63

"I know why you don't remember Ava!" he said monotonously.

"Did you just find out about this or did you know why from the start?" I wanted to know first.

"I knew it from the start!" he honestly admitted.

I got up angrily and said loudly, "You knew and never told me a word about it? How many times have I come to you in the past few weeks, frantically thinking about how I knew Ava? And then you just kept quiet, even though you knew why."

"Ava said I saw her after my 18th birthday. So I had to recognize her as my mate back then. What do you know about it?"

"There was a reason I couldn't tell you. I really shouldn't have told you this because I was hoping that you and Ava would find each other again. But I almost lost you and I want you to finally be happy."

"Tell me why!" I said loudly. No one could have guessed how angry I was at that point.

"Sit down first."

I obeyed and glared at my own brother with hostility.

"You're not just an ordinary werewolf, you're something special. Your eyes alone give it away. Nobody has such an extraordinary eye color as yours. Our parents knew from the moment you were born that you were special. That you have certain gifts that no one else has. I don't know much about it because our parents hardly ever spoke about it. But I can remember one particular day clearly. You were a little boy then and our grandfather passed away. You liked him very much and you were his little darling to him."

"I don't remember grandfather!" I said quietly.

"I know. You were quite upset after his death and nothing and no one could cheer you up. One day you came downstairs and you were the happy, good-humoured boy we used to know. At first we thought you were covering up your grief, but after a few days we realized that you had really forgotten him. You wanted to forget him and somehow managed to do it. This is one of the gifts. You have the ability to forget when something hurts you. Your feelings are much more pronounced than ours. You feel... more intense. Your feelings could break you if they are...negative. So we were happy about this gift. You used this ability to forget about Ava."

It took me a while to digest that. I rested my head on my hands and looked down. I just didn't know who I was at that moment. I was completely overwhelmed with this situation.

"Why did you leave us? Me?" I asked, raising my head.

"Please don't blame yourself for this."

"Well, that's fine with me."

“They were just overwhelmed with the situation. They didn't know what skills you possess. They were scared. But they loved you more than anything. You shouldn't think it's your fault. You can't help it at all."

"Why did you stay with me?" I asked him.

“You are my brother, my family. I would never leave you alone Our parents were cowards, but we don't need them. We have."

"Nobody knows?"

"No. If this information falls into the wrong hands, everyone will try to kill you."

"Is there a way to remind me of something I've forgotten? To Ava?"

"Allegedly. You remembered something when you were nine. You looked into this matter again and you wanted to remember. Maybe if you spend time with Ava and you try to revisit the past with her."

“You just said that you were hoping Ava and I would find each other again. I would be by her side and I would certainly have tried to remember. Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would have remembered it like you did then, but you wouldn't know about your gift."

Overwhelmed, I got up and made my way outside.

"Where are you going?" I heard my brother's worried voice.

Without turning around, I answered firmly: “To her. I want to know the truth."

(...)

Since she was here recently, I could clearly smell her smell and it was an easy game to find her. Riley had probably driven her to her new apartment and wasn't here anymore. I could only sense her presence. Without hesitation, I headed for the door and rang the bell. A few seconds later her angelic voice came over the intercom.

„Ja?"

"Ava, I need to talk to you."

Quietly.

"Please open the door."

I heard the sound as she unlocked the door and I ran straight upstairs to her apartment door. She's already waiting for me in front of the door and I would have loved to hug her neck.

"What is it about?" she asked me as we entered her apartment.

I took a deep breath before wrapping my hands around her cheeks and pulling her towards me. My lips finally touched hers and goosebumps ran over me. I didn't know if her closeness and the kiss between us would be enough for me to finally remember her.

The tension dropped and I also felt that this feeling was familiar. As if struck by lightning, I stumbled back a few steps. Ava looked at me in shock and anger, but her eyes grew more concerned and she quickly came towards me.

"Kian, are you okay? You're so pale all of a sudden. Kian, damn your eyes."

