Remember Me, Mate

Chapter 11

ZAHRA

I had been staring at the screen of my phone for the past minute as I sat by the edge of the bed in my room. My best friend still hadn’t replied to the text I had sent her two hours ago, which was certainly unusual. She was the one who kept me company when Tyrone was busy with his Alpha duties. Aware of his agenda, I knew that wasn’t the case today. Still, neither of them had shown up for breakfast in the cafeteria this morning.

Without them, I was left to eat at the Elite members’ table with Beta Martin and Gamma Benjamin, who didn’t seem too keen on revealing any details about their leader’s whereabouts. I would have asked him myself, had he not put a block up, thus making it impossible for me to reach him through the mindlink.

The few clues I had gathered led me to believe Circe and Ty were together, most likely at the Alpha’s office, though I couldn’t for the life of me understand the reason behind their unusual behavior. They had been acting weird since the previous day, when Tristan magically returned from the dead.

“It’s only natural for them to be busy now.” Holly shrugged, disagreeing with my doubtful theories. “Tristan’s appearance changes everything. Tyrone was devastated after his brother was considered dead; he was confused and diffident when he had to take over, all while he was still grieving. He’s probably going through a lot now, trying to accept that his twin is, in fact, still alive.”

“What about Circe?”

“Probably helping them figure things out,” the she-wolf suggested.

“Why would they leave me out though?”

“Are you jealous, Zahra?” Hollyhock chuckled.

“Of my best friend? Definitely not.” I laughed along. “It just bothers me that they’re suddenly keeping me in the dark.”

“I’m sure that’s not their intention,” she reassured me. “You can always ask them later. They wouldn’t lie to you.”

I nodded at her advice. Deciding not to stress over the matter for another second, I stood up to head outside, placing my phone in my back pocket in case Circe finally texted me back. As I roamed the hallways, I tried to think of something to keep me entertained until my friends stopped ghosting me. Before I could decide, a masculine voice took me by surprise.

“Zahra! Didn’t expect to find you here.” Tristan smiled as he ran up to me.

“Oh, hi!” I returned the gesture. “I was surprised not to see you this morning. Did you have breakfast in your room?”

He shook his head. “I was in the office with Tyrone and Circe. They’re helping me…adjust.” It seemed Hollyhock was right; maybe my sixth sense was off. “I was planning on heading to the gym to get back to training, but the warriors have probably all left already. Would you care to keep me some company? If you’re not busy, of course.”

“Sure. I don’t have any plans.” I shrugged before a thought crossed my mind. “Didn’t the doctor put you on bed rest?”

“Technically, yeah.” He grimaced. “But she said I could start if I take it slow. Honestly, I’m just looking for something to keep my mind occupied.”

“I see. Let’s go, then.”

I expected there to be silence on our way to the training grounds as I didn’t have a lot to talk to him about, but he kept the conversation going by making small talk. The whole time, I couldn’t help but notice how unchanged he seemed for someone who had just spent three years away from their family, almost dying in the process.

Sure, there was this sad aura surrounding him, but he covered it up pretty well. Strangely enough, most of the smiles he directed at me looked genuine, though I couldn’t really understand why he was so happy around me. It had been quite a long time since he left, but I didn’t recall being close to him before. Why did he seem so relaxed in my company?

“Here we are. I missed this place.” The man stretched his arms once we made it to the empty gym.

Without any warning, he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it lazily on the ground. My eyes shamelessly darted to his perfectly-sculpted body, lingering on his muscular abdomen. I cursed myself for comparing him to Tyrone, who was considerably less bulky. Goddess, what was I doing? It wasn’t like me to openly gawk at males. I was ready to force myself to look away when he turned around, and I was shocked to find a huge circular scar in the center of his back.

“You never answered my question yesterday.” The words spilled out of my mouth as curiosity got the best of me.

He glanced at me over his shoulder, a confused expression on his face. As he followed my gaze, he seemed to understand what I meant.

“I was fighting,” he replied blankly.

“That much I know. But what exactly were you fighting?” Werewolves certainly couldn’t do that much damage, and I struggled to think of a creature who would.

“A demon. A very powerful one.” His eyes locked on mine, freezing me in place. “He took me to another dimension, where I assume time passes by slower, because to me it felt like I was gone for three weeks, while here everyone is adamant I’ve been away for three years.” It was easy to see he was telling the truth by the look of utter bewilderment on his face. He broke eye contact for a moment as he sat on the bleachers, taking a brief break to organize his thoughts. “His plan was to trap me in a realm where he would be stronger. He thought it would take me by surprise, but truth is, I already knew about his schemes, and I was the one who trapped him instead. I took an amulet with me that sealed both our souls there.”

“And how did you manage to get out?” It was my turn to be confused.

“It seems the curse was broken when I defeated him.”

“Did you know that would happen?” He shook his head. “Why would you hunt down a demon and trap your soul with his when you thought you would never return?”

“According to the books I read, the amulet was supposed to take me back home if I managed to defeat him within the first forty-eight hours, so there was a chance I would come back safely.”

“A very slim chance, assuming it took you a lot longer than that to complete your mission.”

He sighed at my questioning gaze. “My life was a small price to pay. Had I not held him back, he wouldn’t have stopped until he got to you.”

“Me?” I furrowed my brows.

“I mean, the pack,” he quickly corrected himself. “If I didn’t trap him, he would destroy everything here.”

“And you fought him for three years without a break, risking your life everyday?” When he nodded, my heart ached for him. Moved by my sympathy, I slowly made my way towards him, seated beside him. “The way the pack is treating you like a stranger after the sacrifice you made for them seems harsh. If I’m being honest, I can’t remember much about what you did in your time as Alpha, but if you were willing to die to save your family, it’s obvious you were a great leader.” I saw his hazel eyes glimmer dreamily as I showed him a comforting smile. “I hope they can forgive you too.”

Tristan was speechless for a moment before a radiant grin lit up his face. “Yeah, me too.” He kept staring at me for a long minute until I broke the silence.

“You sure it’s safe for you to go back to training so soon?”

“Actually, I don’t think I should risk it. Besides, there’s something else I was really looking forward to doing.” The man stood back up, offering me his hand. “I’ve missed strolling through the meadows. Would you mind taking me there?”

I was hesitant at first. I knew he had been away for a good while, and Tyrone warned me that the doctor said his head could be all over the place after the traumatic event he had experienced. Still, as the former Alpha of Scarlet Meadows Pack, shouldn’t he know how to get to the most famous hangout spot in our territory?

“Maybe he just wants company. He seems a little lonely,” Holly observed. She seemed to be right earlier, so I decided to trust her.

“Not at all.” I finally took his hand. “The meadows are closer to the borders. It will be faster if we shift.”

“My wolf hasn’t healed yet. You think I could get a ride?”

“Oh, sure. Let me see if Ty wants to tag along.”

“Wait, there’s no need to-” I heard him say as my eyes clouded over.

To my surprise, Tyrone had removed his block. I explained to him about his brother’s wishes, and he agreed to come with us.

“Alright, he’s coming.” I smiled as my vision went back to normal.

To my surprise, Tristan’s expression wasn’t as thrilled as I had expected it to be.