AsherIt feels as though my world has just spun off its axes completely. My mother follows me into my office, and we discuss everything again. Trying to make sense of what happened. Jane’s reaction to the two, and what my next steps should be.According to wolf law, I have to let her pack know where she is. Unless I can prove that they abused her and she claims asylum. Unfortunately, her current memory loss is going to force us to hand her back to her pack.“Did they see her?” A solution starts to form in the back of my mind as I try and figure out a way to protect Jane.“Not that I can see. She wanted to go over and ask them if they knew her, but I stopped her in time.” My mother sighs as she pours each of us a drink.“Do you think we will be able to play dumb?” I frown as she sighs and shrugs.“I don’t know, son. Have you received any notification that they are missing a pack member?” My mother worked closely with my father for many years and I trust her opinion on all pack matters.
Isabella“Are you …” My frown deepens and I hesitate to ask. “Are you Amish or something?” I glare at him the moment he bursts out laughing. “It’s not funny!” My cheeks puff up as I cross my arms over my chest.“I’m sorry.” He tries to swallow his laughter, but I note the amusement in his eyes. “It’s just that nobody has ever thought of us that way. To be honest, I’ve never really paid much attention to what people think of us and our lifestyles.” He shrugs, leaning against the wall. He crosses his arms over his chest and leisurely places one ankle over the other. He looks comfortable. Relaxed.“I can promise you that we aren’t some kind of cult, and we aren’t Amish. We are just a group of people who prefer to live our lives a certain way. We prefer the fresh air of the forest. We prefer the quiet of it compared to the noise in the city, and most importantly, we like our privacy. We also use all the available technology there is, but we aren’t glued to it like most city people.” He pu
Isabella“I don’t want to pry, and please, if I’m overstepping, you have to tell me, but how did his father die?” I have been wondering about it for a while. Not that I have been there very long. Curiosity got the better of me. I want to know more about the man who raised Asher. I want to know more about the people who are kind enough to take me in and take care of me.“Well, I wouldn’t discuss it in front of Asher, but he was killed.” As soon as I see the sadness in her eyes, I feel terrible for asking. I don’t push, and she doesn’t tell me anymore about Asher’s father. “Asher reminds me so much of his father. He is strong and determined.” She laughs. “And a little pigheaded from time to time.”“I guess, I’m just surprised that he is taking such an interest in me.” I shrug feeling instantly shocked at my own words. I didn’t even realize that was how I was feeling, but it is. What is so special about me besides the fact that I have no memories?“Well, my son is intrigued by you.” Lisa
IsabellaI wake up in the early hours of the morning, and I can still smell the scent of his aftershave on the pillow beside me, but he isn’t there. I feel better than I have in a while and I notice that my body isn’t as sore as it has been. After a shower and a clean, new set of clothes, I make my way to the kitchen, where I’m surprised to find Lisa.“Good morning, honey. Sleep well?” She is wearing an apron which I find strangely familiar, and I smell the scent of pancakes and sweet syrup.“Good morning, yes and yourself?” I smile as she gestures for me to take a seat. There is freshly squeezed orange juice, and she places a plate filled with pancakes in front of me as soon as I sit down.“Amazing. It’s wonderful what a good night’s rest can do for the body, mind and spirit.” Lisa beams as she sits down. “Dig in. You need to eat so you can heal.”“It is strange. I feel so much better this morning.” I frown. “Where is Asher?” I see something flash in her eyes before she smiles.“He h
AsherWe couldn’t just storm in. I couldn’t just claim Isabella. At least, not until she had her memory back and could confirm what we already suspect. What I could do was spy on her pack. I could gather the evidence we needed that would back up her story.The plan is to try and spy on her pack in their pack grounds, but we quickly find out that their borders are too far and their pack house is too well hidden. Since we can’t let them figure out what we were up to, we can’t even think about crossing the border.I try to talk to some of the neighbouring packs, but the only information we get is more of what we already know. They are very secretive. There are rumours of abuse, but nobody has concrete proof, and everyone seems to agree that Adam is a prick.After two days of dodging questions and making sure that nobody suspects that Isabella is with us, I finally return home. We don’t have much more than we knew before, which means we will have to depend on Isabella’s memories.The news
IsabellaLisa’s advice the past two days has been to take it one step at a time. Most importantly, she wants me to only think about the flashes when they happen. She believes if I don’t dwell on them too much it might just help me to get through the next one a little easier.For some strange reason, I feel better knowing Asher is back, and when he asks me to go for a walk, excitement kind of takes over. My heart starts to race as we get closer to the door and when we reach the threshold, I stop.It feels as though there is an invisible barrier all of a sudden and if I were to try and cross it, I would somehow be hurt. I look at the floor and then at Asher and I can feel the panic rising from deep inside. It’s too much. It’s too fast. I can’t!“Would you mind if I tried something?” His eyes fill with kindness and I nod. The moment he picks me up bridal style, I’m stunned into silence. He smiles and takes one step, crossing the threshold. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He smiles, and I r
AsherPacing back and forth in the library after what Isabella told us, makes me feel like a caged animal. Having to sit there and listen nearly forced my wolf out. Pacing is all I could do at the moment to keep him locked away. I can’t let Isabella see him yet. Not until she has her full memory back.“Son, you need to calm down. Don’t do whatever it is that mind of yours is planning.” My mom looks far too calm for my liking as she sits there blinking at me.“Did we just hear the same thing? Do you understand what they did to her?” I lose grip on my anger in my attempt to keep my wolf in check.“I heard, and it is awful, but running out of here and tearing whoever did this to her apart isn’t going to win her over. It’s not going to make it better. It’s over. It has already happened. All we can do now is to show her a better life.” She’s right. I know she is right, but I still want to tear something limb from limb!“Okay, so what do you suggest that I do?” I sigh and finally sit down b
IsabellaI wonder only for a moment if he is talking about the wild animals or actually himself. I have to push the idea to the back of my mind because it is just too ludicrous to think about. I don’t know if I read about fairy tale creatures or if I saw them on television, but I know for a fact that they can’t possibly exist.“I know I’m asking very personal questions, and you really don’t have to answer me, but how do you afford all of this?” I frown noting the slight smile again. He seems to relax again and explains that they have a couple of businesses both right there and in the nearby town that make enough money to support all the people living there.He talks about their green house and the fact that they also grow a lot of their food themselves and I really want to see it all, but just the thought of going outside sends a rush of adrenaline through my veins, and it is as though it activates my memories.I see my own hands this time. I’m busy peeling vegetables when I feel some