Remember Me, Mate

Chapter 8

TRISTAN

“Oh, there you are!” Tyrone greeted us with a warm smile, but I couldn’t return the gesture. After my disastrous first encounter with my former Luna, followed by the terrible news of her memory loss, I had finally managed to get some alone time with her. But there was Ty, interrupting with perfect f*****g timing. “I was worried when I couldn’t find you in your room. I’m glad to see you’re in good company.” He glanced at my mate, who waved happily at him.

“Yes. Very good company.” Zahra seemed oblivious to the reason behind my sharp tone, but the change in my twin’s expression let me know he had understood it very well. “Is there something else you have to tell me?” I said ironically.

And I almost froze at his response. “I do, actually.” He took a few steps in our direction as I readied myself for the next blow. What could it be now? “While you were resting, Zahra and I took the initiative to prepare a welcome dinner for you.”

“How kind of you. Sadly, I think I’m still a little too tired for that.” Once again, I couldn’t hide the sarcasm in my voice. Yes, I had missed my pack. I wanted to apologize for leaving them, and celebrate my return with them. But restoring my bond with my mate was my priority; everything else could wait.

“We can’t hide your existence from the pack for much longer, Tristan.” The sound of my brother’s voice echoing in my mind for the first time in ages startled me. After rejecting Zahra, I also rejected my pack, pretty much for the same reason. I couldn’t link anyone from Scarlet Meadows anymore, but because my twin was my blood, we could reach out to each other through our family bond. “The wolves are already starting to talk about your return. We need to make a formal announcement in order to prevent the situation from growing even more chaotic.”

I didn’t bother replying. Receiving orders was new for me, and to be honest, I didn’t appreciate it. However, I didn’t wish to make things more complicated, for Zahra’s sake. It was a good thing Cypress blacked out again, because he surely wouldn’t be too fond of being bossed around. Tyrone kept staring at me, waiting for an answer I didn’t plan on giving, until the feminine voice cut the silence.

“Who were you mindlinking?” she asked as she walked towards my brother.

“Uh…Beta Martin.” Hearing that name made my eyes widen. I had been so focused on my mate problem that I completely forgot about the friends I had also left behind. Martin was my best friend and second-in-command. Since he had kept his title after my brother took over, I assumed no changes had been made to the old crew, and it made me feel a little more excited about dinner. “He said the pack has already gathered at the dining hall. They’re just waiting for us,” he continued, turning to me with an insistent glare. “Tristan?”

“Alright. I suppose it would be rude of me to not show up to my own welcome dinner, especially after the hard work Zahra put into organizing it.” I flashed her a smile as I rested both hands on my knees to pull myself back up.

“Oh, it was no trouble.” She waved me off. The kindness in her features made my heart melt, though it wasn’t as comforting as watching her blue eyes glisten with love. Goddess, how I hoped it wouldn’t take long for me to witness that again.

Together, the three of us made our way to the dining hall. Ever since I arrived here, I had been a mess of emotions, but for the first time, I allowed myself to take in my surroundings. So little had changed, yet at the same time, everything looked different. The traditional ruby-and-silver color scheme was still present everywhere, but it seemed like the decorations had aged. There were new scratches on the diamond pattern wallpaper; stains on the light gray marble rugs that hadn’t been there the last time I’d seen them. It truly felt like it had been years since I set foot in this building, and it was uncanny.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard a choir of gasps. Only then did I realize we had arrived at our destination. There wasn’t enough room to accommodate all of the more than two thousand members of Scarlet Meadows, but the most important wolves were present. Although a few of them seemed shocked to see me, the majority simply eyed me with…caution?

Tyrone didn’t allow me time to process the crowd’s reaction before addressing them. “Members of Scarlet Meadows Pack. Tonight, I’m here with some rather heart-warming news.” He glanced at me, gesturing for me to step forward, and I reluctantly did. His hand rested on my shoulder as his attention fell back on the shifters seated in front of us. “It is with great joy that I announce that my brother, your former Alpha, Tristan Wolfgang, has returned home safely against all odds. I’m sure you have questions, and I promise to answer each of them in due time. But for now, let’s feast and toast to his homecoming!”

