Chapter 102: Key to His Past

MAYA

“Having trouble with the key? I thought ~my~ memory was the one that’s shot.”

He might have lost his memory, but his knack for being a smartass was still intact.

Maya’s bare toes drummed against the chilly ceramic floor, as she tried to convince herself that this was a good idea.

She’d spent the entire night away, only returning to the packhouse as dawn broke.

She hadn’t intended to stay out that long, but time had slipped away from her. She’d shifted and then she’d run, as fast as she could.

It probably wasn’t the wisest decision, given the unknown dangers lurking out there and the amnesiac man in the room, but…

But she needed an outlet for her pent-up anger and adrenaline.

She’d shifted between her forms a few times, but mostly, she’d reveled in the simplicity of her wolf form. No thoughts, no emotions. Just pure instinct.

Despite her wolf’s instinct to return to the ~discovery site~, she’d always steered it back towards their territory.

Maya unlocked the door, the key nestled back in her hand. “You’re awfully cheerful for a guy who’s trying to make a break for it.”

Did that come out as bitter and irritated as it sounded in her head? Judging by his expression, ~it did~. Maybe she hadn’t managed to vent ~all~ her anger. ~Oh well.~

“Your friend was here. The one with the… ~Alpha~ who follows her around like a lost puppy.”

His remark made her chuckle. “I know who you mean.” So, Olivia had come to see him. That was just like her. It might explain why his demeanor seemed different from their last encounter.

He seemed less restless, although she could tell the shackles were bothering him. She figured Alex hadn’t allowed Olivia to remove them.

His breathing was still strained and he winced with every movement, but he didn’t seem angry or aggressive. If anyone was on edge in this room, it was her.

“She mentioned something about my memory being messed up. Hard to argue with that when I can’t remember a damn thing.”

There it was. A shift in his tone. Was it resentment? Anger? She couldn’t tell, but he was clearly upset.

“Yeah, no kidding. It’d be a lot easier to handle you if you could remember your own name.” Referring to him as the ~stranger~ was getting old, and she wasn’t keen on saying ~her mate~ all the time.

That’s ~how~ she’d come up with a potential solution. After her nocturnal escapade and a long, hot shower, she’d turned to the internet for answers.

She probably should have consulted Olivia to see if it could ~actually work~… but after her outburst the night before, she decided against it.

Olivia wasn’t one to hold a grudge, but Maya wasn’t in the mood to ~deal~ with it or have Olivia force her to talk about her feelings. She’d save that for another day, when she had more patience.

Besides, this little experiment was harmless. If it worked, ~great~, if not… no harm done.

“I want to try something.”

“Why did you storm off?”

“I didn’t storm off.”

“You left, the other time.”

“Why do you care?”

“Last I checked, I’m the one with no memories, surrounded by strangers, ~injured~… and oh yeah, tied to a bed. Seems like I should be the one wanting to storm off.”

“I don’t know, you seem to be handling it pretty well.”

“Your friend helped. Her boyfriend was a pain, but she explained things to me. I’m all messed up with nowhere to go. I figured there’s no point in leaving until I can at least take care of myself.”

Well, at least he’d stop talking about ~leaving~ for a while. That was a relief.

“So, why did you storm off?” He tilted his head, studying her face. “A nurse who’s afraid of blood and wounds doesn’t make sense.”

She raised an eyebrow. “The only nurse here is Olivia. I’m not a nurse.”

“Then why do you keep coming in here? I’ve only seen you and those two.”

“Because—I… well…” ~Damn it all to hell~.

In her mind, he should have been out cold for days. How was she to blame for his sudden alertness, his curiosity, as if it was ~the day~ he arrived at the packhouse? Maya needed time to digest everything.

But no. It was happening here and now.

“I found you. I’m the one who— I was on a scouting mission… and…” She paused. Did he know about ~that~? “Do you—do you understand… what you are?”

“Yes.”

“Did Liv explain it to you or?”

“I remember.”

“That’s good. At least you’re not entirely useless.”

So, he understood what he was, but not what ~she~ was. Perhaps it would come back to him. Maybe he would remember.

He was healthier than she had anticipated. He wasn’t ready to sprint through the forest, but he no longer seemed ~near~ death.

Regardless.

He needed to recover first, and they had to sort out this whole situation. Including figuring out who the fuck had annihilated an entire pack.

Revealing her identity wouldn’t help, and if he couldn’t comprehend or feel it himself, why would he believe her? She decided to wait. Once Olivia gave him the green light, once he was free to stay or leave…

She would bring it up then.

She would be a hypocrite if she didn’t tell him. She had given Alex hell for not being honest with Olivia.

Now that it was her turn… she couldn’t hide the truth. She would give his memory a few days, hoping the healing process might spare her the awkward conversation.

Yes.

A few more days.

“So, do you have any more pointless questions, or can we get back to my idea and try something?”

“Depends, what is this ~something?~”

Maya dug into her pocket, pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper and a blue pen. “Sometimes… muscle memory or whatever… remains intact. So… I read that… you might be able to sign your name.”

Even if it did work, the next challenge would be deciphering his handwriting. For now, she would take it one step at a time.

