Chapter 12 - Those Women Scheme

"He didn't buy me. I was born in this pack." Kara looked uncomfortable as she spoke. "Can we not talk about this?" 

"Yess, go inside, shall we?" Lisa rushed us to enter the house. It was not a big house, But a beautiful one. When I took a step inside, the scent of herbs was everywhere. This was not healthy. The herbs were mostly poisonous. And the scent could affect one person's body.

Kara went directly to somewhere that was supposed to be a kitchen. I roamed the house, examining it. After more minutes, Lisa tapped my shoulder and made me notice her. "Eliana, from today, you'll work here helping Kara. I have to leave you here right now. "

Kara chimed in from the kitchen, "Don't worry Lisa, I'll take care of her."

She smiled back to her, "I know. I will be back at night."

"Follow what Kara said, honey. She's a great teacher." Lisa said that, tapping my cheek one more time before going out. I looked at her back when she disappeared behind the door. 

"She's like a mom, isn't she." Kara said that as she called me out. "Eliana, let's brief you a moment."

I took a seat at the dinner table, and Kara took out some biscuits and warm drink for me. "Something warm can make your throat better." 

"Thank you." My raspy voice must be so obvious. I looked around the room and asked her curiously. "Are you a doctor?". 

"I'm an alchemist." Her eyes were full of pride, and it was written all over her face how she loved her job. 

But truly this girl was insane, leaving the house in this state. You have to be very careful when dealing with poison. "You know then. This house is not healthy. Those herbs are poisonous." 

Kara's eyes widened, "How.. how do you know?" 

How to explain this. "I.. you know.. I had some sessions in the past with poison. Though I'm not an alchemist." 

There's something wrong with this girl as her eyes shine brighter. She moved her chair, putting it next to me. "Tell me, Eliana." She grabbed my arm, linking it with hers. "Oh goddess, I think I finally find a friend. It's hard, you know, talking about medicine and drugs to other female wolves. They thought I'm weird."

I chuckled, "No, you're not weird Kara, I think you're the most normal person I've met from this pack, except Lisa of course."

This girl couldn't hide her excitement. "Tell me. What kind of poison you've dealt with in the past."

A lot actually. I've examined and studied many of them. But still, I was not immune to poison. I could handle the simple one. But not the strong one that made you die right after the seconds you consume it.

"You know that little flower," My hand pointed at the beautiful red flower which was hanging near the stairs. "I've tested that flower before, you don't joke with it."

"Oh! You have dealt with that one? You could get paralyzed and fall into a coma." She whispered, "You know, I once tested it on my hand. Even the raw one could irritate your skin so bad. It took three weeks for me to completely heal."

I let out a soft laugh, "Well, I'm glad you heal it." I looked around, looking for the other familiar herbs or plants. "Ah. That one too.. I've tasted it before."

She gasped again, "Eliana, you're incredible."

"That green wood, I know that herb also…" "This one too.."

I told Kara about any herbs I found familiar. She was excited to listen to all of my stories. We've lost track of the time, and the sky was almost dark when I peeked outside the window. "Oh, Kara. By the way, do you want to clean your house? As you've realized, those plants and herbs were dangerous to store in open area. Not to mention you even hang some of them."

Her face looked so down. She bit her lips before finding her voice. "Eliana.. I'm not the one who made this arrangement in the house."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

Her eyes were a little bit teary as she met my eyes. "You know Rebecca Shaden right? Keegan's mate."

I nodded. The red-haired one I met during the banquet dinner. 

She continued, "She.. was once my friend. I, Rebecca, and Keegan, were childhood friends. But there was a criminal claim about my father that turned my family into slaves. After that incident, Rebecca was so mean to me."

There's a glimpse of nervousness when she told me, but still kept going with her words. "After I was given to Conrad manor, he told me to work with Stella Ingmire."

"Stella, Conrad's mate?" I asked as my mouth was bitter saying the girl's name. 

Kara hugs her waist, nodding. "Ingmire family were outsiders. They made deals with Alpha Geargo and they brought in a lot of medical teams to explore more. I work for her regarding the poison experiment. Since my father was an alchemy and I was trained to be one."

So basically they thought it was a waste of her talent to be thrown out like that, and they even thought it was better for her to work for free, saving some money for them. "Dealing with poison is a risky job. Did they check your health regularly?" 

"They did that in the beginning, but it stopped years ago. I'm an alchemist so I know if I felt something wrong. Luckily I didn't get anything from it."

I fist my hand beside my clothes. "It's not lucky, Kara. It's because you are an expert of the field, and learn everyday about it so you know how to put yourself in a safe way." I was raising my voice when I said this, "Tell me, that woman Stella, she arranged the home like this, didn't she?"

Kara nodded. " She's and Rebecca. One day, She told me to arrange the house like this, so she can find the herbs or plants easier. I'm… not allowed to change anything."