CHAPTER 6

Shirley

“What’s wrong with you these days? You've been preoccupied with your thoughts, is it because of your mate?” Aurora asked tentatively, jolting me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look at her with a dazed look on my face.

Everything that had happened, that I remember made things hard for me to accept. I still can't come to terms with what had transpired between me and Dawson. I somehow believe that I have wronged Dawson and that I might be wrong about him, and everything that I remember is all a dream but I couldn't shake off my gut feeling that my decision to reject him was right. 

I am torn between my thoughts that I had forgotten the most important thing, which is to confirm if all that I remember is real or a dream.

“You’re right, I've been so preoccupied these days that I've neglected everything. Thank you for being here for me,” I said looking at her with a sincere look on my face. She has been beside me all along, if she wasn't here I would have broken down days ago. 

There were times that I would be chatting with her when I would be assaulted by my memories, and at that moment all I felt was fear and she always noticed instantly which made it easy for me to get over it. I couldn't be more grateful to her for what she did for me and I kept reassuring myself that things will be better.

“It’s good that you realize that, you don't have to think too much, it's probably the mate bond, yes, it must be. You'll get over it soon” she said with a reassuring smile on her face. Her words warmed my heart as I knew she was doing all she can to make sure that I won't think too much. 

“There’s somewhere I need to go,” I said after a while, and she stared at me with furrowed brows.

“Where might that be?” She asked curiously.

 “You’ll know once we get there,” I smiled at her mysteriously with my thoughts running wild. 

I knew that I needed to confirm if my memories are right, and even though I have been proven right by Dawson's appearance , that isn't enough for me to confirm if it's right. I need to go to the place where I stayed with him for a month after I ran away from home.

“You should get your gears ready, we are going hiking” I said with a smile on my face.

“Hiking?” she asked with a puzzled look on her face. I knew that by confirming that my memories were right, I would be able to put down my guilt of wronging Dawson, and I will be able to change the outcome of what happened to both my parents and friend. 

“Go get ready, meet me at the pack's border in an hour,” I said, ushering her out of my room. I stared at my room in a daze as I piece my thoughts together. I knew that even if my conjecture was wrong, and all of ‘that’ happens in my dream, I'll treat it as a trip for relaxation.

I carried my backpack which had the supplies I will use during the trip, and although the trip won't take long, I packed some dry food and after I head towards the pack's border after I was done with the preparations. 

“We should get going,” I said to Aurora who couldn't contain her joy, she has always been a person who loves adventure. 

My eyes were cloudy as we walked through the forest as I saw the familiar but unfamiliar places, the places were just like in my memory with little difference. My heart thumbs heavily the closer I got to the place where Dawson and I had lived after we ran away from the pack. I don't want to believe that my memories were right because deep down, I have always wanted a mate who will be there for me. I want to be happy just like my parents, and those vague memory of mine was like a thorn in my heart. 

I wanted all that happened in my memory  to be wrong but the closer I got to the house, the more I realize that everything did happen. 

“This is taking too long,” Aurora complained, I told her that the place was close to the pack and that we will be back in no time but it wasn't. The place was quite far from the pack and it was one of the reason why my parents couldn't find me easily when I ran off with Dawson in my memory. 

“We are here,” I muttered with a bitter smile on my face as I stared at the familiar scenery, my gaze fell on the house built not far away from where we are.

“This place is beautiful!” Aurora squealed with happiness as she stared around. 

“Beautiful indeed” I said uncertainty as I stared at the house in the distance, it was the house where I had stayed with Dawson for years after running away from home, it was the place where I lived a life full of deceit. 

“Do you stalk me? How do you know this place?" Dawson questioning voice jolted me out of my thoughts, and I turned to stare at him with hatred. 

I believed everything that I remember now, I wanted to deny it but the evidence in front of me says it all.

“What does that have to do you? This is not a private property, and you think too highly of yourself to believe that I'll stalk you here” I said with disdain and hatred. I still couldn't forget how he betrayed me. 

I want to have him killed but I didn't because there's no need for me to stoop so low as him, most importantly he hasn't done anything to go against me but he would've done that if I accepted him as my mate. What would become of me will be nothing but his betrayal. 

“The view here has been corrupted by him, we should leave” I said to Aurora not giving him a chance to retort before leaving the place. I stared at the place one more time before I decided to bury what he had done to me in my heart. There's no need for me to hold on to the hatred since I won't be meeting him again.