Thorne

3

THORNE

The ice cave was dark and quiet, the only sound coming from the gentle drip of water from the ceiling. Thorne lay on the ground, his body completely frozen, his mind lost in a deep sleep. But then, something changed. Thorne's eyes fluttered open, and he felt a warmth spreading through his body. He struggled to sit up, his muscles stiff and unresponsive.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Thorne saw a figure standing in front of him. It was a young woman, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Who are you?" Thorne croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The woman smiled at him. Thorne's mind raced at the sight of her. Who was this woman? As he looked into her eyes, he felt a warmth and a sense of familiarity wash over him. It was as if he knew her from somewhere, though he couldn't quite remember where.

"Come on," She said, helping him to his feet. "Let's get you out of here. You need to rest and get warm."

Thorne nodded, allowing her to lead him out of the cave and into the bright, cold winter air. As he took his first steps, he knew that his journey was far from over. But with her by his side, he felt like he could face anything that came his way.

However, as he looked around, he saw that the landscape was empty and desolate. There was no sign of the woman or anyone else. It dawned on him that she was just a figment of his imagination, a manifestation of his desire for companionship and connection in his lonely, isolated existence.

Thorne sighed, knowing that he was alone. He squared his shoulders and set out to find his pack and this mysterious woman. He felt that she changed something in his heart.

ANASTASIA

I woke up with a start, my heart racing in my chest. I was covered in a cold sweat and shaking all over. It was the first time I had slept since my memory loss, and I had a dream unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

In the dream, I was back in the cold forest, lost and alone. I wandered through the snowy landscape, searching for any sign of life or help. And then, I saw him. The man with the frozen face, staring up at me from the ice.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Was this man real? Was he trying to tell me something? Or was it all just a hallucination, a product of my injured mind?

I tried to listen, but the dream was already fading, and I knew that I would wake up before I could understand what he was trying to tell me. I always woke up feeling terrified and confused, wondering if there was some kind of message or clue hidden in the dream that I was missing.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop shaking. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. It was no use trying to go back to sleep now. I would just have to face another day with my memory still a blank slate, and hope that something would trigger my memory and bring me closer to the truth.

As I stepped into the shower, the warm water cascaded over my skin, soothing my aching muscles and washing away the dirt and grime of the past few days. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of contentment, grateful for the small comfort in this unfamiliar place.

I washed my hair, scrubbing away the tangles and knots until it was clean and soft. I lathered up my body, taking extra care to wash the cuts and scrapes on my arms and legs. As I rinsed off, I couldn't help but wonder where I was from, and how I ended up in that cold, icy forest with no memory of my past.

After my shower, I wrapped myself in a warm towel and headed to the bedroom. Rachel had left some clothes for me, and I noticed a few more pieces she left in the closet for me. I dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweater, and then ran a comb through my wet hair.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unfamiliarity. My face was pale and gaunt, my eyes shadowed with fatigue. I didn't recognize the person looking back at me, and it was a strange and unsettling feeling. I tried to brush it off, and then began to pull my hair back into a pony tail.

As I finished getting dressed, I heard a knock on the door. I quickly checked my appearance in the mirror one last time before walking over to open it.

"Good morning, Anastasia," Ethan said, looking at me twice "You look nice. I hope you slept well."

"I did, thank you," I replied. "Is there something you needed?"

"I thought I'd take you around the village and introduce you to some of the other members," Ethan said smiling at me. "Rachel is waiting for us at the meeting hall."

"Oh, okay," I said, feeling a little nervous. I wasn't sure how I would be received by the others, especially since I couldn't remember anything about myself.

As we turned a corner, Ethan saw a pair of familiar faces approaching from the opposite direction. They were Ethan's parents, Jessica and James, and they smiled as they saw Ethan and I walk up to them.

"Funny running into you guys!" Jessica said, smiling at me.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Anastasia," Ethan said, a proud grin spreading across his face. "Anastasia, these are my parents, James and Jessica Knox."

I smiled nervously, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over me. I had always been nervous around new people, especially when they were as well-to-do and influential as Ethan's parents.

They both smiled at me, "This must be the girl you rescued, Ethan." James stated, looking at his son with satisfaction, "She is very beautiful, son."

"Indeed she is, father," Ethan smiled and looked at me, and I blushed.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mr. and Ms. Knox." I said, shaking both of their hands, "Your son has been most welcoming and generous to me."

