The Lycan's Healer Mate

Chapter 12 My Own Will

Mia's POV

After what feels like a century, I can no longer bear the lingering silence. I am on the point of opening my eyes when Ryan suddenly presses the nape of my neck while shouting, "Head down!"

We lower our heads simultaneously and dodge the firework that nearly lands on us. It breezes above us and shoots straight up to the sky. After a burst of firecrackers, the flowering begins and wins cheers from the guests.

"You alright?" Ryan sends me a concerned look. I don't quite hear what he say due to the chaos but I manage to tell by his mouth.

"Yeah, I am fine. Thanks." I answer loudly and turn around to see who the perpetrator is, only to find it is the most beautiful woman.

Ryan and I exchange a look and both of us raise our eyebrows at her.

"Oops!" The girl immediately covers her mouth and lets out a hollow laugh, "I am sorry."

"Aurora!" The lady who has saved me from my accidental stumble suddenly appears behind the girl. She snatches the stump of the firework from the girl's hand and berates her, "How could you hold a firework with its sharp end pointing at people?"

"I knew. I already apologized." The girl pouts her lips and explains, "But it is so heavy. I can't carry it."

"You shouldn't have played with things that you cannot control. You are barely 4 feet and you are holding a firework approximately twice as much as your height!" The lady exclaims in disbelief, obviously not convinced by the excuse given by the girl.

"But I don't know I cannot control it before I give it a try. You taught us that the courage to try novel things is a merit that should be cultivated." Aurora blinks her eyes in an innocent way. Her quoting of the lady's words makes the latter speechless.

The lady takes a deep breath to steady her anger and inquires, "Where did you get this dangerous stuff anyway?"

"Um, I—I picked it." Aurora mutters.

"From where?" The lady narrows her eyes and continues the interrogation.

"You're so inquisitive." Aurora lets out a dramatic sigh and points at the guard standing at the door, "I persuaded him to give one to me."

"Persuade?" The lady scoffs, "Would you mind telling me more details about your art of persuasion? Did you enchant him with your twig?"

The lady raises her eyebrows at Aurora and the latter squirms uneasily under the former's gaze.

"Of course not!" Aurora frowns, desperate to defend herself, "I made a deal with the guy, OK? I promised him I'd brew some anti-sleeping potion for him if he gave me one of the fireworks. He let me pick one myself and I went for the grandest one. I won't do that again. I'll pick a smaller one next time. I promise! I am sorry, Madam Agnes."

Hold on a second. What did Aurora call the lady? Madam Agnes? I must have heard this name somewhere before. It sounds so familiar to me. I indulge myself into walking down the lane to my memory and recapture the scene where mom and I sit under a gigantic beech on a hot summer day. I tripped over a stone earlier that day and was carried to the tree, for the wide-spreading canopy provided great shade. Mom placed her hand on my knees and the blood and bruise gradually faded as if they hadn't existed.

"That's amazing."

"Isn't it?" Mom smiled and held me on her lap, nuzzling my hair with her chin, "You'll master this yourself some day in the future."

"Will you teach me?"

"Absolutely, honey. I'll teach you as long as you still want to be a healer when you grow up."

"I want to be a healer."

"Let's not rush to the conclusion. Healers have quite a lot tenets to follow yet you don't like rules."

"I hate rules. Why would anyone set tenets to restrict themselves?" I shook my head.

"The tenets can navigate healers to be on the right track, shrouding them from the temptations, on the premise that their mind hasn't been corrupted by their desire for the power."

"What you're saying now is beyond my understanding." I tugged at my fingers, "Who set these tenets? Did moon goddess set them herself?"

"No, they were set by the greatest healer in the present day, Madam Agnes, royal healer to the lycans."

Here comes the end of the lane of my memory. I take a deep inhale and recollect myself. I send Ryan a glance, only to find that he is looking at me.

I blush and cover my cheek subconsciously, hoping I am quick enough to conceal the scar. I ask casually, "Why are you staring at me?"

"How can you tell I am staring at you if you didn't stare at me in the first place?" Ryan's lips curled up, "Why are you covering your face? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," I reply calmly.

"Drop your hand, then." Ryan orders as he leans closer and whispers, "Convince me."

Before I can react, he places his palm on the back of my hand and inserts his fingers into the place between my fingers until our fingers are intertwined. The goosebumps linger on my skin as the moment stretches. I want to pull away my hand but the force on it let me realize it is already too late. I have no other choice but to let him move my hand away.

"You're right. I can't see any scars on your face." Ryan murmurs and frowns, "But why did you tell me you got a scar earlier?"

What? Is he playing the fool with me? Nearly half of my left cheek was burnt by the fire yet he cannot see the scar? How blind is he? I am so confused and I raise my hand to touch my cheek, only to find the scar there somehow is gone.

"If this is a show, you may stop now." Ryan informs me coldly, "You don't have to make up excuses to refuse me. Next time you can simply say no and I'll leave you alone."

"What? You misjudged me. There was a scar on my face. I didn't make up the whole thing." I feel anxious that I was charged with a crime I didn't commit, so I step forward and confront him, "Like what you've said. If I want to reject you, I can do it in a much simpler way. Why would I waste so much time making up excuses?"

"Aren't you afraid your rejection will offend me and cause trouble?"

"Offending you, probably, causing troubles? I don't think so. What are you gonna do if I reject you? Go to the lycan king and seek help from him? You told me you're merely an acquaintance to him. I am afraid His Majesty wouldn't bother to interfere with your love affairs." I shake my head and meet Ryan's eyes, "So mark my words, no one can threaten me and what I am going to do is out of my own will."

With that declaration, I tiptoe a little bit and hold his face, sealing whatever he plans to say with a kiss.