Chapter 135
Lily POV
The drive back to Celeste’s house was filled with a heavy silence. Kai’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched tight. I wanted to reach over and touch him, to offer some comfort, but I wasn’t sure if he wanted that right now. His mind was elsewhere, probably racing with questions about his past.
When we pulled into the driveway, Grandpa Marcus and Grandma Elena were sitting on the porch, as if they’d been waiting for us. They shared a look when they saw Kai’s face—they knew what was coming.
“I’ll wait inside,” I whispered, trying to give them privacy.
“No.” Kai’s voice was firm as he grabbed my hand. “Stay with me, please p>
I nodded, feeling the tremor in his fingers as they intertwined with mine.
We approached the porch slowly. There was no small talk, no greeting. Kai simply stood before his grandparents, his voice breaking slightly when he finally spoke.
“I know you both know that I lost my memories from seven years ago. I am beginning to get them back but in small chunks and it’s all confusing. My mom is not helping out either. She’s making matters worse p>
His grandparents shared a look as if they were silently debating whether to tell the truth.
“Please,” he said, his tone raw. “I need to know. I don’t care how bad it is—I just want the truth. I need to know everything. No more secrets. Please p>
Grandma Elena looked down, wringing her hands in her lap. Grandpa Marcus sighed deeply, the lines on his face seeming to deepen.
“Sit down, son,” he said, gesturing to the chairs across from them.
When they still hesitated, Kai’s voice grew more desperate. “Please. I’m begging you. I have these… flashes. These feelings I can’t explain. I need to understand what happened to me p>
Grandpa Marcus exchanged another long look with his wife, who finally gave a small, resigned nod.
“It was during your trip to hunt the rogues,” Grandpa Marcus began, his voice low and gravelly. “You were twenty-three, strong, confident—one of our best warriors. The hunting party was successful, but on your way back, something happened p>
He paused, and I could see the pain in his eyes.
“You met a woman. You called her your mate—your first mate p>
Kai’s hand tightened around mine painfully, but I didn’t pull away.
“Her name was Serena,” Grandma Elena added softly. “Beautiful girl, with the strangest amber eyes.
“She wasn’t from any of the nearby packs,” Marcus continued. “She claimed to be from the packs across the sea but said she was visiting one of our neighboring packs. No one knew her. No one had ever heard of her pack. But the moment you met her, you became obsessed p>
“Just like that? Is it even possible?” Kai asked.
“You were… different after you met her,” Grandpa Marcus continued. “Wild-eyed, frantic. You came back insisting that you had to marry her immediately. Everyone tried to reason with you—she wasn’t from any of our neighboring packs. She claimed to be from across the sea, visiting the Silverleaf Pack p>
“And I didn’t listen?” Kai asked, his voice barely audible.
“No,” Grandpa Marcus shook his head. “You were adamant. Said you’d leave the pack if we didn’t accept her. Said you couldn’t breathe without her. You were so certain. Nothing anyone said could dissuade you. So, eventually, we all gave in p>
I felt a strange twist in my chest at those words, though I knew this was way before I met Kai but it felt strange.
“So you married her,” I prompted when the silence stretched too long.
Grandma Elena nodded. “The ceremony was rushed. Within weeks of meeting her, you were joined. And then p>
“Then what?” Kai pressed.
“Then you changed,” Grandpa Marcus said bluntly.
Kai finally found his voice. “Changed how p>
“Your temperament, your behavior—everything. You became irritable, aggressive. If any female pack member came near you, you’d growl, sometimes even threaten them. The only one who could calm you was Serena p>
Kai’s face had gone pale. “I don’t remember any of this p>
“You weren’t always like that, Kai,” Elena said gently. “Before her, you were… different p>
Kai sucked in a sharp breath. “And no one thought to do anything? No one tried to help me p>
“We didn’t know how,” Marcus admitted. “Your mother thought it was just a difficult mating bond. That the possessiveness and aggression were just side effects of being bound too quickly.” He shook his head. “But then she started leaving p>
“Yes,” Grandma Elena said, her voice trembling slightly. “Serena would leave every three months. She called them ’trips home,’ but they’d last two weeks. And when she was gone, you’d become… unstable. Pacing, paranoid, sometimes violent p>
Kai’s face paled.
“Did I hurt anyone?” Kai asked, horror evident in his voice.
“No,” Grandpa Marcus assured him quickly. “We made sure of that. But pack members began to fear you, especially the females. It was only when she came back that you’d settle again p>
I stole a glance at Kai. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the turmoil radiating from him.
Kai swallowed hard. “And then she died p>
The grandparents exchanged another look, and I sensed there was more they weren’t saying.
“Yes,” Marcus murmured. “And when she did… you completely lost it. You were out of control. It was like something inside you had broken p>
Kai closed his eyes, exhaling shakily. “And after that? Did it stop p>
“Not immediately,” Grandma Elena said. “There was a period when your mother—Luna Helen—took you away. Said you needed healing, needed to get away from the pack lands for a while p>
“For how long?” Kai asked.
“Almost a year,” Grandpa Marcus admitted. “We didn’t see you at all during that time p>
“And when I came back p>
“When you came back, you were… different. Calmer. But you had no memory of her, of your marriage, of any of it p>
Kai stood suddenly, pacing the porch. “That doesn’t make sense. How could I forget an entire relationship? My own mate p>
I stayed seated, my mind reeling. Something didn’t add up.
“What aren’t you telling us?” I asked, looking directly at Grandma Elena, whose eyes kept darting away.
“We don’t know everything,” she insisted. “Helen never shared all the details of what happened during that year away p>
“But you suspect something,” Kai pressed, stopping his pacing to stare at his grandparents.
Grandpa Marcus ran a hand over his face. “We suspect… that there was magic involved p>
“Magic?” I repeated, incredulous.
“Dark magic,” Grandma Elena whispered. “There were rumors about Serena, about where she really came from. Some believed she wasn’t a werewolf at all, but something else, something that had… enchanted you p>
Kai shook his head, disbelief written across his features. “And my mother? What did she do during that year p>
“We don’t know for certain,” Grandpa Marcus admitted. “But when you returned, your memories were gone, Serena was dead, and Helen made us swear never to speak of it. She said it was to protect you p>
“From what?” Kai demanded, his voice rising.
“From the truth, perhaps,” Grandma Elena said softly. “Or from yourself p>
I stood then, moving to Kai’s side. His body was rigid with tension, his breathing shallow.
“There’s more we need to find out,” I said, looking between the grandparents. “Who would know what happened during that year? Was there anyone close to Helen who might have gone with them p>
Grandpa Marcus hesitated, then nodded slowly. “There was one person—the pack healer at the time. Old Meredith. If she’s still alive, she might know p>
Kai turned to me, determination replacing the shock in his eyes. “Then we find her. Tomorrow p>
As we walked back to the house, I felt the weight of what we’d learned pressing down on us. Kai’s past was darker and more mysterious than either of us had imagined. And something told me we were only scratching the surface of the truth.
What had really happened to Kai’s first mate? What had his mother done during that missing year? And most importantly, was the darkness that had consumed him once before somehow finding its way back?
I squeezed his hand as we stepped inside, silently promising that whatever we discovered, he wouldn’t face it alone.