Chapter 14

Ally's POV
I struggled to try and swallow the steak in my mouth as Tyler thoughtfully poured me a glass of white wine.
"Drink slowly, we don't have anything urgent to do next." He propped his head up, his serious gaze looking like he was admiring a wonderful painting of art.
I was slightly annoyed by his stare, and then a wave of shyness flooded my brain. I think I must have blushed bright red.
"Don't stare at me like that, Tyler," I said, twisting my head away as I tried to hide my subtle emotions.
"Ally, I don't know what words to use to describe you." Tyler looked at me with a gaze that was as hot as lava, and I gazed into his eyes as I tried to read something in his gaze.
"Sometimes you're like a prim, cold warrior." Tyler paused and continued, "But sometimes, you are like a gentle mother, caring for all that is in the world."
"You care for those who suffer from misfortune. And for those who are vicious, you can take their lives without mercy."
Tyler gazed at me, his tone calm as if he was stating a certain fact.
"You're different from all the women I've come in contact with in the past, Ally," the heat in his eyes calmed down and a cold distance filled his eyes.
"Even though I know where you're coming from, the answers you've given me don't stand up to any scrutiny or thought."
I nodded, signaling that he could continue.
"Men of all packs treat women as if they were all resources to be exchanged. But I don't see any signs of domestication in you. You have great medical skills, but don't want to use them as a bargaining chip in exchange for benefits."
"You don't look like you belong in this place. So who the hell are you? Why did you come to Wind Pack?" The defensiveness in Tyler's eyes pierced me, but I couldn't tell him the truth.
I tried to calm him down, but he pushed my hand away.
"Okay. All I can say is that I do have something to hide from you. Everyone has some secrets in their hearts, right? I think you're hiding something in your heart that you don't want to tell me, too."
Tyler avoided my gaze, and I guess I should have said it right.
"I don't want to invite any trouble. But I want you to believe that there is no conflict between me and you. We have the same goal, and that is to find the slave trade and defeat them!"
I came up to his ear and lowered my voice and said, "Please, I'm not interested in who you really are. But I don't want you to interrogate me endlessly."
I looped my arms and smiled wryly at him. "I think we should start working together."
Tyler smiled, but I could sense that there was no real smile in his eyes.
At this point, the atmosphere between Tyler and I was starting to get delicate. We were both looking for a reasonable outlet to express the sensitive emotions inside of us.
We both had some secrets that we didn't want the other to know, but at the same time we both wanted the other to trust us.
"Damn it!" I heard Tyler curse in a low voice. Then he let out a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.
"All right. I'll take you to someone. Maybe we can develop a sense of how we can work together by handling this."
I guess my tone shouldn't sound too good, because I noticed Tyler's face looked as bad as if he'd swallowed a fly.
"Totally agree." Tyler stood up, then held out a hand to me. I stared into Tyler's eyes and realized I couldn't read the emotions he was shifting so quickly.
Tyler shrugged his shoulders and picked me up out of my seat with agility and lightness.
"Ah! Put me down now!" I admit I was shocked by his move.
"So you're scared now?" The flirtatious look in his eyes that I knew so well appeared again. But he still followed what I said and gently put me back on the ground.
"You are simply dreaming! Please don't think you can make me afraid!" I said proudly to Tyler, who cocked his head and surveyed me.
"I'm just curious about you. To be honest, you're very attractive to me." Tyler said to me seriously.
"That's a bonus for you." I casually groomed my hair.
"Did you just act like you were teasing me?" I asked him suspiciously.
"Sort of. I hope I didn't offend you, esteemed lady." Tyler bent down and bowed to me.
Tyler and I finished our dinner and I was about to go home when he suddenly pulled me in. He suggested he wanted to go around my neighborhood for a while.
"Ally, take me for a walk around the neighborhood." He said to me in a relaxed tone.
"Why did you suddenly remember to go do that?" I asked him suspiciously.
"We've both been devoted to work and taking care of patients since the injury I suffered was only good for you. I think you need to take it easy for a while." Tyler lowered his head and whispered to me, "Ally, I think you need to smile."
I didn't think he would care so much about my emotions. I did my best to smile. He held out his hand to me.
"I wonder if you'd be so kind as to join me for a stroll through the flower store."
I hesitated, I was going to accept Tyler's invitation. But I finally turned him down.
"With pleasure." Although I agreed to Tyler's invitation, I deliberately ignored his hand that was offered to me.
