Fated but Forgotten

Chapter 11 - Rocco

Having spent the day sitting by Aria’s side, I had received a mindlink to visit Micah. Being my closest friend, and of course, the pack Alpha, him mindlinking was not out of the ordinary. He would check in with me most days. Wanting to know how my mate was doing. But, him asking me to visit was something that seemed out of the ordinary. He knew I did not like to leave her side.

But, I knew I should do as my friend and Alpha wanted, as he was already showing me a lot of lenience. And, in truth, I was more than a little curious what it was he wanted with me. Had they found more information on the rogues who had attacked us the day my beautiful girl was hurt? If so, I was ready to take those fuckers down and make them suffer the consequences...

So, I waited until Aria had dropped off. Having shared a story with her of our first Christmas together. Her eyes flickered over my face as I spoke, like she was interested in my words, but there was that emptiness behind her gaze that told me she had no memories of what I spoke of. It tore me up inside. Especially that she did not remember our first Christmas.

We had shared so much, the two of us, and she seemed to have no recollection. That Christmas was precious. That was when Aria had agreed to come and be with me in my pack. She had known for sometime about who I was. What I was. And none of that bothered her in the slightest. But she knew the difficulties of being a human in a werewolf world. She knew being my mate would not be easy. But, Aria still wanted that. It was when, in essence, she had agreed to not only be my mate but to join the world in which I lived in…

I quietly slipped from her room, tears still within my eyes, unable to help myself wondering if Aria would ever be back to being mine; because right now she seemed so far away. She may be mine because of the mark she wore upon her neck, but she did not feel like mine in any other way. My sweet girl flinched each time I went to touch her. I had prayed so many times for her to awaken from her slumber. Desperate to have her there with me again. But never had I imagined that when she would awaken she would not recognize who I was. I did not know which pain was worse...

I glanced back to ensure she was sleeping, before walking away from her, and then I walked along the now far too familiar corridors of the hospital, and out into the pack. It seemed like a lifetime since I had been outside. Fresh air seemed to be something I rarely consume now. Being by my mate’s side had become the most important thing to me; and it would remain that way until she returned to our home.

I took deep breaths of the air, as I wandered through the cool evening air. The pack paths seemed quiet, telling me most people would be home, relaxing after their busy days around the pack. Now would be the ideal time to head off for a run… but my wolf was not for coming out. I could not remember the last time now that he had appeared to me… spoken to me… his mate being a shadow of her former self was changing him… making him little but a shadow too…

I approached the front door of the Alpha home, knocking lightly, knowing that Micah would be expecting me. The door opened, but it was Anna, the pack Luna standing there, a warm but concerned smile upon her face. Her belly heavily swollen with the pregnancy that was close to an end now. She looked tired, bless her, the later stages of pregnancy likely taking their toll.

“Ah, Rocco, glad you could come, I have been pestering Micah to ask you. Come on in, I saved you some dinner too. I bet that hospital food is getting boring, and nothing beats a good home-cooked meal.” I could not help but smile at my friend's mate, she was incredibly sweet and caring. The ideal Luna for a pack. It did not surprise me in the slightest she had been trying to get Micah to get me here so she could attempt to take care of me. This was what Anna was like...

She led the way into the large Alpha home, all modernly decorated and furnished. I can remember helping my friend and his mate decorate this before they moved in… oh, the mess we had made!

As I walked into the large kitchen, I saw Micah sitting at the large breakfast bar/island that dominated a large portion of the space in the center of the room. “Hey Roc.” He grinned, before putting some more food into his mouth. He was happily eating his evening meal while scrolling through something on his phone.

I found myself fighting a frown. Both Micah and his mate were acting like this was nothing more than a social call. Had they simply pulled me away from the hospital, from my mate’s side to sit and chat? I felt anger beginning to bubble at even the possibility of that...

“Sit yourself down, hunni. I will sort your food.” Anna said, moving toward the counterside.

I moved to sit beside Micah, and looked at him, brows raised a little. “What is up? I wasn't expecting you to ask me here. Is something wrong? I do not like leaving Aria.” I stated, knowing my words came across as blunt, but I could not care right now, nor could I shake that anger bubbling within me.

Micah sighed, before placing his knife and fork down onto his plate, before slowly turning his head to look at me. The look upon his face was almost apologetic... tentative... was there something wrong? Did they know something I did not? “I know, but we have been concerned, Rocco. Being in the hospital that much is doing you no favors. When was the last time you got a proper night's sleep? And by that I mean in a bed, not a hospital chair. Look, you know I don't lie to you. So, I will be upfront. The doctors have spoken to me. They have seen changes in you. They are worried about you." I felt my mouth fall into a deeper frown. Changes? What the f**k did that mean? In all seriousness, what did they expect when I was going through what I was with my mate?

But just as I was about to question this, Micah continued, his voice heavy with what sounded an awful lot like guilt. "Look, this is not going to be easy to hear Roc, but Aria has expressed her concerns to the nurses too. I think you are scaring her.” He said, and as he spoke he met my eyes with a little anxiousness.

His words felt like they ripped my heart to shreds. “I am scaring her?” I questioned, my voice unsteady, somewhere between anger and upset... what the hell am I meant to do with that?