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear," Jessica, his mom, replied. "I raised him to be nothing less than a perfect gentleman."

I kept a smile plastered on my face and nodded, "Oh, I can certainly tell."

"Well, mom, dad, we had better get going, but it was nice to see you two." Ethan said, cutting the introduction short.

"Of course, well, it was lovely to meet you Anastasia," Jessica said, coming in to hug me.

I hugged her back, "Oh and you as well, Ms. Knox. Have a good rest of your day."

As we said our goodbyes and parted ways, we ran into another man that Ethan seemed very familiar with. They greeted each other with a short nod.

"I also want to introduce you to someone else," Ethan said, gesturing to a man standing behind him. "This is Marcus, second in command of our pack. Marcus grew up with me, we are great friends, and I'm sure you will see a lot more of him."

Anastasia looked at Marcus and saw a tall, muscular man with cold, dark eyes. He didn't smile or speak, but simply nodded his head in greeting.

Ethan noticed the tension and tried to smooth it over. "Don't let Marcus' stoic demeanor fool you. He's a loyal and dedicated member of our pack."

Anastasia forced a smile and extended her hand to Marcus. "It's nice to meet you, Marcus."

Marcus took her hand in a firm handshake, his eyes still cold and unreadable. "It's nice to meet you as well, Anastasia."

I followed Ethan down the cobblestone path towards the meeting hall, taking in the sights and sounds of the village as we walked. The buildings were painted in bright colors and adorned with flowers, and the air was filled with the sound of birds singing and the gentle murmur of conversation.

As we approached the meeting hall, I could see Rachel sitting at a table on the patio, sipping a cup of tea and chatting with a group of women. She spotted us and stood up, waving and smiling as we approached.

"Good morning," she said, hugging me warmly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yea, thanks," I replied, returning her hug. "The room was perfect."

"I'm glad to hear it," Rachel said, leading us to the table. "We have a big day ahead of us, so we should eat a good breakfast. Ethan, would you mind getting us some coffee and pastries from the kitchen?"

Ethan nodded and headed towards the kitchen, leaving Rachel and I to catch up.

"So, Anastasia," Rachel said, taking a seat and gesturing for me to do the same. "I was thinking we could spend the day touring the village. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a great idea," I replied, taking a seat and looking around at the bustling patio. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone and learning more about the pack."

Rachel smiled and nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. And, one more thing while we're there. We'll have to work out some type of job for you to work at while you stay here. So you can have some spending money. We can look at the job postings in town and see if anything catches your eye."

"Oh, of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." I smiled back at her.

Just then, Ethan returned with a tray of coffee and pastries, and we spent the rest of the breakfast chatting and getting to know each other better. It was clear that Rachel and Ethan were both warm and welcoming, and I felt grateful to have them as friends in this strange new place.

"So, Anastasia, have you thought about what you might want to do while you're here in the pack?" Rachel asked.

I paused, "I'm not sure. I don't really have any skills or experience that I can remember, so I'm not sure what I'd be good at."

"Don't worry about that. We can help you figure out what you're interested in and what you might be good at. And even if you don't have any specific skills, there's always something you can contribute to the pack. We're a community, and we all have to work together to make things run smoothly." Ethan reassured me.

Rachel: "Yeah, there's always something you can do to help out. And even if you don't find your niche right away, you can always try something new and see how it goes."

Anastasia: "That's a good point. I guess I just want to find a way to be useful and make a difference."

Ethan: "I'm sure you will, Anastasia. You're a strong and capable person, and I have no doubt you'll find your place in the pack."

I blushed, and Rachel gave us both a sly look. "Have you thought about who you're gonna take to the ball yet, Ethan?" She said and smirked.

Ethan tilted his head uncomfortably, and glanced over at me. "Well, I haven't really thought about the ball very much yet. We've been so distracted with work lately."

"Ball?" I asked.

"Yeah, every spring we host a ball with a few other packs to keep up with them. It helps some people to find their mates, which is fun too." She said, smiling dreamily.

"Mates? Like friends." I said. Ethan and Rachel shared a knowing look.

"It's your memory loss." Ethan explained. "She didn't know what a pack was when I found her. You must have forgotten this information, Anastasia, but we are going to get you in therapy this weekend and have your therapist explain these things to you."

