Chapter 53: Chapter 53

“She’s waking up!”

My blurry vision clears little, hazy faces appear before me and slowly become clear. I instantly recognize the woman looking over me.

“Mom,” my voice sounds rough even to me

“Elise, dear, are you alright?” she asks, worries thick in her voice

“I’m fine,” I rap out, my hand reaching up to touch my head “Just dizzy.”

My fingers graze the gauze bandage there and my brows furrow.

“You gave us quite a scare, Elise.” A deep voice says

I look sideways to see a man in a suit standing close to the bed I’m in. his ocean eyes stare straight into mine, golden hair messy as if he’s been running his hand through it. my head hurts a little and I cant seem to make out his name…

Ethan. It comes to me in a sharp hiss of pain. Where do I know him from? Why is he here?

“Where…” I look around the big room, it looks like the master suite of a hotel “where am I?”

Mom and Ethan exchange a worried glance. Ethan nods at her and leaves the room, Mom turns her face to me.

“Elise, sweetie, you feel off the balcony.” She tells me gently

“When?” I can't seem to remember

“Just last night. The healer,” Mom hesitates “she said you’ve hit your head pretty hard. She said you might have damaged your hippocampus.”

“Something does feel… empty.” I hold my head “Like water splashed over ink, the worlds muddled and hazy.”

I look up at her, ignoring the lump in my throat “I remember… I remember that the Alpha’s son was coming. What

happened after that?”

Mom looks at me aghast “It's been more than three months since that, Elise.”

My throat is parched to the point where the air seems sharp “That’s not so bad, is it?”

She looks uncertain, reaches her hand to squeeze mine, calming my nerves a bit.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Mom says “You went on the Alpha’s Hunt.”

My brows shoot to my forehead. The Alpha’s Hunt. That thing where Alphas compete to win the throne, right? I remember mom telling me something about it.

“I survived?” I ask in awe

“Not just survived, Elise, you won.”

“I did?”

Mom sighs and gives me a little smile, but the uncertainty in her eyes alarms me.

“You’ll remember soon,” She says, then maybe to assure us both she adds “I know you will.”

I nod, feeling a strange weight press against my head. I try to find my wolf, the wild instinct that runs through me like

my blood but I can't find it, as if it’s weighted down by heavy boulders.

“Don’t push yourself, dear.” Mom says “Rest, we will fix this. I promise.”

Her words tug at my head, so familiar, completely strange. I nod and mom goes to the door.

The moment she closes it behind, I sprint out of bed, hissing a curse when my vision lurches but I don’t stop and press my ears to the door.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” I hear mom’s voice like a murmur

“I can't say, Ms. Attwood.” Ethan’s voice comes “The healer said it’s a small piece of memory, but we can't say how long until she remembers.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“There’s a chance of internal bleeding if that’s the case,” Ethan hesitates, then says “She might keep forgetting.”

I swallow thickly, the throbbing in my head increases multifold.

“Elise told me of you.”

My eyes widen in surprise. I did?

“She did?” Ethan echoes the surprise I feel

“Yes,” Mom says, there’s another beat of silence “If you two want to marry, you have my consent. The full moon has just passed if you want to—

“Are you sure Ms. Attwood?” There’s barely held elation in his voice “Would that be alright with both of you?”

“It’s yours and her choice, dear.” Mom says then sighs “After Elise recovers, you two can go about as you please. But

I would appreciate matrimony first.”

“Of course, after Elise recovers, we shall discuss this further.”

I quickly move away from the door and slide into bed just as mom comes back inside. As soon as she closes the door behind, I blurt out;

“Talking about my wedding without asking me?” I cross my arms

“So you heard,” Mom doesn’t even look surprised “Then you heard everything, I suppose?”

I look away, catching the meaning behind her words. Mom settles down on the bed beside me.

“How could you say that?” I mumble “I barely know him.”

“He’s you mate, dear.”

“What?”

“You told me that you met your mate on the Hunt,” Mom tells me calmly, so why is my heart beating so fast? “That

he’s an Alpha and he has the most beautiful blue eyes.”

“I don’t… remember.”

“Being near him will help,” Mom says “If he marks you, you might even remember everything.”

“Mom, this isn’t a fairytale,” I hate that a note of anxiousness leaks in my voice

Mom reaches over and hands me a glass of water but I can’t swallow. It feels too heavy on my tongue, too thick.

