The Alpha's Healer

17 | A proposal

The blatant confession left no room to maneuver around. Iris returned to her old tactic and acted like she didn't hear him. The food arrived steaming hot and a bowl of comforting chicken soup was placed in front of her.

Iris already ate lunch earlier and was not hungry for a full meal. She sipped on the light soup, sneaking glances at Sebastian as he swept food out of the place. What baffled her was the clear elegance while he did it.

Even Sandra, who received years of eloquence lessons, couldn't imitate it. Watching him enjoy his food had significant effect on her appetite. She managed to finish an entire bowl of soup that was bigger than her face.

Sebastian walked her back to the apartment and left promptly, stating urgent business. Iris didn't ask, after all, it didn't concern her. She was not someone he should be reporting his work to.

Yet, the warmth from her stomach travelled up to her heart and she found herself smiling at the foot as it closed as she stood rooted to the spot, listening to the sound of his fading footsteps until it disappeared.

Iris spent the first night at her new home without a blink of sleep, curled up against the window, her blank stare cast over the dim horizon as the colourful lights turned into blinking stars scattered across the shadow ridge pack's land.

When morning came, Iris felt as lost as the moment she stepped across the border of the Fire moon pack. She dragged her numb feet to the kitchen and fixed herself a light breakfast with the ingredients neatly stocked in the pantry and fridge.

For the first time in eighteen years, Iris cooked something for herself. It didn't make sense until she noticed that her plate only had two slices of toast and one fried egg without seasoning.

Iris thought herself lucky if she ate such a thing once a day back in fire moon pack. A single fried egg would be cherished, each bite savoured like it was the last thing she was going to eat.

The same taste made her gag as soon as it touched her tongue. A trace of disgust rose up her throat, resisting the food as she stubbornly ate it.

She clearly didn't like it.

When exactly did her tongue change it's preference?

Iris slumped against the back of the chair, a bit defeated as she realised that the taste of her tongue was still the same. She just never liked eggs to begin with.

It was a choice between stale food, no food or the food she didn't like. Her body made the decision and her preferences never mattered against starvation.

After two days of being well fed, her body finally shed its shield and began to show it's preferences. Iris didn't know how to feel about it, because now it seemed as if the one she had been was not her at all.

To rediscover her true self felt like the most difficult chore she had to do.

Daybreak used to be the busiest time for Iris. Her hands and feet wouldn't know rest until the morning chores list was ticked off till the end.

Today, Iris sat on the kitchen island and watched the sun shine in it's glory with a cup of hot water, slowly savouring the warmth against her cold fingers.

The silence was odd.

Iris' ears seemed to echo with the ghostly whispers that were once the shouts she would respond to.

"Iris! Are you dead?! Why don't you answer?!"

"Iris! Is breakfast done?! I'm late for class!"

"Iris! The chickens have to be fed! Be quick!"

"Iris! Did you get the groceries for this week?!"

The whispers grew louder and louder, banging against her eardrums. The cup slipped out of her hand as she raised it against her face, hiding from the ghosts that wouldn't leave her alone.

Suddenly, a loud shrill cut the cord tugging on her mind. The sound came from the living room where her new phone had been lying untouched since yesterday. The screen lit up with a name, vibrating slowly towards the edge, begging for attention from it's owner.

Iris caught it and answered, sounding a bit breathless from the onslaught of whispers, "Hello?"

"Good morning." Sebastian sounded deep and cheerful in the morning. "Did you sleep well?"

"Y-Yes. Did you...?" She trailed off. The lie came far more easily when the other person wasn't spying under her expression.

"Hm, I passed the night somehow. Did you have breakfast yet?"

Sebastian and his constant efforts to feed Iris were on full swing. Iris could not refuse him after the lunch scene, so she lied once again and agreed to meet him for breakfast. That egg and toast left a bad taste in her mouth anyway.

The Alpha showed up at her door in five minutes. Iris hurriedly bunched her curly strands into a loose braid and followed him to a nearby cafe. All the way she heard him read a couple of reviews for the place; apparently their bread was so famous it made people drive from miles away just to taste it.

The door of the cafe opened with the sound of bells. The pleasant jingle drowned out the whispers of people standing in line outside. She glanced at the Alpha who just used his authority to cut the line and felt like she had just became an accomplice in a crime.

The ordering process didn't take longer than five minutes as Sebastian already knew what he wanted. Iris took the same as him. They occupied a corner in the cafe. Iris held the huge glass of hot coco and took a small sip.

"Iris."

Her heart jolted against the ribcage. It hurt the way he called. No deception, no rage, no mocking, almost as if he truly liked calling her by the name.

"Yes?" Despite all that, her response was always the same when her name was called. Small, pitifully silent.

"Have you thought about what you're gonna do?" His tone matched the look in his eyes; soft yet firm.

He watched her across the table as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and the question was just a formality. "Any plans? You can share them with me. I'll help you."

Iris wished she had plans. She hated being so uselessly stationary. Her days were always busy, so packed she could easily forget the pain breaking out of her body. But her morning was slow and tranquil today. Her hands and feet didn't know what to do.

However, Iris couldn't make anything of herself. Her skills were limited. She lacked the confidence to dip into the world she didn't know of. How could she ask for help when she didn't even know what she wanted help in.

Her confused face reflected on the sides of the cup gripped tightly in her hand. Iris noticed the helplessness deep within her eyes.

Two minutes of silence answered his question. His coffee cup touched the table half empty. Hers was entirely full except for traces of being tasted around the edges.

"If not, would you like to hear about I proposal? I've received it on your behalf since they had no other way to contact you."

Confusion replaced the desolation in her eyes. Before she could realise what he meant, Sebastian slid a piece of uneven torn paper in front of her. He tapped it twice and smiled as he said, "Dr Carlos wants to recruit one more skilled medical student in his team. He appreciates your skills and resonates with your ideas. Would you like to consider?"

Dr Carlos? His team? The faces of his three team members and the crystal cases behind his desk, the lab that smelled of formalin and disinfectant came rushing like a flood in her mind.

"His team could use a good hand like yours. I'm not saying it because I'm biased, trust me. Dr Carlos called me last night to ask and wants you to join today itself if you're willing." He checked the time on his wrist watch and added, "I will drive you to the hospital if you agree. We'll reach on time."

Sebastian didn't give her enough time to think. However, Iris knew better than anyone what would happen if he did. The overthinking mind of hers would devour every good thing offered to her and eventually make her walk away from it.

The phantom of a dream she once buried, clung to her, giving her a chance to revive it. "Yes. I will go."

The hasty decision made her heartbeat speed up. Iris never experienced such a rush before.