4

"Is something wrong?" The nurse asked, concerned etched to her voice.

"Who is that?" My voice shook as I slowly raised a hand to my face, inspecting it in the mirror with a racing pulse.

"That's you," she responded, and panic surged thorough me.

How could this be?

I eyed my reflection with wide eyes. The face staring back at me was unfamiliar with blue eyes and pointed nose that weren't mine.

"This isn't me!" I exclaimed in my head, chest rising and falling as the nurse calmed me down and assisted me in using the restroom.

I washed my face over and over again, but nothing changed.

"There, there, honey. I think the medications are making you a bit on edge. Let's get you back to the room," the nurse said in a soothing tone, keeping me mute.

As we returned back to the room, the strange man, who had called the nurse, rose and approached me.

"I heard you scream, are you okay?" He asked, gently gripping both of my shoulders.

My muscles grew taut, and my face turned crimson. Realising he was making me uncomfortable, he released my shoulders and stepped away from me.

"Is she okay?" He directed the question to the nurse.

"What did you do to my face?" I asked, not giving the nurse the chance to respond. Orion frowned in confusion.

"She is fine. She is just reacting to the medication. One of the side effects is hallucination," the nurse said as she helped me to get onto the bed.

Thoughts spiralled out of control in my head. Where were all the familiar faces I knew? Was I dreaming?

I squeezed my eye tight, and popped them open, hoping to wake up from this dream. But it didn't work. The nurse was still there and she checked my vitals, confirming I was okay before leaving.

"I know you are scared and confused, but–"

I cut Orion short with another question. "What am I doing here? Who are you?"

Orion pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, "Did the fire also get to her brain?"

My brows knitted into a frown. "What fire?"

His hand fell from over his nose. "Just get all the rest you need, Raya." Orion turned to leave, but I halted him in his tracks.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, unable to wrap my head around what was happening. "What fire do you speak of, and who is Raya?"

Orion resumed walking, prompting me to spring up from my bed in a desperate need to stop him.

"Please, don't lea–" I stopped mid-sentence when a sharp pain zapped through my stomach. I groaned in pain.

"Are you okay?" Orion asked for the umpteenth time, rushing towards me.

His warm palms gripped my waist, sending heat down my veins accompanied with a heart that skipped a beat. Was this what it felt like to be touched by your mate?

I gulped, holding my breath as he sat me back on the bed.

"You have to be careful, okay?" He arched his brows, and remorse clouded his eyes for a fleeting moment.

"Will you tell me why I'm here now?" I asked in a soft voice, finally breathing once he released my waist.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he sat one of his buttocks on the bed and said, "You saved my life, and it resulted in you being burnt alive."

My brows knitted into a frown. Was Orion playing tricks on me?

"An intense battle between our pack and that of a rival almost cost me my life. Wolfsbane was injected into me, rendering me weak. They threw an explosive object at me, but you jumped right in and shoved me aside, and now you're here," he explained after reading the confused expression on my face. "I owe you one."

He enveloped my frail fingers in his wide palms.

A lump sat in my throat. I wasn't no Risa. I could only remember Lucy and that witch of a beta killing me in the woods.

The gory memory flashed in my head, causing a tear to trail down my cheek. Another followed its path.

"I promise, I'll take care of you," he muttered. "I'm glad the moon goddess made you survive this one."

His last sentence rang a bell in my head. I blinked rapidly, slowly piecing reality together.

Wait, did this mean the moon goddess had given me a second chance in the body of another she-wolf? Was I reincarnated?

"I believe we were," my wolf announced in my head.

I swallowed hard, accepting this as my new reality.

***

I folded my arms against my chest, watching one of the girls that had been assigned to take care of me in the hospital drop a bowl of chicken noodle on the table before me.

“I’m not hungry,” I muttered, glancing up at the television.

“How are the medications going to work if you don’t eat?” She asked, but I responded with silence.

“I’m not eating until Orion gets here,” I said.

The hospital door opened with a creak, and his sandalwood scent travelled into my nostrils, setting something within me ablaze.

“Raya?” His baritone voice made my stomach clench, and my wolf erratic.

I grounded my teeth, ignoring those feelings. I had better things to tend to than matters of the heart.

“Alpha Orion, it’s great that you’re here,” the girl in charge of my upkeep greeted him with a respectful bow. “She has refused to eat anything since this morning.”

Orion’s brows fused into a deep frown as he stared at me. “Why, what’s going on?”

“I want to speak to you about something important,” I said, and the urgency in my tone gave away my anxiety.

After my encounter with Orion a few days ago when I woke up, I hadn’t seen him until today. I needed to talk to him.

Orion averted his gaze to the girl and jutted his chin towards the door. She nodded, offering him a curt bow before walking out of the door.

“What’s the problem?” Orion asked, and I wondered if the emotion that danced in his eyes was fear.

“I-“ I hesitated, taking a deep breath, unable to construct what was in my head.

“If this is about Sally, I’m sorry,” Orion muttered and his head sagged in sadness.

I furrowed my forehead, unaware of who that was. I could feel my wolf growing jealous at the mention of another female’s name.

“Look, we’re not here for love. We have to ignore whatever mate bond we feel. I can’t afford to have a repeat of Ken and Sameen again,” I said in my head to my wolf.

“He might just be different,” my wolf responded, but I shut her out. Head first before the heart.

“No, it’s not about her,” I said to Orion, and a look of relief washed over him. “I can’t stay here.”

“Okay, I will ask the doctor when you will be discharged,” he said, rubbing his bearded chin.

“No, not that.” I shook my head. “This is totally different.”

I glanced around the room, acting as if the walls had ears.

“I’m not who you think I am,” I finally said, breaking the news to him. Not knowing how he would react.