Tyler withdrew his hand in dismay. I suddenly felt at a loss, and I quietly covered my heart with my hand. I didn't want Tyler to hear the constant thumping of my heart.
I awkwardly pulled a smile out of the corner of my mouth, my limbs moving very stiffly. I tried to ignore the obvious frustration on tyler's face, so I walked straight in the direction of the flower store.
"Well, I forgot you've always been like this." I heard him murmur lowly behind me.
My wolf said to me, "He looks sad."
"I didn't mean to hurt him, but I had my responsibilities. I have to try to control my sanity, and if I get caught up in love, then I'm bound to fail in the end."
"I know."
"So do you have any plans with Tyler in the future?"
"I think that when I find out enough about Blackout Pack. I'll probably just leave him."
The florist wasn't far, and it only took Tyler and I about ten minutes to arrive. The streets were not as noisy at night as they were during the day, and the bright lights had long since been hung outside the store.
The temperature was three or four degrees cooler than during the day, and the cold wind poured in through the collar of my shirt. It made me feel the urge to sneeze.
I failed, and I sneezed hard in front of Tyler.
"God bless you, Ally," Tyler said as he saw me sneeze, and without hesitation he took off his jacket and draped it over me.
I felt Tyler's body heat on the top of my jacket and I smiled at Tyler and said, "I'm fine, thanks."
Tyler looked at me suspiciously, "Don't lie to me. Maybe we should go back."
I looked up to survey the view of the nearby streets, shook my head at Tyler and said, "Maybe we shouldn't go back from here halfway."
Tyler looked at me strangely and asked, "Why?"
"Well, I remembered that you didn't know about this." It seemed I had to explain to him at some length.
"Amy, the girl I put down. Do you remember?"
"Of course I do. So her name was Amy."
"Go down this street to the end, then turn left. The one with the yellow tulips at the door is her house."
I explained to Tyler.
Tyler nodded, "Would it seem inappropriate for us to bother her now."
"That's okay, she and I made an appointment a few days ago. I went back to visit her at her home after she was discharged from the hospital. She still gave me her home address herself." I reassured Tyler.
"But I didn't really want to spend time at a strange girl's house this late. I'd rather go home with you. Maybe I'll even some time to take a bath with you."
Tyler frowned at me, but the corners of his mouth were full of smiles.
I tried my best to look like I wasn't to be messed with, but my performance didn't do anything to deter Tyler.
He sighed helplessly and spread his hands out to me. "Okay, I'm just making a little joke."
I took a deep breath, this strange man always managed to calm my anger. "Let's get going then."
Tyler and I found Amy's house and I walked up to the door and knocked politely.
A clear sound of footsteps sounded from inside the door and I waited quietly. The door was slowly opened and a familiar face appeared in front of me.
Amy cried out in surprise, "Oh my God! It's actually Miss Ally!"
I smiled kindly at her and said, "Good evening, Miss Amy!"
Amy looked warily behind me and asked, "Miss Ally, who is he? May I ask if you need my help?"
I hastily introduced myself to amy, "This is Mr. Tyler, he is now my assistant at work."
Amy nodded, "So that's right, that's great." With Mr. Tyler's help, Miss Ally's work will be much less stressful." Then she grabbed my hand tightly and happily pulled me inside the house.
"Do you live alone?" Tyler asked Amy.
"No, I live here with my brother. Our parents died when I was sixteen."
I looked at Tyler reproachfully, thinking he shouldn't bring up Amy's sad story.
But Amy didn't care about that, her face was still calm and happy.
Amy invited us to sit down and then called her brother's name across the backyard. "John?"
I looked curiously into the dark backyard. A stout man answered Amy loudly, "I'm cleaning the mud off the turnips, get the door!"
Amy shrugged helplessly at me and explained to us, "John has always been obsessed with how to grow vegetables all over the land. He always likes to toss and turn."
In between our conversation, John walked in carrying a handful of radishes. He dropped the radishes in a bamboo basket on the table, then smiled nervously at us.
"Oh! Gosh! So it's Miss Amy who's here." He unhooked his apron from his waist, then went to the sink and got a glass of water to drink.
I introduced Tyler to john, and Tyler smiled kindly." It's nice to meet you, Mr. John."
"Very nice to meet you!" John is a little chubby, so once he smiles, his eyes narrow to slits.
"For Amy and me, it's simply an honor."