Chapter 106

• HAERA
• The anger boiling inside of me as I yelled at Zachary was one whose reason was unknown to me;not entirely unknown but just strange because I was angry about a lot of things yet relieved at the same time. It was dangerous for him to have followed me and then try to save me by jumping in. It was stupid and even though it reminded me of my own self, it didn't make me less angry. He never listens to me and does things his own way, that's the only reason he could have tailed me all the way to the cliff. How the hell did he even do it? My relief was only from the fact that he was right there, in front of me, safe and looking confused as hell. I had thought of the worst after Tybalt drugged me and had me brought down here but seeing him out of danger and safe was what made me feel relieved. But I wasn't near done yet. His presence might bring me relief but still, it was dangerous for him to have followed me. "Why the hell did you come all the way here with me?huh? You never listen! You keep putting yourself in situations that make me worry about you! Why do you never listen to me?." I yelled, tears of anger and frustration rolling down my cheeks. My body was still sore and I felt numb in a lot of places but I didn't care about my body right then, I was worried about the man in front of me. He was looking blankly at me and I could have sworn he looked back a few times as if to take a second guess about whom I was talking to when we were the only ones here. I stood up, even when my entire joints protested and made me want to reel back in pain. "Let me see you...are you hurt? How did you follow me? How were you able to find me?" My hands groped every part of his body to see if he was hurt anywhere. He didn't move a muscle or make a single sound as I continued my frantic search for what seemed like it wasn't even there. "Answer me! How did you find me?" I yelled at him again and it seemed to Snap him out of some sort of trance he was in. His eyes turned angry and his expression hardened. "Why the hell do you keep yelling at me?" He groused. I reeled back in shock, his voice...it was different. Way different from the cheery one that wakes me every morning and rings in my ears and all over the palace all through the day. His voice was angry, a viable match with his face. "What?" That was all I could mutter. "Why do you keep yelling at me?" He asked again. "You followed me down here when you shouldn't! Do you talk back to me now? Do you ignore your mistakes and talk back to me? Is that it?" I yelled again even when he told me not to. "What the hell are you saying Haera! Are you crazy? Do you know who you're talking to?" He was now on his feet. I couldn't move because of the shock that took over my entire being. I stared back, wide eyed, wondering if the fall down here messed with my head and maybe my ears a little...for me to now hear strange things. Strange things as the man who used to adore me as his mother now asking me if I was crazy. Stranger things because he said my name. My actual name and not the three letter word name he has chosen to call me for weeks now. He called me Haera. Zachary called my name. What the hell was going on? "Look, I don't care how our last encounter ended okay. I know it was pretty bad but I won't sit here and listen to you talk to me like I am your fucking child or like you are responsible for me! You may have Alpha blood running through your veins but I am still the Alpha here and you won't talk to me that way, mate or not." He stated angrily. I blinked more than a few times before it hit me. I gasped and sprang up to my feet and he reared back a bit, startled by my reaction. "Wait, what did you just say?" I asked him as slowly and quietly as I could. "Mate or not?" He replied mindlessly. I shook my head. "No...no...before that." I said again. "I am still the Alpha here?" He said again, raising a brow in confusion to my reaction. I stepped back with a gasp and a hand covering my mouth. My eyes were twice their size. "Oh my God" "What's the matter with you? You've been acting strange. Are you okay Haera?" He asked, concerned. "You said my name." I whispered He frowned. "Is there any reason why I shouldn't?" He asked again. Nothing about his reaction was faked and it all could only mean one thing. I just needed to confirm it. I stepped closer to him and grabbed him by the face with my two hands. His grey eyes widened. "What are you doing?" I leaned closer to look into his eyes. Turning his face left and right to see if he had blood running from anywhere on his head. "Do you...do you know me?" I asked slowly. He frowned and jerked my hands away. "This joke has gone long enough, stop it." He was obviously irritated and displeased but to hell