Fast forward to the following day when I had the not-so-close encounter with the large, dark wolf in my dream and once again see that I’m the one luring out Lyssandra. I watched as my lover came to my rescue in his Lupinine form, threatening her as she stalked closer while I was attacked in my sleep, but stopped cold in her tracks. I didn’t realize how vulnerable I was even within the confines of his home. From the feel of this memory, it seems that he realized that as well and was at this point, luckily the bigger, scarier monster that could stop Lyssandra, made her back down from doing harm to me in my dream and even went back to his chores with me none the wiser. Later, Alec came up to him and congratulated him on finally growing a pair and reminded him to act shocked if and when I meet him and mention this particular encounter with Lyssandra.

Lyssandra’s Consort was cavorting with another female. I felt her energy within this memory: erratic, hostile, and jealous. She watched me seduce her mate right before her eyes. I was just a thread in this tangled web of lies and deceit where, at the heart of it all was the wolf leader, Lyssandra, trapping everyone within it. 

It took this memory to really see that he was snapping each threat loose, one by one, each time we talked, he attended to me, loved me. Just as his coupling with Lyssandra had given him power, he was giving up his own energy to help strengthen me as well. Every time we touched, each night I rested, I felt infinitesimally better than the last, never really knowing what to attribute my fast healing rate to. Our very nearness was enough to empower one another and distance him from Lyssandra’s iron grip.

Lyssandra watched with green eyes as we headed to the cabin, her bonds falling apart piece by piece. He knew we were being watched; that Lyssandra would retaliate and then try to stake her claim. When Alec came by earlier, he has also mentioned that now was the time to strike. Alec’s job was to get Lyssandra to the cave any way possible and also rally the pack members that hoped for a change within the ranks. They would come for back up at the river if need be. 

The cave was set up as a trap for her to let her guard down and those that opposed her laid in wait for the next move. Nothing was more tempting than a mate during a full moon, even during the day. Lysssandra’s bondage to him was brittle at best and she needed to reassert her claim as soon as possible. He left the cabin when I fell back asleep that day, the others had their instructions not to make a move until he snatched the last vestiges of her energy before they made claim to the rest of the pack.

When the moon was at its height, like clockwork, she arrived at the cave for their rendezvous and wasn’t disappointed. Like a lioness stalking her prey, she hung in the shadows, yet her own desire didn’t keep her at bay for long. 

It was painful to watch someone you love in the process of wooing someone else. Lyssandra’s willingness and compliance to seal him to her overlooked his darker intent and became her downfall. Lyssandra realized too late that the one gift she gave freely didn’t absolve her many injustices and retribution came in the form of her would-be Consort. Suddenly, the world was clearer to both of them and their mating became a fight of life and death.

Lyssandra was no match for her beloved and former prisoner now that he was in possession of all her lifeforce; he freed himself and overpowered the pack’s matriarch once and for all. They tumbled on the furs and damp cave floor until he found an opportune opening. 

I felt his own internal struggle with himself as he was not only fight her physically, by also mentally. Her will and spirit were all intertwined with his own and when he absorbed her power, he also absorbed her essence, taking on her characteristic aggression, her craze and her power lust. The battle of their wills were interlocked in a vicious battle for survival.

Though Lyssandra had years and experience on her side, his need for blood and desire for freedom were a powerful ally. With a slash and a lunge at her throat, Lyssandra was pinned against the cave wall under his transformed body and she clawed at him in vain. A final clench from his iron canines, she thrashed against his jaw in the throes of death. When he knew she was dead, he went for her heart and took the first meaty bite to claim his rightful place in the pack and howled in victory.

Soon the others gathered at the mouth of the cave and the pack witnessed the ascension of a new leader. Still holding her heart within his deadly incisors, he dropped the bloodied organ for all to bear witness of his victory over Lyssandra and offered it to Alec, whom he named as next in command. Rank and allegiance were quickly established with the passing of the source of her vitality, many of whom were more than ready to bow down to the new leaders.

However, there were some members of the pack that dissented the right of caste and new assigned roles. They were not present for Lyssandra’s downfall and needed to be rounded up and made to kowtow or follow in her wake to hell. The new pack ran out of the cave and was off to wage out one last war with their fellow brethren and after that, they could make peace.

At the top of the ridge, aggression built up and snarls and growls of discontent grew when new broke of the change in power structure. The loyalist to Lyssandra were staunch in not wanting to relinquish their current way of life and it was wolf against wolf in a heated battle on who would prevail, the old regime or the new. A final challenge was issued to the rising leader to avenge Lyssandra by one of her lieutenants. The probability of drastic change may have spurred him on or even the prospect of taking her old mantel so soon after the new leader’s fight may have presented an opportunity that would have otherwise been unachievable but once their bout began, there was no contest on who had the upper hand.

The challenger, defeated, fell into the river and was swept away along with the old ideals. Those that were indecisive about what side to choose quickly fell in line with the winning side and the ones that were faithful to the long-standing régime chose to run away or banded together to fight for power in a losing battle. Those that tried to get away were soon sought after and met the same end as the last remnants of the vicious existence of the pack were now a thing of the past. The change was brutal and swift as it always was with governance but once the dust settled, it was time to rebuild.

Tired and wounded, again victorious as their Alpha, he gathered his pack around him to fortify his claim and set to work when a scent caught his attention. He gave the majority of the pack quick orders to find the dissenters that could post a threat at a later time and directed a handful of wolves to patrol by the woods, the cabin and the cave. He slowly made his way over to the falls and I finally realized what was happening for this memory. He skulked in the shadows like a predator as I discovered the grizzly death of Lyssandra and came to realize that he was the cause of this grizzly scene. 

