Ashes and Scales: Remember Us, Mate

Chapter 8: Human

KEIR

I took a shallow breath and stood in front of the mirror, my hand on the bandage, compelled by a desire to look underneath it.

The sensation of that woman's fingers punching through my chest was on repeat in my mind, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not turn it off. Maybe if I saw what it looked like, I would be able to do it eventually.

"It could have happened to anyone," I whispered to myself, trying to remember that I had known this when I left Timbercross to work in the city. I had no intention of dying, but I knew what I was getting into, and it was not personal.

I had just taken another dose of pain medication, and I felt no pain. It felt like the wounds had healed, which would be insane. Something like this should not heal so quickly.

I started to lift the bandage, but then there was a knock on the door, which forced me to stop. Mom probably brought me lunch or something. I invited her in, but to my surprise, she was not alone. She was with Maia's father.

He greeted me and asked how I was feeling, and I replied that I was fine, a sense of unease rising in my chest as I noticed their serious expressions and my mother's red eyes, as if she had been crying.

“What’s going on?” When I asked, they told me to sit down, and Mom's eyes welled up with tears. I sat down, and they did as well. Maia's father said he wanted to tell me something about my father's death that he never did. My heart lurched to my throat as I nodded and told him to go ahead, my mind racing with possibilities.

"Your father had a mark on his chest," he said, causing me to frown. But as he explained the mark and what he thought it was, my eyes widened. How was this possible? "Humans do not mate with werewolves," I said, and he said he knew that as well, which is why he told himself what he saw could not have been. He claimed it was also the reason he never told my mother, because he did not know how to explain, and I asked him how he would explain it now.

If he was not sure he saw the mark, what suddenly convinced him? But I could never have expected what came next. He said he was sure because it happened to me. He said she-wolf who almost ripped my heart out was my mate and that was how she knew I was human. But how? How was that possible? I stammered, suddenly unable to spit out my words, and Zale said he didn’t know.

He said it was all confusing because he had never heard of a wolf with a human mate. So I told him he was mistaken; I said there must have been another reason, but he said there wasn’t.

He said I had a severance mark on my chest, and she would not have done it if I had not been her mate, and before I could think, my hands moved to my chest, and I ripped off the bandage, springing to my feet and rushing to the mirror, where I froze at what I saw.

It was true; I had the mark, and my heart began to race as I turned to Zale, saying no, it had to be a cruel joke. "Perhaps she wanted to justify hurting me. Maybe even get me fired. Or she simply disliked me and did this because she could."

My words came out quickly, but Zale rested his hands on my shoulders, telling me that a werewolf would never do that.

But he didn’t know that; he was speaking from his heart, from how he regarded the mate bond as sacred, but it wasn’t the same for the rich wolves in the city. When I said that, he asked about my father.

He said it was a different wolf that attacked him and asked if it was a joke on him as well, before asking how this joke could have happened to him and then me, as if we were targeted. “Maybe we are?” I spat, and he replied that if that were the case, I would have died long ago.

Listen to me, Keir. I understand how difficult it is for you to accept this, as it would be for me as well. In fact, it is difficult for me as someone who cares deeply about you. That mark on your father's chest haunted me for years, and I kept telling myself I could not have seen it because it was impossible. But here it is again, on you. I don’t know how to explain it to you. Seers were said to have vanished decades ago, and I am not sure where else we can look for answers. But believe me, I know what this mark is, and I know that no wolf, no matter how disrespectful they were to the bond, would carve it on someone just because they felt like it.

Your father, like you, was careful. He always took his shot before leaving the house, and our day was going well until he ran into Dimitrius' daughter. She was his mate, which is why she could smell him through the blood," he said, causing me to stumble, as if the ground beneath my feet had been ripped.

I was mated to her?

A sickening sensation curled my insides, and my knees buckled, prompting Zale to walk me to the bed, where I collapsed, hands on my face. What was happening? If it was true, then that meant the whole thing started with my father. But why? Why would he be the first one to be mated with a wolf?

