Before she could reply to my words, I stepped closer and lifted her in a bridal carry. She yelped in surprise, her arms instinctively wrapping around my neck.

Hearing my low chuckle, she came back to her senses and started hitting my chest, her legs flailing in the air.

"Put me down!" she shouted in panic.

Her punches were strong for arms that small, but of course, they were nothing compared to me.

I set her down inside the bathroom. Before she could even relax, I pulled her back into my arms.

Our bodies pressed together, our lips meeting. My higher body temperature wrapped around her, and soon her own warmth began to rise.

Our fated bond reacted instantly. The hands that had been pushing me away now clutched tightly at me instead.

I removed the fabric separating our skin, letting us feel each other fully.

After that, my body moved on instinct, savoring every part of her. And she clearly enjoyed being in my embrace.

"St-stop... before I pass out."

The words slipped from her pink lips, one by one. She clung to the edge of the bathtub. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes unfocused.

Too tempting.

Only then did I realize we had been in the bathroom for almost an hour.

I quickly cleaned her, wrapped her in a bathrobe, then carried her bridal-style to the bed.

I put on a robe myself and gently dried her hair with a towel.

"Just go. I can dry my hair myself," Clarissa said, trying to brush my hand away.

But I caught her hand instead. It was cold.

"Don’t move." I placed her hand back under the blanket and patted it gently, like calming a naughty child.

She shot me a sharp glare, but I ignored it and went to grab my clothes so I could contact the head butler and ask for warm tea.

Then I returned and continued drying her hair. "The tea will arrive soon."

"You think doing all this will make me forgive you?" she asked sarcastically.

"This is only a small part of what I’ll do to make you forgive me," I replied calmly. "I already told you. I’ll do anything for you."

Before she could answer, a knock on the door interrupted us.

I could sense it was Noah, but surely he wasn’t the one bringing tea himself.

From outside, Noah’s voice sounded. "Commander Black, Lady Healer. Commander Dawn has arrived."

I clicked my tongue unconsciously and stood up from the bed.

"Commander Dawn is also a Lycan King candidate, right?" Clarissa asked.

I nodded.

Commander Dawn, Marvin Dawn, was supposed to arrive at Frost Pack first. But his group ran into bandits in the forest, delaying their arrival from yesterday to tonight.

Meanwhile, Camden Steel was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, but since the vampire issue here was already resolved, I planned to contact him and tell him to return to his next mission instead.

Honestly, I was relieved that Marvin Dawn hadn’t met Clarissa first. I was afraid something might happen between them.

"Let’s go."

Clarissa’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She was already dressed neatly in The Healer’s white robe.

Seeing my stare, she spoke casually, "Are you planning to let me meet Commander Dawn alone?"

I flinched, shook my head, and quickly finished putting on my uniform. Then I paused and looked at her again.

Her beautiful face wore a playful smile. "So that’s why you were spacing out. You’re jealous, aren’t you?"

I swallowed. That teasing smile wasn’t annoying at all. She looked beautiful. Dangerous. Irresistible.

I walked up to her. "Yes. I’m jealous."

Without warning, I kissed her briefly, then turned and walked away.

She looked stunned, a blush creeping into her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she followed me.

...

Marvin reported about the bandits he dealt with on the way here. After that, I gave my report about the vampire group we had defeated.

But as time passed, my gaze darkened.

Marvin kept stealing glances at Clarissa. And when their eyes met, they even smiled at each other.

’Damn you, Marvin!’

THUD! A loud crashing sound came from the doorway.

We all turned to see several enforcers from the Black Legion and Dawn Legion collapsed on the floor.

Before I could ask what happened, Noah spoke while panting, struggling to stay upright. "Commander Black... you’re releasing your inner wolf pressure."

I froze.

Without realizing it, my irritation toward Marvin and Clarissa’s interaction had caused my inner wolf aura to leak out.

My eyes met Clarissa’s. She was clearly displeased. Marvin, on the other hand, looked at me as if asking, ’What are you doing, bro?’

Anything involving Clarissa made it impossible for me to focus.

I rubbed my face and told Noah to continue the report.

As I scanned the room, I realized something strange. Marvin and Clarissa were completely unaffected by my pressure.

Marvin made sense. He ranked top two during training and had been blessed by the Moon Goddess. His inner wolf strength was close to mine.

But Clarissa...

She was The Healer, yes, but she was still an omega. A true alpha’s pressure should have crushed her easily.

I watched her, and she noticed my gaze.

[We’re in a serious meeting. Could you stop thinking about the bed right now?] her mind-link reached me.

[I’m not thinking about that... Fine. I’ll focus.]

It seemed Clarissa thought the only thing on my mind was what went on in the bedroom.

Later, I would ask her directly if something had changed in her abilities since awakening as The Healer.

The meeting continued. The discussion shifted to the werewolves who had been turned into vampires. They were currently being held in the underground prison of Frost Pack.

"They’ll die within one or two days, in unbearable pain," Noah reported. "The warriors guarding the prison say they keep begging to be killed. They can’t endure the pain anymore."

This was a difficult decision.

Killing those who could still speak normally and recognize their friends felt like killing our own kind. But it was true that they were suffering terribly.

"Have you ever heard of pills made by WitchAe for werewolves who were turned into vampires?" Clarissa suddenly asked.

"Could Lady Rissa explain those pills to us?" Marvin jumped in, his voice deliberately gentle.

Since when did he get permission to call my Clarissa "Lady Rissa"?

Ignoring my irritation, Clarissa continued, "Before going to the capital, I stayed in Grey Pack. I heard rumors about pills that can turn vampires back into werewolves."

...