Reclaiming Her Heart

Chapter 6 - Lykaios

Jadea

I'd come to live with Silas sometime in September. It was now the week before Thanksgiving and, while it was cool outside, it hadn't snowed. I was a bit down since this was my first holiday away from my family. From my pack. I wondered if they had forgotten all about me, or if they were missing me a little too. If they were saddened, their holidays wouldn't be the same.

Silas called me into his study one morning.

His smile was genuine when he asked me to sit. Our relationship was comfortable. He treated me like one of his own. "I was wondering if you were feeling well enough to go on a hunting excursion with Mateo and a few other wolves?" he asked.

It surprised me how he was offering this. Allowing me off the property seemed... Risky if I was a prisoner.

Did I feel like a prisoner? I questioned the initial feeling. Why did I feel that way? It was a deep-rooted gut feeling. Especially since I was still being drugged. I knew the toxin was used to keep immortals under control. To keep them from making decisions against their handlers. It was one of the reasons I hadn't asked to leave yet. I knew something was amiss and was trying to wait it out.

It wouldn't take much for me to escape outside the fortified grounds.

This, then, made me question if my gut was off. Was Silas being true in what he said and done so far? Was he genuinely taking care of me without there being some ulterior motive?

"I think it would be good for you. Give you an opportunity to stretch those legs and exercise in a different way."

Hunting was a good thing for both my mentality and my wolf's sanity. I hoped this would help my wolf and I connect. She'd been unusually distant recently. "I would like to go, if that is possible." Tying not to sound too excited and eager.

He nodded, his knowing gaze telling me he wasn't fooled by my attempt to dampen my emotions. "Then it is settled. You will be leaving early tomorrow morning. You will be traveling close to another pack's territory. They ... Do not take kindly to us and tend to cause problems for us."

My heart constricted slightly at this information. "Who's clan?" I asked.

"One of the Lykaios clans."

Another primitive wolf pack, I mused to myself.

Silas's pack was also a primitive wolf pack, descended from the Valentino's.

I couldn't put my finger on why, but the Lykaios name tickled the edges of my memories.

"You are a very talented warrior," Silas complimented. "The strongest I have seen in a long time. You would be an asset if the hunting party runs into any complications."

I nodded. "You can count on me," I told him.

"Good," he smiled.

The preparations for the hunt went quickly. The next morning, we left the territory hours before sunrise. We did not run into any problems on the way to the hunting grounds. The first night was uneventful, in the sense we weren't approached by any opposing packs. We did, however, take down several large game.

"I want to get a few more before we leave the area," Mateo told me the following night, nodding to the large sled holding the animals.

"I'll run perimeter for the first half of the night," I told him, shifting into my wolf and taking off. All was quiet, and I prayed it would stay that way. The shift change went smoothly. It felt like I had just lain down and drifted to sleep when the alarm sounded.

We had company.

We were all in motion as the Lykaios descended upon us. They were in their primitive forms, wielding swords. Effortlessly, I shifted into that form as well—which was odd. I hadn't been able to shift into that form without a lot of help from Lucien. Whatever, I told myself, I couldn't think about that now. Not with the threat right in front of us. I took on the alpha when he lunged after Mateo. He had the wolf dead to rights and would have skewered him had I not caught his wrist and wrestled the sword from his hand.

The alpha, after regaining his footing, turned his sights on me, but hesitated, recognition clouding his gaze.

"Jadea?" he asked, brushing my mind, confusion in his tone. At the edges of his mind, I saw bits and pieces of how we knew each other. I tucked them all into the recesses of my mind to assess later. It was dangerous to get distracted in the middle of a fight.

I snarled. "Leave." Even though I wanted nothing more than to ask him who he was to me.

The alpha looked around. His pack paused their attack. Both sides were at a standstill, waiting to see what would happen between us.

A deep growl reverberated through his chest, his gazee swinging between Mateo and I. I saw a war waging in his eyes. He came to some kind of conclusion and then responded to it. We were both in motion, clashing with each other. One of his other pack mates threw a sword to him so we could face off in a fair fight. It wasn't until I landed a fairly good strike to the Lykaios's chest when he called a retreat. I saw the invitation in his gaze and took the bait, taking chase to ensure they left the area.

"Who are you?" I demanded when we were far enough no one would catch onto my side conversation with him.

