The Veiled Silver Moon

CHAPTER TWO

Kaelith adjusted his position on the couch, his fingers lacing together in a way that seemed calculated. "You are Arwenna Lys."

He drew a slow breath before continuing. "You were in an accident six months ago. It nearly killed you. You've been unconscious this whole time, so memory loss is expected."

"And you are...?" I gestured toward him, needing to hear it again in the clear light of day.

"Kaelith Draevan. Your mate."

"Right. You mentioned that before." I wrapped my arms around myself. "But what does mate actually mean?"

"We're werewolves." He said it like he was discussing the weather. "Mates are fated partners. The bond is chosen by the moon goddess."

A laugh bubbled up before I could stop it. The sound filled the quiet room, and I found myself doubling over, shoulders shaking with genuine amusement. The whole thing was absurd. The werewolves, moon goddesses and fated mates. He was telling jokes with the most serious expression I'd ever seen.

I looked up to share the humour with him.

The laughter died in my throat.

His eyes had gone distant, glassy. Lost in something I couldn't see. The expression on his face made my chest ache with an emotion I couldn't place.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

He didn't respond. Didn't even seem to hear me.

What memory had pulled him so far away? What was he seeing that put that look on his face?

I climbed off the bed and crossed to where he sat. My hand found his arm, fingers wrapping around warm skin. "Are you alright?"

Electricity sparked where we touched. I felt him tremble slightly beneath my palm.

His eyes cleared instantly, snapping back to focus. But the darkness in them now was different, dangerous and cold. Like something sharp enough to cut.

He stood so quickly that I stumbled backwards. His hands shot out to steady me, gripping my waist before I could fall.

"I'm sorry." The words came out clipped. "Your parents will be here soon. I called them."

He released me and stepped back, putting careful distance between us again.

"My parents?" I frowned. "Who are they?"

"You'll meet them shortly." He moved toward the door. "I have something I need to handle first."

Panic flared hot in my chest. I reached for him without thinking, my fingers closing around his bare forearm. "Where are you going? What about me?"

My voice sounded desperate even to my own ears.

Something in his expression softened. "I just need to take care of a private matter. The doctors will examine you, and your parents can answer any questions I can't. They know everything about your life before the accident."

"Okay." I forced myself to release his arm. "I'll wait for you to come back then."

He was the only familiar thing in my completely unfamiliar world. The only anchor I had.

He left without looking back, and I returned to the bed to wait.

The door burst open not long after. A woman rushed in, her face already wet with tears. She ran straight to me and pulled me into a crushing embrace, then started coughing from crying so hard.

I sat frozen, unsure what to do. After a moment, I returned the hug awkwardly.

"Oh, baby, you're really okay." Her voice broke on every word. "I'm so grateful. So thankful."

Her hands moved over me frantically, checking for injuries. "Thank you, moon goddess, for returning her to us."

I looked past her to the man standing by the bed, my eyebrows raised in question.

He smiled, small and gentle, and touched the woman's shoulder. "Maevra, you're overwhelming her."

He pressed a handkerchief into her hand.

Maevra dabbed at her face. "I'm sorry, darling. I got carried away." She gestured between herself and the man. "I'm your mother, Maevra. This is your father, Durus."

She pulled him forward so I could see him properly.

"So you're my parents." I studied them both, searching for any flicker of recognition. Nothing.

"Yes, darling." Maevra nodded, fresh tears gathering in her eyes.

"What happened to me?"

Maevra explained everything slowly, carefully. Six months ago, a truck hit me. The accident left me in a coma. I'd woken up briefly about a week ago but kept losing consciousness again.

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't remember waking up before this."

The state I'd woken up in, naked in Kaelith's bed, didn't exactly suggest I'd been lying in a hospital room. A shiver ran through me at the memory.

I didn't mention it. Some things were too embarrassing to share with people claiming to be my parents.

Maevra glanced at Durus before turning back to me. "It's normal not to remember. Right, Durus?"

She nudged him with her elbow.

Durus cleared his throat. "Yes, completely normal. The doctors warned us you might not recall your first awakening. That's why we weren't surprised about the memory loss."

I looked between them, then managed a small smile. Something about their explanation felt off, but I couldn't pinpoint what.

"And Kaelith..." I twisted the sheets in my hands. "Is he really my husband? He mentioned us being mates."

"Yes, he's your husband." Maevra launched into an explanation of their world.

Werewolves were essentially humans who could shift into wolf form. The moon goddess chose a destined partner for each werewolf, and once bonded, the connection lasted for life unless one party rejected it.

My mother was a werewolf. My father was human. That made me a hybrid.

Most werewolves gained their wolf at sixteen. I never had. Twenty-two years old and still wolf-less.

After filling me in on the basics, Maevra seemed to notice my glazed expression. She and Durus promised to visit again soon and left me alone to process everything.

When the door closed behind them, I sat perfectly still, trying to organise the information into something that made sense.

A full-length mirror stood against the far wall. I walked over to it, needing to see if the reflection matched the person my parents had described.

The girl staring back at me had long, dark hair and pale grey eyes. Beautiful, objectively. But something felt wrong. Off.

I couldn't explain what exactly was different. Just that the face in the mirror looked uncanny.

The sensation of being watched prickled across my skin, raising every hair on my body.

I spun around to find Kaelith standing in the doorway, his gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made breathing difficult.

He didn't look away when I caught him staring.

Emotions crashed over me in rapid succession. Anger, pain, sadness, regret, and relief. Too many feelings at once, none of them felt like mine.

Then they vanished as quickly as they'd come, leaving me hollowed and confused.