Rhea groaned softly as consciousness tugged her back. She braced herself for the crushing weight of pain, for the ache in every inch of her body. But nothing came. No fire in her ribs, no stabbing in her limbs. Instead, she felt light, charged, as though someone had poured raw energy straight into her veins. Only her throat still burned, scratchy and dry.
What happened after I blacked out? she wondered. Am I back in my world? Wow… what a quick transmigration.
She pried her lashes apart slowly, blinking through the haze. The first thing she saw was white. A ceiling. Smooth, plain, and white.
I'm really back home?
She turned her head, it didn't even hurt anymore — and scanned the room. It looked almost like a hospital room, but stripped bare of machines and sterile equipment. Just the narrow bed she lay on, a small wooden table pushed against the wall, and a chair tucked beneath it. No monitors, no IV lines, no humming machines. Instead, the air was heavy with the scent of herbs, sharp and earthy, the opposite of disinfectant.
She pushed herself up slightly, ready to climb out of bed, when footsteps echoed outside the door. Her body stilled. She sank back down immediately, shutting her eyes, keeping her breathing low and even.
The door creaked open. Two sets of steps entered. The door clicked shut.
"She's not awake yet," a woman said, her voice dripping with disgust. She sighed hard, like even standing in the room was beneath her. "I can't believe the Alpha made me heal her."
I'm still here? Heal… like a healer's magic? Wow, Rhea thought, keeping her face slack as she listened.
"He should have just let her die. She's of no use to the pack anyway," the woman continued, venom curling in every word.
A man's voice answered, softer, heavier. "You know why he did it. Even though she's of no use, she's still his mate. Rejected or not. Letting her die could weaken him… might even kill his wolf."
Rhea's ears pricked at that. A slow smirk tugged at her lips, hidden beneath her feigned stillness. Interesting
The woman scoffed loudly. "That's why he needs to mate with Lady Nikki as soon as possible. Bonding with her wolf will help his too. I swear, I want this traitor dead."
"Calm down," her partner said. "We're here to check on her condition. Let's just do that and go."
"I'm not touching her again," the woman spat. "I might be tempted to strangle her."
"Fine, I'll do it..."
Before he could take a step closer, Rhea sat up in one fluid motion. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching her arms above her head, her spine arching like a cat that had all day to lounge. "I think I've heard enough," she said.
The two healers froze. Their eyes flicked to each other, then back to her. The woman's lip curled into a sneer. "So you've been awake this whole time?"
Rhea ignored her. She lifted her arms high and yawned dramatically, her voice hoarse but laced with mock boredom. "I really need some water," she muttered as she padded toward the door.
"Hey..." the woman snapped, reaching out to grab her arm.
Rhea moved before she thought, dodging on pure reflex. Her body slipped aside, smooth and sharp, leaving the healer's fingers closing on empty air. Both of them stared, stunned.
She can do that? their expressions screamed.
Rhea almost grinned at their shock. Impressive, she thought. This body moves flawlessly, like it really belongs to me. I was expecting to have to retrain from scratch… maybe I won't. Still, I'll need to test it properly.
She pulled the door open and stepped out, not sparing them another glance.
The door shut behind her with a soft click, leaving the two healers staring at the empty space she had just walked through.
The woman's eyes were wide, disbelief etched across her face. "What… was that? The omega has always been timid, docile. She wouldn't even look people in the eye before. What just happened?"
The man rubbed the back of his neck, still frowning at the door. "I don't know. That wasn't the same girl. She moved like…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "No, it doesn't make sense. Maybe… maybe all the beatings, the starvation, maybe it finally broke something in her head."
The woman scoffed, her sneer curling back into place. "Figures. The weak always snap sooner or later." She crossed her arms and tossed her hair back with a sharp flick. "Don't worry. Lady Nikki will put her back in her place soon enough."
Her partner exhaled, his shoulders tense, but he didn't argue. Together, they gathered their things in silence.
Rhea stepped out of the healer's building looking like she had just been upgraded. Her stride was easy, her posture sharp, and her skin carried a faint glow, the kind that made her feel like she had stepped out of a glossy magazine spread.
She still couldn't wrap her head around how the healing worked. It was nothing she could explain. It felt like magic. "I wish I had witnessed them in action. That'd be cool," she muttered, tugging at her sleeve. She peeked at skin that had been purple and swollen only moments ago. Smooth. Clear. Not a bruise in sight. "Hmm… interesting. Impressive, in fact."
Looking forward, she took in the empty passageway. The long corridor stretched quietly, its silence heavy. It seemed the healer's quarters were rarely used, tucked away from the pack's daily bustle. The author hadn't written much about them though.
She started forward but paused, her lips twitching into a sly smile. "I need to taste something first," she muttered.
Planting her feet, she shifted her weight and moved. Her arms cut through the air in sharp, practiced motions. A front kick snapped high, toes pointed, controlled. A spin carried her into a perfect roundhouse, her hair whipping with the motion. She dropped low, twisted, and finished with a swift punch that cracked the air in front of her. Every strike, every movement flowed effortlessly.
She smiled, chest rising and falling with exhilaration. "Wow. This body is impressive. Better than my own. The movements feel deadlier than I remembered." A whistle slipped past her lips. "Now, who am I going to test it on?"
Still grinning, she turned and pushed open the door at the end of the passageway.
She didn't make it two steps.
Her body collided with something hard, a chest like a wall. Before she could even open her mouth to apologize, a hand shot out of nowhere and cracked across her cheek.
The sound echoed.
Her head snapped to the side, the sting spreading instantly across her face. A metallic tang filled her mouth. Blood.
"Watch where you're going, filth," the man spat, glaring down at her like she had insulted his ancestors.