Remember Me, Mate

Chapter 14

ZAHRA

As I made my way through the hallways towards the top floor of the pack house, I couldn’t stop thinking about my night out with Tristan. It had gone surprisingly well, and definitely better than I’d anticipated. When my two best friends bailed on me earlier, I considered abandoning the boat as well, but I felt bad for the former Alpha; he had just returned home after facing a tremendous challenge, and his people treated him like a villain.

I was worried that going out with a man I barely knew would be awkward, yet everything we did or talked about felt pretty natural. We didn't hang out much before he mysteriously left three years ago, probably because he was busy with his Alpha duties. It was usually just me, Ty, and Circe. He wasn’t part of any of my most remarkable memories, which is why I was surprised to realize that being with him felt oddly familiar. Maybe the sensation could be explained by the fact that I was close to his twin; despite their different personalities, my brain must have been automatically comparing the two of them.

When I finally reached my destination, I knocked on the door, only walking inside after I was given permission to do so. Tyrone was so absorbed in what he was doing, he didn’t take his eyes off the papers in his hands to even look at me. Although he hadn’t been prepared to be a leader, nor did he want to, he had always given it his all to provide for his pack. His dedication was inspiring. For that reason, I tried to help him out whenever I could, whether by making suggestions with my own Alpha knowledge, or simply by keeping him company to make him feel less alone.

“It’s late. What’s keeping you up?” I asked at last, placing my hand on his shoulder.

As soon as he heard my voice, he relaxed in his chair. He still needed to blink a few times to acknowledge my presence; when he did, he flashed me a warm smile, inviting me to sit beside him. He offered me one of the papers. I scanned it, understanding that he was working on the documents to formalize the newest deals and alliances we had made with other packs.

“Just finishing these up so I can send them to the Elder Council. Shouldn’t take much longer.” His attention fell back on the papers as he placed them on the desk, ready to sign.

“It’ll be faster if you have an extra pair of hands.” I smiled at him. It took him a moment to return the gesture after his serene hazel eyes met mine.

I wasn’t expecting him to say anything else as I took a small pile of documents. “So…” He drew the word out. “How did dinner go?” There was a hint of nervousness in his tone. Was he concerned about me being alone with Tristan? The doctor did say he could have mood swings while his wolf was recovering, but he had been sweet to me the whole night.

“It was nice, actually,” I confessed, hoping to soothe his worry. “He’s a fun guy. A little too clumsy for a former Alpha, but we had a good time.”

“That’s…great.” The fake enthusiasm in his voice didn’t convince me, nor did the forced smile he showed me. I could have sworn I saw a glimpse of hurt in his eyes, but he turned around before I could be sure.

“I missed you though,” I told him sincerely.

That seemed to lighten his mood. “I’ll try to make it next time.” He stared at me for a while longer before looking away, clearing his throat. “He didn’t…say anything weird, did he?”

“Actually, he did mention something about Holly having powers.” From the corner of my eye, I noticed him stiffening at my revelation. “Poor guy. He’s gone through so much, his head is all over the place. Can you imagine that? I wish it were true. If my wolf had powers, most of our problems would be solved!” I laughed, and he soon joined me.

“Yeah. Don’t pay much mind to what he says these days. He’s probably confused.”

I nodded at him before focusing on the papers again. Once the conversation died, we were able to finish in half an hour. He thanked me for my help, and as always, I told him it was no trouble. I waited by the door as he put everything back in its place and turned off the lights to close his office. As he was removing his keys from the lock, I ran my hand up his neck, catching him by surprise. His usually calm hazel eyes had turned a darker shade of brown when he turned to look at me.

“Are you sleeping alone tonight?” I whispered playfully, tangling my fingers in his hair.

His breathing became heavier as he inched closer to me. I thought he was going to kiss me, but at the last second, he shook his head. In an instant, his eyes went back to normal.

“As usual. But uh, Zahra, I’m…I’m a little tired after all that work. It’ll be another long day tomorrow. Maybe I should rest.” As the words left his mouth, he couldn’t stare into my eyes.

Realizing he was probably feeling bad for turning me down, I moved my hand to cup his face. “It’s alright. Sleep tight, Alpha.” I nodded at him.

I was ready to turn away when he suddenly took my hand in his. I watched as he slowly brought it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

“You too, Zahra. See you at training tomorrow morning.”

And with that, we went our separate ways.

***

TRISTAN

My last exchange with Zahra kept me up at night.

I knew she had lost her memories. I knew she couldn’t remember a thing about me, despite everything we had faced together. It was painful, and I probably deserved it. But nothing scared me more than learning that she had forgotten such an important detail about herself. How could she, when it was something so life-changing? For both of us.