"Oh," I said, frowning. "Why can't you guys just tell me?"

"I wouldn't even know where to start." Ethan answered and shook his head. "Look, I'll clean up and why don't you two go take the grand tour of the village?"

"Okay," Rachel said, smiling. "Let's go, Anastasia."

I followed Rachel through the winding streets of the pack village, trying to take in all of the sights and sounds around me. It was so different, I think, from anything I had ever experienced before. The buildings were made of adobe and there were people everywhere, going about their daily business.

"This is the main square," Rachel said, gesturing to a large open area in the center of the village. "That's where we hold meetings and festivals."

I nodded, trying to take it all in. I had so many questions, but I didn't know where to start.

"And over there is the market," Rachel continued, leading me down a narrow street lined with stalls. "You can find just about anything you need here. Fresh produce, meat, clothes, crafts. It's a really vibrant community."

I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. It was all so new and unfamiliar. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. This was a new adventure, and I was determined to make the most of it.

As Rachel led Anastasia through the bustling village, they came across a large bulletin board filled with job postings. Anastasia's head spun as she tried to take in all the different opportunities being advertised. There were positions available for farmers, carpenters, teachers, and even a local newspaper.

"Take your time and look around," Rachel encouraged, smiling at Anastasia's wide-eyed expression. "You might find something that interests you."

I slowly made my way down the board, scanning each post carefully. I had no idea what my skills or interests were, but I knew she needed to find a way to contribute to the community. As I reached the end of the board, my eyes landed on a job as a librarian at the local library.

"I used to love reading," I muttered to myself, a faint memory fluttering in the back of her mind.

"What did you say?" Rachel asked, tilting her head in confusion.

I turned to her and shrugged. "I said I used to love reading. It's a skill I have, or at least, I think it is."

Rachel's face lit up with excitement. "That's perfect! The library is always looking for new volunteers. I bet they would love to have you on board. And, the librarian is Ethan's friend's mom! Have you met Marcus yet?"

I nodded, "Yea, I did actually. He was... quiet."

Rachel rolled her eyes and nodded, "He'll warm up to you, he's just not good with people. Genevieve, his mom, is much friendlier. The Zabinski family is a pretty well known family because they are the Beta family of our pack. So it's not a bad idea to get to know them better."

I nodded, "Okay, thanks for the advice, Rachel!"

....

I nervously approached the library, my eyes scanning the sign that hung above the door. I had a feeling that reading was something I enjoyed, and the idea of working in a library was a dream come true. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door, stepping into the cool, quiet space.

As I walked towards the desk, I noticed a woman sitting behind it, her head bent over a pile of papers. She had long, curly hair that was pulled back into a messy bun, and she was humming to herself as she worked.

"Excuse me," I said, clearing my throat.

The woman looked up and smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Hello there. How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if there were any job openings here at the library," I said, fidgeting with the straps of my backpack.

The woman's smile grew wider. "As a matter of fact, we are in need of a part-time assistant. Do you have any experience in library work?"

I paused. "No, I don't... It's kind of a peculiar situation. I previously lost my memory, so I'm not entirely sure of my work history, but I can guarantee you that I'm a hard worker and I remember that I love reading."

"Interesting, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you." The woman, who introduced herself as Genevieve, the librarian, nodded approvingly. "I can tell you have a love for literature, and we really need someone to start quickly. I think you would be a great fit here at the library. When can you start?"

I couldn't believe my ears. I had landed a job on my very first try. "I can start as soon as you need me," I said, a wide smile spreading across my face.

Genevieve chuckled. "Well, how about tomorrow at nine? I'll show you around and we can get you started on your duties."

I thanked Genevieve profusely before leaving the library, my heart beating with excitement.

As I walked out of the library, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment wash over me. Genevieve had offered me the job on the spot, and I couldn't wait to start working with all the amazing books in the library.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice Rachel standing by the door until she called out to me.

"Hey, congratulations on the job!" she said, giving me a hug. "I can tell by your goofy smile that you got it."

"Thanks," I replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so excited, I start tomorrow at 9."

"That's so exciting!" She said, looking down at her watch. "Well, we should probably get going," Rachel said, glancing at her watch. "We have another appointment with Dr. Thompson in a little bit."

I nodded, "Hopefully we can get some good news today!"