She watched as he raised his hands, the shackles clinking against the metal bedposts. “And how am I supposed to write? With these on?”

Maya had thought about the shackles. That’s why the tiny key was burning a hole in her back pocket.

Olivia had given her a copy after chaining him up. Just in case they needed to release him.

Obviously, this wasn’t the ~emergency~ Olivia had in mind, but… she wasn’t here.

“With this,” she finally replied, pulling the key from her pocket.

This was a gamble. It could backfire spectacularly. But she had weighed the pros and cons, and honestly, this was the best time to unchain him temporarily.

He was recovering but still weak, and this was ~her~ territory. Under normal circumstances, he might overpower her… but not now.

Then again, she might be stronger at full strength. It was easy to ~sense~ someone’s status. With him, she didn’t feel much.

Perhaps because he didn’t know himself, but if he were an Alpha or something similar, she would feel the ~pull, ~the dominance they exuded. Like she did with Alex.

That wasn’t the case.

So, he must be a beta. Meaning she could take him down, even if he was at full strength.

But his current weakness would make things easier and quicker. Assuming he tried something while unchained. She didn’t think he would.

“Did ~he~ give you permission?”

~Please~. She hardly paid attention to what he ~did~ say. “I don’t need his permission. Or anyone else’s.”

“And how do you know I won’t bolt?”

~She didn’t~. Was he testing her?

“It would be pretty dumb of you to try. I’d drag your ass back here in a heartbeat.”

“I bet I could outrun you for at least two seconds.”

“Want to test that theory?”

He smirked at her, and for a moment, she thought he might shift and break free to prove his point. But he didn’t. Instead, he shook his head.

“No, ma’am.”

~Ew~. She wasn’t an old woman. “Maya.” She corrected him. “Call me Maya.”

“Maya. That’s a pretty name.”

“Are you implying I’m not pretty?”

“Do you always interpret everything as a criticism, or is it just when I speak?”

“Curious, are you?”

“Indeed. Hence, the question.”

Who did he think he was, being so ~forward~? She could throw the same question back at him. Was he always this audacious, or was this a new side of him, now that he had no memory?

But he wouldn’t have an answer for her, so there was no point in asking.

Choosing to disregard his question, she started to untie his wrists.

She untied one, then the other, and stepped back. Despite their earlier agreement, she half-expected him to make a move.

He didn’t.

Instead, he raised his left hand and massaged his wrist with his right. ~Right~. He must be sore. But that was his fault. He could have ~refrained~ from pulling at the restraints, and he wouldn’t be in pain.

Maya scanned the room until she found one of Olivia’s hefty nursing textbooks. She carried it to the bed, placed it on his lap, and handed him the pen and paper. He accepted them, positioning the pen on the paper.

“So… I write?”

She shrugged. “I’m not the medical expert. I-I suppose you sign your name.”

“The name I can’t remember?”

“Then don’t overthink it. It’s supposed to be muscle memory. You’re not supposed to consciously think about it.”

“Then what should I do?”

He was deliberately being difficult. One glance at him confirmed that.

“I don’t know, distract yourself, just ~do it~.”

“Can I look at you?”

“You know what… never mind. I was ~attempting~ to be helpful, and you’re acting like a jerk.”

He raised a hand, palm out. “I’m sorry, I’m trying. I swear.”

He placed the pen back on the paper, but instead of focusing on the blank sheet, he locked eyes with her.

She held his gaze, aware from her peripheral vision that his hand was moving. He was writing ~something~.

Time seemed to slow as he finally put the pen down.

“Let’s see.”

They both looked down and, to Maya’s surprise, his handwriting was clear. “Julian,” she murmured without thinking.

Their faces were close due to their positions, his lower as he looked up at her, and hers higher as she looked down. ~No~. This wasn’t a moment. It couldn’t be a moment.

She was about to take the pen and paper from him when she felt the gentle touch of his fingers on her skin. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, much like he had done when he first woke up.

She didn’t pull away, she didn’t move. She could barely feel the pressure of his fingers.

Instead, she was locked in his gaze while he searched hers. He was looking at her with that ~look~ in his eyes. As if he had been seeking her and couldn’t believe he had found her.

~That was the look~.

But she didn’t think he ~realized~ it was the look.

He couldn’t know… otherwise…

~Thump~. ~Thump~.

“Why does it feel like I know you?”

Her heart pounded so hard it took her breath away. She froze for a moment before clearing her throat, regaining her composure. “I wouldn’t know. I can assure you, we’ve never met before.”

Because if they had, she would remember him, and he would remember her. And everything would be different.

Maya almost laughed at herself. When he said that, for a fleeting moment, she thought this was it. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders. And just as quickly, it was back.

How could something she never had, never experienced, hurt so much? She had nothing to lose because she never had a taste of it. Yet, there was no denying this feeling: it was a loss. ~Foolish girl~.

“Well, I’ll update Olivia about… you know. Tell her you have a name.”

“Running off again?”

“No, I have more important things to do, that’s all.”

“I see. Don’t be late then.”

“Sure.”

Her heart lodged in her throat as she spun around, her body trembling. She tried to maintain a leisurely pace, as if she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She couldn’t let him see that he was right.

She tilted her head, stealing a glance at him as she exited.