The crowd hesitated for a moment as glances were exchanged between the members, but in the end, they exploded in a round of applause. It was clear they were doing it out of respect for my brother, their new leader, rather than out of excitement for the return of their former Alpha. I couldn’t focus on their reaction for long though, as my eyes soon landed on two familiar faces coming my way.

“Zahra, would you mind checking with the cooks to see if our meal is ready to be served?” I heard my brother ask my mate. It made my skin crawl.

“Sure.” She smiled fondly before disappearing amidst the crowd, and I felt my heart ache as she distanced herself from me.

“Why do you keep pushing my Luna away from me?” I whisper-growled at Tyrone.

“To allow you a stress-free reunion with your friends, where you don’t have to be worried about what you can or can’t say,” he clarified, taking a glass of champagne one of the Omegas offered him.

“s**t. Are you a ghost?” A voice I hadn’t heard in a while made a smile light up my face.

Not a single thing had changed about Martin Fancott. His short black hair still had the same wild look with his signature “I don’t care” vibe, and I could still see the hint of mischief in his grayish-brown eyes. The same old tribal tattoos stained the fair skin on his right shoulder and left wrist. Despite training as a Beta for the past decade, his body was still not nearly as muscular as mine, or even my brother’s. His paternal Omega lineage made it hard for him to accomplish an athletic build, though the strength he gained from his mother’s Beta blood certainly ran in his veins.

“Nah, it’s me, man. In the flesh.” I laughed as I threw my arms around him without hesitation.

Our moment only lasted a few seconds before we were interrupted by a loud cough. Lifting my head up, I found the short young man with green eyes whose messy blond hair had grown down to his shoulders in my absence. Even as the youngest on the team, at only twenty-two years old, he was still brawnier than the Beta.

I opened my arms wide as I stepped away from Martin to smile at the Gamma. “Come here, Ben.”

“I see you’ve collected a few new scars,” Benjamin observed as he pulled away after our quick hug. “What were you up against this time? Vampire?”

“Demon,” I corrected him.

“s**t! No wonder Cypress is exhausted after facing one of those.” The blond man blinked a few times. It was a sign that his very analytical Gamma brain was working. Then, he arched his eyebrows in surprise. “Have you been fighting non-stop for the past three years?”

I nodded. “Only it didn’t really feel like that long…” Since thinking about the matter made my head hurt, I decided to shrug it off to enjoy my reunion with my friends. “Anyway, I’m back. You have no idea how much I missed training, even working, with you. I can’t wait to get back in action as soon as the doctor says I’m ready.”

The two of them exchanged glances in a way I had learned to fear after witnessing Circe and Tyrone do the same thing earlier whenever they were about to drop a bomb.

“Tristan, you can’t go back to being Alpha as if nothing had happened.” Martin looked at me with disbelief. “At least not now.”

“You renounced the pack when you left, and you know wolves don’t take betrayal lightly,” Benjamin added with the same look on his face. “Besides, Tyrone has been acting Alpha for almost three years, and-”

“And I can’t wait to retire,” my brother chimed in. He placed one hand on my shoulder as he took a sip of his drink. “Things will go back to normal, brother. We just have to take it one step at a time.”

I clenched my fists to hold back my anger and hurt. Forcing a smile, I reluctantly replied, “Of course.”

Again, I knew my actions would have consequences. I knew I had given up everything I had battled for of my own free will. Still, it sucked to realize that the world had moved on without me, as if I never even mattered. Did one mistake erase all the good I had done for them?

I shook my head. Was I really feeling pity for myself now? Maybe I should get some rest to get my act together.

“Alright, everything’s ready.” My body relaxed the second I heard the most soothing voice again. I turned around to find Zahra standing right behind us with a bright smile. “Shall we feast?”