Chapter 24 #2
He scoffed, then shook his head. He was an arrogant and mostly condescending prick.
“You’ll figure it out soon enough. Now that you’re waking up, you’ll start remembering things.
The pieces will fall into place, and when they do, I’ll be waiting for you.
Come find me.” He cocked his head, gave me one last look, then started walking.
He didn’t give me a chance to let the words sink in enough so I could form a coherent thought, but as he walked past me, his scent washed over me, and I wavered. My wolf jumped to attention as Stone’s smell penetrated my memory.
The scent was so familiar that tears filled my eyes. Why?
I turned and watched Stone walk away. For a brief second, he’d felt like home. I closed my eyes and waited for the sensation to fade. When it did, I wanted it back, and neither of those things made sense to me—not that he had brought with him a sense of home, and not that I longed for it.
Pulling out of the gas station, my phone buzzed with a text from Ty.
I want to see you tonight. How about a movie?
I couldn’t shake the sensation I’d experienced when Stone walked past me, but spending time with Ty would keep me grounded. When I was with him, I was safe.
Yes! I should be home in ten minutes.
Ty showed up shortly after I arrived home, and our hello kiss lasted so long that we barely made it to dinosaur movie in time.
We missed the first few previews, but I didn’t care.
Kissing Ty was much better than watching a movie.
But after, when we were in the crowded theater, I kept replaying Stone’s words.
What the fuck did waking up mean?
No one seemed to know much about omegas outside the ridiculous myths and rumors. Was my special identity somehow connected to Stone’s words?
When the movie ended, I simply stared into space as the credits rolled and the lights inside the theater came on.
As the other moviegoers shuffled down aisle to the door, Ty turned to me. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”
“I’m sorry, Ty.” I shook my head. Maybe I should have said no to the movie, but I’d wanted to see him. “I’m a terrible date.”
Ty pulled one of my hands from my lap and kissed it tenderly. “You don’t need to apologize. I just hope that you trust me enough to tell me if something is bothering you.”
I cleared my throat and turned, tucking one leg underneath my body. It was the guilt of keeping something from him that made the talking start. “I ran into Stone today. Well, I guess it’s more accurate to say he ran into me. He was leaning against my car at the gas station.”
Ty’s body tensed, and his eyes narrowed. He was on edge at the mere mention of Stone. There was something more than business going on.
I didn’t want to upset Ty, but I deserved to know what relationship he and Stone had. “What’s your history with him?”
Ty fidgeted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the subject.
He hesitated for a few moments, looking everywhere but at me, then answered.
“Stone has some unresolved business with my father, and my father is using me as a middleman for negotiations. We’re struggling to find common ground, though. ”
Oh. That made sense, so I didn’t push for more details, even though part of me knew there was more to it.
Plus, I was still confused about Stone’s interest in me. Ty’s father having business with Stone had nothing to do with me or whether or not I was waking up.
“Am I in some kind of danger, Ty? Does Stone want to use me to get your father to do what he wants?”
Ty sighed and squeezed my hand. “I don’t believe Stone wants to harm you. Even if he tried, I would never let anyone touch a hair on your head.”
His words were reassuring, but that was all they were: words.
I took a moment to weigh the pros and cons of telling Ty what I’d experienced when Stone’s scent had reached me. It was better for him to know.
“There was a moment at the gas station when Stone felt familiar to me.”
Ty stiffened. I was onto something. Not that I had any idea what it could be.
“I swear I’ve never met him prior to our first run-in at the farmers’ market.” I paused and studied Ty’s face, which had gone sickly pale. “I can’t explain it, but when he walked past me, his scent even caused my wolf to sit up at attention.”
Ty didn’t respond, just stared straight ahead. The muscles in his jaws flexed, and I wished I could read his mind.
“There’s more,” I admitted softly, almost afraid of how he would react.
He released my hand and turned to face me.
“Stone mentioned something about me waking up. It all seems odd to me because I have no idea what he’s talking about.” I was hoping Ty had some answers for me.
He ran a hand through his hair and stood.
“It’s probably best for you to stay away from Stone.
” It wasn’t a suggestion. His words were forceful, and he waited for me to nod before he continued.
“And you make sure you always have your phone with you so you can call me if you ever feel like you’re in danger.
I don’t care what time of day or night it is. ”
I followed his lead and stood, gathering my drink and purse. “Of course.”
He grabbed the popcorn bucket from the floor. “I think it’s also best if I put some security around your place until we’re mated and we decide where we’ll be living.”
Hearing Ty talk about us creating a life together made the butterflies in my stomach flutter. “I like that you didn’t just assume we’d move to the estate.”
“Of course, we’ll have to spend some time there. It’ll be expected since it is the family estate, and that’s where pack business is conducted.” He laced our fingers together and smiled at me. “But we’re partners, Liza, and that means making important decisions together.”
