Forgotten, Saved, Loved

by Violet Samuels

  I look at Callum to see him smiling slightly. He's right, though; I shouldn't dwell on what's already happened. It's happened and that's that, nothing can change it.

  "I'll kill him, you know?" I say after a few moments silence. I look at Callum in the eye as he stares back at me.

  "I know,” he says before shifting into his wolf. That's the good thing about Callum; he just accepts the inevitable. I will kill Damon and no one will stop me.

  He nudges his head towards the forest, asking me if I'm coming. I nod with a half-smile then take off running in my human form next to him.

  So many things have happened in such a short time span. We found Comrade and saved him, but now he's lying on his death bed because we couldn't find Damon to stop him. We found that girl battered and bruised. If we came earlier, could we have prevented that? On top of all this, we lost Damon. We lost the reason why all of this is happening. We lost our missing link.

  Callum and I arrive back at the pack house in a few hours. As soon as I step through the door, I go to my room for a shower. A nice hot one at that. I quickly get my clothes and head into the bathroom.

  Twenty minutes later and I'm stepping out of my room with one destination in mind: Comrade.

  Truth be told, ever since Taylor ran into the forest with him on her back, I've been missing him. I know, weird right? I don't even know the guy and I'm missing him! Although, my mate is on his death bed right at this second, all I want to do is hold him in my arms. So, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

  I walk fast to the medic room, where I know Comrade is being held. Doctor Aileen will take good care of him though, she's the best doctor I know.

  I come to an abrupt stop at the front of the medic room door. Do I really want to go in and see my almost dead mate? Yes. Do I want to come off as an obsessed, crazy person who looks like she's about to kill something? No.

  I take a deep breath and calm my racing heart. It'll be no good if I walk in there looking like a crazy person, so I may as well be calm about it.

  Here goes nothing...

  I gingerly push the door open and walk inside. Doctor Aileen looks up to me surprised. I smile nervously at her. I didn't think that I'd have to go through Doctor Aileen to get to Comrade.

  "Alex? What are you doing here?" Doctor Aileen questions with a hint of suspicion. I probably should've come up with an excuse before walking in here.

  Me being me though, I just come up with an excuse on the tip of my tongue. "The Alpha actually sent me to check up on Comrade. He wants me to stay with him to monitor his progress," I tell her with a straight face. I must say, I'm pretty proud of that excuse.

  She raises her eyebrows at me. "The Alpha, huh? I'm pretty sure he would inform me if he was sending someone to monitor one of my patients,” she says while walking closer to me.

  I lift my chin high and answer her back, "Well, I was the one who tended to him on sight, so the alpha thought it was appropriate. Accept my apologies if he didn't inform you."

  Doctor Aileen searches my eyes for a few minutes, before nodding and directing me to Comrade. That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Maybe she knows... nah! She doesn't know. How could she?

  "This is his room, stay as long as you wish,” she tells me then walks away. I stay frozen on the spot, not answering her back.

  Right behind this door is my mate, the person I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna walk in and see his motionless body just hanging on for dear life, so I take a deep breath and push the door open before I can second guess myself.

  The sight I'm greeted with is something I never expect to see. Something that shocks me to the point that I'm frozen with my mouth ajar, my eyes wide like saucers and my hand still on the doorknob.

  10

  COMRADE

  I turn my head to the side as I hear the door open. My eyes are half open, my body limp and most of my injuries are on full view, except for the knife wound. That doesn't stop the warm feeling that envelopes me when I see the most beautiful girl standing at the door.

  Her perfectly layered blonde hair falls down past her shoulders, framing her glowing face. Her shining bluish-green eyes remind me so much of an ocean during a storm. So many emotions are running through them: love, adoration, happiness, but there's also hurt and pain and that makes me sad. This beautiful girl shouldn't feel hurt; her pink lips should be smiling instead of frowning.

  I weakly lift my hand the slightest bit - it's sad how much effort this takes me. The girl looks hesitantly at my hand, her stormy eyes looking like she's having an internal battle with herself.

