Chapter 104: Scent of Uncertainty

“Morning, Julian.”

~That’s not the voice I was hoping for.~ It was the nurse. Julian acknowledged her with a nod, watching as she shut the door behind her.

She clutched a pile of supplies to her chest, and at a quick glance, it looked like she was preparing to change his bandages.

A smirk played on her lips as she took a seat next to him. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“No,” he answered hastily. ~Yes~.

But if he truly wanted to recover and progress, he needed ~Olivia~. Maya had helped him remember his name, which he appreciated, but it was clear that healthcare wasn’t her forte.

However, she had done one more thing for him. Something Olivia hadn’t corrected yet, but he knew she had noticed. How could she not?

“You’re not going to lock me up again?”

She pursed her lips, offering him a strained smile. “What would be the point of that?”

“To keep me here?”

She opened a package, pulling out some wet wipes. She took off his old bandages, then cleaned and wiped his wound. “Alex was a bit overzealous at first. Besides, we both know these chains are useless.”

“We do?”

“If you had shifted at any point, you would have broken free.”

So, she had figured it out. But why the small talk? Why did she always feel the need to converse with him? She didn’t know him, and he didn’t know her. They weren’t going to become pals.

So, their chats were pointless. Maybe she just hated silence. Her boyfriend seemed to enjoy it, though.

“I have nowhere else to go.”

“Well, we’re not planning to kick you out anytime soon.”

That should have made him uneasy, but it didn’t. This was his best option for now, given that he didn’t know what else to do. No place to go, nothing to do. But that didn’t mean he felt safe here.

He didn’t trust Alex, and Alex didn’t trust him. That was a bad beginning. He had nothing against Olivia—she had healed him—but she was with ~him~. She would side with him, with her people, with her pack. He only had himself on his side.

And then there was Maya.

She behaved oddly, or maybe that was just her personality. Who was he to judge? He had only recently met her, and their interactions were limited. Yet, she was in his head, and he couldn’t get her out.

“Good to know,” was his eventual response.

Every time he opened his eyes, he half-expected to recall something—anything. But each time, it was the same.

He was drawing a blank. About his identity, about what had happened to him. What could have transpired to leave him in this state?

He should be healing quickly. She had said so.

Yet, his injuries persisted. So how badly had someone wanted him dead? Was that person dead? Were they waiting for him to venture outside so they could finish what they started? Did they know where he was, or were they searching for him?

Was it ~safer~ to stay here?

Julian took a deep breath, then leaned back into his pillow, waiting for Olivia to finish tending to his wounds. There were hardly any wounds left.

It was one thing for them to keep him while they healed him. But… what was ~their~ plan for the future?

He couldn’t ask ~her~.

His nose twitched once, then twice.

“You smell strange.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

Perhaps strange wasn’t the right word. She looked offended. He hadn’t meant it negatively. ~Touchy.~ “Different. Not like the others.”

“Different bad or?”

Just a short while ago, he didn’t even know his own name. Now he had to explain ~how~ she smelled to his not-so-refined nose? “You’re a wolf, right?”

As he posed his question, he saw her eyes light up and she nodded. “I was human… before.” She cleared her throat. “I was bitten…”

~Wolves are born this way, or they become a wolf. Did I know this?~ It made sense. He didn’t feel the need to question her. It would explain the scent.

“Did your boyfriend turn you?”

The question slipped out before he had a chance to think it over. Why was he asking this, why did it matter to him?

She could have been turned by anyone. It didn’t change anything. It also didn’t say anything about the Alpha.

“Who, Alex?”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, he didn’t. I doubt he’d appreciate being called my boyfriend though,” she responded, chuckling.

“Anything else?”

She pursed her lips, rolling them together as if she was unsure about revealing more… even though she was the one who initiated the conversation. “~Mate~.”

~Mate~.

That term was familiar to him.

He couldn’t articulate why, but he recognized it. It was right there, on the edge of his consciousness… ~forever~. “That’s a lifelong commitment,” he murmured.

“So, you recall that?” she inquired, moving closer to him. “You understand what mates are?”

He did. He didn’t believe he did, but then she uttered the word… “We all have one somewhere. I believe.”

“We do.”

Did he have a mate somewhere? Had he already met her but couldn’t recall? That notion was somewhat disheartening in itself.

He was aware that someone might be out there, ready to end his life. It had influenced most of his choices so far. Including the decision to stay here and behave.

But the idea that someone was waiting for him, for his return? It hadn’t occurred to him. Sure, he might have a pack like they did here, but that wasn’t the same. It wasn’t like having ~that~ person.

Her gaze moved to his face, her nose twitching. “Did it remind you of anyone?”

“No.”

Perhaps that was for the best. Not for whoever was out there, potentially waiting for him. But it was the most suitable option for ~him~.

He couldn’t afford distractions. Not when there were so many uncertainties surrounding him. He was alone and he needed to stay vigilant.

He didn’t have the luxury to feel sorrow, to miss someone.

“I understand.”

Was that… regret in her tone?

Then again, they would likely feel more at ease if they knew who ~he~ was. What he might do, or what he was capable of. If they could send him off to another pack, even better. Sadly, neither of them was that fortunate.

He’d have to continue pretending.