by Mia Rose
Noelle started opening her eyes slowly and she looked at the woman sitting next to her and said, “Mom?”
“Yes! Oh yes, you remember me, sweetheart?”
Noelle felt hot tears come to her eyes as she shook her head in a “no” to the woman. The woman burst into fresh new tears and the doctor coughed quietly.
“I know that we are all feeling scared, however, it is not that unusual to see patients struggle with their memory for a few days following a severe accident. We just have to be patient with one another as we try to help Noelle remember who she is. I have every hope that she will come around in a few days.”
“Thank you, doctor,” the woman said, holding a tissue underneath her eyes.
The doctor nodded and shut the door behind him leaving the two women alone in the room.
Noelle spoke first, “I’m really sorry I can’t remember you, you seem really sweet and I’m sure you’re a great mom.” The woman could not stop crying so Noelle tried another topic. She said, “They said that the man —well, my father. They said he was attacked by an animal? What happened to him?”
Noelle’s mother looked up at her with a new expression and Noelle did not know what to make of it.
The woman just took Noelle’s hands in her own and said, “I’m just going to step outside for a moment, okay? I’m going to make a call. I’ll be right back!” Noelle nodded and watched the woman leave her room.
Noelle struggled to sit upright in her bed, but she felt this strange sense of determination. She wished that she could remember everything that had happened. Everything about how she had gotten into the accident or why she wanted to remember her mother and father. She wanted to know why the mention of the animal attack sent her mother away from the room. She struggled to find the answers, but her mind pounded against her head and she could feel a major headache coming on.
A nurse walked into the room and smiled at Noelle. “I’m just going to check your vitals, okay?” Noelle nodded and watched as the nurse poked and prodded her body and the machine next to her that she was hooked up to. She then realized that she had a catheter in her.
“Umm, when might I be able to take a shower?” Noelle asked.
“I’ll ask your doctor, but if you’re feeling up to it, I don’t see why we can’t do it today!”
“We?” Noelle asked.
“I’m going to have to help you. I’m not sure you realize how badly you’ve been injured.”
“Am I… am I paralyzed?” Noelle asked, now feeling an overwhelming sense of dread.
“No, nothing like that, sweetheart.” She placed her hand on top of Noelle’s. “Just beat up really bad. It’s going to take some time to get back to normal.”
Noelle nodded and the nurse left the room giving her one final, reassuring smile. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the accident. Suddenly, she was in the car, going full speed toward the barrier and she couldn’t turn the wheel. Next, she slammed into the side and sent the car flipping over. She remembered fading away into nothingness.
She opened her eyes right as her mother walked inside wearing a big smile. “Good news, Sweetie, your father is on his way.”
“What’s your name?”
“Abigail.” Her mother nearly choked on her word.
“Abigail, I think I caused the accident. I remember I was driving really fast and I… I lost control of the car and I hit the railing.”
“Why were you going so fast?” Abigail asked. She hesitated for a moment before adding, “Were you running from something?”
Noelle tried to recall, but nothing came to her mind. “I can’t think of anything else. What would I have been running from?”
“I’m not sure, Noelle. Maybe you should try to get some rest before your father arrives.”
Noelle didn’t want to sleep, but the medicine was hard to fight. She sank back into her pillow and gave in, allowing the peaceful stillness that waited for her.
She dreamed of strange things —caught in the woods, naked, and cornered by a wolf, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to harm her. The wolf just kept circling her, protectively. Out of nowhere, another wolf emerged from the trees and the two started fighting one another. Noelle looked at herself, and she was now dressed in a nightgown and holding a knife. She ran over to them and the wolf that attacked them ran away, but she had already started and she couldn’t stop the blade as it sank into the flesh of the one that had been protecting her.
He looked up at her and his eyes asked, “Why?”
Aria slept cradled in Declan’s arms, her small breaths tickling the inside of his arm. He looked at her and admired her for a moment. She hadn’t been completely wrong in what she’d said to him —he was the alpha and he did need to make all of the right choices for the pack. If that meant taking on a new mate, then he would have to do it. Besides, Noelle clearly was not interested in their little romance anymore. It seemed Declan had to move past it.
But Declan also had a feeling that Aria had lied about talking to herself that night. He couldn’t shake the feeling, but he didn’t have any way to find out for sure, so he would just have to accept that for now, as well. He didn’t trust Aria, but he knew the saying all too well, “Keep your friends close and your enemy’s closer.”
Aria stirred beneath him and her eyes flitted open. She turned to face him and a warm smile greeted him.
He kissed her gently on the forehead and said, “Good morning.”
She mumbled a good morning and pushed herself to a sitting position on the bed, bringing the sheets over her.
“No,” said Declan, gently tugging the sheets away from her, “I want to see you.”
Aria felt exposed, but she couldn’t say she didn’t love the feeling of Declan’s eyes wandering over her, hungrily.
“Aria, I was thinking.”
“Yes?”
“Maybe we should call a pack meeting for the beginning of next week. I want to show them that I’ve chosen a new mate to urge everyone to move forward from Cassidy’s death.”
