Chapter 2

NATHANIEL

"Why are people staring?" Ayra asked, raising a brow at me.

It was surprising she even noticed. The woman had her face buried in her food the minute it arrived.

"You are dressed in a hospital gown. Put two and two together."

"Oh," she said, looking down at her chest like she was just noticing she wasn't dressed to be out in public.

"Oh. You need not worry, though. You'll get appropriate clothes when you're done eating."

"Silly me. I should have offered you some food. Would you like to eat anything?"

I shook my head. "I already ate."

She shrugged, returning to her food.

Some minutes later, she was done, and we were heading for the mall.

"Alpha Nathaniel, what brings you by?" The sales attendant asked.

"Nathaniel is just fine." I pointed at Ayra who had her attention on a dress. "She needs some clothes. Get her everything she wants."

"Of course… Nathaniel?" She asked with an awkward smile.

"Yes. Did the watches come in yesterday?"

"Yes. Kimberly has them upstairs."

"Great. I'll be down in a few minutes."

I made my way to the jewelry store upstairs, and immediately Kimberly approached me with a smile.

"I heard the news. You're completely smitten with the new woman. People saw you making lovey-dovey eyes at her. Is that true?"

I sighed, shoving my hands into my pockets. "The watches, Kimberly."

"Ah, yes. They are in perfect condition." She rushed over to the counter, grabbing the boxed-up watches before hurrying back over to me. "So, no comment about the smitten news?"

I opened the boxes, taking a peek at the watches to make sure they were fine before handing them to Kimberly. "Pack them up."

"Just so you know, you are a dickhead. A major one at that," she huffed before stomping off.

Kimberly came at the cost of having a Beta. As Logan's mate, she had certain privileges others didn't have, number one being how she talked to me.

The others knew to fear me, but Kimberly wasn't having any of that. I'd never admit this to her, but I appreciated her balls, and over the years, she had grown on me.

Kimberly returned with a bag for the watches. "Just give me a tiny hint. Are you interested in doing the dirty with her?"

"She is not my mate. If that's what you want to know, there you have it."

"Phew. I was prepared to feel sorry for the poor girl. Sandra isn't exactly nice."

"Sandra doesn't control me. You can pass that message onto her, and she sure as fuck isn't my mate."

I turned on my heels, making my way down the stairs.

Truth be told, I had no idea how a mating bond would work for me. My parents had died long before I got the opportunity to ask them.

My brothers and I were clueless about what it entailed. There was no one else to ask. We'd lost our other family members. We were the only survivors of the Black family name.

If I were to have a mate, I wouldn't even have an inkling of what signs to look out for. Sure, I'd bedded several she-wolves in the past, but it was only for as long as my demon was interested.

And my demon? Yeah, he wasn't interested long enough to build a bond. One thing I knew when the time came to find a mate was that my demon would also be a deciding factor in that.

He had to be interested or the bond wouldn't work out.

Looking at Ayra as she smiled at the sales attendant, yeah, he was interested. I had no idea why, but I just knew he was. He was almost restless inside of me, and I knew immediately that being around her would be a huge trouble for me.

***

AYRA

"Do you think this will look presentable in front of the Alpha? I need to speak with him," I said, looking at myself in the mirror.

"Ah, what?" June, the sales attendant, asked, her face twisted in confusion

"Meeting. With your Alpha. I'm meeting with your Alpha. I need to ask a few questions. Is this appropriate?"

"Oh. It's just jeans and a crop top. I don't think he'd mind. Would you like to try on some more clothes?"

"Can I?"

"Yes. Come with me."

We spent the next hour picking out clothes and trying them on.

"These should do."

"I'll go pack them up."

She walked away, leaving me with nothing more to do other than think.

I had no explanation for the marks around my ankle, neither did I remember how I got here. I faintly recalled having a wound on my side walking through some thick woods.

I brought my hand up to my side, but of course, there was no wound.

