Lost and Found

Four

Without even bothering to reply, Zane rushed out the door and practically collided into Leo seven steps later, who hadn’t, apparently, made it very far down the hallway. They were both sprawled out on the floor, groaning.

“That hurt,” Zane grumbled.

“Sorry, Alpha. I, uh, wasn’t expecting you to burst out of your door like that.”

“And I wasn’t expecting you to still be here.”

Leo stood and held out a hand for the other, who took it, heaving himself up. Zane looked at his subordinate’s cheesy and sheepish smile before shaking his head and cracking his own grin.

“Why didn’t you make it far?”

“Just thinking. It’s the night for it.”

Zane shook his head. “Well, it’s now the night to check in on our patient.”

Leo’s eyes brightened. “She’s awake?”

“She’s awake. Let’s go.”

It took the two barely any time at all to practically run to the hospital, where Bre was waiting impatiently for them by the door, leaning against the frame.

“What took you so long?” she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

Zane mirrored her playful smirk with one of his own. “It’s been a busy night. I’m just glad I could fit this in.”

Bre turned, waving at them to follow. “She hasn’t said anything, even when I asked her questions. But, when I did all of the basic tests, everything looked good and functional. I’m still waiting on a few results from when I ran a few labs. I had some of them come back as errors, so I’m not sure what’s going on with that. I’ll keep you updated.”

Zane nodded, and then tensed as he watched her open the door to the woman’s hospital room, where she sat, propped up against a few pillows in the bed. He wasn’t sure why he felt uneasy walking into her room or why his heart started beating faster as her blue eyes met his.

“Uh, hello,” he said awkwardly, walking to stand at the end of the bed. “I’m Alpha Zane. Who are you, and do you know that you’re trespassing?”

She looked at him for a moment before turning her head to look at Leo. Immediately, recognition flooded into her features, and she smiled at him.

Leo’s cheeks were tinted pink before he could muster, “A-and I’m Leo. I’m the one who found you and brought you here. Are you feeling alright? This must be so overwhelming for you.”

Taking a moment to ponder his words, she then slowly nodded. The woman seemed to try to clear her throat before barely whispering. “Th-than-k you.”

“Not to cut the sentimental part short, but what exactly are you? I can’t detect your scent, even after you’ve been away from wherever it was that you were kept,” Zane stated, drawing her attention once more.

She blinked at him a few times. Her face was completely blank as she looked up at him, though Leo thought for a moment that he read a hint of annoyance from her.

“What? I get the silent treatment? And he gets the answers? How is that fair?” the alpha huffed after a moment of continued silence.

“Alpha,” Leo said softly. “Maybe a more gentle approach would be better. After all, she did just wake up from being unconscious for a week.”

Zane kept himself from rolling his eyes. “This woman is an intruder, lest you forget so easily. She could be a spy for the enemy. She could be a rogue. She could be anything, and if she’s not going to tell us, then it’s even more suspicious.”

“Rogue?” she croaked in confusion, her eyebrows furrowing.

Letting out a sigh, Zane pointed a hand at her. “See? If she doesn’t know what a rogue is, then maybe she’s just human! That’s–that’s even worse than a rogue!”

“Alpha,” Bre almost growled. “She can still hear you, you know. Being rude won’t exactly make her want to open up. Perhaps, since she seems to recognize Leo, he should take over the information gathering part of this get together.”

Zane looked over at her and glared. “As Alpha, it is my duty to protect my pack from any and all dangers. I shall not repeat the past, no matter who attempts to pressure me to do so. If she is a threat, I will deal with her accordingly.”

“But, we don’t know if she’s a threat, yet. Please, Alpha, let me try to talk with her,” Leo spoke up after he attempted to flash the woman a reassuring smile.

She didn’t smile back. In fact, her eyes were zeroed in on Zane, and she was gripping the hospital blanket tightly in her fists.

Seeing this, Leo put a hand on Zane's shoulder. “You’re scaring her, Alpha. Please, let me try.”

Zane glanced at her before letting out a defeated noise of disgruntledness. He threw his hands into the air. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll leave, since I’m outnumbered and so clearly unwanted in this space.”