Suddenly, the world around me washed away the cave interior and melted into one of darkness lit by the full moon’s rays when I started this journey into his past. I squinted around to see if I was in yet another memory but my eyes land squarely on ones so familiar that pierced through the night and to my very soul.

I tentatively raised my hand to his cheek, which he leaned into and I was unexpectedly overwhelmed with a lot of emotions for the onslaught of all his memories. His eyes widened at my response but I placed a soothing hand on his warm chest, shaking my head in assurance that there is nothing to worry about. The gesture is enough to placate him, yet the tears streaming down my face still worries him. He places his forehead on mine and kisses my nose soothingly as he softly touches my cheek.

Now I know, the meeting in the cave earlier as seen in the memory before it dissolved, the chase, and even our love making still had Lyssandra’s spirit wrestling for control within him, fighting beyond death for power. The last memory brings us back to the present – a few hours ago and he is ashamed by what transpired between us. His internal struggle with Lyssandra’s haunting spirit influenced his words and actions – which after being in his memories, may have ensured his survival when he took the mantel of Alpha. Yet when I look at his eyes and see the shame and guilt for what transpired between us before we made love, she still lingered even tenuously within him until he forged our bond and marked me. 

I know that he has won and Lyssandra is gone forever. I look deeply into his eyes and give him a reassuring smile before gently placing a kiss upon his lips, accepting his apology and forgive his previous actions that were not wholly his own. We are both exhausted and release collective sighs of relief and a heaviness of new understanding sits in the air with more possibilities and outcomes we have yet to address.

What a whirlwind of a day.

No, these last few days have been. Being caught in their power struggle unawares feels like a lifetime has gone by even taking into account when I found myself lost in the woods being chased by his pack members. Watching his life through his memories has taken its toll on me physically and emotionally yet when he wrapped his arms around me, I felt safe once again.

Our meeting is not as happenstance as I once believed it to be and I can’t even say it was fated. The bond that we share is all encompassing of who I am and what he is but I don’t even know to what extent and how far it reaches. It overwhelms me to think that maybe we were predestined for one another as I felt an immediate connection to him and vice versa, and we’re fortunate that we encountered each other, in person and in memory. My head filled with so many thoughts about our bond and as he pulls me tight against his chest, laid out in the open, I made myself stop thinking about our very improbable situation to just feel and be in this moment.

We lay down on our back and watch the stars in silence, shared warmth with our vary nearness and I smile as I remember what he told me that first night together just outside his cabin. I cannot tell you how long we just laid there but I had not felt so content or complete since…ever. 

The moon slowly sank towards the horizon and I felt him shift in my arms and offer me his hand so that I may sit upright. I smile in gratitude and find him looking at me with content grin. He looked behind him at the sky as it slowly changes and shifts around us, the wind picking up and sweeping the clouds overhead. He reaches for my cheek with one hand and buried his other in my mused hair. I can’t imagine how it looks after the night we had yet I knew from the look in his eyes, my concerns about my looks were trivial at most and I couldn’t feel prettier than how I feel under his gaze of warmth and affection. He leaned in for a slow and lingering kiss, carding his fingers into my hair and I relax into this arms just luxuriating at the feel of his nearness. We pull away slightly and catch our breath, and he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

“I’ve found you.” His voice was very strong and almost reverent. “Always remember that and I will always know where to find you if you need me.” I’m confused about his proclamation but I smiled and replied.

“I know. And you have me.” His determined façade cracks a bit as he looks around us as though expecting something to happen when me into his embrace and I can’t help but snuggle further into it.

“I want you to remember me and what we have.” He whispered almost desperately into my ear, his breath warm and a bit stuttered.

I scoffed at him and squeezed him to me in reassurance, brushing my lips lightly against his jaw. “Silly. Of course I will.” Then an odd thought struck me but I realize, in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter really. “I may not know your name but you’re stuck with me no matter what.”

He chuckles into my neck and nuzzles it until he finds the mark he left me and kisses it reverently sending a thrill down my spine. “My name is--”

When he started to say his name and kiss on my mark, the jolt down my back was so intense that I jerked and I suddenly gasped out loud. I open my eyes, look around and I found that it is still dark but rather than being outside, I am in a dark room, on a cozy bed with no idea where I am or how I got there. Frantically, I look around for any clue to tell me when or where I am. Am I back in a memory that he triggered in me through our bond or am I--?

My eyes focus and my mind snaps to attention trying to remember the items in my room. The lamp at the side of my bed and the painting on the wall all belong to me and are mine.

His room? No. Mine. Who is he?

I can vaguely remember who the mystery ‘He’ is I thought as I look down at my small twin-size bed expecting to see someone next to me; no one was there and I suddenly feel so alone. I glanced around to see if any of the other furnishings could lend any answers to my foggy mind but they are bare and minimal to say the least and I am left with more questions than answers.

I sigh heavily as I look down at the bed and wring my hands nervously.

Think. Think! What was the last thing you remember…?

I bring my hand up to my neck feel a slight twinge at the base of it right where it joins my shoulders. There is a fresh cut there, as though I have a bite and when I try to figure out where I got it from. Suddenly, I am overwhelmed with a warmth and knowing, a flooding of love as my fingers brush against my mark. I lightly trace it and I feel a slow tingling ignite in my body. I close my eyes and savor the sensation as the memory of him becomes more lucid. Real.

His hands. His lips. His warmth. His body.

I shiver when I think about him and us and lay back down in my bed as heat starts to rise in my body.

“Remember…” a faint whisper floats in the air as I calm my breathing and recollect what was more than just a dream or passing sensation but reconnect the very real imprint my memory of ‘Him’ left on me physically and emotionally.

FIN