The Werelion Tycoon’s Forgotten Mate: Howls Romance

by Kyle, Celia

  “There’s a conference room across the hall.” Galen gestured out the office window. “Why don’t you head over there and wait, and I’ll go and find her.”

  Elias wanted to be the one to find her. He wanted to run his fingertips over her face. He wanted to look into her eyes and see her smile. He didn’t want anyone else anywhere near her, ever again. He ached to snuggle his face against her big belly and listen to the cub squirm inside, her hands slowly stroking his hair as he absorbed every sound.

  But none of that was possible. Not while she kept behaving like he was the enemy.

  He had to know why.

  “Okay, Galen,” he said finally, “but please, do your best. I need to talk to her. Surely you understand.”

  “I do.” He nodded with certainty. “I do. Go ahead. I’ll go and find her.”

  Elias left the room, somewhat defeated. His heart was hurting now, much worse than before. However, there was a song of joy in his soul and it was seductive in its call to him.

  If she was alive, anything was possible. All the dark things lifted away as he contemplated his new future. Something had been torn away from him and now, magically, had been returned.

  So long as she accepted him. Yet, how could she not? She bore his mark. She carried his blood inside her.

  Whatever came between them, he would push it away. He would destroy it, burn it to ash.

  Nothing would ever come between them again. He just needed time to talk to her, and all would be well.

  Chapter Four

  Avery shivered in the breakroom, chilled even though the space was warm and cozy. She had a cup of very chocolatey cocoa in one hand and a donut in the other as the baby twisted inside her. It felt as if it needed the comfort of fat and sugar as much as its momma.

  Who was that guy? Why did he stand over her like that, as if she was his property?

  Why she feel like she knew him?

  That was probably the most disturbing thing about the entire encounter. Even though she didn’t know why—and had absolutely no memory of him—the first thing she wanted to do was leap into his arms.

  But she wouldn’t be doing that. No. Way.

  She placed her cup of cocoa down and curled her free hand protectively around her belly as she finished her donut. There was too much at stake for her to throw caution to the wind and fly into the arms of some stranger, especially one who leaned over her and dominated her with every inch of his presence.

  Even though she liked it… Who was she kidding? She’d loved it. Almost as if from the moment she woke from her coma she had not really been alive. Then his eyes lit upon her skin and a fire she never knew she had suddenly flared in her blood. Pounding, pulsing, her body begged her to let go. Go to him.

  Could her body be trusted? She had not trusted anyone for such a long time. She wanted to, which was why she had to be so careful. She couldn’t trust the wrong person—not when she had the baby to think about.

  She picked up her hot chocolate and brought it to her lips, taking a long sip of the sweet goodness. She didn’t know if she would be able to focus on work today, but she didn’t want to go home, either. The empty spaces, the quiet rooms. It only reminded her how much was missing, and that there was no one left in the world that she knew.

  Those spaces could quickly become filled with her fears. Even holding her belly and thinking about the baby was not enough to soothe them. Thinking about the baby became part of the problem as she imagined looking into the adorable little face and trying to explain why there was no daddy.

  She took another sip of chocolate, smiling as a couple of people passed through and asked if she was okay.

  Everyone had always been so nice here. She wouldn’t have said she felt at home—she didn’t feel like that anywhere—but she did feel comfortable. She trusted people here to a certain extent. She knew they meant her no harm.

  Except, now, she didn’t feel safe at all.

  Galen strode into the room, his commanding presence garnering everyone’s attention within moments of his entering. He scanned the space and spotted her, changing direction to move to her side.

  She rushed to set her cup on the table and push to her feet. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Liakos! I just needed a break after—”

  “It’s fine, Avery.” He shook his head. “I’m not here to tell you to get back to work.”

  “You aren’t?” She was surprised. Galen wasn’t a hard boss to work for, but he believed his workers should do just that—work.

  “Sit for a moment, Avery.” He sighed, and pulled up a chair near hers, lowering into it with smooth grace. He gathered his thoughts for a moment, turning to look at her with a serious expression, and her nerves churned in her belly. This had an air of challenge in it. “Avery, the man from the elevator is in the conference room, and he would like to speak with you.”

  “What? No!” she answered without thinking, hands protectively going to her stomach and shielding her child.

  “Let me explain—”

  “No! I don’t want to talk to him!”

  Galen looked at her, his eyes wide and his expression gentle. Something about him made him different from others. Far off depths shimmered with forgotten light.

  Intensity. Something enticing. Something intoxicating.

  The man in the elevator had that same presence.

  “Why don’t you want to talk to him?” Galen’s voice was gentle when he spoke, lacking the normal harshness he used when arguing with the heads of other companies.

  She wanted to react with pure emotion. She just didn’t want to, and she didn’t have to! Period. She stopped herself, though, because suddenly not talking to him without having a good reason seemed foolish somehow. She turned her head slowly, thinking.

  “I think you should talk to him, Avery.” That rough voice, still calm and soothing.

  She licked her lips, her mouth dry. “Why?”

