Marked by the Alphas

Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Kane POV

“Hey,” I smile pleasantly surprised when Elara enters our office. “We missed you at breakfast.”

“And lunch,” Axel adds.

“My mother came to visit,” she smiles weakly.

“Is everything okay?” I frown, standing up and walking to her.

She stiffens a little when I pull her into my embrace and kiss the top of her head.

“Yeah,” she pulls away, and plops down in an armchair, staring absentmindedly out the window.

“Are you sure?” I frown.

“Yes, Kane,” she sighs. “I’m just talked out after Mother’s visit.”

“Okay,” I drop the conversation, and sit at my desk, but I cannot concentrate.

Something is not right, and Elara is starting to worry me. Since last night, she has been distant and quiet. No fiery comebacks or complaints about being held prisoner in the mansion. Very un-Elara-like.

I catch Axel’s eye, and he shrugs. And I cannot even ask him, because she will overhear, but her silence is starting to grate on me. freewёbnoνel.com

I continued with my work but gave up after thirty minutes. I cannot stand her like this. It is driving me nuts. I walk up behind her and clear my throat, waiting for her to turn around and finally speak to me.

“What is this, the silent treatment?” I ask, but she still does not move. She does not even glance at me.

I start pacing behind her, growing more impatient by the second. Axel is watching me with a concerned expression. He can feel my irritation radiating off me.

“Elara!” I growl, my voice echoing around the high-ceilinged room. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

I grab her shoulder, and she spins around, blinking hard like she just noticed me. Her eyes are shining with tears.

“Come on, man.” Axel walks over and slaps my chest. “Look what you did to her.”

“Me?” I round on him. “I didn’t do a fucking thing!”

“You yelled at her!” Axel argues. “There are better ways to ask what’s wrong.”

“Oh, yeah?” I challenge him. “I didn’t see you trying very fucking hard.”

And then I shove him.

Elara POV

Losing my memories ... not selective memories. All of them. Selena, Mom, Dad, Mindy, Braden, not to mention my mates. On the bright side, I will forget about bony fingers, Anton and the kidnapping. I will forget about being humiliated when I was rejected. But I will also forget our passionate nights together. Every experience, good or bad, which has shaped me into the person I am today, will be gone. I will be alone, and a person non grata.

Will I remember that I despise avocados? What about the ballet classes I took as a child? Will my body remember the moves? Goddess, will I even remember that I am a wolf shifter? I just learned about vampires. Am I ready to forget it again?

And what if something goes wrong and I end up in a vegetative state? It is possible. After all, it did not do what it was supposed to do with Mother. Did she lose her memories? I mean, she remembers Braden and Gabriela. Dammit, I should have asked her more questions.

Their bickering finally pulls me away from my thoughts and lightens my heart. Axel snarls and pushes Kane back. But it is all bark and no bite, just like it always is with the two of them.

“Don’t fucking touch me, Kane!” Axel growls.

“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want,” Kane laughs sarcastically. “I’m the Alpha.”

“So am I,” Axel sneers.

“But I beat you by five minutes,” Kane grins. “I was born first.”

A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. There was something endearing about the way they are fighting, the passion with which they speak, especially since they are bickering about me.

Warmth blossoms from way down in my soul, radiating out through my whole body as I watch them, and I suddenly have the crazy thought that I might die if I never hear them fight like this again.

But how stupid is that? They are not even looking at me, for goddess’ sake.

What does it mean that the idea of losing my memories, of losing little moments like this, absolutely crushes me?

It has been only a week since we were mated, but in those short days, I felt a small seed of something growing deep inside of me, blossoming more and more every time I saw them or touched them.

Do I love them? Love, huh? Interesting ... but of course I can never tell them. I have no idea if I will even remember I love them by this time tomorrow. And anyway, I cannot handle the anxiety of hearing them say it back. I will only second-guess myself more.

I will only worry again that this is some fluke, that there is some explanation I am missing for why they cannot possibly have these feelings for me and not Alice. And if my mother and Gabriela did take me to do the spell, then what would happen to my mates?

Would the bond be broken? Would they banish me for real?

I pull myself back to the present, back to Kane and Axel.

“As annoying as you two can be,” I say quietly. “I’m really going to miss this.”

They turn to look at me, with confused expressions on their faces, and I instantly regret speaking my mind. I cannot tell them or explain this to them. They will never understand.

“What are you talking about?” Kane asks. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“Elara, what aren’t you telling us?” Axel studies me with concern, like he is trying to read my soul.”

“Nowhere,” I wave my hand through the air, trying to shove my mistake under the rug. “I didn’t mean it literally.”

“Then what did you mean?” Kane frowns.

“I meant ...” I abruptly stay quiet when footsteps approach, and my heart sinks when Alice stomps into the room. She ignores me completely and stares at the Alphas.

This is just great. My last hours with them, and now she swoops in to steal them from me.

“Kane, Axel,” she is breathless, her face pale, and her eyes are glassy and wild. “I have big news.”