The other three watched him storm out of the room, muttering to himself, and slammed the door shut behind him. Leo shot Bre a worried grin, but then he slid a chair next to the bed and sat down in it.

“Sorry about him, miss. He means well; he really does. He’s just… gone through a lot that has made him very wary of strangers, and seeing as we don’t know anything about you, it put him on edge. If we can get to know you, then perhaps he’ll come around. How does that sound?” Leo said as comforting as he could be.

With her full gaze on him, she nodded slowly. “Al-alright.”

“Let’s start small, shall we? What’s your name? Just tell me your name.”

The woman frowned to herself, trying to think. After a full minute of uncomfortable silence, she shook her head, her eyes on the hospital blanket. “I, uh, don’t think I know what my name is,” she said very slowly, almost unsure of herself. She then cautiously looked up at Leo and asked, “Does that mean you’re going to kick me out?”

“No, no,” Leo said hastily. “That’s, um, that’s alright. Uh, do you know where you were or how you came to be buried in a pit?”

The woman turned her head to stare at the wall. Her brow furrowed again, and Leo started to recognize that it was the face she made when trying to think.

She closed her eyes and softly uttered, “There are bits and, uh, pieces missing. Bright lights, and, uh, I think, um, a–a hallway.” She paused to chew on her bottom lip before continuing, “I remember being cold, um, and,” she took a deep breath, tears brimming in her eyes. “And, other faces disappearing. But, mostly, everything is blank. I–I don’t know how I got there or how I left. I think I was on a street, then, um, nothing before I remember seeing your face. And, and now, I’m here. I’m sorry.”

Tears dripped down her cheeks, and Leo had to suppress the urge to brush them off. “It’s okay, don’t push yourself. Whatever happened to you, it, uh, sounds like a lot. So, it’s going to be okay, now. You’re safe here. I promise to not let Alpha Zane kick you out. We’ll figure this out together. Does that sound okay to you?”

She nodded, wiping her cheeks with her fingers. Her eyes avoided his, and he felt empathy for her and her situation. He wanted to comfort her, but wasn’t sure what she would be comfortable with. Instead, he handed her a tissue, which she hesitantly took from him.

“I’m going to chat with Bre, your wonderful doctor, and Alpha Zane. We’re going to come up with a plan to help you, alright?”

She nodded again. Her entire demeanor sagged, lethargic.

Leo rose from the chair and followed Bre out of the room, closing the door behind them. They saw Zane pacing outside in the hallway. He did not look happy.

“She knows nothing? What is this? She’s got to be lying. I’ll get the truth out of her one way or another,” Zane began, growing agitated. “It’s my turn to go in there and–”

“You will do absolutely no such thing,” Bre interrupted, her tone dangerous. “She is my patient at the moment, and she has clearly gone through something horrific. You will not traumatize her any further.”

Zane glared at her. “Oh, did I miss the ceremony where you were appointed Alpha? You’re going to tell me what to do?”

“In my hospital, I will. My word is law here, and even you cannot deny that, since you’re the one who created that to begin with!”

“I regret ever saying those words, and since I am the Alpha, I’m going to take it back. I can bloody well do whatever the hell I want!”

Leo cleared his throat, and both sets of angry eyes turned to him. “Is there a way to get her memories back?”

“What do you mean?” Zane barked, his eyes still blazing with fury.

“Well, if there was a way–”

Bre gasped, cutting Leo off as she said, “Let’s get ahold of Vicky! Oh my goddess! Why didn’t I think of that? Leo, you’re a genius!”

“Vicky?” Zane questioned before comprehension dawned on him. “Ohh. Her. I-I suppose we could, if that really is our best option.”

Bre shrugged. “If she has amnesia, even just temporary, we don’t know when that’ll wear off. So, let’s get Vicky in here to root around in her brain to see what’s going on in there. We’ll at least get answers that way.”

Though Zane wasn’t fond of the idea, it was better than no answers at all. He pulled out his phone, scrolled for a moment, and then clicked on Victoria Borozzi’s contact, the pack’s sometime friendly neighborhood witch.