Reclaiming Herself—Completed

Chapter Thirty

Patrick.

Pressing Danielle closer to him, Patrick glared at the witch. He hadn’t expected his mate to react in such a way, which meant that there was so much more going on than he was privy to. She had clearly met the witch before, and desperately wanted to ensure Danielle’s safety if the witch were to pull something nefarious.

“I swear to the Goddess that if you so much as hurt a hair on her head, yours will be on the ground, severed from your body,” Patrick growled, pure rage blazing in his eyes.

Maria vigorously shook her head. “Please, believe me. I am not here to cause trouble. I want to see Richard pay for his crimes. He’s a monster, and now that Danielle’s been taken from him, he’s unhinged! He murdered my sister in front of me because he said we didn’t hold up our end of the bargain with the curse. I want him dead as much as you do. I want him to be held accountable for his actions!”

“I–I’ll listen…to what you have to say,” Danielle said quietly.

She then gently pushed away from Patrick and turned to face the other woman. Danielle wiped her tear-streaked face and did her best to appear confident. Patrick marveled at how much she looked like a Luna in that moment. Even though it was apparent that she was hurting, she was facing the issue head on, and with poise and confidence.

Patrick watched as the two sat across from each other in the office. Maria sat on the couch, and Danielle sat in his office chair that he pulled over for her. Patrick himself leaned against the desk, arms folded across his chest. He wasn’t worried that anything would happen anymore, but he did want his presence felt by everyone in the room.

“You recognize me not just from Richard’s office, but from your childhood as well. And your mind is trying to place me, which is why your head is hurting. Stop prying into those memories, and the pain will cease,” Maria stated.

“Why do I know but not know you? Why would my brain not let me access those memories of you?” Danielle asked.

Crossing her legs at the ankles, Maria wrung her fingers from one hand in the other. She looked relieved to be explaining everything, but she also seemed incredibly anxious and nervous. Patrick could hear her heartbeat speed up as she fiddled with her hands.

“Danielle,” Maria began hesitantly. “I knew your parents. We were actually dear friends, and when I was living with your pack, they asked me to lock your memories away.”

Disbelief flickered over her face as Danielle openly stared at the witch. “Wh–what? Why? How is that…?”

“When you were very young, you found a dragon egg in the woods. Not knowing what it was, you brought it home and, according to your parents, took diligent care of it until it hatched. I have seen in your memories how beautiful the dragon baby was–a clear, crisp white. Not long after, word spread that the Dragons were enraged that someone dared to steal an egg and keep it for themselves. Your parents feared for themselves, their pack, and most importantly, for you, so they did their best to keep you and the dragon a secret. And, for quite some time, it worked.

“However, apparently, it wasn’t until the Dragons created a bounty that sparked the hunt for the lost egg. Since dragon eggs usually take quite a while to hatch, the Dragons assumed it was still in egg form. No one thought of looking for an already hatched baby dragon. Your pack didn’t even hear of the bounty on the dragon egg… They were too focused on the illness that ravaged through your young body. You were so sick, and none of the doctors could figure out what was wrong. If it hadn’t been for that dragon, Tal’esh, then, I don’t believe you would have made it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever wondered why your eyes and hair are bright red? It isn’t natural. Tal-esh healed you. I’m not sure how, but some of Tal’esh’s magic bonded with you, healing you, but also changing you. Your hair was black, like your parents, and your eyes a deep brown, like your mother’s.”

“I see. That explains my appearance, doesn’t it?”

Maria nodded and then took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “But, no one was ready for the consequences,” she whispered.

Patrick could easily read the pain and sorrow in the witch’s eyes. Retelling Danielle’s early history seemed to hurt her all over again. It was almost as if Maria had wanted to lock her own memories away.

“What happened next?” Danielle asked carefully, pronouncing each word clearly.

“Years passed. You and the dragon were so close due to your bond. It was all so well hidden, and that’s when the pack started slipping. Tal’esh became a part of the pack. A family member. But, there were some that speculated about your transformation. You began showing magical properties, and it scared some of the pack members. The night of April 17 changed everything. The pack house was in flames before we could even respond. Your parents did their best, but there were too many hunters swarming the place. Your parents asked me to take you and Tal’esh and keep you safe until I heard back from them or…heard the worst. If they didn’t make it out, I was supposed to wipe your memories and go to the safe house. There would be enough money and supplies to get us to a neighboring pack that would mostly likely take you in.”

Danielle dropped her head into her hands. “So everyone died? My parents? I knew that I was an orphan, but is this really my history?”

“I’m sorry, Danielle. I should have fought. I should have stayed and helped. But, I couldn’t ignore your mother’s pleas to save you. I couldn’t save anyone but you.”

“And what of Tal-esh? What happened to the dragon? I was alone when I arrived at the New Moon Pack.”

Maria shrugged. “I don’t know. We woke up one morning, the day we were to arrive at the new pack, and Tal-esh was gone.”

“Give me memories back,” Danielle snapped, her eyes glowing fiercely.

“I–I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Like hell you can’t! Give them back to me!” she then shrieked.

Patrick pushed off from the desk and stood protectively behind Danielle. His glowering demeanor was enough to make Maria jump in her seat.

“I–I really can’t! The spell we used, there is no turning back. My magic is not strong enough. It was your mother’s dying wish that you never remember any of this. I can’t go back on an oath I made to a dying friend!” Maria pleaded.

“But there’s so much more I need to know!” Danielle said. “Those memories belong to me! They–”

“Alpha!” a warrior shouted, bursting into the room.

Patrick glared at her as she bowed her head deeply. “What’s so important that you’d interrupt my meeting? Can’t you tell we’re extremely busy at the moment?”

“My apologies, Alpha, but you and the Luna need to see this now. We’ve just come back from the raid on Alpha Richard’s pack. And, uh, what we found is so much worse than we thought.”

“Spit it out.”

“Yes, Alpha. We found videos. Hundreds of them of Alpha Richard and the Luna. The things he was doing…” the warrior shook her head. “Sir, they’re disgraceful, but it doesn’t stop there. In some of the videos, he’s doing the most vile things, which includes him drinking her blood. The older videos aren’t as–”

Patrick held up a hand. “That’s enough. I think we all get the picture.”

The entire room went silent as her words seeped into everyone’s minds. This warrior had just shared that Richard hadn’t only filmed Danielle without her consent during s****l encounters, but had also filmed himself drinking her blood. Aero forcefully took control and gnashed his teeth viciously. Patrick reigned him in quickly as he gently placed a hand on Danielle’s shoulder.

She was shaking, and when he looked down to check her facial expression, it wasn’t pain or sorrow that he read, it was pure rage.