Zale spoke up again, this time with a theory. He said my father never knew his mother, which I knew because my mother had told me. He said, What if she was a werewolf? What if that is why she never raised him and returned him to his father?

"What if she was afraid of being seen with a human baby? Think about it. If she had a human baby, it would be obvious that she had s****l relations with a human, and she would have been killed." He said, and the room tilted again.

So I was part werewolf?

But I didn’t self-heal; I didn’t have a wolf. I didn’t even have a wolf scent. I said that to him, and he said that was the part that confused him too. He said maybe the gene wasn’t strong enough to give me a wolf. Zale added that I didn’t self-heal because of not having a wolf. He repeated that maybe my wolf gene was not strong enough, but it was still there and a lump rose in my throat as I asked myself again, Why us?

“I have to get tested. I have to know," I said, but Zale cautioned me that the results could be dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands. My mind trailed to Ethan. He saved my life. Surely he wouldn’t out of me. But I didn’t say that, as Zale spoke next before I could.

He said the good thing was that it was over now. That woman rejected me, which meant I was free now as I only had one mate. But was it... really over? What about my children? I hoped to have my own family one day. What about them? How would they live knowing that one day an evil wolf might become their mate? "I want to be alone," I said quietly, and Zale got up and squeezed my shoulder.

He said he understood how difficult it was to hear all of this, and he apologized for not having answers, but the wolf gene saved my life. He said I would have died if it had not been there, but that did not mean much to me. It was the exact thing that put me in danger. Without it, I would not have mated with a werewolf. My heart would not be breaking for children I did not yet have or knew I could have.

...

MAIA

I hit the stores after work, still unsure where to start. I had no idea how much was on this OTP card. Until I looked it up, I had no idea what OTP stood for—it was a "One Time Privilege" card. Talk about privilege, I muttered under my breath.

Naturally, Lira was with me, giving me advice like a shopping expert because she was the one who knew this mall best. As we entered the mall, she pointed to the third store, which sold timepieces.

"Men love timepieces," she stated confidently. “They’re legendary gifts for them.” I had to agree with her; it was a classic move, and I gave her an approving look.

We entered the store and were greeted by an assistant dressed in a fine tuxedo who offered to advise us on how to get our money's worth and exactly what we wanted. He was not bad-looking either.

We appreciated his assistance, and as we looked through the watches, he began explaining in great detail what made each one unique. As a fashion student, I was not completely clueless—I knew a good piece when I saw one—but it was still refreshing to hear from someone who was clearly very knowledgeable about the subject.

Perhaps I could pair the watch with matching shoes and a belt to complete the look. “How much do you think the card has?” I whispered to Lira, who gave me a knowing glance.

"Normally, these cards are limitless," she said casually, "but are only allowed to be used once." Ouch! I winced at the last part, realizing the shoes and belt weren’t going to be possible. But then the word limitless flashed through my mind, and I gasped. "Wait—so that means I can buy a house with this?"

Lira burst into laughter. “I don’t know if they’re ‘that’ limitless.”

"Limitless is unlimited!" I argued, laughing along with her, and she grinned, admitting that she may have used the wrong words. "I meant that the card would have a nice amount on it, and it would be bad taste to buy a house with a gift card you were given to spoil yourself with something nice."

I narrowed my eyes at her, reflecting on how she had no idea how serious I was. I would use this card to buy a house if I was confident I could. When an opportunity presents itself, I believe you should seize it with both hands.

I was an Alpha and while I wasn’t as entitled and ignorant as Zoraya, I wasn’t born to be poor, so it came naturally to me to like fine things. Having said that, I had no regrets about my family's decision, and I would not change it if given the chance. What the greedy wolves had done to the world was disgusting, and I prayed they burned in hell.

"A house is something nice."

I said to Lira, who gave me a playful smack on the back while rolling her eyes. "Come on, look at the watches and choose which one you want!" I returned my attention to the display, my heart racing with anticipation.