An odd expression crossed his face, something that certainly resembled guilt or regret, and I wished I knew the cause, but then Ty kissed my hand, and the look vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
He insisted on staying the night with me—and by insisted, I meant he kissed me into a submission he didn’t honestly have to work so hard to secure—and I didn’t argue. I loved having his warm body against mine, and his strong arms wrapped under my neck and over my waist as we slept.
With him beside me, it didn’t take long at all for me to drift off into a deep sleep. I experienced the most vivid dream I’d ever had. Vivid, terrifying, and familiar.
Smoke filled the house as people shouted from outside. “Protect the alpha! Protect the princess!”
I glanced at my hand. I was holding onto the hand of a woman, looking up into her face as she smiled sadly at me.
A man with my coloring and my facial structure spoke quietly and urgently. “We won’t be able to hold them off. Get the baby out.”
I wanted to protest, to tell them that I was hardly a baby, but I couldn’t do more than watch what was happening.
The woman began to cry, but all too soon her tears turned to anger. “I’ll kill them all.”
A knock on the back door startled the woman. She and the man grabbed weapons, preparing to fight against whoever was on the other side of the door.
“It’s only me.” It was the voice of a young boy.
They both rushed to open the door, and before I could stop her from dropping my hand, she spun to crouch in front of me. “I love you. You’re the most perfect princess. I want you to go with him.” She pointed toward the boy. “He’ll keep you safe until we can find you again.”
The woman’s words were reassuring, but her face was wet with tears. She looked so sad and helpless. Again, I wanted to comfort her.
The man touched the boy’s shoulder, then gave a sharp, hard shake. “Always remember your purpose. I’m counting on you to keep my girl safe.”
The woman wept, choking on her sobs as the man knelt in front of me. He cupped my face, studying every feature. “I love you so much. Always remember who you are, my little princess. You’re royalty.”
The boy stepped forward and took my hand, leading me out the door. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I screamed. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay with the man and the woman.
The boy pulled me along, and I turned to look back at the woman. Her eyes were sad as she watched us walking down a long path that seemed to keep getting longer. She shifted into wolf form just as the front door flew open. A loud bang reverberated through the air, and the wolf fell to the ground.
Something deep within my chest seemed to shred, like a bond breaking. I cried until there were no more tears left to shed.
We ran for what seemed like hours, the boy pulling me toward the snowy woods with fierce determination. I glanced around, trying to make sense of the red-stained snow.
“Don’t look! We have to get to the boat!” the boy shouted and tried to distract me from what I was seeing. Death. Blood. All of it so vivid.
I didn’t know what he was talking about.
He couldn’t have been much older than me, but he was bigger.
I didn’t know how to drive a boat, so it didn’t make sense to me that he would.
Fear rolled like a little ball in my belly, and I pulled against his hold.
But then a chorus of angry shouts came from behind us.
“Get her! Get the girl!” I heard it loud and clear as if whoever was shouting was right next to me.
“Run faster!” The boy tugged hard at my hand, almost dragging me through the forest.
He tripped over a tree root and pulled me down to the ground beside him. He covered his mouth, clearly in pain. His ankle was bent at an unnatural angle. No way were we getting farther. There would be no boat.
“Keep running and hide in the bushes near the flowers.” He scowled and reached for his ankle. “I’ll find you there, but I need to hide until my leg can heal.”
The voices moved closer, and the boy’s eyes widened. “Run! Now!”
I did as I was told and ran as fast as I could. I was tiny. I fit through whips of switches and vines that seemed to be growing around me as I ran. But the fear let me ignore the pain and keep moving. I didn’t want the men to catch me.
I was sad. So very sad.
When I finally made it to the bushes and the field of lavender, I crouched down and hid. The overwhelming scent of the lavender filled my nose. It tickled.
A long time passed, but I had no way of knowing exactly how long I’d been hiding. I must’ve fallen asleep because I woke up with a start and discovered an unfamiliar man standing over me.
He squatted beside me. “Don’t worry, little one. I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of.” His voice was soft, sincere, and I wasn’t scared anymore.
I squinted, trying to get a good look at the man. Just before his face came into clear view, I woke up.
Sitting straight up, I clutched my chest, my heart pounding.
Ty jolted awake and sat up beside me. “Are you okay?”
The dream lingered, and my heart hurt so badly, I didn’t realize I was crying until Ty brushed away the falling tears with his thumbs.
“What’s wrong, Liza?” Panic rose in his voice as he tried to understand what was happening. “A nightmare?”
I didn’t know how to explain it to him. The pain I felt was so real.
But why?
It was just a dream, but part of me knew it was more.
It was a memory.