  "Come here," I mutter weakly. The girl's face breaks just like that. Tears fill her eyes, her bottom lip starts to tremble and she just launches for my hand.

  As soon as her tight grip locks on my hand, sparks ignite. I lay my head back with a small smile on my face, suddenly content. Mate. I've found my mate. This beautiful girl is my mate. The only thing that doesn't make sense is why my wolf didn't tell me when I first saw her.

  She suddenly burst out crying, burying her head in my shoulder as she sobs uncontrollably. My heart breaks at the sound. My heart breaks ever more at the realisation that I'm the cause of her tears.

  "Shh, it's ok. Everything's ok," I coo into her ear, softly kissing her temple. I lift my hand to stroke her hair as she cries even harder, the sobs racking her body.

  "E-everything's not o-ok!" she wails, pulling back from my shoulder to look at me. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy, her lips trembling and tears are still running down her flushed cheeks. All I want to do is wipe them away, tell her everything's okay, and take her in my arms.

  "Y-you almost died! D-don't you see! I expect to c-come in here and s-see you half d-dead! Half dead! Do y-you know how m-much that r-reality hurts me? I don't k-know what I would've d-done if I came in h-here and saw that, I just d-don't." Her voice dies down to a whisper near the end.

  I grip her hand again, but I don't think she notices. She just stares into space like she's remembering a memory.

  "I can't lose you, I can't lose anyone else. I just want you to be safe,” she says with a whimper. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

  I gingerly lift my hand, straining my muscles to do so and gently cup her face. She leans into my touch and places her hand over mine.

  "You won’t lose me, ever. I promise. There's no getting rid of me," I lightly joke, wanting to see her smile. To my relief, a small smile breaks out on her face.

  "Promise?" she whispers, her eyes still closed.

  "Promise," I confirm.

  We sit there in silence for what seems like eternity. I don't mind though, it's nice to be able to hold my mate's hand.

  Mate. This is a word I never thought I would say, let alone actually have! I actually have a mate... A beautiful, strong, and caring mate. I wonder what her name is...

  My eyes snap open at the realisation. I don't know my own mate's name? I don't believe I haven't asked yet!

  "Hey, you awake?" I ask quietly, lightly patting her cheek. She stirs and her beautiful eyes open, then she graces me with a tired smile.

  "Yeah,” she breathes out.

  I smile slightly before asking quietly, "Sorry, but what's your name?"

  Her eyes widen and her cheeks flush a cute pink. Her eyes widen even more as she covers her cheeks with her hands. She groans and drops her head onto the bed. I laugh at her, but wince as pain courses my body.

  I feel a hand on my shoulder, making me look up and into the worried eyes of my mate. I give her a reassuring smile, causing her to frown.

  "Alex. My name is Alex,” she tells me as she sits back on the chair she pulled over a while ago. Alex?

  "Alex," I test out on my tongue; it comes out of my mouth with ease. I see Alex shiver out of the corner of my eye and grin. I'm glad I have an effect on her, it'll come in handy.

  "Well, I'm Comrade," I tell her with a smile, holding out my hand. She chuc
kles and shakes her head, but clutches my large hand in her smaller one.

  "Nice to meet you, Comrade,” she says in a joking manner. I chuckle as well, thankfully not causing myself pain.

  A soft knock is heard before Doctor Aileen pops her head through the door. Alex looks at her with a sad expression, already knowing what she's going to say.

  "I'm sorry to disturb, but the Alpha and Luna wish to see Comrade. Alex, you're going to have to leave,” she says in a soft voice then closes the door with a click.

  Alex sighs while getting up and taking the chair back to where she got it from. She comes back to me and places a kiss on my cheek. I close my eyes as sparks travel through me. She pulls back too soon, smiling sadly.

  I realise something at this moment: I'm falling in love with this girl I just met... and I'm ok with it. This thought brings a smile to my face, a very small smile.

  "You'll come back?" I question. Alex smiles again and nods.