with those feelings of his when I needed to be sure the fall didn't drive me crazy as well. "Just answer the darn question!" "There you go again! Yelling at me!" He yelled back. I signed, breathed in and out, closed my eyes and settled the score with my mind before looking back at my mate. "I'm sorry, okay? Just...just answer me and I'll explain all what this is all about." I said. "Now tell me, do you know me?" I asked. He sighed like he couldn't believe I was doing this to him. "Yes,yes I know you, for fuck's sake, I know you." "Then who am I? What...what is my name?" I said and swallowed after. "Is this a joke? Are we really going to do this now? Are you so mad at me that you prefer to-" "Answer me...please." My voice softened and so did his eyes. He sighed. "You're driving me crazy Haera, why wouldn't I know you or your name? You're Haera. My mate." "Oh heavens!" I cried out. It startled him but he just stared at me. "Oh dear moon goddess!" I cried again, more tears spilling down my cheeks. I ran into his arms before I could help myself. His body was rigid at first while I cried into his chest. It took a few seconds before his body relaxed and his arms came around me. "You're back! You're back." That was all I could mutter as I held him tightly to myself. Alpha Zachary's memories have returned and he remembers me, not as a mother but as a mate. I held on tightly as if he would be back to his ten year old self if I took my face away from his chest. "Haera, I don't know what this is all about but I think you need to start talking. I need you to make me understand you and what is going on. How did we end up here and why?" He asked. I sniffed and slowly moved my face away from his chest. I looked up at him and only cried some more. I couldn't believe he was back. He brought a hand down to wipe a tear off my face. His expression was soft and sad at the same time. "Did it hurt that bad? Did I really hurt you this much?" He asked softly. It only made me cry harder because of how soothing his hand rubbing on my face was and how soothing his voice was as well. "Do you want to talk to me about it? Let's take it one step after the other." He said. I squinted at him. "You don't remember anything?" I asked. "Is there anything I should remember? I'm just confused Haera. Confused about the reason you're here with me and how you even got here in the first place." He paused and looked around. "And here...this same cliff...how did we get here? What happened?" I moved away from him. He seemed genuinely confused. It made me wonder which memories came back and the ones he had left. "What do you remember?" I asked gently. He paused and thought deeply about it. And then his eyes widened. "Tybalt! Tybalt, that bastard, did he...did he dump me here?" Zachary asked. I shifted closer. "You remember!" I gaped. "Of course I do! I went to see him in his prison and then he said things that made me lose it and I made the mistake of going into his caged cell...and he...he...he hit me with something! That bastard. He hit me and dumped me down here again didn't he?" Zachary groused, angry veins popping out of his skin. "Is that...is that all you remember?" I asked. "That's the last thing I remember...but...how did you get here Haera? You went back to your pack, how did Tybalt bring you back here? Don't tell me he attacked your pack?" Zachary said with panic rising in his voice. I shook my head. "Oh, Zachary." I cried. His original memories were back but he has already forgotten the ones that happened after. He doesn't remember the days when he was a ten year old boy and I had to take him everywhere with me. He doesn't remember how we slept together on the same bed, how I cooked for him and took his bath. Not even how I sat by his bedside every day of the days he was in coma. He doesn't remember anything. "Listen to me,there is a lot you need to know. You're right, Tybalt is the reason why we're both here but not in the way you think." I said slowly, not wanting to spring it on him. "What do you mean? How else would he have done this for me not to think of it the right way?" I sighed. "That memory...the one of Tybalt hitting you. It was...it was weeks ago." I said. He frowned. "Are you kidding me right now? That bastard took me out yesterday with a brick and probably dumped me here today, how could that possibly happen weeks ago." "It's because you haven't been living as yourself for a long time now...you...you were someone else." I said. He looked incredulously at me like I was crazy. "What the hell are you saying Haera?" I grabbed his hand. "Believe me. It's not crazy. It's the truth and I know what I am saying. I need you to remember. Try to remember who you were before. You lost your memory the day Tybalt