Chapter 26 TWENTY-SIX
"Ow, it hurts," Brienne said as Raven applied the cotton balls containing medicine to her face. She pouted while staring at Raven.
"I'm sorry, darling, but I have to do that to heal those marks," he said, applying another one to her arms and neck. "You still won't tell me their names?" he added with a smile.
"No. I told you I would deal with them myself," Brienne said. It was her first time fighting back, and it felt somewhat liberating. "Don't even bother asking the CEO, Raven. I'm warning you," she added, raising an eyebrow.
"I won't," Raven said.
"Okay, but promise me," Brienne said, lifting her pinky finger.
"Cute," Raven said. "Alright, I promise, darling," he added and lifted his pinky finger, intertwining it with Brienne.
"Don't break it," Brienne said. Raven nodded and continued what he was doing.
"It's done, but the doctor still needs to check on you," he said. Brienne nervously chuckles. There's no way she's getting checked up by Raven's doctor because the doctor will find out about her pregnancy.
"I'm alright, please. No need to see a doctor," she said. Raven heaved a sigh.
"But darling-"
"Please," Brienne said, touching his hand.
"Fine," Raven said, and his phone rings. "I'll just answer this, darling," he added and stood by the door.
"Now? Yes, alright. I will be there," Raven said, and hang up. He went back to Brienne's side and sat next to her.
"Darling, I have to go to Carter's house. He said a friend of ours arrived and wanted to catch up. We'll probably drink a few too. Would that be alright?" he asked.
"Of course you can go. Have fun," Brienne replied. It warms her heart that Raven asked for her permission. It may be a little for others, but it meant a lot to her. It just shows that Raven respects her.
"Are you sure? I can cancel it," Raven said, making Brienne chuckle.
"Yes, I'm sure," she answered. "Go, I'll be fine here," she added.
"Okay, thanks, darling. Promise, I'll be back before midnight," he said. "If you ever get hungry, Lily is in the kitchen. You can ask her to make you food, okay?" he added.
"Okay, I will do that," Brienne said.
Raven left her room, but not before he bid her farewell with a kiss. Brienne changed her clothes and went to the kitchen.
"Hi, Lily," she said. Lily, a woman in her twenties, smiled at her.
"Hello, Lu— I mean, hello, Miss Brie. What do you want to eat?" Lily asked.
"I'm currently browsing the web and came across this beef bourguignon recipe. Can you make this, please?" she asked with her puppy eyes.
"Of course, Miss. I can cook that, but it'll take two-three hours. Is that okay with you?" Lily asked.
"Yes, Lily. I can wait," she said.
"Okay, Miss. I will start now," Lily said. Brienne looked around the house.
"There's also a garden in the back, Miss," Lily said.
"Really? I haven't seen it yet," Brienne said.
"Yes, Miss. If you like, I can have Maribeth accompany you," Lily said.
"It's all right; I don't want to impose. I'll go by myself," Brienne said. Lily nodded in response and smiled. Brienne walked toward the back door and opened it. The swing was the first thing she saw. Then she saw the lovely flowerbeds full of different kinds of flowers. Brienne pulled out her phone right away and took a picture. After that, she sees the road that leads to the forest. The forest had a warm, golden glow from the setting sun. The trees looked almost magical in their long, soft shadows. The light that came through the trees made the atmosphere peaceful and magical, as if the forest were coming to life with amber and deep green colors that made her want to go.
Brienne looked behind her and gulped. "Let's just take a quick look," she whispered and started following the path that led to the forest.
When Brienne went into the forest, a cool breeze blew past her. She rubbed her shoulders, but she kept walking. The air smelled clean and earthy, and the tall trees let light shine through. Soft moss covered the ground, revealing bright blooms peeking through the leaves. She could hear birds singing and leaves moving all around her, luring her to go deeper into the quiet woods.
Brienne started taking pictures, but something rustled on the tall bushes. She retreated, tripping over a branch. A large wolf came out and looked at her, which made her drop her phone. Brienne's heartbeat fastened. Is this how she's going to die? The wolf titled its head, observing her. When it stepped back, everything around her started spinning, and she fell to the ground.
On the other hand, Raven was laughing at how Carter was talking to Morgan.
"Alpha! It's an emergency! I can't find Miss Brienne in the house!" Maribeth said through the link. Raven stood up, interrupting the two.
"What?! I'm coming back!" Raven said. Carter's forehand creased when he saw his friend and Alpha take his things.
"What happened?" Carter asked.
"Brienne's missing; I need to go back!" Raven exclaimed, which made Carter stand up too.
"We're coming with you," Carter said. Raven nodded his head, and they all went out of the café. Carter drove the car back to the packhouse, and when they arrived, Raven immediately went out.
"Alpha..."
"Where have you last seen her?" Raven asked as they went inside the packhouse.
"I told her she can go look at the garden, Alpha. It's my fault," Lily said, tears streaming down her eyes, but instead of getting angry, Raven tapped her shoulder.
"It's okay. We'll find her," he said. They walked out of the packhouse, and Raven ordered Carter to search the area. But not far away, they saw a warrior carrying a woman in his arms.
"F'ck," Raven said and ran towards them. When he saw Brienne unconscious, he panicked.
"What happened?!" he asked and immediately took Brienne from his warrior. "Tell Sam to go to the packhouse this instant!" he ordered and touched Brienne's face.
"It's my fault, Alpha. Forgive me," the warrior said.
"Dane! What happened?!" This time it was Carter who questioned the young warrior.
"I was careless. She saw me in my wolf form," he whispered. Raven cursed and looked at Brienne.
"We'll talk later, Dane," he said seriously before beginning to walk back to the packhouse. Brienne's wellness comes first. He'll worry about the rest later.