Aria looked at him, shocked. “You’re… you’re choosing me to be your new mate?”
“Yes, like you said last night. I’ve got to start being Alpha in every aspect.”
“Declan, I’m flattered. But don’t you think it’s too soon? Many of the other pack members are still seeking revenge against the hunters that took one of their own. We should probably meet with them, but we should hear what everyone has to say first and feel out the group before announcing it.”
Revenge, Declan thought to himself, what did that mean? Would they be satisfied with killing the one hunter who shot Cassidy? Or would they want her entire family? Could he really put Noelle into that situation again?
“Is that a problem, Declan?”
“What?”
“I asked you if that’s going to be a problem.”
“Which? Waiting to tell the pack? That’s fine, we can wait. I think you’re right, it may be too soon.”
“I’m glad you agree with me, but that’s not what I was talking about. Is it going to be a problem to give your pack the revenge they want for their lost alpha?”
Declan looked at Aria and he wondered what she was really thinking. He knew that the pack wanted closure from what happened to Cassidy. He’d hoped that by having the training and strengthening their pack bond, that everyone would be able to accept her death and work to move forward toward a sense of normalcy that they had before all of this began. Aria wanted more. She wanted blood for blood. But Declan couldn’t quite figure out if she wanted Noelle dead for killing Cassidy, or if she wanted Noelle dead for sleeping with him.
“Let’s call a meeting tonight then and flesh out a plan,” Declan said.
“Sounds good to me!” Aria got up and pulled on his t-shirt over her body. “Do you want me to spread the word to everyone?”
“Sure.” Declan agreed. He watched as she walked out of the room with nothing but a t-shirt on. “You’re going out like that?” Aria looked ba
ck at him and winked before walking out through the door.
Declan sighed and stared at the ceiling. He checked his phone —no new notifications. He knew that he’d decided not to pursue Noelle, but he also felt obligated to warn her not only about Aria… but also about the entire pack if they decided to seek vengeance. He decided that he would call her tonight after the pack meeting. If she didn’t answer, well, at least he tried.
Declan got up and pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. He went to open the door and found Gabriel standing there, ready to knock.
“Dude,” Gabriel said inviting himself inside. “Aria? Are you joking?”
“What the fuck? How do you…”
“She’s walking around this whole place in your t-shirt. It’s like a freaking moving billboard. You know that she’s been with, like, half the guys in this pack, right?”
“Have you ever…”
“Are you serious? I wouldn’t touch that girl with a twelve-foot ruler.” Declan sighed and dragged his hand across his face.
“I didn’t have much of a choice, man.”
“Umm, how is that possible? You’re the freaking alpha. Everyone in here is your choice.”
Declan looked at Gabriel and he wondered if he could trust him with the truth. He thought that (maybe) he could tell Gabriel exactly what Aria had done, then exactly what he had done. Maybe together they could come up with a plan.
But Declan knew how much Gabriel loved Cassidy and if he found out that Declan had been sleeping with the woman who killed her —no, Gabriel could never know the truth.
“She was Cassidy’s closest friend, Gabe. She’s the natural choice for me and for the pack.” Gabriel just shook his head and let out a small laugh.
“Whatever you say, man.” Gabriel slapped him on the back. “Just be careful because from what I’ve heard from the others, that bitch is crazy.”
Declan looked over at his friend and thought, you have no idea.
“Sometimes, I don’t know what to say.”
Chapter 12
The Pack
“I don’t necessarily know everything.”
Noelle woke up drenched in sweat. She looked over at her mother sleeping in the chair with a man, whom she presumed was her father. He was carrying a small box with him in his lap. Noelle struggled into an upright position, but she noticed it was getting easier at least.
The man’s eyes flew open and landed on hers. She may not have recognized him, but his eyes filled her with such comfort and warmth that she knew she must have known him.
“Hello, baby girl,” he said softly.
“Hi,” she replied. She didn’t want to tell him that she wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure about who he was. She felt like that would crush him. He looked like a sturdy man, but the crutch resting against the wall next to him and the cast carrying his arm told another story —one of a physical fragility that she now knew she carried herself.
“Noelle, what were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!” The words sent a memory crashing into her mind, her vision blinded.
When she opened her eyes, she was not at the hospital anymore, she was standing in the open woods. She had a knife in her hand and this time, there was blood dripping from the blade already. She looked up and saw the man racing toward her. Her mother was frozen in the distance. Noelle looked down at the ground and saw a wolf, similar to the one from her dream, lying there with a gaping wound. The skin around the wound was peeling back quickly, it was as if the wolf was disintegrating right before her eyes. Judging from the knife in her hands, she was the one that killed it. She looked up again and recognized her father standing before her, panting.
He looked at her and said, “Noelle, what were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!”
“Honey? Honey? Can you hear me?” Noelle opened her eyes to her parents’ panicked faces hovering above hers. “Oh, thank God.” Her mother let out a huge breath. “You just went all blank for a minute there, I got so worried. I told you, do not antagonize her!” Her mother slapped her father on the shoulder of his unwounded arm.
