CHAPTER 111: WE NEED A TEST SUBJECT

I wasn’t sure what was running through Rion’s mind as he let me follow him to the infirmary after breakfast.

When we arrived in Jeron’s room, Keigan had just finished tending to Jeron’s wounds. There was still no improvement. I didn’t need to rely on the grim looks etched across Keigan’s and Raye’s faces to know that. Jeron’s condition spoke for itself. His body was so battered, so still, it was painful just to look at him.

"Have they returned?" Raye asked, her eyes darting between Rion and me.

I shook my head, feeling sorry.

Rion’s gaze landed on Keigan. "Do you give him oral medicine?"

"Yes, he takes it, but it barely does anything. I’ve already used the best we have."

"Can you make a small amount of oral medicine right now? Vivien wants to try something."

I froze, instantly realizing what Rion meant. My gaze snapped to him in horror.

"You don’t mean... do you plan to mix it with my blood?"

"What’s happening? What—blood?" Raye blurted, confusion flashing in her eyes.

Keigan straightened, his pale gaze shifting to me. "Does your blood have healing abilities, Vivien?"

I sighed.

"It’s just a theory," I said, my eyes flicked briefly to Raye and Keigan before returning to Rion. My voice became firm. "We can’t test something so uncertain, not when we have no proof to back it up. Giving Jeron my blood could be reckless. A wolf’s body isn’t meant to digest another wolf’s blood. What if it causes adverse effects and worsens his condition? There’s too much risk."

"She’s right, Alpha," Keigan agreed with a slow nod. "As a healer, I’ve never heard of blood being used in medicine. If it’s only a theory, it is best to be cautious."

Rion raised two fingers in the air, casually dismissing their concerns. His expression shifted—thoughtful, but with that unmistakable spark of mischief, like he was already scheming something.

"Alright," he said simply, nodding once before tilting his head at me. "Follow me."

Raye still looked bewildered, as though she wanted to demand answers from me. I gave her a small, reassuring smile and nodded, silently promising her that I’d explain everything later.

"What are you planning?" I asked as I hurried to catch up with Rion.

He walked in long, unhurried strides that forced me to quicken my pace, which was almost irritating—but curiosity outweighed my annoyance. If we were going to test my blood’s abilities, it meant he already had something in mind. But what?

Knowing this Alpha’s twisted character, my stomach tightened with suspicion. Was he... thinking of testing it on someone else?

The thought struck me like ice. My eyes widened.

"You’re not actually thinking of using a scapegoat... are you?" I asked, my voice a sharp whisper.

"We need a test subject, yes," he answered casually, as if we were discussing the weather.

He glanced over his shoulder at me, a faint smirk curling his lips. "Isn’t this what you wanted? A way to help Jeron?"

"But if you’re planning something dangerous—"

"Not that dangerous. Just a tad bit."

Just a tad bit? My stomach twisted. I wasn’t sure if I should feel relieved or even more worried.

The next thing I knew, we were standing in the middle of Rion’s greenhouse. The air was damp and heavy with the mingled scents of herbs, rich soil, and faintly bitter roots that clung to the back of my throat.

Rows of plants stretched in every direction—lush greenery, spindly vines curling around wooden stakes, and blossoms in strange, unnatural colors.

Without a word of explanation, Rion moved, his long strides carrying him to a rack tucked near the far side. His fingers brushed past different kinds of flowers before settling on a single plant.

He plucked a flower with deep violet petals, their edges almost black as though they had been scorched by shadow. The bloom looked deceptively delicate, its petals soft and velvety against the stark green of its stem.

Before I could ask what he intended, he raised the flower to his lips.

"Oh no..."

My lips parted in horror. I knew that flower. Even if I didn’t know its name, it was easy to assume what it was. Diaval had mentioned before that the greenhouse was filled with poisonous flowers and healing plants. This one’s definitely a poison.

Rion wasn’t going to find a test subject, he was going to use himself.

"What the hell are you doing?"

His eyes flickered to crimson as he looked at me, a sharp-toothed grin splitting his face. The madness in his gaze made my skin crawl. But what terrified me even more was the thought that whatever he had ingested might kill him in minutes—or hours. I didn’t know. I wasn’t exactly an expert in botany.

"This flower can kill a person in less than an hour," he said calmly, as if reading my mind. "It spreads through the bloodstream in twenty minutes, reaches the organs in thirty, and stops the heart completely by forty."

His eyes darkened as he swallowed the petals he’d chewed. He didn’t even look the slightest bit worried.

"Are you crazy? What if I’m wrong? What if—"

"Stop your what-ifs," he cut in sharply. "And let’s just do it."

My heart jolted. I sucked in a deep breath to steady my trembling hands. "O-okay..."

I spun around, scanning the greenhouse for anything sharp enough to cut my skin. On a table in the corner sat a jumble of tools—scissors, pruning knives, clippers—but nothing looked quite right.

"Here," Rion said, holding up a small dagger. It was barely the length of two adult fingers, but its edge gleamed with a lethal brightness.

"You’re turning pale," I muttered, noticing the change in his complexion. His jaw had tightened, too, and the faint tremor in his hand made my chest tighten with worry.

I grabbed the dagger from him, my breath catching in my throat. Without another thought, I pressed the blade to my palm and cut.