JAX

Dissociative amnesia. That was what Benji diagnosed Corey with once he finally allowed the medic to get close enough to do an exam without the threat of losing a limb. 

It was a traumatic stress disorder, one that was triggered when one's level of stress surpassed their ability to cope.

So – instead of coping – Corey's brain chose to simply... forget. 

The days following his awakening were... different. And judging by the way Corey hid his oversized body behind mine to avoid pack members that he didn't recognize whenever we had to leave the comforting confines of our room, it was definitely beginning to take a toll on him. Fending off overly-curious pack members quickly became my part-time job, but I would gladly be his guard wolf if it meant making him feel even a little bit better about this entire situation.

To our relief, we found out within a day or two that I wasn't the only one on his 'unforgettables' list. All of his siblings, as well as their respective mates, had also made the cut, which helped immensely when we finally sat him down and told him about the death of his parents.

It was far from an easy conversation. In fact, it was one of the most challenging things that I ever had to do. 

To feel the strength with which he gripped my hand, to sense the tingle of his confusion through our bond, to see his face transform into one of anguish as tears flooded down his cheeks... It was almost unbearable to witness for the second time in a single week. 

But no matter how bad it hurt, it had to be done. So, we did it. 

To my surprise, he handled the news much better than the first time, jaw screwing up with understanding and eyes hardening as he fought back against the sadness and depression that had previously bested him. Instead – in its place – a fiery eruption of radical acceptance shone behind those dark pupils, like coal set ablaze. 

Then, he took to studying. 

Day or night, rain or shine, he went over pages and pages of pack history, member records, and whatever other little scrap of information he could get his hands on. Of course – being the curious little shit I am – I couldn't help but bug him about eighteen million times about what the hell all of this was for. But after getting the bajillionth response of "You will know when I am done, sweetheart," I finally decided to let him do his thing and explore his newfound inner nerd. 

...Even if being a brat and demanding retribution until he got fed up and fucked me until I screamed was stupidly appealing.

But this wasn't about me. What mattered right now was helping my mate heal; getting pounded into the mattress until I drooled and begged for more could wait. For now.

"Aye, you lil' shrimp. You are legally obligated to go back to sleep. I promise you don't want this smoke, I'll sue you bankrupt." I quipped, peering down.

It was one of those times when I had to – very sweetly and kindly, of course – coerce Corey to tear his nose out of piles of research and leave our room to get some fresh air. We had begun our mini-adventure with a visit to his parents' resting places in the Pack cemetery, the freshly overturned soil atop their shared grave a reflection of the raw wounds on Corey's psyche. But now – after paying our respects to those who were taken from this world much too soon – we leisurely traipsed the perimeter of the pack house, pastel hues of sunset lighting our path.

"Let him suck on your finger. It helps soothe." A deep voice rumbled, and I craned my neck to visualize the person from whom it emanated.

Corey looked so calm as he looked back down at me, and his tanned skin shone with an elysian radiance underneath the glow of the rapidly approaching dusk. It was a stark contrast to what was going on inside though, where massive amounts of heartbreak, worry, and doubt were fighting against innumerably larger waves of disorientation. Just feeling it through our bond was borderline unbearable, so I could only wonder how he managed to keep his skull from bursting from the pressure of it all. 

"But won't that... oh..." My brow furrowed as the little one in my arms immediately began a rhythmic suck on my pinkie finger the very moment that I pressed it against the roof of his mouth, adorable little eyes growing sleepier by the millisecond.

Oh yeah, I guess another important thing to mention is the fact that Corey and I had a baby. 

... Well, sort of.

Theon was a tiny little thing, and the very moment that I set eyes on the bundle snoozing away in his bassinet, the idea of leaving him all alone in that infirmary made my inner Omega go fuckin' ballistic. 

My initial thoughts were to pass the responsibility to someone else. But considering how Berlin and Osias had their own, rowdy ass twins to worry about, and how Tyrus was always busy chasing a pregnant Daffodil while the fae skipped off in search of tree branches to talk to, we were only left with one option.

So, we took him in ourselves.

It was only temporary, just until things settled down and we could figure out who could take permanent custody of the little sweetie. But soon after taking him in, it quickly became obvious that having his little brother nearby was also helping Corey along in his recovery. I often walked in on him cuddling Theon close, nuzzling and scenting him as Rayson would have, or whispering sweet things into his bassinet at night when he thought that I was asleep.

Corey adored him just as much as I did. So, we weren't in any particular rush to make a decision on who would be caring for him after us. For now, we would just shower him with all of the love and care that he deserved.

A warm, heavy arm slipped around my shoulders, gently pulling me into an equally as warm body as we continued on our walk. The sound of the wind rustling through leaves filled the air around us, and for just one solitary, fleeting moment, it was almost possible to imagine us as a family.

I shook my head to rid myself of the far-fetched thought.

"So I was thinking... Spaghetti tonight?" I asked in an effort to steer my mind away from the current subject that it was seemingly fixated on. I leaned into Corey's broad side as Theon finally fully drifted off, content and peaceful in his slightly chaotically wrapped swaddle – courtesy of yours truly. 

The corner of Corey's mouth twitched as our eyes met. "Um... can you please repeat that?"

I smiled up at him, nodding. "I asked if you want spaghetti tonight for dinner? It has long, round noodles and typically a red sauce made of tomatoes." I explained it in more detail.

Defining things like this had become routine for us. Corey's memory loss had no rhyme or reason to what it chose to make him forget, and throughout these past few days, we quickly realized that some words had completely lost all meaning to him. At times, it made my poor, sweet mate so frustrated with himself that I now carried around a wad of tissues in my back pocket for when things got a little bit too overwhelming and my shoulder inevitably became his designated crying station.

"Ah... I remember... I think." He replied, turning his head away to blink a few times as the gears in his overworked brain attempted to chug along. "...But if you make it, I am sure that this..." He paused, lips and tongue attempting to form a lost word "... spaghetti will be delicious."

I rolled my eyes, snorting but also lowering my voice so as not to wake the drowsy newborn in my arms. "Oh, please. You think that everything I do is good."

"Everything you do is good." Corey replied, stoic face somehow forming an even more impenetrable wall that clearly conveyed that he was as serious as a heart attack. I tilted my head up at him, eyes glinting with mischief.

"Oh yeah? So, how about the time that I put a plunger on that one bald pack member's head just to see if it would stick?" 

Corey didn't even blink. 

"You were simply attempting a science experiment. He should have respected your interest in attempting to expand the pack's technological advancements." I snorted even louder that time but managed to pull myself together when Theon wiggled a little.

"Okay... well how about the time I accidentally set the weapon shed on fire? I'm sure your warriors weren't too happy about that."

"We were overdue for upgrades anyway. By forcing Osias to approve my budget request as a result of the fire, you helped contribute to the protection of the pack."

I rolled my eyes, nudging into his side in an attempt to display my faux frustration. "Whatever, you fuckin' simp." I teased, contradicting my abrasive words as I rubbed my cheek over a particularly pheromone-heavy portion of his glorious skin. 

"I do not know what that means."

"I finally found you, my stinkies!" Corey and I both turned our heads at the sound of a familiar voice as it resonated from behind us, the distinct form of Tyrus materializing as he jogged over. 

Part 2 in Next Episode