  "I'll always come back,” she whispers. With that, she exits the room with her shoulders slumped.

  I close my eyes as I watch her leave, as I watch my mate leave. My mate. I still can't get over the fact that I've actually found my mate. The one I will cherish forever and love to the ends of the earth, is finally with me. Finally.

  I relax into the bed with a smile on my face. When I get out of this bed, the first thing I'm gonna do is spend time with my mate. Every single second of every single day, I will be with my mate.

  "Comrade?"

  My eyes snap open at the voice. The voice I've been dying to hear for three years. The voice that really brought me hope all those years ago when I met her. Celina.

  "Celina?" I whisper as I turn my head. She's as beautiful as ever. Her pitch black hair longer than the last time I saw her, but still the same. Her golden eyes gleam with happiness and adoration as she stares at me, just like they always have.

  She takes cautious steps forward, slowly making her way to the bed I'm laying helplessly on. I stretch out my hand to her, edging her to come to me. She does immediately.

  Celina engulfs me in a hug, being careful not to agitate any of my wounds. I hug her back with one arm, since I can't find the strength to use two at once.

  "I missed you,” she whispers into my neck. I stroke her hair with my hand and smile.

  "I missed you too, Celina. You can't even begin to imagine how much," I whisper in reply.

  She pulls back after a long while, wiping away some tears that have leaked through. I always wondered how Celina was coping with me being taken. I thought she gave up looking for me and moved on. I honestly did. How wrong can I be? Just by her reaction here, you can tell she missed me and I doubt she rested for a day while searching for me.

  A clearing of a throat draws my attention to the door. I look to the door, only to see Axel lazily leaning against it with a half-smile.

  He makes his way over to me, wrapping his arms around Celina's waist, just like the happy couple I remember.

  I hold out my hand to Axel and say, "Hey, long time no see."

  Axel grips my hand in a firm grip, making me wince slightly.

  He loosens his grip while answering, "A very long time. Sorry about that."

  I chuckle a bit and shake my head, telling him it's all ok now.

  Celina's eyes fall to my abdomen where a bandage covers the stab wound. She runs her delicate hands over it, feeling the bumps of the bandage as she goes.

  "Does it hurt?" she whispers with tears in her eyes. Axel quickly takes her in his arms while trying to soothe her. I wish I could've done that with Alex, but I can't. Not yet anyway.

  "A little, but not too much," I answer back with a reassuring smile. Axel nods at me, probably thanking me for lying to Celina. In all honestly, it hurts like a bitch. It's constantly throbbing and it still feels like the knife is lodged in my skin.

  A soft knock sounds at the door before it seems to magically open. I stare at it confused while Axel groans and Celina gasps in what seems like... outrage?

  "What did I tell you three? Uncle Comrade isn't well enough to see you yet," Celina scolds while staring down at the floor.

  "Mummy, we just wanna say hi,” a small voice says from the floor. I'm beyond confused at this point.

  Axel takes Celina in her arms while staring her in the eyes. They're mind linking each other over something, that much is noticeable. Finally, Celina sighs and nods her head.

  Both Celina and Axel crouch down to the floor where two excited cheers are heard and a faint giggle. The next moment, they both stand back up to reveal three children who can't be older than three.

  Celina's holding a girl in her arms. She has Axel's white hair and Celina’s small, petite frame. She has beautiful eyes that are mainly silver with swirls of gold. I smile at her while she buries her head in Celina's shoulder. I see she has her mother’s shyness.

  I then look to Axel to see him holding two boys, one a little smaller than the other. They both have pitch black hair, just like Celina's. They both have the builds of an alpha though. They have silver eyes swirling with gold, the perfect mix of Celina and Axel's unique eyes.

  "Who are these little guys?" I question with a smile. Celina and Axel look at each other before smiling.

  "The youngest is my little angel, Clarissa Rosemary Knight. She has Axel wrapped around her little finger," Celina tells me with a giggle. Axel groans.

