Chapter 58
Viola groaned awake, her entire body feeling sore and unusually heavy. When she first opened her eyes, everything was blurry, as expected with her terrible vision, so she instinctively reached out to the nightstand for her glasses without thinking too much about the fact that she was on a bed, when she usually preferred the floor.
Thankfully, her hand closed around her glasses immediately, and she brought them up and slipped them on.
The instant her vision cleared and her surroundings came into focus, her eyes rounded in astonished disbelief. What was she doing back in the healing room she had once spent months in? she thought, looking around almost panickingly, before her gaze fell to her wrist, where an IV drip was attached and machines beeped softly beside her.
How did she end up here again? What was she doing here? she wondered, glancing toward the glass wall that was unfortunately covered with thick curtains this time, preventing her from seeing outside and judging the time.
She calmed herself enough to let the cobwebs clear from her mind and brain and to process things slowly. It came to her, little by little, what had happened the last time she remembered being awake. She had been training, like every night, and had suddenly felt dizzy. Then everything had gone blank, only for her to wake up here now.
Oh no.
Viola gasped softly. She shouldn’t be away from her training, not with the competition so dangerously close!
This, this beautiful healing room, was a place she couldn’t afford to remain right now, with the competition so near. Viola thought this as she pushed herself into a sitting position, but she paused when she finally took note of something about her surroundings.
Unlike the last time she had been here, there were fresh white roses placed in different kinds of vases. They just so happened to be her favorite, their sweet scent filling the air, soothing something inside her and making her want to lie back down.
How did white roses get here? They were her all-time favorite. She found herself staring at the one placed in the vase on the stand beside her bed and instinctively leaning down to reach for it without thinking. However, she stopped herself midway, her fingers curling in midair before slowly withdrawing back to her side.
This beautiful atmosphere and those lovely roses were a luxury she couldn’t allow herself.
Viola quickly snapped herself out of it before she could give in to her lazy side and lie down again, or worse, reach for the bundle of white roses on the nightstand beside her and inhale their scent.
She had always liked them, but they were rare and expensive flowers she could no longer afford. And even if she could, she would never buy them for herself. This new chance at life she had been given, this life she was now living, was no longer about her, and that was a promise she intended to keep.
No more selfishness.
With that thought, her eyes turned away from the roses and dropped to the IV needle in her wrist. Without hesitation, she reached for it, ready to pull it out and get herself out of here, when a displeased, deep voice suddenly warned,
“Don’t even think about it, four eyes. Leave it be p>
Viola snapped her head toward the entrance. She hadn’t even heard the door open. Alpha Kade walked in casually, his black leather shoes barely making a sound against the polished, gleaming floor. One hand was thrust into his pants pocket, while the other held a takeaway food bag.
She frowned. He still looked as annoyingly handsome as she remembered, silver strands of hair falling messily across his forehead, cold eyes that looked a little less hostile yet just as blank. What was he doing here? she wondered, recalling only a vague memory of seeing him while she was training.
That didn’t explain his presence now.
As someone beneath him, Viola was supposed to bow and greet him, but instead she deliberately remained still, refusing to offer the respect expected of her before the Alpha. He was the last person she wanted to see the moment she woke up.
She watched him curiously and warily as he approached. When he removed his hand from his pocket and raised it, Viola flinched instinctively, ducking her head and lifting her arm as a shield.
“Don’t!” she warned, even before she fully understood what he was about to do.
Sebastian’s hand froze midair. His eyes narrowed in displeasure at her immediate assumption. Did she really think he would hit her? He wasn’t the kind of man who struck women, and he certainly wasn’t about to start with her.
Noticing that she had raised the arm with the IV still attached, Sebastian reached out and pulled it back down. She immediately yanked her arm free and sat up, cheeks flushing with embarrassment at her reflexive reaction, one born from years of being tortured. From the way she glared at him now, Sebastian knew she would never have wanted him to see that moment of weakness if it hadn’t happened purely on instinct.
He bit back a smile as he raised his hand again. This time, she didn’t flinch or blink. She watched him through the round frames of her glasses, blue eyes blazing, waiting to see what he would do.
Viola braced herself as his hand swung down toward her face. She balled her fists, fighting her body’s instinctive reaction to raised hands. Evan had done that many times back in Moonwillow, slapping her without warning after she became a hollow. She didn’t see why this heartless Alpha wouldn’t do the same for her failure to greet him when he entered.
But instead of a blow, his large, warm palm settled gently against her forehead, covering it entirely.
She frowned and quickly moved her head slightly back, away from his hand, resisting the strong urge to swat it away.
What was he doing?
“Hm. No more fever. That’s good,” Sebastian muttered, removing his hand. “Don’t remove the IV drip. Let it be.” he told her gently.
But she continued to watch him warily, like a cornered little puppy, waiting for an attack so she could bite. Really? Did she still think he would hurt her?
“What are you doing here, Supreme Alpha?” she asked with narrowed eyes, unable to understand why he would be here at all when he clearly didn’t like her. Shouldn’t he be busy at the pack house or something?
Sebastian placed the takeaway food bag on the nightstand. His silver eyes drifted to the white roses in the vase on the stand, their sweet scent filling the room. He had noticed from her phone gallery that she liked white roses and had ordered the strongest, sweetest ones to her room.
Instead of answering her question about why he was here, he asked calmly,
“Do you like the flowers, niñita p>
Viola was momentarily thrown off by his question, her eyes drifting to her favorite flowers on the nightstand before returning to him.
Did he really get these flowers? Why would he do that? White roses were so expensive that even Evan had never bought them for her back then, he would paint a red rose instead. She saw no reason why this man, who clearly didn’t like her, would get them for her sake. She assumed he must be asking for her opinion on his unnecessary purchase of something she had already chosen to deprive herself of.
“No,” she said curtly, then looked away, missing the displeased look that crossed his face and how his darkened gaze shifted to the flowers. Before she could process it, he grabbed the vase, walked to the bin, and tossed it, along with every single flower in the room, into the trash.
The sound of the vase hitting the bin pulled her attention back to him, and she gasped in disbelief, staring at him. Was he crazy?
Why on earth would he discard something so beautiful and expensive?
Viola’s heart went to the roses, but she forced herself to look away. She wanted to say something, to chide him for wasting something so costly, but she bit back the words. It wasn’t her place, and it wasn’t her business if he threw away something he had bought with his own money.
It wasn’t like he bought it for her. There was no way he would even know it was her favorite.
Instead, she turned away and began to silently wonder for how long she’d been unconscious? Probably half a day. She could make up for a missed day of training once she got out of here. She still had two days left before the competition, Viola thought, pleased with herself.
However, before she could even think about removing the needle from her hand, Viola noticed Sebastian grab the small foldable table at her side. He carried it closer and placed it across her lap, effectively trapping her, and said almost grudgingly, “You need to eat p>
She didn’t like the flowers? Sebastian thought. Then why the hell did she have so many of them on her phone?
Sebastian was still annoyed that he had wasted his time arranging the flowers just to please her when she wakes up. It was something he would never get caught doing in his life, but the damn mate-bond instinct to care for his female had led him to it. Now he felt stupid and had vented his frustration on the flowers. What was the point if she didn’t even like them?
They belong inside the bin.