Chapter 2

Cole

Looking at the person before me, I was honestly confused.

I'm not actually human in any biological sense.

I'm a wolf—more precisely, I'm the heir to the Alpha King of the wolf world.

I hate humans from the depths of my soul.

Because humans always carry this disgusting stench that makes me want to flee.

But I can't escape, because of my father, the Alpha King.

For reasons I don't understand, he insists I live in human society and has Holden Beta accompany me.

They make me drink potions to disguise myself as human.

This severely suppresses my healing abilities, making me as physically fragile as a human who needs medical treatment.

I truly despise this human world and hate medical treatment.

Not only do I have to endure living with their stench, but I also have to endure painful medical procedures.

Those stupid team doctors always hurt me with alcohol, when clearly those wounds could heal themselves.

But my father's potion prevents me from healing, forcing me to let doctors disinfect and dress my wounds.

What's worse is that humans actually think such treatment is necessary.

They cry and demand that I find team doctors for them.

But I don't need one—doctors only cause me pain!

Originally, I planned to drive away all the medical students interviewing today. I didn't want to suffer for the sake of those teammates anymore.

But I never expected such an unexpected discovery.

This girl was so different from others with their rotting smell.

She carried a scent I actually liked.

Or rather, a scent that could calm my inner emotions.

It was a faint mint fragrance that I enjoyed—I was even somewhat captivated by it.

I couldn't help moving closer to confirm the scent, but she seemed overly nervous, making her mint smell much stronger and making me want to sneeze.

Fortunately, when I stepped back, her scent became lighter and she seemed less tense.

It was amazing—her scent could clear my mind and help me control my emotions.

"Cole?"

That mint fragrance—she truly was extraordinary.

Being with her brought peace to my emotions, steadying my mood.

Though she seemed to dislike me, even fear me somewhat.

I pulled back more of my intimidating presence. She looked much better, and the mint scent had become pleasantly fresh.

It seemed my pressure had indeed frightened her earlier.

I tried to control my voice, hoping not to stress her:

"What's your name?"

In that moment, backlit, she finally raised her head.

She was truly beautiful, like a forest sprite.

I didn't know how to express my shock.

I'd seen plenty of women, but she was the first to give me such a special sense of intimacy and amazement.

"Brianna Hill."

Seeing her serious expression, I was satisfied.

I decided to give her a chance.

At least she wouldn't faint from a little pressure like those other foolish humans.

Nor would she make me endure rotting smells while receiving terrible treatment.

I raised my hand and looked toward Holden standing nearby.

"Take her to handle the paperwork. From now on, she's our team doctor."

However, my teammates weren't pleased with my decision. This guy Jess actually rushed up to me and roared:

"Cole! You're hiring her?"

"I just checked—she's nothing but a freshman who hasn't even started school yet! She's a rookie!"

"Sure, you're strong and don't need a team doctor, but we do!"

"You're the captain—you need to be responsible for your team! Do you know how important a team doctor is? You freak!"

Facing Jess's rage, if this were before, he wouldn't be standing in front of me right now.

I definitely would have given him a solid punch to show him who was captain.

But now, breathing in Brianna's mint fragrance, my heart was much calmer.

I simply watched Jess, waiting for him to finish venting.

Finally, after calling Brianna an "idiot," Jess stopped complaining and stormed out, slamming the door.

Damn it, I'd never realized what awful people my teammates were.

No gentlemanly behavior whatsoever!

I stepped forward and looked at Brianna with a hint of apology—she seemed quite shaken:

"I hope they didn't frighten you."

Unexpectedly, hearing my words, Brianna wore a faint smile.

As if nothing had just happened.

Her tone was perfectly calm:

"Of course not. I'm the team doctor—I won't fear my own teammates."

I turned to look at Holden and gave him a meaningful glance.

Holden's reaction was much more composed than the players'.

Seeing his smiling expression, he seemed to have known all along that I'd choose Brianna.

He actually pulled out a hiring notice already printed with Brianna's name and walked over to her.

"Brianna, congratulations."

Brianna looked extremely happy—so happy she forgot her student ID and resume were still on my office desk.

Students have difficulty entering and leaving campus without their ID, so I decided to deliver it to her.

But she ran quickly, disappearing from my office doorway in an instant.

Originally I planned to have Holden deliver it, but after she left, I found myself wanting to smell that mint scent again.

I would go find her myself.

But when I searched the entire campus, there was no trace of her.

Later, someone from the finance department called to tell me that Brianna had taken an advance on part of her team doctor salary and then disappeared.

Hearing this news, my heart felt ice-cold.

It seemed she wasn't different after all. Aside from her special scent, she was essentially human with the greedy nature I despised about humans.

I regretted hiring her. I was going to cancel her employment.

Just as I was about to click cancel, I heard Holden's phone call.

Brianna was at the hospital.

I didn't know what was wrong with me—my body actually started moving with worry.