Chapter 273

Chapter 273 The Gift of Rosemary
Third Person POV
Live experiments were inhuman trials, torturing both the body and spirit of a werewolf.
Even though Aubrey had already endured it once before, the pain and suffering didn’t lessen the second time. Instead, the two rounds of torment overlapped in her mind, sometimes blurring the line between past and present until she no longer knew which reality she was trapped in.
More than once she had fallen into nightmares, nearly losing control, only to be pulled back by Ella’s voice telling her it was all right.
And whenever she turned her head, she would see Alpha Henry asleep on the bed beside her. He was her anchor. Only by seeing him there, by seeing the tenderness in his eyes when he was awake, could she convince herself that she had truly been reborn, that she was no longer trapped in the agony of her last life.
These thoughts she told no one.
But just remembering them was enough to weigh her down with heavy gloom.
She couldn’t help turning toward her anchor–only to find Henry already watching her, his eyes filled with thought. But the moment she met his gaze, he smiled warmly.
Aubrey froze. Had he noticed something? No–impossible. She had hidden it too well. At night, he had never stirred awake. There was no way he knew.
“Why are you looking at me?” she asked.
Henry chuckled. “I want to give you a gift.”
“What kind of gift?”
“Do
you remember how I once promised to build you your own research institute?”
Aubrey’s eyes lit up at once.
“You really did it?”
Henry rose to his feet with a soft laugh. “When have I ever lied to you? The renovations of the old sanatorium are finished. And since the weather’s good today, do you want to see it?”
“What are we waiting for?”
1/3
Chapter 273 The Gift of Rosemary
And so, a small entourage left the Miguel estate and headed for the institute.
In the car, Henry pulled out a pale lavender scarf, his voice teasing.
“To keep the surprise, why don’t you close your eyes? Rest for a bit–we’ll be there soon.”
“All right.”
Aubrey nodded, allowing him to tie the scarf over her eyes.
An hour later, the car came to a stop.
654
+ Pearls
With Henry’s steady hand guiding her, Aubrey stepped out. Her nose twitched, her lips curving into a faint smile–then stiffening. Though blindfolded, she could smell something. A scent that stirred memory, sharp and cold, bound tightly to fear, to agony, to nights she wished she could forget.
“Did you smell something?”
Henry’s cheerful voice reached her. She turned her head, searching blindly, but saw nothing through the scarf.
The werewolf guards waited far outside. The place was nearly surrounded by water on three sides, the single entry point easily defended. Once, Henry’s grandfather had wanted to build a luxury sanatorium here, but he had died midway, leaving the land abandoned.
Now Henry had rebuilt it. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ.net
He asked her with a smile, “Guess. What plant’s scent is this? You should know it.”
“Rosemary…” Aubrey’s voice was low, almost flat.
It was late autumn, when rosemary blossomed. A breeze swept past, carrying the clean fragrance. Even without looking, she knew—this was a vast field of rosemary, purple blossoms swaying at their peak.
“Yes, rosemary.” Henry led her by the hand, speaking as they walked. “This land is part of the Miguel family estate, isolated from the world. A good place for rest. Grandfather wanted a sanatorium here, and rosemary sharpens the senses, with medicinal uses as well. That’s why the whole outer grounds are planted with it. It’s a spectacular sight.”
“And here,” his voice deepened with pride, “is my gift to you–your own institute. Here, you are queen.”