The Replacement Aplha

Lead Healer Clifford

After Thomas departed, I was eager to get back to the comfort of my house. It had been a long day – emotionally and mentally.

 I reminded myself that I should purchase a more comfortable pair of shoes as my feet were killing me after running from patient to patient without a moment’s rest.

I was also ravenous. My mouth watered greedily at the thought of food, even if it was food that I was going to make with my poor culinary skills.

I was finishing up Thomas’s file in the Healer’s room when Healer Michael interrupted me.

“Hi, Scarlett,” he said. He looked even more drained than he had this morning, if it was possible. It looked as if he had to focus to just keep his heavy eyelids from closing.

“Oh, hi,” I said as I continued to scribble in the folder, “I’m almost done, I promise.”

“I just wanted to let you know how great you were today,” he complimented, “in a couple of weeks, I bet you’ll be completely on your own.”

I smiled, trying not to reveal my sense of pride I was feeling as I didn’t want to come off too overconfident.

But he was right – I had killed it today. My self-assurance had grown steadily throughout the day with each patient encounter. It seemed I was developing a successful strategy in converting what I had learned in school to actual real-life scenarios. 

“Oh, and Healer Clifford would like to formally meet you,” Michael added, “sooner, rather then later.”

As he strode away, I shakily put my pen down and bit my lower lip anxiously.

Healer Clifford was my idol. He had been the Lead Healer for longer than I had been living on this planet. He was a brilliant, incredible man.  

I had seen him at the occasional pack festivity, but I had never directly had the opportunity to speak to him.

I gulped. I figured I should hurry to his office; an important man like that should not be kept waiting.

“Come in,” said a voice when I finally built up the courage to wrap on his door.

His office was much more expansive than Healer Michael’s. He had large glass windows covering the wall that faced a wild but beautiful garden full of vines and colorful wildflowers. His desk was made of solid oak and matched the expensive-looking bookshelf that was positioned on the far wall.

Lead Healer Clifford was perched in the middle of the room at his desk, looking as important and powerful as an Alpha.

His hair so white it was almost transparent. On his face were glasses with thick, plastic frames that were part of his iconic look that was so well-known to everyone in the pack. He neither smiled nor frowned but asked me to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

“So, you are the infamous Scarlett Brookes,” he stated flatly.

“Sir?” I asked, not knowing how to respond.

“An Omega by birth,” he continued.

I looked down at my hands.

“Yes, my father’s an Omega.”

“And the girl who scandalously rejected the Alpha-to-be.”

I sunk lower in my chair and remained silently passive.

“If it was my choice, you wouldn’t be here in my hospital. I’m not one to reward dramatic individuals in a professional setting.” He stopped, adjusting his gold nameplate that was on the corner of his desk. “But it’s not up to me, is it? Alpha Damien accepted your application, so I had no other option but to take you in.”

I blinked away the start of hot tears that were beginning to form. I would not let this man see me cry.

“This is only going to work if you do your job properly and stay out of my way.”

I nodded to show my comprehension.  

“And also, I will not tolerate any more theatrics. Your reputation is damaged enough, I do not wish to hear about you in any pack gossip circles from this moment on. This is a hospital, not a goddamn ladies’ hair salon. Comprende?”

“Yes, Sir,” I mumbled. “I understand completely.”

He waved his hand. “Good, now get out of my office.”

I did not waste a single second before I scurried out of his room. I rushed out so quickly, I almost tripped over his floor mat but managed to regain my footing before I tumbled over and embarrassed myself even further.

When I left the hospital and felt the warm evening breeze on my face, I knew that I had to shift. I needed to feel the wind in my fur and the earth between my paws.

I watched my human hands transform into massive, furry animal ones. Abandoning my Kia, I sprinted home on all fours. My muscles burned while my claws tore through the rich dirt and soft, supple grass.

 My breath became deep and heavy and the exercise managed to keep my mind blank, something I was thankful for. I knew if I started analyzing my interaction with the Lead Healer, I would spiral into a self-destructive hole.