"You don't remember?" he asked incredulously.

"No. There was an accident. I've lost the last five years of my memories." I quickly explained.

I could feel his concern. "You need to leave, Jadea," he stated urgently. "Find a way to escape Silas before it is too late."

His cryptic message didn't answer anything. Except lent credence to what my gut had been telling me all along.

"Jadea?" Mateo reached out to me. I had gone far enough. The Lykaois were not coming back.

"They are retreating. I don't think we will have any further problems with them on this trip." I reported, making my way back to base.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his mind brushing mine in a gentle caress. It was too familiar a touch, and I balked at it, not liking it. "You're not hurt are you?"

"No. I'm not."

"I didn't know you could shift into your primitive form."

Neither had I. When I emerged into the clearing, Mateo was there, looking me over. He shifted back into his human form. His hands moving over my body, as if to confirm for himself I was not hurt. It was a kind gesture, and was not lost on me, even if I did not like the feel of his hands on me. "I will be fine," I shrugged him off, shifting back into my human form.

"Thank you," he said softly when I moved to brush by him. Catching my arm, he held me against him, forcing me to stop and face him. Mateo was several inches taller than I was. His face turned down into mine, our gazes catching. I saw the emotion deep within his gaze. "You saved me."

"You're welcome," I nodded, remaining impassive. "We are a team. That's what teammates do. They help each other, and save each other's hides when necessary," I smirked, removing my arm from his hold so I could check on the others. There were only mild injuries. We would be able to finish the hunt tomorrow and book it back to the den without any delays.

When we returned the next evening, Mateo related what happened to Silas at the dinner table. After everyone was excused, Silas called me to speak with him privately in his study. I couldn't help but notice the slight worry in his gaze. Was that worry over my wellbeing, or was he worried about something else? About me finding out a secret he was keeping.

"Mateo said you went head-to-head with the Lykaios alpha. Not many can face him and come away unscathed," he stated seriously. "Did the alpha say anything to you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Did he recognize you?"

"He seemed to, but I am well known," I reasoned, remaining impassive. "He called me by name, but that was it." I shrugged, trying to show an air of indifference.

Silas nodded, and a brief silence fell over us before he continued. "Thank you, for saving my son. Not many would have been brave enough to step before the Lykaois's sword without a weapon. I owe you a life." I could tell Silas was sincere in his statements. If I had to guess, there had been many encounters with the Lykaois, and they must not have ended well. My gaze moved to the scar over his eye. He felt my stare and nodded his head at my silent inquiry. "Yes, it was given to me by the Lykaois alpha. My first beta sacrificed himself for me. This is a reminder of how close I came to death."

I had to say Silas and his pack were a confusing lot. While my gut told me there was foul play, his actions and emotions bellied my instincts. I was used to those in my blood family being vile and downright mean. The atrocities they committed against me, and others were despicable. And usually it showed within the pack dynamic itself. That mean, cold streak was usually there, simmering under the surface and easily aggravated. Yet, that wasn't the case here.

"You are different than the others in my blood family," I murmured out loud, and nearly kicked myself for saying anything.

Silas nodded, contemplating his answer.

Earlier in the month, Silas informed me Hans and Elam were both deceased. He didn't go into too much detail, which spoke volumes. Both Hans and Elam had been worse than the scum of the earth. Their atrocities against innocents must have finally caught the attention of the immortal council, and forced them into action against them. I could only hope they got what they deserved.

Silas was different than Hans and Elam. He seemed to care.

I was just afraid it was an excellent mask, a trick to buy my compliance and trust before striking a final blow that would see me trapped in a situation I wouldn't be able to escape.

"I try," he stated softly. "It has not been easy. I wanted better for my children. They deserved a better childhood and life than what I was dealt."

An interesting comment.

That night, when I went to bed, was the only time I allowed my mind to unpack what I had seen in the Lykaois's mind. And it absolutely floored me.

He was my true father: Ariat. We, and several other primitive wolf packs, had met as allies on a battlefield fighting against Elam. I united the primitive wolves under one cause, which was a feat in and of itself. There were flashes of the fight, of Adam, of me. Of my pack. Of the powers I possessed. Of the knowledge I had been appointed as a councilor on the North American Immortal Council.

So much information, but none of it cracked open my memories.

While I was frustrated, there was one positive I could take away from this: that I was not Han's true daughter.