Chapter 34: The Healing Wing

@Marichatshipper20, thank you so much for the Golden Tickets! This Chapter is dedicated to you!

The Healing Wing sat apart from the rest of the castle, built against the Southern wall where the breeze carried away the scent of blood and sickness more easily. Even before Della stepped through the wide stone entrance, the smell reached her.

Boiled herbs.

Crushed leaves.

Fresh blood.

Burned flesh.

As she approached the doors she could already hear the sound of people groaning in pain, and the hurried footsteps of healers moving from one bed to another.

Della tightened her hold around the folded clothes Cassian had given her before quietly stepping inside.

She had been in here before, but there was no time to properly appreciate the sight of the room with Malachi breathing next to her like he was a second away from dying.

Rows of wooden beds stretched across the chamber, each separated by linen curtains that had long since absorbed the scent of medicine. Shelves lined every wall, packed with jars, dried herbs hanging upside down from wooden beams, neatly labelled bottles, bundles of roots and flowers, while several apprentices hurried between tables carrying steaming bowls and bundles of clean cloth.

Most of the patients were soldiers, while the few others were regular wolves living in nearby towns. One elderly woman whimpered softly as another healer changed the bandages around her shoulder.

A young guard hissed through his teeth while someone stitched the deep bite mark running across his forearm.

"...Mindless rogues," A healer muttered under her breath.

"They tore straight through the patrol."

"They’re getting bolder."

"They didn’t even stop to feed."

Della slowed without meaning to, recalling what the workers from the Workrooms said about the rogues too.

Before she could hear another word, a sharp voice snapped at her, "There you are."

Veinseer Moira.

The elderly healer stood beside one of the worktables, arms folded tightly across her chest, her dark robes spotless despite the chaos surrounding her. Her eyes swept over Della once, already spitting fire, "You were supposed to be here sundown! Does the castle now allow servants to arrive whenever they please?"

Several apprentices looked over, and Della immediately lowered her head, "I’m sor—"

"You are late."

"I know, Veinseer. I—"

"You know." Moira laughed once, "And yet you still came. You should have remained wherever you are!"

Della would have very much loved to stay where she was, remained in that bath for all eternity. But as reality demands it, now she had to start begging.

"...She is late because I delayed her."

Every head turned as Alpha Cassian walked into the Healing Wing as though he owned it.

The conversations died instantly, and Moira’s expression stiffened.

"Supreme." She greeted along with everyone else in the room as they all bowled down, including the sick ones.

"It’s such an honour to have you here. I—"

"Save the ass-licking," Cassian raised a hand.

Della almost choked from his words.

"I borrowed her." He added.

Moira looked from him to Della and back again, "...For what purpose?"

"I don’t remember you being in a position to question what I do...are you?" Cassian questioned.

Moira’s eyes widened with fear, and she bowed even lower, "Pardon me, Alpha,"

"You were never in trouble, Veinseer," he gestured at her to raise her head, and she sceptically did. Then, he looked around the room once and nodded, "Keep up the Good work. Moira, am I right?"

The woman nodded enthusiastically.

"The Veinseer from my pack apprenticed under you. You do what you do well,"

Moira pressed her lips together to keep the smile from spreading. She could hardly believe an Alpha — a supreme for that matter had actually...

"You honour me too much, Alpha," She bowed again instead, then her gaze returned to Della, "Since His Supreme Highness found you useful elsewhere, perhaps you’ll remember why you’re here now." She pointed toward several overflowing buckets, "The floors." Then toward another stack, "The laundry." Another, "The used bandages, and when you’ve finished every single one of those, perhaps you’ll earn the privilege of scrubbing the surgical tables."

Della bowed immediately, "Yes, Veinseer."

The work was much, but seems like she had escaped the begging stage because of Cassian.

Cassian watched her for another second.

She didn’t complain. Didn’t sigh or even hesitate. She simply picked up the nearest bucket and got to work.

A tiny smile touched his lips as he turned around and left the room.

The bath had helped a good deal, because Della was moving around the room with hardly any resistance from her body, and the clothes Cassian had gotten her were so fluid and matched her movements too.

It was perfect, and soft.

Every few minutes, Della watched as another patient was carried inside.

Some were bleeding heavily, some were already unconscious and some were still screaming from the pain. One little boy cried continuously while his mother held his hand and whispered prayers to the Moon Goddess.

Della worked silently, noticing everything and everyone’s habits in the room. She did it without even realising it.

As she scrubbed, she was watching.

Changing dirty water, she was watching.

Carrying bloody cloths to be washed, also watching.