Once I returned back home, I shifted out of my grey Canadian wolf’s body. Naked as the day I was born, I stomped into my room and threw on an old t-shirt and a pair of underwear.

Any apatite that I might have had completely dissolved. The only thing I felt in my stomach was a hard rock of desolation.

I pulled the covers in tightly around me, making myself into a blanket burrito.

The last thing I thought before the heavy darkness engulfed me was –

Shit, did I remember to hide my clothes at the hospital in a nearby bush?

On Thursday and Friday, I was able to avoid Clifford for the majority of my shifts. I did see him several times briefly, once in the hallways in a focused discussion with an Assistant Healer, and another time while he was balancing his lunch in his hand and a stack of patient files in the other. 

I worked much more closely with Healer Michael. He was deemed my unofficial supervisor while I worked as an intern.

Over the next couple of days, I determined that I thoroughly enjoyed Healer Michael’s company. His compassion was not only evident in the way he treated his patients, but also in the way that he interacted with his staff.

He was a busy man – working overtime at the hospital with a young family at home. This didn’t stop him from making the genuine effort to care about his coworkers. He was always asking questions about staff member’s families, interests, and important events that were happening in their lives.

Michael was exceptionally understanding and patient with me when I took a little more time with techniques like stitching, or if I mixed up symptoms of wolf rabies. It seemed like he remembered what it was like to be a student.

He also never brought up my past, which was something I really appreciated.

This helped me build my confidence up again after it was torn down so quickly on Wednesday afternoon.

None of the other workers at the hospital mentioned my history with Ben either, but I could feel the tension of their unspoken words. It was especially noticeable in the silence.

I was in a considerably good mood on Friday evening after I finished work. Michael had promised me that my office, which had been used as a temporary storage unit when there had only been two Healers at the hospital, would be cleared out and functional by my next shift on Sunday. I also had the day off tomorrow which I needed immensely to recoup from the grueling week.

Something loomed in the back of my mind, however.

Thomas’s birthday party was tonight, and I was terrified.

            I was deep in thought while I moved towards the front doors of the hospital when a voice called out my name.

“Healer Scarlett!”

Victoria came up to me with a skip in her step. She was beaming.

“Hi Victoria,” I waved at her.

“Ohmygosh. I was texting one of my friends about the big, important 1-8 birthday bash that has everyone in the entire pack excited. I mean, it’s all anyone has been talking about for the last two months. Anyway, we were texting about the invite list, all the lucky SOB’s that were invited,” she paused to take a giant breath in, “and YOUR name came up. Is it true? Are you going to Thomas Cauley’s party tonight on Eclipse Beach?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” I replied awkwardly.

“I can’t believe it. I mean- you are the most famous shewolf in the entire pack, so I guess it makes sense. What are you going to wear?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” I shrugged, “it’s going to be pretty dark if it’s outside on a beach. So, I guess something that I don’t mind getting smoky from the fire?”

Victoria’s small, delicate mouth hung open like a guppy fish.

“You have no idea what you are getting yourself into, do you?” she asked, placing a hand on her tiny hip.

“Apparently not?”

“This party is not going to be some beach bonfire. This is going to be the event of the century.”

“Oh,” I said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. It made sense. The Crauley’s never did anything that wasn’t extravagant.

“I could help, if you’d like,” Victoria suggested, “I’m pretty good at doing makeup, I’ve watched a lot of tutorials online. And I know it doesn’t look like it because of my short hair, but I am actually a decent hairstylist.”

I tried to read her face. Her smile seemed honest enough, and I didn’t want to burn any bridges of me getting a chance to make a friend. 

Plus, my makeup skills were pretty much limited to mascara and concealer and my fashion sense was what one would describe as ‘drab student who rolled out of bed and threw on a baseball cap and a pair of leggings’.

“Sure, Victoria. I could use all the help I can get.” 

SR