KADEN’S P.O.V

Nadine still hadn’t woken up and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something specific that was stopping her from doing so. I ordered Dr. Brown to take scans of her brain to make sure that everything was progressing properly and she assured me that it looked good from her end but Nadine just wasn’t responding to the medicine given to her. I trusted Dr. Brown with my life but there was something wrong and she hadn’t realized it yet. I tried to tell her that but she accused me of trying to tell her how to do her job.


I had to leave the hospital so as not to lose my temper. She was still the head healer and if anything happened to her, then Nadine would be subjected to other doctors. I wanted her to have the best possible care. I sat on the curve at the back of the hospital and sighted a discarded pack of cigarettes. It had been a while since I smoked and for the first time in a long time, I felt the urge to do it.

My skin itched and just as I was about to stand up to buy a pack, I saw Caleb. He was dressed in sweatpants and a loose threadbare shirt. He didn’t see me immediately and I could have avoided him but I stayed. When he saw me, he let out a sigh of relief and came over to me. To my shock, Caleb took the seat beside me and saw the same cigarette pack I did.

“Do you remember when we were eighteen and smoked so much that your mother threatened to kick us out of the house?” he asked and I couldn’t help the small smile on my lips. “It was shortly after you had come back from your trip. Your mother called us irresponsible and told you that if you pulled that kind of stunt again then she would make sure you never became Alpha.”


The corner of my lips tilted up. I remembered that day like it was yesterday. It was also the day I quit smoking because after Caleb left, my mother threatened to give the position to Aiden despite the fact that it was my birth right. I was determined not to let it pass onto another person. She knew how much I wanted to be Alpha and how much I was willing to do to keep it.

“I wasn’t the one who smoked,” I explained. While I enjoyed the friendly reminder, I knew why he was doing it. “I haven’t even tasted a sip of alcohol in a while. You don’t have to worry about me.”


He raised his brows. “I think I do. What are you doing, Kaden? I have asked you this before but I think I need to ask again because I don’t think you realize what is happening right now. We are all worried about you.”

He kept talking but I could barely pay attention to him. His words were like white noise in my ears. I knew he was worried, I knew they all were but there was more to this and it seemed like none of them realized this. I waited for him to stop talking but he didn’t. Five minutes passed and he was still talking so I cut him off.

“I want to talk to my mother,” he froze and turned to me with scrunched brows. “Can you get her for me?”

“You never want to see your mother,” I had never seen him this confused before. There were so many questions in his eyes. “Why do you want to see her? Do you want me to tell her anything in particular?”

“I appreciate your concern but just get her for me. I don’t need anything else from anyone.”

If he was hurt by my dismissal, he said nothing. He just nodded and walked away. I watched him leave and I stayed at the curve. I don’t know how many minutes passed but I knew it was a while because the sun had begun to set when my mother arrived. She looked as impeccable as always and when she saw where I was sitting, she frowned.

“You’re not a child to be sitting on the floor, Kaden,” she said in disapproval. “Do you know how much your clothes cost? You are ruining them.”

“I buy my own clothes mother, you can stop worrying about me and take a seat. Goddess knows that you can risk one designer skirt getting dirty for a while.”

She turned up her nose at the idea. “That is just distasteful, Kaden. Why would I waste a perfectly good outfit? Is that why you called me here? Did you want to see if I was going to ruin a good outfit?”

“I remembered something,” I announced and she stilled. I saw brief fear flash across her features before she quickly morphed it back to neutral. “Do you want to take a seat now?”

This time she didn’t hesitate. She took the seat in front of me but kept her legs crossed and her arms in her lap. It was almost as if she didn’t want a single part of her body touching the dirt. I could tell that she was going to take a long shower when she got home. She hated being dirty more than anything. She used to tell me that the goddess gave her a son to test her patience because of how rowdy I was.

“What are you hiding from me mother?”

“What did you remember?” she shot back.

“I remembered Nadine, although she looked a little different. Her hair was a darker color and she was much younger. We were in the woods and she reached out for me. Once I touched her, I woke up.”

“That sounds more like a dream than a memory.”

“Don’t insult my intelligence,” I warned and she went silent. “Why don’t you make this easier on us and just tell me what is going on. I have spent too long in here trying to figure out what is happening. You can make all of this end.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. There is nothing of importance in those memories and you would do well to keep them in the past where they belong. Focus on the life that you have now and keep the rest in the past.”

“How do you expect me to move forward when my past is tying me back?” I asked. “Why are you being so selfish mother? These are my memories and you had no right to keep them away from me. You seem to be forgetting that Dr. Brown and I were going through an experiment that brought part of the memories back in the first place. We can always kick it off again.”

She shrugged. “Go right ahead if you want to but I will not be the one who helps you ruin your life. I am your mother and all I want to do is protect you, you should know that and if you don’t then I have failed in my duties to you. You are an adult, Kaden, you can do as you please. It is your life to ruin.”

I was shocked that she was speaking to me like that. She had never done so in the past and it got me worried. She seemed so detached and I had never seen her like this about anything. My mother was always involved in my life. It was almost as if she couldn’t stop herself from being involved in it but now she was willingly taking a step back.

“What is so horrible that you don’t want me to find out?” I asked but instead of responding, she gave me a small smile and stood to her feet.

“Goodnight, Kaden, I want to go home.”

I knew it was a dig when she emphasized the word ‘want’. I watched her disappear down the road and before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet too. I dragged myself over to Dr. Brown’s office where she was pondering over a file in front of her. As soon as she saw me, she closed it to give me her undivided attention.

“How can I help?” she asked. “Has there been any improvement with Nadine?”

“We need to continue the potions to give me my memories back,” I told her and although her brows rose in shock, she nodded. “Nadine doesn’t seem to be waking up anytime soon. I want to ensure I have all my pieces on the board.”

“Of course, if that is what you want then I can’t possibly say no,” she clasped her hands in front of her. “Would you like me to bring a blanket to her room? I heard it might be extra cold tonight.”

I thought about it for a second before shaking my head. “I think I am returning home.”

She looked relieved to hear that and a smile boomed on her face. She all but rushed me out of the house and ushered me away. I drove quietly to the house wondering how Amelia was going to react to this. I knew she would be upset but I couldn’t tell by how much. I got into the house expecting to see her but instead, I saw her friend in the living room with her feet on my table and snacking on pizza. As soon as she saw me, she rushed to her feet.

“Alpha,” she bowed awkwardly. “Amelia and I were just doing some home work together. I didn’t know you would be here.”

“This is my house,” I retorted dryly and her cheeks heated.

“I should be leaving. Tell her I said thank you,” she started to move but stopped to add. “Please.”

She rushed out of the house after that leaving only her scent in the wake. My nose crinkled at that because I hated having foreign scents in my space. It was one of the reasons I made sure no one came into my home. Amelia didn’t know that and I couldn’t fault her for it because I wasn’t here. If I was then she wouldn’t have felt the need to bring someone over.

I decided to look for my mate and followed her scent towards the kitchen. I found her in the kitchen but just as I opened my mouth to speak, I heard her voice.

“Oh my goddess, are you back?” she asked and it took me a second to realize that she was on the phone and not talking to me. “I wasn’t sure when you were going to be back. I am so happy.”

I couldn’t help but wonder who she was speaking to. I knew it wasn’t Clara or Caleb because neither of them took a trip. I couldn’t stop myself from frowning and crossing my arms over my chest. Her back was still turned away from me and she hadn’t noticed my presence yet which was shocking considering she always felt me in rooms.

“Who are you talking to?” I asked and she froze.