I eventually settled on a watch that seemed ideal for Keir. It had a timeless design, something classic but not overly flashy. I could already see it on his wrist; it was subtle but strong, just like him. The assistant must have noticed my excitement because he asked with a smile whether this was a gift for someone special. "Would you like it packaged as such?" I nodded with a grin.

"Yes, please. And I’d like to write a personal message as well.”

He responded with certainly and gestured toward a small, fancy sitting area in the corner, complete with plush sofas and golden accents. I hadn’t even noticed it before. Lira and I walked over, and as we sat down, another assistant approached with a tray, offering us champagne while we waited for the watch to be packaged and recorded for warranty purposes.

I felt like I was in a dream as I sipped the bubbly drink, and the assistant returned shortly with a pad of fine paper and a gold pen. She asked me to write the message I wanted on the card, and I looked down at the pen, twirling it in my fingers as I considered what to write.

"Get well soon" seemed too generic for Keir. He deserved something more thoughtful. I wanted to say something meaningful—something about time since I’d just bought him a watch. Time would help him heal and find peace. But I did not know how to phrase it because I did not want to say, "Time heals all wounds."

I sipped my champagne again, and then the words started to form, and I wrote them down. I was familiar with short, catchy statements from my mini catalogs.

“Every second brings change—wear this, knowing that time is on your side, and soon enough, life will turn around.”

This felt perfect considering that he had lost his job as well, and Lira cooed, commenting that was deep as I stared at the words for a moment. She had no idea how deep I wished it could get with Keir, and I did not realize I had said it out loud until she gasped, calling me a horny little devil, which I could not deny as my face turned crimson at the X-rated thoughts that would have had my parents disown me.

After a brief moment, my purchase was handed to me, beautifully packaged, and accompanied by a complimentary gift. It came in a lovely case—a slim, glossy box with gold detailing—and when I opened it, there was the lovely pen I had been given just moments before.

“Thank you so much,” I thanked the assistant, who also thanked me for stopping by and Lira and I made our way home. I couldn’t wait to present Keir with the watch and I couldn’t even lie and say I didn’t love Zoraya Busco at this moment. She was okay.

……

AUTHOR’S POV

Lukas entered the hospital room, the door clicking shut behind him, and Ethan quickly locked it, his face tight with urgency as he thanked him for coming.

“What’s going on?” Lukas asked, his voice edged with concern.

“It’s Keir. There’s something wrong—something...I’ve never seen before.” Ethan said, running a hand through his hair, and Lukas frowned, wondering what he meant.

“Is he not recovering?” he asked, and Ethan said he was recovering.

“It’s not that. When I put my hand on his shoulder earlier, my stone—” He paused, swallowing hard. “It turned gray.”

Lukas’ eyes widened. “Gray? That only happens when—”

“When there’s something wrong, something unnatural,” Ethan cut in. There was a saying in their village that the witch who made the stones said that if the color did not turn black or white, it meant something was very wrong, and you should be very afraid.

“I didn’t understand at first, but then I took a sample of his blood. I ran some tests. Lukas, it’s like nothing I’ve seen before.” Ethan leaned in closer, his voice dropping further. “He has wolf blood in him. You can tell by the markers—there are signs of high levels of Were enzymes in his bloodstream. It's like he consumed wolf blood, but... that's not all.”

Lukas’ brow furrowed. “You’re saying he’s drinking wolf blood?” Ethan shook his head, frustration lacing his words. “I don’t know. But here’s the part that’s even more confusing. His own blood—his natural blood—also contains Were enzymes, but in a different form. It’s...it’s integrated. Like his body recognizes it.” Lukas stared at him.

“How is that even possible? He’s human. He couldn’t heal himself.” He said and Ethan said he thought so too, but that was not what his results were showing.

“His DNA is partially werewolf. I’m talking deep-level integration here, Lukas. It’s like he’s not fully human, but not fully wolf, either.”

“What? What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know.”