  “There is a chance he knows something about your accident. I think he knows who you are—knew you from before.”

  A cold trickle of anxiety snaked down her spine. Not knowing much about herself had become comfortable. The possibility of discovering more frightened her now. She had never really believed this day would come. She’d been a loner before the accident that took her memories. No one had come forward to claim her as family or friend and apparently she’d stayed to herself at her old apartment and previous job before the accident.

  “Think about it,” Galen pressed gently, using that same quiet charm he always had that made her feel so at ease.

  As he got up to leave the room, she rubbed her belly gently. Her baby wriggled and kicked her firmly, hard enough to hurt.

  “Galen,” she called out to him, suddenly sure. She had to do this, for her baby if not herself.

  “Yes, Avery?”

  “I’ll do it. I’ll talk to him.”

  “Come, then.” He held out a hand to her. “You won’t be alone. I’ll be watching the whole time. The entire office will be right outside. All you have to do is call if you feel you’re in trouble.”

  “Thank you.” Galen’s words really did make her feel better. The excitement and the fear of meeting this person did not die down, but she knew if she wanted help, it was only a shout away.

  Galen led her from the breakroom to the conference room door, his grip firm and reassuring and his touch kind as he rubbed the back of her hand. “Any trouble, just call for me.”

  She nodded and then put her hand out to turn the knob. It was almost like leaving reality. This would change her forever with no going back.

  As she stepped into the room, the stranger appeared relaxed, sitting on the opposite side of the long table. She moved slowly toward him, comforted by the fact that the table remained a solid barrier. She chose a chair not quite opposite him to keep space between them.

  Her anxiety rose the second she truly took a moment to look at him. The baby twirled and gave her a mighty kick, and she grabbed her belly, rubbing the spot while
she closed her eyes.

  “Are you all right?” His tone was full of concern and, when she looked up, his eyes glowed warmly, as comforting as embers in the dark on a cold night.

  “Yes. I’m fine.”

  She was, but he wasn’t. After taking careful note of him, she realized he was not as calm as he appeared. His forearms were tense, his hands clinging to the armrests of the chair so hard his knuckles were white. This made her nervous all over again, causing her to look toward the door to make sure her path of escape remained unhindered.

  “Avery,” he whispered her name. The effect of his voice was extreme, touching something deep inside of her. She was an instrument. He was the musician, and she responded to him like the harp strings to the fingertips of the master.

  Tingles raced over her scalp and down her spine, but her mind, her intellect, rebelled.

  “I don’t know you,” she cleared her throat. “I mean, I don’t know your name.”

  When he looked into her eyes, she didn’t miss the hurt written all over his face. She kept her own expression hard. She didn’t know his name, no matter how well he seemed to know her.

  “My name is Elias. Elias Leondros.”

  She wanted it to ring a bell. She wanted to welcome floods of memories that would instantly remind her who she was and why this man felt so right.

  She wanted any excuse to fly into his arms.

  But the name meant nothing—not as much as the resonance of his voice.

  The baby kicked again, and she frowned, wondering why it was so active.

  “Why did you run from me, Avery?” His eyes shifted, just a little. Warm, welcoming brown and gold shimmered hard all of a sudden, like molten metal.

  “I didn’t run. I didn’t run anywhere. I don’t remember you.”

  Silence stretched around them. She tried not to look into his eyes, but it was impossible. They drew her back, yanked her down, and pulled her deep into his silence.

  “You don’t remember us?” His voice had that resonance again, like he reached through her skin to caress her nerves. “You don’t remember the night at the beach, or the morning at the lagoon? You don’t remember the days at the hotel where we didn’t leave the room for a whole week?”

  Avery blushed furiously. The suggestive remarks didn’t offend her on their own, but the way her body flared under those images hurt her. Some part of her seemed to recognize this, even while her mind rebelled.

  “You don’t remember that first night?” His eyes glowed as if lit from behind. “The sound of the guitar as we danced on the sand, when I tucked a hibiscus behind your ear, and we waded into the warm water together?”

  “No.” She shook her head, even though something in her stirred. Her heart felt loose, as if some great heavy chain slowly unfurled.

  “Avery.” He leaned forward and put a hand toward her. She looked at it but didn’t move, the fear written all over her not allowing him to come closer. “Why didn’t you come to me, Avery? If you managed to get away or if they let you go, why didn’t you come and find me?”

  Her eyes came up from her lap. Ice cold fear ripped through her, like being thrown into a frozen lake. Her cheeks burned but not with shame.

  “What are you talking about?” she cried. “I don’t know what you’re saying.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Elias sat back a little, withdrawing his hand. He still looked confused, but he also looked as if things somehow made sense. “You were kidnapped,” he said slowly. “They took you from me.”

  “Who did?” she cried out, holding her belly. Sick thoughts rolled through her head. Who was she before all of this? Who was this man to her? Was it her husband, the father of her child?

  Or was he one of the criminals who’d hurt her? Or worse, did one of the horrors who kidnapped her plant his seed in her?

  She started to cry, hugging her belly.

