Flora’s P.O.V
“Riley! Riley!” I yelled after my big brother as he made his way out the front door.
“What now?” He looked back at me annoyed but I knew he loved me.
“Can I come play with you?” I looked up at my brother with big eyes and I knew he would give in.
Riley sighed and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. He was seven and a half years older than me and he was big and strong. He was also a soldier in training and hung out with big boys. But I was eight now! I was going to be big and strong too!
“Alright, chubby.” Riley pinched my chunky cheeks. “Come on.”
“Yaayyy!” I squealed and followed my brother out if the house.
We went near the pack house where he was meeting his friends, but Riley didn’t take me inside. He knew I started to have a headache and I started to cry when I went inside the pack house. Jessica, our pack healer said that it is because I am a healer too.
Three boys were standing next to the woods; I knew they were Riley’s friends. Joshua was the one with spiky hair that he kept long in the middle and he looked really weird with it, but I didn’t say it. He was really fair and had brown eyes. Then there was the dark guy standing in the middle. I think his name started with D, but I kept forgetting it.
But then I saw the boy standing in the middle of the group. He was the prettiest and he was my brother’s best friend. He had this red-brown hair and really pretty green eyes. Everyone in my pack liked him and Alpha Nicholas said he would be the next Alpha. His name was Clay and he was so pretty that when I grow up, I wanted to marry him!
But I don’t tell anyone that yet, because they will make fun of me. Most of Riley’s friends keep laughing at everything I say! They are all meanies! Except for Clay, he loves talking to me!
“Hey Riles!” The boy with the D-name waved at us. “Got a tag-along?”
“Yup.” Riley patted my head. “The puppy-dog eyes got me.”
“Hey!” I complained, swatting Riley’s hand from my head. “I’m a wolf!”
“Of course you are, chubby!” Riley gave me a big smile before turning to his friends. “Anyone want to take charge while we run ahead? Alpha is supposed to attend the meet today.”
“Alpha will come too?” I looked at my brother with big eyes. It’s not that I didn’t like the Alpha, but he was too strong! He gave me headaches! “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, you never asked.” Riley ruffled my hair again.
“I’ll take her home.”
I looked ahead to find Clay coming our way. I wanted to smile a big smile but I didn’t do it in front of Riley. He would make fun of me again.
“Thanks, Clay.” Riley sighed. “We’ll head out. Join us soon, okay? Alpha Nicholas loves you too much to give you a hard time and you’re fast, so…”
“Yeah, yeah!” Clay tapped Riley on his shoulder. “Go on, I’ll catch up.”
Riley left with the two boys and I was left alone with Clay. I looked up at him and gave him a big smile. He returned the smile as soon as we were alone.
“Hello, Princess Flora.” He bent down so I could look into his eyes. “Aren’t you looking pretty today?”
I looked down at the pink gown I was wearing and blushed. Clay called me Princess! He was so cool!
“Thank you!” I told him shyly. “You’re pretty too!”
Clay threw back his head and laughed, but not the mean kind of laugh. Even his laugh was pretty.
“You really think so?” Clay asked me with a pretty smile.
“Yes!” I told him and then whispered so only he could hear. “I want to marry you when I grow up?”
Clay’s eyes turned big for a moment before his smile turned different. “Yeah? Then I guess we’ll be mates.”
“Mates? Like mommy and daddy?” I asked him hopefully.
“Yes.” He gave me another big smile. “Just like them.”
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“Clay!”
I sat up in bed, my head spinning as I tried to regain my composure.
I remembered! I remembered my family! I remembered Clay!
“Flora…are you alright?”
My attention snapped to Malachi who was seated on a chair next to my bed. Wait…bed? How was I inside my room? How did I get back to the castle? I was with…the rogues! I was with Clay!
“I need to go back!” I told Malachi, throwing the covers off of me. Someone had changed me into my pajamas while I was unconscious.
I paused midway down the bed. Why had I been unconscious? And why did I feel like going back to Clay? What was going on? Even though I regained my memories, they seemed jumbled than ever.
“What happened? How did I get back? What’s happening?” I asked Malachi, my mind in a swirl of confusion.
“You should be the one to know what’s happening, Flora.” Malachi spoke calmly. “We found you outside the castle, in the middle of the night, soaked and injured. You’re lucky that you’re a wolf, or you could’ve ended up with brain damage.”
“Brain damage? Why?” I touched my head to find my hair still lightly wet. Why was I about to-
“Clay…”
It was when I spoke his name, when I remembered my past. Was that why I was hurt? Because I exerted myself too much trying to remember my past?
“My name is Flora Argentine and I came from the ReedStone pack. My Alpha was Alpha Nicholas and I have my family there. I also have an older brother, Riley.” I told Malachi, but his expression remained neutral. “And I know the rogue Alpha. His name is Clay Scotsman and he was supposed to be the future Alpha of our pack.”
Malachi shrugged nonchalantly. “And?”
My eyes widened in surprise. “And? I remember, Malachi!” How could he not understand how much this meant to me? “I remember my past!”
“And how much do you remember?” Malachi sighed. “How much more can you tell me?”
“My family! My brother…my Alpha! They are all probably worried sick about me! I’ve been missing them for two years now! If they knew I was here, they would’ve come for me already, but that means they don’t know!” I felt my heart about to leap out of my chest. “Do they think I’m dead, Malachi?”
“Probably.” Malachi shrugged. “But there is a chance they think you are just missing.”
“Why would they think that?” I asked him with a frown. “Why would they not come to search for me? And what happened to Clay? Why is the future Alpha of our pack now the rogue Alpha? How did he turn rogue?”
“You should know why a wolf turns rogue, Flora.” He said, again with deadly calm. “It’s the most fundamental teachings in our shrine and schools.”
Something wasn’t right. Something didn’t fit well. Why was he so calm about all of this? Wouldn’t he be excited for me to have finally regained my memory? The only reason he would be…no! It couldn’t be!
“You knew…” I looked at Malachi in astonishment; betrayal a punch to the gut. “You knew all along what was wrong! You knew what happened to me, to Clay…and yet, you said nothing!”
“And what was I supposed to tell you Flora?” Malachi’s calm demeanor didn’t change, like he wasn’t affected at all. “I do not know what Clay and your relationship was. And in fact, even you haven’t regained all your memories. The more you push, the more you harm yourself. So let me ask you a question, Flora. Is he worth it?”
“What do you mean?” My anger was momentarily replaced by confusion as I stared at Malachi’s unblinking gaze.
“You only have recollection of the fact that you used to know him. But how much did he mean to you? What was your relation with him? He’s clearly over twenty eight, then did you feel the mating bond towards him when you met him? If he wasn’t your mate, then what was he? Just a lover, or a friend? Or nothing at all? So tell me, Flora…is it really worth losing yourself just to validate a relationship that even you’re unsure about, when your true mate in already here?”
Andre! Shit! I had completely forgotten about him.
But more than the thought about my mate, my mind tried to search for answers once again. Malachi was right. Who was Clay to me? All I know is that he was my brother’s best friend and my packs future Alpha…and that as a kid, I wanted to marry him. But then what?
Another piercing headache had me wincing as I tried to search for more memories and I stopped. Was he really worth all of this?
“Forget it, Flora.” Malachi told me as he stood up. “Forget it all like it was a bad dream. And move on. It’s the best you can do.”
With that, he left the room, leaving me alone with my jumbled thoughts.