Nobody else noticed.

"...Excuse me."

The voice came softly beside her, and Della looked up and saw Annelise standing there. Unlike her mother, she wore a much lighter expression, though exhaustion still clung beneath her eyes.

"I like your clothes," she smiled, "They suit you."

Della looked down instinctively, "Oh..." She then, rubbed the fabric awkwardly, "Thank you,"

"They look new."

"They are."

"Were they made for all the servants? Or does the Healing wing now have a new uniform?"

Della smiled nervously and shook her head, "No, they were a gift from someone,"

If she ever mentioned Cassian’s name as the person who gave her the clothes, she would never hear the end of it.

Annelise didn’t ask another question. Instead, she held up a small bundle of herbs, "I’m preparing another poultice for the guards bitten by the rogues." She pointed toward a nearby table, "I’ve already chosen most of the ingredients..."

She began to spread them out

"Ground comfrey, Yarrow, Plantain, Willow Bark," She looked at Della inquisitively, "What else would you add?"

Della blinked, looked at the table again then back at Annelise, "You already know the answer."

"I’d still like yours."

Della looked back at the table, then she scratched her head, "...The bites aren’t infected yet?"

"Not badly."

"Then..." She reached over and picked up another dried bundle, "...Golden seal, and..." She carried another, "A little crushed garlic."

Della frowned as she stared at the garlic. She could almost see the pages of the healing book in front of her eyes with her photographic memory and everything that was written under garlic as a herb, "No..." She replaced it. "Not garlic, or it’ll burn too much."

Instead, she reached toward another shelf, "Wild thyme will do, and honey,"

Annelise tilted her head, "Honey?"

"It seals the wound, slows the infection, and..." Della smiled sheepishly, "...it hurts less."

Annelise stared at her, then she looked down at the herbs again, "...I hadn’t thought about replacing the garlic."

Della quickly lowered her eyes, then grabbed the scrubbing cloth to resume her work, "I only guessed."

"No." Annelise smiled. "You understood the wound."

She gathered the herbs together, "Come."

Della looked surprised.

"Help me prepare it."

"...Me?"

"You suggested it, so I’d like to see how you make it."

Della washed her hands clean, then she began mixing each ingredient. Annelise watched with her arms crossed right next to her, her brows lifting up in surprise every now and then.

She’d seen mixtures being done many times, but Della’s hand movements were different. Even the amount of herbs she was mixing was different too. Plus, Della could multitask.

Once Della was done, she handed the medicine to Annelise who proudly accepted it. The method she used might have been different, but the results have been better too.

"You’re really good at this," Annelise said after she had finished applying the medicine to the injured guard, "Where did you learn?"

Della, who was back to changing bloody buckets looked up at her and smiled awkwardly. Wouldn’t it sound crazy if she said she only read medicinal books?!

"I have a sick cousin," Della replied, "And I used to prepare his herbs for him,"

That was not an answer, but it was the best she got.

"Okayyyyy," Anneliese prodded closer, "Would you like to be helping me when I’m preparing the herbs?

Della almost dropped the bucket.

"I mean, you’ll be the one preparing them. I want to learn from you,"

Della stumbled again.

"What?"

"That’s—" Della peeked behind them to make sure no one was watching first, "That sounds out of place. I’m the one who is supposed to be learning from you. I mean, you’re... like the daughter of one of the best healers in the world!"

Annelise shrugged, "That doesn’t matter,"

"It does! You can’t—" Della grumbled, forcing the next words out, "No one here trusts me like they trust you. If I’m the one preparing the medicine, it may seem like I’m undermining your authority and in case you’ve forgotten, everyone hates me and—"

"I don’t care that you’re a rotblood," Annelise shrugged again, "You saved the Alpha’s life when he was about to die. You knew what you were doing, even when my mother didn’t. It’s that simple,"

’I don’t care that you’re a rotblood ’

That was the second time in her life she was hearing those words.

"Aren’t you—" Della hit the stupid tears back, "Aren’t you scared that I might curse you? Or my blood found taint—"

"If you do curse or taint me," Annelise grinned sheepishly too, "All you have to do is cure me, right?"

As Della strode back to the Alpha’s room later that night, there was a little more excitement to her steps. Does ’not being looked down at’ and ’being depended upon’ for once feel this good?!

She kept skipping in her steps, a small smile burned to her face as she made to turn left...when a hand shot out and pulled her right instead.

"You’re too happy with yourself when your sister has been trapped with your bloody husband all day!"

Della looked up and quickly bowed again, "Alpha Leopold,"