Instead of sleeping, I took the time to revisit the old memory. It happened shortly after our Marking Ceremony, on the night her pack was attacked by a group of wendigos. We were returning home with Circe after visiting the lands where they had grown up with the sole purpose of bringing her best friend to live at Scarlet Meadows. My Luna felt the bond she shared with her parents breaking roughly twenty minutes into our trip.

We drove back immediately, but we arrived too late. Homes had been destroyed, bodies were scattered across the main square, and the stench of blood was sickening. I remember how she fell to her knees, tears staining her beautiful porcelain skin, while Circe tried to make sense of the situation. Wendigos mostly preyed on humans, and they were known to walk alone. It didn’t make sense for them to come together to attack a small werewolf pack.

At least we thought so, until Zahra started glowing as bright as the moon, at the same time I was surrounded by shadows. Later on, we came to believe the grief and pain growing inside her heart in face of such tragedy was what triggered her powers to awaken. In turn, they awakened mine.

Light and Darkness; one cannot exist without the other.

Water and Fire; one nullifies the other.

The event played on repeat in my mind until the sun came up. As if it weren’t enough to have my own troubles haunting me, Cypress wouldn’t stop pacing around in distress, giving me a terrible headache. I wanted to talk to my brother, but I knew he was at training, and I knew I wasn’t welcome there. To both pass the time and try to numb my stress, I took a long shower. By the time I was done, I glanced at the digital clock, noticing today’s sparring session must’ve just ended. I didn’t think twice before rushing out of the room.

“Open up. We need to talk,” I mindlinked my brother. Knowing I would probably knock down the door to the Alpha suite, it would probably be best if I warned him first.

He poked his head through the door, one eyebrow arched, as soon as I arrived in front of his room. Without hesitation, I shoved him into the room, letting myself in before locking the door behind me. I couldn’t afford to have other people listen to our conversation.

“Well, good morning to you too!” my twin joked. Judging by the sweat drenching his hair and the towel hanging from his shoulder, it was evident he had just returned from training. “Sleep well?”

“Not at all,” I spat at once.

“Why? I heard your date went great.” I didn’t miss the hint of poison in his tone.

“Don’t you think this might’ve gone a little too far?”

He massaged his temples, heaving a tired sigh. “Forgive me. You can’t just barge in unannounced and expect me to understand what you’re talking about.”

“Zahra!” I yelled, losing my cool. It was harder to control my anger after a sleepless night. “She doesn’t even remember who she is!”

His shoulders fell back, his expression changing as he finally understood what I meant. “Her powers are directly related to you. We couldn’t delete your existence from her mind without erasing that part, too.”

“f**k! Don’t you realize what you’ve done?” It was my turn to run my hands through my hair in distress. “What if she needed to use her powers while I was gone? What if she needs them again soon?”

He raised one of his brows. “Why would she need them? Didn’t you take care of the demon that was hunting her?”

“She’s a beacon, Ty! As am I!” I reminded him. How could he have forgotten about the dangers lurking over us? “As long as she’s breathing, as long as her heart’s beating, they will come after her.”

“Who?”

“The whole f*****g supernatural world!” I growled. If Cypress was at his full strength, I had no doubt he would have already pushed forward. “Don’t you remember how this all started? The wendigos? They were after us. The vampires, the djinns, the warlocks, the demon - they were all after us! After her!” I needed to take a second to catch my breath. My brother took a step back, finally realizing the severity of the situation. “I eliminated one threat, probably the strongest of them so far, but who knows how many more might come!”

“I…I didn’t know.” He looked away, worry written all over his face. I suppose I couldn’t blame him for his ignorance; Zahra and I never really disclosed the matter to the pack, fearing it would only cause panic. Still, in my blind rage, I couldn’t help but direct my anger towards him. “The pack house is protected against magic. She’ll be safe as long as she’s here,” he argued after a moment of silence, taking a step in my direction. “And it seems our plan is working. Keep taking her out; keep showing her fragments of the life the two of you once shared. Once she recovers her memories, she will remember her abilities.”

“Of course. Leave it to me to fix the mess you made.” I scoffed as he walked past me towards the bathroom.

He stopped dead in his tracks, abruptly turning to glare at me. “The mess you made.”

“You’ve grown bold, brother,” I warned him, but impressed nonetheless. Although we were twins, he had never been able to challenge me like that before I left.

“I learned to survive without you. We all did.” Pain flashed in his eyes, leaving me shocked as he turned his back to me again. “We’re done here.”

I wouldn’t let him have the last word. “I’ll see you at breakfast.” As expected, he didn’t reply, so I walked out of the room.

“We can fix this,” Cypress stated confidently. He never sounded that assertive since our return. “We can make her remember. We can save her.”

“I agree with you, buddy,” I responded. “We just might have to act faster than I anticipated.”