"I thought I told you not to worry about your memories," Nathaniel said behind me.

I turned to face him. "I didn't hear you come up. How did you find me?"

"You were in the woods. You passed out on me."

So I was right about the woods part.

"I was injured, right?"

He nodded. "You seem to be regaining your memory. At this rate, you should be fine by the evening."

"Will my senses return?"

I hated not being able to smell him before he spoke. That was why he was able to sneak up on me. To a werewolf, losing your senses was one of the worst things that could ever happen. I felt naked without them.

"They should."

I sighed in relief. That was a good thing.

"Ready to go meet the Alpha?" He asked with a tiny smile.

"No, but I have no choice. I have a few questions for him. Maybe he'll have an explanation for how I got here."

"Yes. There's a car outside to take you to the Alpha's place."

"Thanks. You've been of great help today."

"Don't mention."

***

"Your Alpha has a lot of money," I gushed, staring up at the gigantic mansion that sprawled over the land.

"Perhaps."

"You must hold a lot of power if you're allowed to enter his house unannounced."

He shrugged. "Perhaps."

Maybe he was one of his Alpha's trusted friends. I wasn't an expert on how packs worked, but I knew you couldn't just barge into your Alpha's house.

"We've been waiting for you for ages. I talked to Kimberly a while ago. I expected you to have been here a while back," a tall man said to Nathaniel immediately as he opened the front door.

"Ayra was still picking out some clothes. Get some of the Enforcers to load them in the guesthouse next door. She'll be staying there while she's under probation."

"Yes, Alpha."

He bowed before walking out of the house.

"You lied to me," I hissed, smacking Nathaniel's back before I could stop myself.

He chuckled, prowling deeper into the foyer. "You wanted to speak to the Alpha. You have your chance now."

"You made me eat like that in front of you!"

"And what's wrong with the way you eat?"

"I devoured the food like an animal."

"You're an animal," he pointed out, pushing a door open.

"Nathaniel. I was a minute away from hunting you down myself."

"Did you find out anything?" Nathaniel asked, walking around a desk to sit on the massive chair.

"Yes, but… " The man trailed off, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Go on, Logan."

"The test came back. Those wolves were infected with Wylim. It's a poison that corrupts the mind and causes them to cause destruction. That's why those wolves were ruthless with their killings. I wonder who might have killed them."

He said the last part with a pointed look at me.

I met his gaze head-on. Did he expect me to cower in front of him? We had a staring match for a long minute before he looked away.

I squared my shoulder at my small victory before addressing him. "If you have something to say, please do. Your looks aren't cutting it."

"Who are you, and how did you survive the attack?"

"There. Was it that hard? To answer your question, I have no recollection of what you're talking about. Whatever you people did to me made sure of that."

"Nobody did anything to you. You were poisoned, but with a different poison. That could be the cause of your memory loss," he shot back.

"That's enough from you two," Nathaniel broke in. "She'll regain her memory in a few days, and when she does, we can question her. For now, it's pointless to try."

Logan sighed, his chest deflating as he leaned back in his chair.

"Why don't you go see how the preparations are coming up?" Nathaniel suggested.

"Okay. I'll report back in a few hours."

"What preparations are you talking about?" I asked after Logan had left, taking his vacated seat.

"We're celebrating the welcome of our newest pack members. There are about five of them. It's a way to make them feel welcome. You can attend if you want to, but I usually go there to make an appearance. I leave shortly after."

"What do I do now?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do I do until my memory returns?"

"Have fun. Make friends. Mind you, you're still under probation, so it'll be best if you don't do anything that'll cast you in a bad light. Once the probation period is completed, you become a full-fledged member of this pack."

"You'll let me stay here?"

"Do you have someplace else to stay?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. At least I don't think I do."

"Good. Go on. I have business to attend to."

When I got to the main gate, the man we met at the door was already waiting for me.

"Ayra, is it?" I nodded. "Great. Let me show you to your living quarters."