“I’m not saying this is,” Mom says, gently rubbing my back “But, sweetie, if he marks you, your rank with increase.

You will be a Luna, your recovery would be very fast.”

I let out a shaky breath “No, Mom. I don’t want to marry him even if he’s my mate. Not like this, not when I remember nothing about him.”

“That’s alright, Elise.” Mom presses a kiss to my head “Just rest and sleep. Everything will sort itself through.”

At my constant asking, she fills me in that Ethan is the Alpha of a neighboring pack and we’re at his packhouse. I’d put on a condition to go on the Alpha’s Hunt with Alpha Luke. Freedom.

And now mom and I have nowhere to go.

Seriously past me? what were you thinking?

The sun rises further and I cant sit in bed anymore. I go to the bathroom and change the dressing on my head. I touch the back of my head, feel the dried blood on my hair.

My injury is still a little sour, but I don’t think it needs bandaging anymore.

I leave the room despite mom’s insistent demand that I rest, promising to return quickly. I need to feel this. Walking on my own feet, feeling the fresh air.

Ethan’s pack manor is bigger than ours. The omega quarters are in the main packhouse. Everyone I pass by offers me a different kind of greeting. Some smile, some wave, some simply glance and then continue on their work.

It feels nice, to not be some kind of blight just because of my rank.

I reach the main doors and step out of the manor. In the gardens ahead, children are playing around with each other, laughing and shrieking. Why doesn’t our pack have any kids?

My gaze travels to two men nearby. One of them I recognize, the other I don’t.

I take a deep breath, my mind made up as I walk to Ethan. I need to talk to him, tell him I can't marry him like this.

“Ethan,” I call as I near them

He whirls around to face me, surprised but not in a bad way.

“Elise,” he takes my hand in his own gently, I feel nothing “Are you alright now?”

“I feel better,” I nod “But I need to talk to you.”

“And I need to talk to you,” the other man says, running a hand through his brown hair “I stayed the night, I wanted to see you when you woke up.”

I stare at him. The well-placed angles of his pale face, marine eyes, and brown hair. I can't put a name on that face.

“Sorry but,” I cringe a little “Who are you?”

Silence descends on the three of us. The unknown man looks aghast as if it’d just slapped him. Or told him that he looks like a sea urchin.

“You don’t,” breath catches in his throat “Remember who I am?”

I shake my head apologetically “Sorry,”

“But, but that’s impossible!” he says, eyes frantic “Elise, it’s me! Carlos! You’re best friend, how can you not remember me?”

I try to focus on that name, focus if I have a best friend but I come up blank. Blank faces and blank voices. I remember mom, Alpha, Luna, Ethan, and… and who else? Words and images jumble together in my head.

I stumble back, feeling my head swim in uncertain waters. Ethan is quick to steady me by the arms.

“I’m sorry,” I breathe out, feeling my heart sink “I can't remember you.”

“Come on,” Ethan says to Carlos as he steers me towards the manor “We need to see the healer again.”

Back in the room, I was before, the healer checks over me ask me questions I don’t know the answers to.

“What is happening to me?” I ask her yet again, bare sherds of the calm left in me

“Ms. Attwood, please calm down—

“Tell me.”

She looks at Ethan, hen at Mom and Carlos. Ethan gives her a small nod.

“I’m not sure, Ms. Attwood,” The healer sighs “I suppose you remember the things you were reminded of just as you woke up. Why you cannot remember your childhood friend is concerning.”

“What do we do then?” Mom asks

“Hope for the best,” The healer says gently “If the condition worsens—

“There’s a chance of that?” Carlos inquires

The healer hesitates and then nods “There’s a fifty-fifty chance.”

“Other than waiting,” I ask “Isn’t there something we can do?”

There’s silence in the room, all of us stare hopefully at the healer.

“If your wolf wakes up, the recovery can increase multifold.” She finally says

“Perfect.” I breathe in her words like fresh air “How do I do that?”

“You’re an omega, Ms. Attwood,” the healer says carefully “You cannot even shift very well. There is not much we can do.”

“And if she’s not an omega anymore?”

My gaze snaps to Ethan, his face is all angle of composed determination.

“If she’s marked, will that help?”

The healer falters, eyes wide “Well, yes. That would be our best bet.”

He meets my gaze, I swallow thickly.

If he’s my mate, if I’m slow about to lose all my memory, if that would save us all a boatload of trouble…

I take a deep breath.

“I need to go shopping.”