  "You haven't seen her puppy dog face, you can't say no to her! Anyway, I'd rather her be a daddy's girl than have her go chasing boys,” he grumbles the last part, making me chuckle. Axel sure has his hands full with her.

  "Our second born is Dylan Ronald Knight. He's turned out to be the real charmer. Somehow, he always manages to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, he never gets a scratch, splash, nothing on him. That child is a mystery," Celina mumbles the last part while Axel nods along.

  I look towards the smaller of the two boys. He also looks at me and I see the same spark I usually see in Callum's eyes. I shake my head with a small grin. Good luck, Celina...

  "Then, um, our first born."Celina awkwardly clears her throat before saying, "Jett Comrade Knight."

  I blink. They named their first born after me? I blink again. Did they think I wasn't coming back? Did they not think they'd be able to save me? Why? Why would they think that?

  "Comrade?" Celina questions softly. I lock eyes with her and feel a swell of emotions. I can't keep track of them, they're all polar opposites. I feel happy that they named their son after me, but heartbroken because they thought they wouldn't find me.

  "Uh, it was great seeing you guys. I'm a bit tired though, so yeah..." I mumble as I look away. I honestly don't mean to hurt them, but I really need to get my emotions in check and having Celina and all of them around isn't going to help.

  "Oh, ok. Come on, uncle Comrade isn't feeling well. Let's go play outside," Celina says in fake cheerfulness to her children.

  "Yay!" the two boys cheer while Clarissa releases a giggle. They all trail out, Celina sparing me a sad glance before leaving.

  I sigh and close my eyes. Why does all the bad stuff happen to me? I was shunned by my pack because I was accused of my parents’ death. I was a loner pretty much all through my schooling days. I had to watch Celina go through so much pain. I had to go to war. I got kidnapped. I was beaten and broken, then on top of that, I feel all of Celina's pain! I haven't felt it for the last three years though... Probably because it wasn't as worse as what Damon was doing to me. Again, why does all the bad stuff happen to me? Why?

  I feel anger course through me at the thought, raw anger. Everything that happens to me is somehow bad in its own special way. The only thing I can think of that isn't bad... is Alex.

  Alex is the one thing that hasn't brought pain into my life. She's the only person who will ever truly love me for who I am now.

  I'm not the same person I was three years ago. I'm different and tainted. No one, not even Celina, will understand that. Axel and Callum
were once good friends of mine, but I'm changed. The only person who will understand me and help me be who I really am is Alex. She may even bring back the old me. With the way I acted with her, it's like I was never beaten, never bashed, never kidnapped.

  What Damon's done to me is something no one can forget, no matter how hard they try. It's something that no one will understand because they haven't lived through it.

  I hear the door open and close, but I don't bother to open my eyes to see who it is. It's probably just doctor Aileen coming to do a checkup.

  I feel myself drifting off, but not before I feel sparks on my hand. Alex, she's come back. Just like she said she would.

  11

  COMRADE

  "What! Chocolate is way better than strawberry! How can you even say that?" Alex yells at me. I laugh at her face, wide eyes, open mouth, and flushed cheeks. She's never looked more beautiful though.

  "No, strawberry for the win," I tell her with a grin. She shakes her head while mumbling on about how everyone loves chocolate.

  It's been three weeks since I was rescued and I'm still in the bloody medic room. It gets boring just staring at bleach white walls that aren't decorated in any way. I can't wait to get out of this place.

  It hasn't been that bad though. Alex has been here 24/7 without complaint and she's been helping me get back on my feet. Literally. Doctor Aileen has been getting me to go through physical therapy.

  Celina and Axel come to visit often, sometimes just Celina. We talk about random things, but it just doesn't seem the same as it used to be. It's like... we don't even know each other. We're both older now though, we've got our own things to worry about and I'm sure Celina has a lot on her plate since she's the Luna of the most powerful pack.

  Celina hasn't brought the triplets back. I think she got the idea the last time. I still don't understand why she would name her first born after me, it doesn't make sense. It's like she knew I was never coming back and lost all hope the day I disappeared.