Flashback(2) - Makai's POV

"What do you mean?" I ask even though I think I know what she means.

"It was Storm who found you. He was only five at the time."

I exhale a breath as my memory is confirmed.

"You have to understand that the pack was tense at the time. We had just fought off attacks that claimed lives and wounded many others. Strangers were not welcome. The only reason you were brought here was that Storm found you and insisted on it, and no one said no to that child even back then. Nobody. But after you were brought in, it was a little difficult caring for you because you didn't trust the doctors and you didn't want anyone touching you.

However, Alpha had promised Storm you would be cared for, so it had to be done. It was a relief to everyone when you seemed to like me and allowed me to take care of you."

"Roses," I murmur when another piece of memory fits into the puzzle.

"What?" Mom questioned, confused.

"You smelled like roses, which soothed me because it was a scent I had associated with comfort and safety. For the first time since I had woken up in that hospital bed, I smelled roses and felt safe."

Mom's eyes well up with tears, and she swoops me up into her arms. I am much taller and bigger than her, but she still hugs me like when I was a child. "My sweet boy," she whispers into my chest.

When she finally releases me, I ask her, "Why didn't you want to tell me this? You seemed apprehensive about the question."

She let out a sigh. "Because it was so difficult for the doctors to calm you down, they advised the alpha to keep Storm away. They felt you were erratic and they couldn't tell if you'd harm him or not."

"I would never hurt Storm!" I growl, incensed by the very idea.

As we both sat back on our stools, Mom rubbed my hand in a soothing manner.

"I know that, but they didn't know that then, and at the time protecting Storm was everyone's priority."

I nodded, calm now that I understood and agreed with their logic. Protecting Storm was also a top priority for me, especially from myself.

"They didn't want Storm near you, but that child had a stubborn streak, and he wouldn't stop until he saw for himself that they had brought you here and were looking after you. He snuck in one night while you were sleeping to see how you were doing. After that, Alpha Ben informed him that they had located and sent you to your parents, and we were all to never speak of the incident again. We couldn't figure out why no one noticed him coming in at the time, but we got our answer years later when we found out that he had magic and realized he'd teleported himself to the clinic."

She smiled as she recalled the memories. "I brought you home soon after, but you didn't remember who found you, so you didn't ask any questions, which was a relief to me. It doesn't matter now because the two of you have still managed to be friends somehow."

"A dream," I say as a new memory flashes across my mind. "I had a vision of a blue-eyed little angel, but no one mentioned him, and I didn't see him again, so I figured it was a dream."

Storm. My Storm. No, someone else's Storm. He might even be mated right now. I hope his mate sees him for the treasure he is. I hope his mate will love and treat him as the priceless angel he is.

"I wanted it to be us," Kitai grumbles despondently, finally waking up from his deep slumber.

"Kitai, don't be ridiculous. That's preposterous," I tell him, astounded that he could even entertain such an absurd idea.

"Oh, spare me the big words. As if you don't like the idea deep down."

"How are you holding up?" Mom asks with a sympathetic smile. I avoid her gaze as I answer with a careless shrug, "I'm okay. I'm not worried about the fight. I'll be fine like I always am."

She sighs and looks at me with concern. "You know that's not what I'm asking."

I give her another careless shrug but don't respond.

"I'm your mother, Makai. I know that you're not as unconcerned as you try to show. The whole pack is abuzz with the news of the Priestess, and I heard that she has fixed the problem to help him find his mate today."

"He hasn't found his mate already, then?" I ask, not even bothering to ask her how she came by that information. My mother always knows everything that is happening in the pack.

"Yes, apparently he will sense him or her during the celebrations or something like that. Everyone is excited about it."

It was going to be on the grounds?

I hope to finish my fights before it happens, but I'm not holding out much hope. The Pit Fight lasted several hours.

There would be breaks for various activities until the final fight, in which I would face all of the winners from the previous fights.

It was going to be the main event, especially now that Beta Paul had thrown a fresh twist to it. When he asked if I believed I'd be able to win the battles with the new twist last night, I had just hesitated for a moment before nodding.

This new twist was going to do more damage to my reputation in the pack and make people even more terrified of me than they were already, but with thoughts of Storm and his mating consuming me, I realized it might actually be better for my control that way.

Mom gets up from her stool again and hugs me when I don't respond. "You'll be okay. That boy is very stubborn, and he cares about you a great deal. You're not going to lose your only friend today." She releases me and kisses my cheek.

A thought occurs to her, and she becomes suddenly excited. "What if? It would make so much sense!"

I looked at her, perplexed by her sudden change in demeanor. "What are you talking about?"

She sends me an assessing look, then shakes her head. "Never mind, I suppose we'll see later. I'm off to the clinic. Be good! I'll be cheering for you!"

She rushes out before I could tell her to explain further, picking up the bag she had left in the sitting room on her way out.

Shaking my head, I finish off my now cold coffee and wash my mug, valiantly trying not to think of Storm.