Noelle felt more confused than ever. She looked over at her father and said, “I killed a wolf once.”
“Once?” her father laughed, “you’ve done it many times.
Noelle struggled with what to say next. She knew it had been a memory and she knew that these were her parents.
But why was she killing wolves? And why was it so acceptable?
Before she could ask any more questions, the nurse walked in.
“Good morning, Noelle!” she said cheerily. “Good news. The doctor says we can get you into the shower today.”
Noelle smiled weakly as the nurse helped her out of her bed and walked her over to the bathroom. Every bone and muscle in her body ached; even her brain hurt.
Maybe I am dead, Noelle thought, and this is just some really fucked up alternate reality or something.
Noelle sighed.
“What’s that?” the nurse asked.
“Nothing,” Noelle mumbled to herself.
She sat down in a chair in the shower and struggled to hold herself upright as the nurse took a sponge and scrubbed at her body. She didn’t feel uncomfortable around this woman for some reason, probably because this woman did this every single day, so she knew just what to do.
“Will I ever remember things?” she asked the nurse.
Without skipping a beat, the nurse replied, “You will, honey, just give it some time. Your body took a pretty good hit and your brain did too, so they just need some rest to repair themselves. But you’ll see, in no time, you’ll be back up and running. Just make sure that you don’t push yourself too hard. That’s not going to help anything, you can trust me on that.”
Noelle stood up and leaned against the nurse as she was dried. She put on some pajamas that her parents had brought from her room. She struggled to try to remember what her room looked like, or even her house. She sighed from frustration and the nurse looked at her and smiled gently, but didn’t say anything to her.
They walked back into the room together and Noelle laid back in bed. Her father wobbled over to the side and sat down next to her. She didn’t know why, but this scene felt pretty familiar to her. He was holding the box of letters.
“What are those?” Noelle asked.
“These are some old letters that you got from the library,” her father said. She could tell that he was choosing his words carefully. “Noelle, I’m sure that you will remember all of us and everything about your life in time, but maybe these letters will help you remember. You seemed pretty determined to find something in them. And plus, it’s not like you’ve got anywhere better to be right now.”
She laughed despite herself and took the box from his hands. She opened the first letter and started reading it to herself when the door to her room opened.
It was an elderly woman who Noelle instantly recognized, “Nana!”
The woman smiled brightly and walked slowly toward the side of her bed.
She leaned down to plant a kiss on Noelle’s forehead, “You see? I told you I’m an unforgettable woman.” They all laughed and Noelle could tell how happy it had made her parents to see that she recognized her grandmother.
Following her nana, were two other women who introduced themselves as her aunts, then a man who was the husband of one of the ladies, and a young girl whose name was Megan.
“I see you still managed to get in a shower,” Megan said nervously. Noelle wasn’t sure why that was funny, but she let out a laugh anyways which seemed to relax everyone in the room.
“We won’t stay long,” said the woman who’d introduced herself as Auntie Marjorie. “We just wanted to say our goodbyes. We are leaving on our plane today, to go back home.”
Noelle’s mother gasped, “You’re leaving?”
“We didn’t want to be a bother to you, Abigail. There’s been so much going on this week and we weren’t sure how to, well, how to not be in the way.”
/>
Noelle reached out and took Marjorie’s hand into her own. “Please stay.” Noelle started crying softly and Marjorie’s expression quickly changed. “I want to remember everything. I need my family by my side.”
“Abigail?”
“You don’t even have to ask, Marj.” Abigail wiped at the tears falling down her own cheeks and she took her daughter’s other hand.
“Okay, then. We will stay with you as long as you need us!”
The room was small, but it felt nice to be surrounded by so many unfamiliar-familiar faces. For the first time since the accident, Noelle felt confident that she was going to make it out of this better and stronger.
Declan knocked on the door of Aria’s apartment. He waited about one minute before he knocked again so hard that he almost put a hole through the door. Finally, the door swung open and he saw Aria standing there in tight, blue jeans and a black tank top. It had a low-cut V in the front.
“Aria!” Declan’s voice boomed, “what happened to, ‘It’s too soon to tell the pack about us?’”
Aria smiled and took a few steps back leaving him space to come inside the door.
“I didn’t tell anyone anything. They just saw me in your t-shirt this morning, and well, you know how gossip spreads around here! There was nothing I could do to control it.”
“You could have put on some fucking clothes.”
“Yes, well, if you recall, you kind of ripped my dress in half, so….” she trailed off.
Declan didn’t feel like having this conversation with her anymore. He could not figure out this woman. One minute she was sweet and soft and beautiful, and the next, she transformed into a vicious snake ready to attack at any moment.
What the hell did you get yourself into? Declan thought to himself.
“Fine. Whatever. Are you ready to go to the meeting?”
“Oh, have you come to pick me up? Is this your idea of a first date, because I am definitely a flowers and chocolates kind of a girl, just so you know.” Declan reached out his arm and Aria looped hers into it, giggling.