Aurora:
(One month later)
"Hey, Phoenix. We have been looking for you," Doctor Jai started shaking his head once he spotted me in the cafeteria. He dumped his coffee cup on the table and pulled a chair for himself.
I was here watching a boring program on TV. My face was still covered with bandages, and they were planning to remove them today.
Doctor Jai was a sweetheart. He was the elder son of the pack's former beta, but gave up his position to pursue his passion for treating others.
His Beta position was passed on to his younger brother, Brian, one of the two men who brought me to the pack hospital.
I stayed unconscious for one week, and after that, when they asked my name, I suddenly came up with the name Phoenix.
Delis was right. They believed my story when I told them I was the only one who survived the fire in my pack.
Jai was the most competitive doctor among all the packs in the North. According to him, the salve he put on my face before bandaging was so effective that I would be amazed once I looked in the mirror after getting rid of this tight thing wrapped around my face.
It only let me speak a few words, and I always took advantage of it whenever they asked me something that I couldn't answer.
"Hungry?" he looked into my eyes and offered me his coffee cup, but I declined it with a shake of my head.
He knew I couldn't take a sip or bite of food without using that tube that was specifically designed for cases like mine.
It was not exactly tube feed, but it helped me a lot in swallowing the soft food they always gave me. The cheeseburger and pizza I craved a few days back, I didn't want those anymore.
I wanted to leave this pack and get settled with humans. Though this pack was more welcoming, and I hadn't seen any mean people around here.
Nobody ever visited me except the Alpha, Beta, and Jai. Nurses and the staff boys knew me. Most of them used to carry out monologues because they were aware I couldn't speak except a yes or a no.
Most of my conversation consisted of the motion of my head.
After he finished his coffee, we got up, and he threw his hand over my shoulders, but I could sense how gentle he had been while doing that.
He was the only friend I made. He knew how to divert his patient's attention by cracking jokes.
"Stop thinking about it," he shook me a little and then squeezed me to his side, "Your baby skin will steal the hearts of all the werewolves in our pack."
I couldn't even laugh or smile at the joke.
Uh. Rubbish! I wasn't interested in anyone's heart.
I hadn't disclosed my plans to anyone. No matter how courteous they were, it would only take a second to turn them into beasts.
"Phoenix!"
I wanted to grin when I heard the innocent voice of four-year-old Maria. Did I tell you that she was a sweetheart who thought of me as her buddy?
"Urgh!" Jai rolled his eyes in fake annoyance, but I knew him better. He adored the girl. Maria was the niece of Alpha Blake.
She raced to me and hugged my legs, "Phoenix. Where were you? Daddy bought me a dollhouse."
I kneeled to get to her eye level, "That's great!" I nodded at the munchkin, and a fleeting thought crossed my mind.
What if… by any chance, I had gotten pregnant by Alpha Sebastian? Would it be possible to escape while carrying a child?
The thought of that man made my heart race, and I tried to distract myself.
"Will they open it today?" she asked me innocently, pointing to my face.
I picked her up and started walking to my private room in the hospital, assigned to me by the pack doctor, Jai Chris.
"Yeah, sweetheart. I can't wait,"
"And then you can move into my room, Phoenix. I can give you all my toys," She told me excitedly.
Jai, who was walking beside me, groaned a little, and I chuckled at his dramatic response.
"Honeybee. I don't think you should be allowed here. Now go back to your nanny. She must be looking for you."
I was intentionally taking time, getting to my room. Up until now, I had seen in the movies, like you know, where they pull off the cloth and reveal the glowing and perfect face of the female protagonist to the audience.
But this was real life. And honestly? I had no idea what to expect.
After sending Maria away, I walked to my room with Jai tagging behind me. Alpha Blake and Beta Brian were already in the room, waiting for us.
"Here you are. How're you, Phoenix?" Alpha Blake asked me, after shaking my hand, "Don't worry. We gave you the best doctor who is popular for having magic in his hands," I just shrugged and sat down on the medical bed, where a nurse was already waiting for me with a small trolley that had all the essentials.
I let out a deep breath and glanced at Jai, who blinked while nodding at me.
Silent support from him, assuring me it would be ok.
I looked around the room where I stayed for a whole month. Jai had made sure all the mirrors were taken out. Pretty soon, I would leave this room for good and move on.
I was going to miss these people who helped me when things were really bad. Especially Jai—
He had been more like a friend than anything else. When I woke up after being unconscious for a week, he was the one sitting in a chair, waiting for me to wake up.
I flinched a little when I felt the cold touch of the scissors on my skin. The nurse was cutting the bandages expertly, and Jai was standing nearby, helping her in unwrapping them.
He was slowly pulling the fabric away from my face. I kept my eyes shut and waited for Jai to say something.
But the room stayed silent for what felt like forever. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Jai, who had a faint smile on his face.
"H…how do I look?" I asked him and turned to look at the faces of Alpha Blake and Beta Brian, who were nodding at me.
I was used to this reaction. People who never expected me to be this beautiful often nodded at me or smiled at me when they were speechless.
Mateo once told me that even the Moon Goddess couldn't compete with my beauty.
I ran my hand through my short hair. They got it trimmed to keep them even.
Just then, the door handle twisted, and someone came inside.
"Where is Phoenix?" Maria's little face popped in through the open door.
I was about to tell her that I was there, but the moment she saw my face, her expression changed completely. Before anyone could stop her, a loud, piercing scream escaped her lips.
"Honeybun!" I whispered and ran after her.
"Phoenix! Stop!" Jai shouted behind me, but I ignored him and kept going.
However, I had to stop when I saw my reflection in one of the dark-tinted windows lining the hallway.
My heart dropped.
I covered my face, and a blood-curdling scream tore from my throat, echoing down the hallway like my life depended on it.