Father's memories

From his pale facial expression could be easily spotted the reason. He hasn't paid attention to the changes between the two Aarons, and he'll blame himself for what happened to the real one, even if he's not guilty.

Suddenly, we heard the phone call, and when we looked around we understood it was William's phone. He quickly straightened up, as he was bending down at the drawing and a picture on the table, and got the phone. After hearing the speaker for about a few seconds, William's facial color turned from deadly pale to the normal tanned, and he even smiled.

"Will be there in half an hour," he broke the call and looked at us shining as bright as a lantern. "The car that was driving the body to the mortuary had some troubles with the engine, so they delayed. Aaron's body is now in the mortuary, and they started the checkups needed to say how he died and when. It will clear some questions and maybe give us the clues."

"William, Victor, and I will go with you to the mortuary. Chris, Letty, you stay here and…" Aiden didn't manage to end his speech, as I abruptly interrupted him.

"I'll go with you and this point isn't for a discussion," I gave him the self-confident look, while he was observing me for some time with interest. Then, he nodded and turned to Chris.

"You need to keep the Pack in order. As usual. If anything irregular, call me," Aiden told him, then looked at me, "Grab the drawing and the photo, and let's go."

I grabbed everything he told me, put it in my pocket, and the four of us got out of the Pack House. We looked at the long way down from the hill using the staircases or the path near the houses, and Victor grimaced.

"Such a long way! Let's get a shorter one!" he just simply jumped out of the hill to some house roof, then down to the ground, and grinned at us, "Are you in, or should I wait?"

"What if we'll break the roof?" I looked at Aiden, condemning Victor's actions. Aiden chuckled and watched how William jumped down from the hill and joined Victor, then he looked up and me and held me in his hand.

"The roof is safe, don't worry. If you're afraid…," but before he could finish again, I jumped out of the hill. The strong wind was playing with my hair, my jeans, and my blouse, leaving me out of breath. I fell to the roof as well, even if I thought I'd miss it, and then got down from the roof to the ground. William and Victor applauded me, but I was distracted by something falling down from the hill. When I looked up, I saw Aiden falling down from the hill in a free jump, then he kneeled in front of us on the ground, and quickly stood up as if nothing had happened. He got closer to me and put his finger on my chin, pretending to put it back in its place and wipe my drools.

"You can do the same. I'll teach you," he hugged my waist and pointed at the garage, "William, go take the car for us. We'll wait here. Victor, come."

Victor got closer to us while William went to the garage. The two guards opened the gates, waiting patiently for William to drive off.

In a few minutes we were driving to the city, William and Aiden in front, Victor and me in the back seats. I took the drawing and the photo out of my pocket and compared the two werewolves on them again. If they were…

Suddenly, as if a piece of memory blew out in my head, the picture, and the photo fell out of my hands to the floor. I was thrown into the dark forest, where I saw my father and the same man who called himself Aaron. Here he was looking somewhat older and had the black beard he didn't have there on the hill. His light-amber eyes were shining in the darkness of the forest, and greed was easily spotted in those evil eyes.

"So, your daughter has already found her mate, isn't she? Haven't you said I'll be her mate?" the man grinned mockingly. My father turned his head in my direction as if he knew I was hiding there, then shook his head negatively.

"No, I didn't. I knew from the time she was born who'll be her mate and what destiny they have," James Black said, and his blue eyes were still looking at me, "Don't try to make me join your silly game."

"Game? What game, James, are you talking about?" The man innocently blinked his eyes, smiling mockingly.

"I can see the future," James suddenly said, making the man swallow nervously, "You'll regret it."

I woke up and took a deep breath, then looked around seeing Victor and Aiden looking at me, while William was still driving us to the mortuary. I grabbed the drawing and the photo from the floor and looked at Aiden.

"My father knew that fake Aaron. He's older than the Aaron from Victor's pack, but they do have some similar features," I suddenly said, then looked at the drawing I made in the Pack House. "That man was talking with my father about me finding my mate."

I made a pause and looked at Aiden, who was carefully looking at me as if being afraid to miss any new but very important information I'd say. So I continued retelling what I just had seen.

"That man said my father told him he'll be my mate, but the father said it's all a lie, looking in the direction where I was probably hiding. Could it… Could it be true?" I asked, looking with my deep blue eyes at Aiden. His facial expression was calm and thoughtful, then he shook his head negatively, and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.

"No. Once we're born, our mate is the one person. The mate can be changed only after rejection." He explained or repeated the words he once said to me, then turned around and looked at how William parked his car in the parking lot near the mortuary. We all went out of the car, William closed it after all were out, and we went inside the building. A nurse in a white robe and globes with a mask on her face was waiting for us. She gave us the same white robes and masks, however, they can't hide the smell of the dead bodies and chemicals with which someone was trying to get rid of the annoying smell.

We went along the corridor to the last room in this dead place. There were two pathologists who just stopped the surgery or whatever they were doing, and were about to clean the room. One of them went closer to us, while the nurse and the second pathologist started cleaning the room from blood and other things I didn't even want to look at.

"He was killed. Someone caught him from his back, then strangled him. There are hand prints, we made the model and will send it to you once it's done." The doctor was about to leave, but then he turned to us and cleared his throat, "Will you identify him?"

"I'll do," Victor said, then went close to the table, while the three of us went out of the mortuary and stood near our car. Everyone kept silent until Victor came out of the building and bowed his head in approval. "That's him, I'm sure," he said, coming closer to us.

"Now I'll owe you one sniffer," Aiden sighed. He was strangely calm, but I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Indeed," Victor, on the contrary, wasn't that disappointed even if he just got all the proof he lost one of his sniffers. He wasn't sad at all, and that threw me out of the line.

"Aren't you sad?" I straightly asked, and his dark-brown eyes moved at me. "You lost one of your men just now."

"So what can I do? If he were in the hospital, fighting for his life, I'd do my best to help him. But, he's dead. Now everything I can do is to make his funerals as if supposed to be. I don't see a reason for throwing myself into the mental tortures," Victor said in his calm voice. Indeed. He was right.

"Maybe you're right," I said, then sighed and put my head on Aiden's shoulder. He hugged me for the first time after we got here, to the mortuary, and kissed the top of my head.

"It's okay, babe. We'll get all of them," he said, hugging me tightly. I pressed my body against his and closed my eyes, remembering the memory I got in the car. Suddenly, a wise thought came into my head, making me straighten up and Aiden lose his grip.

"It seemed like my father knew that man with whom he was talking. I mean that fake Aaron. Perhaps, we can find something about that man in my father's hut? Can we?" all the three men looked at me as if I said the wisest thought ever, then Aiden nodded.

"I think we can."