Remember Me, Mate

Chapter 5

TYRONE

It was surreal to try and believe my twin brother was suddenly back from the dead.

Tristan and I had always been close growing up, as any pair of twins would be. Although we were identical on the outside, on the inside we definitely were not. As brothers, we had our quarrels, but we never stopped being each other’s rocks. We were always there for each other…until he wasn’t.

The hole he left in my chest when he decided to walk out on us made me feel lost. Like Zahra, I prayed every day for him to return home safely, but as the days went by, I lost faith. Despite not agreeing with his choice, I understood why he had to make it; I just wasn’t prepared to live on without him.

However, life comes at you fast. After a week passed, and he hadn’t come back, the pack started to crumble. Scarlet Meadows’ Luna fell sick, the rejection of her fated partner eating her up from the inside. In two weeks, I was forced to step in as Alpha without any sort of training to prevent everything my brother had built from falling apart, all while making sure the one person who he loved beyond limits, my only reminder of him, remained healthy.

It was the hardest challenge I had to face. I made choices I wasn’t proud of. Without the proper guidance, I resorted to desperate measures. He could have done better than me, I have no doubt; but then again, he was the one who abandoned ship, leaving me to my own devices. And now that he was here, sitting in the chair of his old office, I couldn’t look him in the eye as I confessed my sins.

“You did what?!” Tristan growled ferociously, jumping up from his chair. Before he interrupted me, the words had been spilling out of my mouth with minimum coherence as I attempted to tell him the whole story. It was a much-needed break, though the tension filling the room didn’t really help me think.

“Calm down, brother. We will explain everything,” I insisted, shooting a side glance at Circe.

“Sure! Will you tell me who thought using magic to erase my mate’s memories was a good idea? Because I’m dying to know!”

My brother was already coming at me when the hybrid girl chimed in. “It was me! Tyrone was against it at first, but-”

“But he still went through with it. He was the one calling the shots, after all, wasn’t he?” He glared at me, and once again, I had to look away.

“She was in a lot of pain,” I confessed, sighing. My low voice was barely a whisper as I forced myself to remember those dark days. At last, I finally found the strength to look into my brother’s eyes, a spark of anger burning inside of me. “We followed every single one of the doctor’s instructions. None of them worked. We were running out of time and options!”

All he did was scoff. “Did she ask for your help? Did she even consent to this?”

His questions caught me off guard, making me stiffen. “She wasn’t…uh…in her right mind to either comply or object.”

“Seriously?! You broke into her mind without her permission?! How f****d up are you?” Tristan snarled in my face, and I finally lost it.

“Do you want to break into mine to see the deplorable state she was in? She was dying, Tristan!” I yelled, clenching my fists. “She was dying because of you.”

He backed off, but the frown never left his face. “I don’t believe you. Zahra’s strong. She would survive just fine without me.”

“You’re wrong. But honestly, I can’t blame you. We all thought the same thing.” With a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down again. “Turns out the bond you two shared was stronger than her desire to live.”

Tristan remained silent for a moment, flashing me one last frustrated look before grunting. I watched him pace around the room in distress for a few minutes until he stopped, a small laugh breaking through his lips.

“It’s fine. I’m back. That’s what matters.” He sat back in his chair, letting his head fall backwards. “We just have to fix the s**t you’ve done.”

Once again, Circe and I exchanged guilty glances. Tristan must have heard my heart beating faster because the next second, his serene expression was gone. As he lifted his head, grasping the armrests tighter, his eyes fell straight on me. It was obvious he demanded answers.

“It’s not that simple.” Circe broke the silence before I could.

“How come?” A hint of despair poisoned my brother’s tone. “You took away her memories, just give them back!”

“I’m not the one who performed the spell. It can only be undone by the witch who cast it,” she clarified.

“Alright, then tell her to come here. Now.” The authority in Tristan’s voice suggested he wasn’t the least pleased. Again, Circe’s gaze met mine as nervousness consumed me. “Why the f**k do you keep looking at each other like that?!”

“The witch…” Circe sighed before blurting out, “She died a year ago.”

My brother’s response came quicker than lightning. He slammed his fists on the table, easily breaking it in half. Although he had been away for three years, he was still as strong as he had been during his time as Alpha; perhaps even more so now. His body was slightly more muscular than mine, and it seemed to have collected quite a few new scars. I wanted to know where he had been, and what he’d been doing, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t get any answers before he got his.

“Did neither of you think this through?! How come I seem to be the only one capable of realizing how stupid your plan sounds?!” Tristan growled, his eyes turning a reddish-amber color as his wolf pushed forward.

“It’s a shame you weren’t here to help us come up with a better plan, brother,” I barked back, yet again losing my cool. “Oh, wait. Had you been here, we wouldn’t need a f*****g plan to begin with!”

“You know why I had to leave!”

“Guys, stop!” Circe shouted as she stepped between us, her open palms inches away from our chests. Her gaze shifted between us a few times before it finally stopped on Tristan, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. “Gods, this is the one thing I didn’t miss when you were gone.” Her words seemed to strike him just right, but when they landed on me, I knew it was my turn to get scolded. “Arguing about the past won’t change the present. What’s done is done, whether we like it or not. Like Tristan said, he’s here now, and that’s what matters.”

“So what do we do?” The rage was evident in my twin’s tone, but it was mixed with a hint of sadness and despair.

“We’ll figure something out.” I pulled on my tie, accidentally undoing it as I attempted to find a way to not feel like I was suffocating. Everything was a mess, but I knew what my priority was. “In the meantime, you can’t tell Zahra about the past the two of you shared.”

“You’ve got to be f*****g kidding me,” he scoffed, half-laughing in anger. “Am I to simply pretend that we don’t have history together?”

“There’s no other choice,” I replied firmly. “Telling her will only confuse her, and possibly put her through more pain.”

“f**k!” Tristan shouted, bringing both hands up to his head. His fingertips were pressing so hard into his skin, I thought they would tear it open. “This is not how I expected my warm welcome to go.”

“What did you expect after disappearing for three f*****g years?” I couldn’t hold back my tongue.

“Guys!” Circe interjected again before a fight could break out between us. She shook her head in disappointment at me, turning to my brother soon after. “You have to calm down, Tristan. Come on, I’ll take you to your room. Drink some water, rest, and organize your thoughts. We’ll try to come up with new ideas later, okay?”

Tristan’s eyes flashed from their bright auburn shade back to their natural hazel color, and we exchanged glances for the last time. Part of me wanted to hug him again just to make sure he was truly here, but the other part would rather punch him to get that confirmation.

In the end, we both realized our emotions were getting the best of us. With silent stares, we agreed it would be best for us to talk later. He nodded at Circe, who didn’t hesitate to lead him out of the office. And as soon as they were gone, I flopped into my chair, closing my eyes as if to shut off the chaos around me. A lot had changed when Tristan left, and a lot would change now that he was back.

Was I ready to face the consequences of what I had done?

Before I could start digesting the situation that I suddenly found myself in, a shy knock on my door interrupted my thoughts, making me stiffen in my seat.