Julian felt like a neutered puppy.
He was sitting in ~their~ room, her room, waiting for Maya. Just two days ago, Olivia had finally let her leave the makeshift infirmary theyâd been confined to.
But she still needed her bandages changed frequently.
Olivia had done her best to remove the silver, but some had been so deeply embedded in the wound that it slowed the healing process.
It wasnât life-threatening, but it was enough to cause Maya pain if she moved too much.
~She hated it~.
He quickly discovered that she also hated it when he tried to help her. It was as if heâd slapped her in the face. She would have been less angry.
He tried to bring her food, tried to help her move, but she wouldnât have any of it.
Maya was ~adamant~ that she could manage on her own.
Eventually, he let her. He sat back and watched her struggle.
There were moments when he could see her almost ask for help, but her pride always won out, and sheâd push through on her own.
Part of him wanted to leave her, not because he didnât want to be with her. ~He did~. But it bothered him that whoever was out there was still at large.
They could return, and it was painfully clear that everyone was ill-prepared for it.
He didnât want her to get hurt.
~Especially not because of him~.
He couldnât leave because whoever was after him had identified his weakness. His only weakness now was his memory loss.
That was it. Could his enemy tell heâd lost his memory?
Before, he wouldnât have believed it, but now he knew heâd always been watched⦠maybe heâd overheard something he shouldnât have.
That meant Maya was in constant danger.
The only way to keep her safe?
Kill whoever was after him.
It would be a hell of a lot easier if he could remember ~why~ the bastard was after him. Sure, if it was a hunter, like all signs pointed to, being a werewolf was a pretty big clueâ¦
But there had to be more to it.
They hadnât seen a hunter around here. So why him?
What piece of the puzzle was he missing? Heâd obviously evaded him for a whileâ¦so why was he caught?
More importantly, was he the reason heâd lost his family? Was that it?
Even though Maya was stubborn, she needed a lot of rest to recover from her near-fatal injury. That meant he spent a lot of time sitting with her, lost in thought.
Sometimes it was helpful, sometimes it wasnât.
The story Willow had told him about his life and his family weighed heavily on his mind. Had he spent his entire life running from the hunter?
Was that why they never stayed in one place for long and why he kept a small pack?
All those years of running, only to lead the bastard right to Maya.
Julian didnât remember his life, but he knew one thing: life fucking hated him. There was no question about it.
So even though he wanted nothing more than to tear the hunterâs throat out with his bare hands, he held back. ~He stayed with her~.
Because Maya might not have said it outright, but she was clearly bothered by his absence.
He hadnât shown his best side. ~But what was his best side? Did he even know~?
No, he didnât.
The only guide he had was ~what made her happy~.
It sounded patheticâespecially considering his nature, but it didnât matter.
âAre you still here?â
Her voice pulled his attention to the door. Maya was leaning against it, using it for support as she walked in.
The faint smell of blood that had clung to her when she left was gone. Hopefully, that was a good sign.
âI donât think your guard dog would let me leave,â he joked.
Heâd tried to talk to Alex a few times, but those attempts usually ended with Olivia stepping in to mediate.
He was pretty sure that if it werenât for the petite brunette, Alex would have tried to rip his head off by now.
~Heâd like to see Alex try~.
âAbout thatâ¦â
No sarcastic remark? No biting comment? ~Oh boy~. Was Maya trying to be serious?
âAbout tonightâ¦â she began.
âDid I already forget an anniversary?â he joked.
When he saw the furrow between her brows deepen, he knew he was missing something obvious, but he had no clue what it was.
âThe full moon?â she asked, looking at him with wide eyes as if he was the dumbest person sheâd ever met.
Julian was burdened with a profound heaviness as she relayed the news to him. Shouldnât he have been aware that it was the full moon? Shouldnât he have felt a stirring in his veins, a resonance in his bones? ~But he hadnât~.
âWhatâs the significance?â
âWeâre essentially under house arrest.â
âHouse arrest?â
âExactly,â she confirmed, popping her lips. âThe head honcho doesnât want us wandering around while thereâs a dangerous hunter on the prowl.â
It was a logical decision. The hunter had undoubtedly been watching them, and he was aware of their true nature. He knew what the full moon would trigger.
One might assume theyâd be safer in their wolf forms, but that wasnât the case.
There would be too many of them, unrestrained, potentially stumbling into traps, and guided by the moonâs pull. Wandering around was a risk.
Even Maya had been caught off guard when she hadnât detected any threat.
Their adversary was better equipped than they were.
But it implied one thing.
âEveryone will be confined?â
Maya shook her head. âAlex has his patrol team ready in case he, ~they~, whoever, tries anything. But yes, the rest of us⦠we have to stay put.â
âIn human form or as wolves?â
âIt depends on whoâs more dominant.â
That was a somewhat brutal reality. He wasnât sure why ~this~ was something he remembered, but the moonâs pull was potent.
Most couldnât resist it. The desire to embrace ~who~ they truly were was irresistible.
Julian was certain that most of them would end up transforming. That would make keeping them indoors even more challenging. ~But hey~. He wasnât the packâs alphaâit wasnât his decision to make.
Would ~he~ be able to maintain his human form? What about her?
Maya must have known it was safer for her ~not~ to shift. With her injury, transforming into a wolf would only intensify the effects of the silver.
She should remain as she was, if possible.
But he couldnât exactly tell her that, could he?
âDo you need me to restrain you? In a non-fun way?â
âIf anyoneâs getting restrained, ~itâs you,â~ she cautioned as she closed the door behind her.
Julian lifted his hands, joining his wrists and extending them towards her. âIâm willing to give it a shot.â
He didnât imagine Maya as someone who relinquished control during intimate moments. But that was another topic altogether. It wasnât as if he remembered his past actions.
âKeep dreaming, pal, keep dreaming,â she retorted before settling down on the bed.
âIâm going to sleep now. In case you want to do your weird thing where you watch me sleep. Alexâs speech gave me a massive headache.â
âActually, I was thinking of getting some sleep myself.â
âGreat. Thereâs a spot for you on the floor,â she stated as she turned her back to him and lay on her uninjured side, completely disregarding him.
Julian chuckled, gently shaking his head. He wondered how much her personality would change when she was forced to resist the moonâs call.
He should be angry that another alpha was controlling his life and a hunter was forcing him to ~hide~.
Yet he couldnât muster the energy to be ~that~ upset.
Now to see what the night would bring.