  This baby is mine! Mine! I don’t care who your father is. You are mine!

  “Avery.” His voice was so pained, so torn, that she looked up at him. Through her tears, she saw his pain. No, he wasn’t the one who hurt her. There was no possible way he could have.

  Does that mean he’s my baby’s father?

  “Please, Avery,” he prodded gently. “Tell me what happened.”

  She shook her head, wiping her nose. “I don’t know.” The sobs came out through her tears. “I woke up in the hospital. They told me a passing truck driver pulled me from the river.”

  “The river,” he whispered.

  “I never knew his name. I don’t know who saved my life. I couldn’t remember anything. Trauma-induced amnesia. After I was healthy enough to travel, the embassy helped me come home.” She wiped her eyes and nose, feeling much stronger after having told her story. “No one claimed me.” She met his eyes, as though challenging him to explain that.

  “No one could have,” he said, almost absent-mindedly.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  He smiled gently. “You were always… Very independent. There is a good chance you didn’t leave enough of a trail even for you to follow.”

  She didn’t understand what he meant but decided not to push. She had been told no family was attached to her name, no husband. There may have been legal records of her return to the states, but she didn’t exactly go onto social media looking for anyone who knew her.

  His eyes came back to hers slowly. He was smiling, but he looked so sad, too. He looked into her face as if he had to memorize every single detail. She felt that stirring inside her again, like she was about to remember something.

  It fluttered before her, just out of reach, like it always did. She swallowed down her disappointment, turning her focus back on to this man who scared and inspired her, all at once.

  Chapter Five

  Elias looked across the table and struggled to control his breathing. He wanted to roar. The lion scratched inside him, rejecting this news, rejecting the very idea…

  She doesn’t remember me!

  Such a thing seemed impossible to his lion’s pride, but the man tried to restrain the beast. He had to be rational and calm. Anything else would simply scare her away.

  He looked deeply into her eyes and yes, it was still Avery. Everything he knew from before was still there. The only difference was a kind of wide-eyed innocence, a hint of her discovery of the world. In a lot of ways, she was now like a youngster discovering truth for the first time.

  His heart ached. Not just because he was gone from her mind but because of how she must have suffered. The beautiful nights when they had fallen in love and proven their passion with their bodies were too precious to lose and that pained him all on its own.

  But to have been so terribly injured, to wake up lost and alone, no one in the world familiar to her… It made the lion roar in a whole new way—in pain, sorrow and helplessness.

  It was easier to believe she lied. Perhaps they had fallen in love too fast, and she changed her mind. Maybe, getting kidnapped and being involved in a pride fight had frightened her so badly she decided she didn’t want anything to do with him.

  The animal growled at the very idea that it hadn’t been enough to protect her. It was like choosing between two evils. Did he accept her pain in being torn from him and horribly injured, or the pain that she fled because his lion endangered her and was not there to help her escape?

  His heart chose the former. It was not easy to contemplate the love of his life being dragged from the river by another man, barely conscious and half-drowned. Or the time she spent in hospital with no familiar arms to hold her and help her remember who she used to be.

  Why hadn’t any of his detectives or lions discovered her? This stuck in his mind and stirred his animal. He had assumed her to be dead on the bottom of the river, her scent lost forever, and her body tangled in the debris at the sandy floor. There had been no trace of her for anyone to find.

  “What happened to me?” she spoke slowly, hesitantly. She really didn’t want to know
, by the sound of her voice, but she asked nonetheless. So strong, his mate. Her eyes darted around a little and came back to rest on his face. She was having just as much trouble accepting her fate as he was.

  “I, ah—had a lot of enemies. In business. People who wanted to manipulate me and the fortune I control. They tried to force my cooperation by kidnapping you. It certainly made me vulnerable, but I had more power than they counted on and I was able to track them down.” He looked away, teasing his fingers together as if to crack his knuckles. When he looked back up at her, his eyes were full of relief edged in pain. “They told me you were dead. They told me they threw your body in the river.”

  Her hand flew up, touching her hairline just above her left ear. “I have a scar here. Blunt force trauma. It cracked my skull. Maybe they really did think I was dead.”

  His urge to launch across the table and sweep her into his arms was almost overpowering. He didn’t want to expose himself as a shifter, not if he didn’t have her trust. Still, the lion begged to be free. These insults were more than could be borne by a lion’s pride.

  If she was truly ignorant to the ways of shifters, it was better that she stay that way. He didn’t want to give her information that could hurt her, and he couldn’t reveal his true nature unless he had her complete trust.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, gesturing to her head. “It must have been a terrible wound.”

  She nodded. “I was unconscious a few days. The hospital said I had been very lucky. Another few minutes and I would have been permanently brain damaged.” Her voice trailed off and he could see the trauma in her eyes.

  He desperately wanted to comfort her—and himself—but he couldn’t just walk over there and take her into his arms. She wouldn’t allow it. He would only frighten her more. Even though the lion in him didn’t understand caution and demanded to take her, he knew one wrong step could cut them off from her completely.