

We both looked down at it.

"You can't control your tail?" I whispered.

His ears turned even redder.

"It's okay. I won't laugh."

"...Let go!"

"Your tail is the one refusing to let go of me."

He closed his eyes and took a sharp breath. A red light flashed on the treatment collar, and a new word appeared: Mortified. I stared at it for two seconds. The device could display his emotions? Mara was right. A wolf's feelings really were more direct than a human's.

In the middle of the night, a shrill alarm tore me from bed.

I ran barefoot to the basement and found him bracing one hand against the wall. Black lines from the poison crawled across his neck, and his gray tail sent medicine bottles rolling across the floor. The overhead light flickered constantly. His labored breathing mingled with the electrical buzz, while the powerful scent of cedar quickly overwhelmed the bitter odor of medicine. A purple light flashed wildly on the collar, and the gray wolf icon twisted into a ball.

The moment I approached, an arm locked around my waist. My back struck the wall as he buried his face against my neck. When his fang grazed the skin above my gland, my legs nearly gave out.

Even then, I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"No biting. Be good." I soothed his rigid back the way Mara soothed wild wolves. "If you're good, I won't tighten your collar, and I'll even give you jerky."

His breath burned against my neck.

At last, his grip around my waist loosened. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, and the tail that had been strong enough to scatter medicine bottles went limp and settled heavily across my feet.

I didn't dare move. I could only hook a chair closer with my toes. Once he was safely seated, I noticed that broken glass had sliced through my pajama pants. Beads of blood welled on my knee.

"Don't smell that." I quickly covered the wound. "You were scary enough just now."

His ears drooped, and his voice was rougher than usual. "I didn't bite you."

"You weren't supposed to bite me in the first place."

His gray tail slid off my feet, wound around the chair leg, then stubbornly settled over them again. I stared at the shameless tail pretending nothing had happened. Fine. The poor man was locked up. His tail could rest wherever it wanted. It wasn't as though I minded.

I couldn't hold back my smile.