Everything was spinning and I saw so many images in front of me. I subconsciously heard Ava's voice. She was now screaming my name, but I couldn't do anything. Suddenly my vision went black and the past caught up with me.

"Kian, can't you hurry up a little? You're late for school again!" I heard my brother's voice.

I reluctantly got up from my bed and stretched my limbs. I definitely needed more sleep. It's my own fault if I only got home a few hours ago.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I sat down at the kitchen table and looked around questioningly.

"Isn't Rose here?" I asked my brother. She was Noah's mate. They met about two years ago. I envied my brother that he had found his mate and was happy with her. I waited longingly my 18th birthday which was coming up very soon. After that I could finally recognize my soul mate. Was she in the same pack as me? Maybe I already knew her? The closer my birthday got, the more questions I asked myself.

"No, she's home. I'd like to speak to both of you."

He glanced at me before settling on my little sister, Aurora. Noah seemed visibly tense and took a deep breath before he began to speak. "I want to marry Rose or finally ask her the question."

"Are you sure? You know at the time she said she didn't want to commit so early!" I said.

"I know and I will give her the time she needs. I just want everyone to know she's mine. I want us to at least be engaged and move her over here. We can wait to get married. As soon as she would be ready, but I just don't want to wait any longer."

I smiled at him encouragingly and said, "I'm happy for you, honestly."

(...)

"Don't get caught, Kian. You're not of legal age and it's illegal to smoke on school premises."

I looked annoyed at Elena who was glaring at me. She was part of my pack, otherwise I wouldn't be hanging out with her at school. I quickly finished my cigarette and disposed of the butt.

"I know you don't like Elena. But imagine if she were your mate!" Seth said with a grin. I rolled my eyes and answered him: "Then I'll give up my soul mate. I can be happy with someone else. Not everyone accepts their mate."

Elena scowled at me and left our group, which consisted of four other members of our pack. In addition to Seth, Ian, Dany and Mary were also present.

"Never say or do anything you'll regret later!" Dany warned me.

"I know what I'm doing!" I said annoyed.

“You'll be of age in two months, Kian. How about we make one last bet?" Seth suddenly suggested.

"What kind of bet do you propose this time? You lose, like every time."

"This time it will be a little more difficult. I'm pretty sure you won't get it this time."

"Who is it this time?" I asked curiously. As always, I'd win since every girl is chasing me. So it wasn't a problem for me to win one last time. Sure, I was acting like a total asshole. But everyone knew what you agreed to when you were with me I made no promises and it was all over in a day.

"What's the stake?" I asked confidently.

"Don't you want to hear the bet first? As I said, this time it will be more difficult. After all, this is the last chance."

"Seth, I'll do it either way. You know I'll make it."

"All right then. I warned you. As always, I'll pick a girl from school for you. This time you have more time than usual. Namely until your birthday. If you don't make it by then, I'll get your Audi R8."

"Deal!" I said. Of course I didn't own an expensive car at seventeen, since I'd only recently gotten my driver's license. But I saved up for it because I was going to buy it soon. I've wanted this car since I was a child And I would grant that wish to myself, one day.

"What do you want if you win?" Seth asked me.

"We'll talk about that when I win."

"Deal."

"Kian, is that really a good idea?" Mary asked me now. I ignored her question and looked curiously at my boyfriend.

"Who's the lucky one?" I asked him.

He looked around the school grounds and then nodded in one direction. I followed his gaze and saw a young girl. She was quite small and very delicate. She had tied her brown hair in a ponytail. She carried several books in her hands and walked straight towards the school entrance. I had never seen or noticed her before. As she disappeared from view, I turned back to Seth.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. She seems like a shy girl to me. You know exactly how things end up in movies. I don't want to hurt her!" I said honestly.

A bad feeling came over me and I already regretted the bet.

"You just have to put her to bed. If you can do it quickly, then she won't fall in love with you. Are you giving up already?" he teased me.

I wasn't a person who gave up straight away. Maybe I should have, but I ignored the bad feeling. The sooner I made it, the sooner it would be over. I took a deep breath and gave Seth a mischievous smile.

"The game can begin."