Something I Can’t Remember
1175 Words
Kael’s POV
Pain. That’s the first thing I feel. It spreads like wildfire across my chest and ribs, a dull burn with sharp edges, reminding me I’m alive, but barely.
Then I feel something else. Warmth, a hand. A presence. A voice I can’t quite place.
“Elara…”
The name leaves my mouth before I even know what it means. But it does something to her.
She freezes. I feel the shift in her energy, the way her breath stumbles for a second. Whoever she is… my wolf is clawing at me now, desperate to get closer. Desperate to see her.
My eyes c***k open.
She’s there, kneeling beside me, golden light fading from her fingers, eyes wide like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Her hair is dark and tangled from wind, her lips slightly parted. There’s blood on her hands.
Mine.
“Elara…” I say again, softer this time.
Her face tightens. “You need to stay still. You’re lucky to be breathing.”
“I…..what happened?” My voice is rough, like I’ve swallowed smoke. “Where am I?”
“You were found near the river. Rogue territory.”
I blink hard. Rogue territory? Why the hell would I be…..
“Wait,” I rasp, forcing myself to sit up despite the stabbing pain. “Riven, where’s my Beta? He was with me….”
“I didn’t find anyone else,” she says quickly. “Just you.”
I breathe through the pain, but it barely registers compared to the storm inside me.
Why does she look at me like that?
Like she knows every secret I’ve buried. Like she’s the one I see in my dreams but can never reach.
“You’re a healer,” I say quietly, studying the faded glow in her palms.
“I know what I am.”
There’s something in her tone. It was cold.
“You saved me,” I murmured.
“No,” she says, standing slowly. “I just didn’t let you die.”
I watch her turn away, but my wolf growls deep inside me, agitated.
Mine. The word whispers in my blood.
But that can’t be right. My Luna is Nyra. My mate.
Right? Then why does everything inside me feel like it’s burning when I look at this woman?
“Have we met before?” I ask, voice hoarse.
She doesn’t answer.
“Elara.”
She turns back, eyes narrowing. “What?”
“I know your name. I said it before I even opened my eyes. Why?”
She hesitates, and for a moment I think she’ll tell me.
But she doesn’t.
“You must’ve heard it in a dream. Now rest.”
I shake my head. “It’s more than that. I…..I feel like I know you. I feel it in my bones.”
She doesn’t flinch, but her lips press into a thin line.
“Maybe your bones are lying.”
“No. My wolf, he’s been silent for days. But now… he’s awake. He’s restless. He wants…”
I trail off, confused by the words building in my throat. I don’t know what I want. Only that I feel like I’ve lost something I didn’t even know was mine.
She sighs and rubs her temples. “This was a mistake.”
“What was it?”
“Saving you.”
A silence falls between us, thick and sharp.
I glance around. The room is small, stone walls covered in old books and dried herbs. It was simple and safe. There’s a fire burning low in the corner and something warm simmering in a pot.
It feels like a home, but not mine.
“Where am I exactly?” I ask again, slower this time.
“My land. The middle of nowhere. Far from your kind. Far from the war you drag with you.”
War. There’s always war.
I nod once. “And yet… you risked everything to heal me.”
She doesn’t respond. Instead, she walks to a wooden cabinet and pours something into a cup.
When she returns, she holds it out. “Drink this. For the pain.”
I take it, and our fingers brush. Her hand jerks away like she’s been burned.
My wolf surges.
“Tell me who you are to me,” I say before I can stop myself.
She looks at me, something like grief flickering in her gaze. “I’m no one to you anymore.”
Anymore. That word slices deeper than I want to admit.
I drink the bitter brew, my throat burning.
She turns her back to me and heads toward the door. “Don’t follow me. Don’t try to leave. You’re not strong enough, and you don’t belong here.”
Then she’s gone.
The door shuts softly behind her.
I stare at the place she stood, a strange ache blooming in my chest.
Something’s wrong. My memories are wrong.
And I don’t know how I know that but I just do.
***************
It’s hours later when I hear the soft creak of the door. I pretend to be asleep.
Small footsteps pad across the floor. It was light and curious.
Then a whisper, barely audible. “You’re the man from my dream.”
I open my eyes. A little boy stands beside the bed.
He can’t be older than four. Wild dark curls. Wide green-gold eyes. He clutches a stuffed wolf in one hand and stares at me like I’m something from a storybook.
I sit up slowly. “Who are you?”
He tilts his head. “Cael.”
Cael.
Even his name makes something stir inside me.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” I say, glancing toward the door.
“I wanted to see you,” he whispers. “Mama says not to. But… you smell like me.”
I freeze.
“What?”
He shrugs. “Like fire. And moonlight. And something… old.”
He steps closer. My wolf growls again, possessive, protective, furious.
And then, he touches my hand.
A sharp jolt shoots through me like lightning.
My vision explodes in white.
And suddenly I’m not in the cottage anymore.
I see….
A flash of a silver moon. A girl, no, a woman, with blood on her hands and tears on her cheeks.
Her hand in mine. The scent of lavender.
And a voice, my voice, whispering, “You’re mine, Elara. Always.”
I snap back to the present, gasping.
Cael blinks at me. “You okay?”
My heart is thundering in my chest. I stare at him, really stare.
My wolf is howling now. Claiming.
Recognizing. This boy. This child.
He’s…..
The door slams open.
Elara.
She rushes in, face pale, eyes blazing. “Cael!”
He spins, startled. “Mama, I……”
She scoops him into her arms and backs away from me like I’m the threat.
I stand, even though my knees shake. “He’s… he’s mine.”
She doesn’t deny it.
She just whispers, “You weren’t supposed to know.”
- Writer