hit you on the head, after you were in a coma for days." "Okay Haera. I think it's high time you made yourself clear!" He growled. I shut my eyes. This won't do. I opened it and knew what else I could do to at least have him understand me. I pulled him with me to the floor and we sat together. "Just listen to everything I have to say...please." "Fine." He said. And then I began the tale. The one that started the very day Alan set foot in my pack. ************ The silence was scary. I didn't know what the silence meant and it only made it scarier because I couldn't put a finger on why it was like that. It was like a moment of thinking that needed him to retrace his steps and think of a better way to do things. It's been minutes since I finished explaining everything that has happened over the past week to Zachary and he had listened to every detail while asking questions once in a few seconds. And now, he was totally silent. Silent and staring into blank space. It was hard to tell if he believed me or not. I couldn't read what his expression meant and so I just waited with bated breath for him to say something to me. Nothing came and I lost my patience. "Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked as quietly as I could. I got no answer to that as well. Instead, he stood up swiftly from the ground and I sprang up with him. He looked into the distance and then bunched his fist. "That bastard...I'll make him pay." He growled. I've never seen him so angry. The radiation of it has to be the craziest ones that I've ever felt and it made me shudder. It was a good sign that he at least believed everything I said but I didn't know what was going on in his head. "I had the brain of a fucking child for weeks...my mate suffered so much and yet the council let a traitor walk around my pack like he owns it? I'll kill them. I'll kill them all!" He growled, his voice thunderous and resonating through the thickly forested area. His intent was to kill and I didn't like how it made him look so dangerous. I've gotten so used to the 10 year old him that I forgot who he was. An Alpha. Without sparing me a glance, he turned around and began to walk in a strange direction.I ran after him not because there was nothing else I could do than to run after him. He didn't stop even as I yelled out his name for him to stop. He was really determined to ruin something or perhaps someone. "Zachary!" I yelled out after I had called him a thousand times by his title and he refused to stop. Surprisingly, he stopped at the sound of it and turned back to look at him. I caught up with him but took my time to catch my breath before opening my mouth to say my next words. "Where do you think you're going?" I asked. "Where does it seem like I am going? To kill that bastard!" "Do you think he's waiting for you at the top of that cliff for you to come kill him? Why won't you just sit and think?" I yelled. "I have done enough sitting and thinking! Sitting and thinking made me spend days without you beside me! Sitting and thinking made me go in there and get myself into this mess. Sitting and thinking dragged you into this mess with me after all I've already done to hurt you. I won't sit back anymore." His words...they did something to me that I just couldn't explain but I was sure they touched me with how heavy with feelings they are. I trudged forward so I could be closer to him. I let my hand crawl up to touch his face and he leaned into my touch. My body instantly recognized the emotions we were sharing as mates. "I understand you. I really do but we need to be rational about this. All we have to do now is get out of here and think of ways to avoid Tybalt. He probably knows we are likely to survive the attack and has another plan set in motion. Let's not fall into another one of his traps." I said softly. He didn't say anything but I could feel his anger dissipate. "Fine." He said. "The exit, the one we found the last time...why don't we take it?" I said. He looked thoughtful when he answered. "Why do I feel like it's going to be a bad idea? I know Tybalt and what he's capable of." "So do I but it's worth a try. Let's go." I said. He nodded and I took his hand. He clasped mine in his big ones and gave me a small smile before he pulled me with him. Considering the fact that we have been here before, it was easy for us to find our way around the deep forest till we finally got to the exit after a long time. Only it wasn't much of an exit anymore. Zachary cursed beside me as we stared at the place that used to be an exit that was now covered up with rocks. "I should have known he would do something like this. That son of a bitch." Zachary sneered. And I agree,Tybalt was a son of a bitch who deserves nothing but death.