The days after Elias came back were hard to piece together. It felt like time itself was off, as though something in the air had shifted but I couldn't put my finger on it. Every second spent with him felt precious, but also fragile, like he could slip away from me again at any moment. I had waited so long to hold him again, to see him smile the way he used to, but it wasn't the same anymore.
There were moments, small moments, when I'd catch a flicker of the old Elias—his warm laughter, the spark in his eyes when he looked at me. But they were always gone before I could grab hold of them. He was there, but also not, a shadow of the man he once was. And it terrified me.
I watched him sit by the fire one evening, his back hunched and his hands fidgeting nervously in his lap. The warm glow of the flames flickered across his face, but he wasn't looking at the fire. He was staring at nothing, like his mind was a thousand miles away.
"Elias?" I said softly, stepping toward him. My voice was quiet, like I was afraid to disturb the fragile peace between us.
His head jerked up, and for a moment, I didn't see recognition in his eyes. He blinked a few times, like he was trying to focus. "Ronan," he whispered, his voice distant, like he wasn't quite sure who I was anymore. It hurt more than I expected.
"Yeah, it's me," I said, sitting beside him. I didn't know what else to say. The words I had been practicing in my head suddenly felt useless.
He glanced at me, then back at the fire. "I don't remember much," he murmured, his fingers curling into fists. "I keep seeing things… flashes of memories, but they don't make sense. I don't know what's real and what isn't."
It felt like a knife twisting in my chest. He didn't remember. Not the time we spent together, not the way he used to look at me. Nothing. The weight of it was too much to bear.
"I can help you remember," I said, reaching out for his hand. My voice was steady, even though my heart was breaking. "Whatever it takes, Elias. I'll help you."
He didn't pull away, but I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. "I don't know if I want to remember," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's a part of me… part of me that wishes I could forget. All of it. What happened? Who I was."
I squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him, but I wasn't sure how. How could I comfort someone who wasn't really the person I had loved?
There was a long silence between us, the only sound the soft crackle of the fire. I didn't know how to fix this. I didn't know how to bring him back, how to make him whole again. It felt like I had broken him, and there was nothing I could do to put the pieces back together.
Finally, Elias spoke again. "I keep seeing… flashes of my past life. Bits and pieces of things I shouldn't know. Like I'm remembering someone else. But they feel like my memories. Like I've lived this before."
His words sent a chill down my spine. My heart raced in my chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. I had brought him back, yes, but I hadn't expected this. I hadn't expected… this.
"I don't know what's happening," Elias continued, his voice shaky. "I'm not the same person I was before. I don't feel like I am, anyway."
"You're you," I said quickly, maybe too quickly. "You're still Elias. You're just… you're just adjusting."
He didn't look convinced. He kept his eyes on the fire, his face tense. "Is that what you think?" he asked quietly. "That I'm just adjusting? That I'm still the same person?"
"I—" I started, but the words caught in my throat. "I want you to be the same person," I said, my voice breaking. "I love you, Elias. I love who you are, even if you're different now."
Elias's eyes flickered to mine for a brief second before he turned away again. His expression was unreadable. "But what if I'm not the person you think I am? What if I'm… someone else now?"
The question hung in the air like a thick fog, suffocating everything around us. I didn't know how to answer him. Because, in some ways, I was scared he wasn't the same person. And I was scared I was losing him.
Before I could say anything else, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway. A knock came at the door, sharp and sudden.
I stood up quickly, a little too quickly. "I'll be right back," I said to Elias, though I wasn't sure he was listening. He didn't look at me, his gaze still lost in the flames.
I opened the door to find Selene standing there, her expression as cold and calculating as always. "We need to talk," she said, her voice all business.
I didn't want to leave Elias, not when he was in this state. But I couldn't avoid Selene. Not with everything that was at stake.
"Fine," I said, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind me. I didn't want her to know how unsettled I was, how much I was struggling.
"Ronan," she said, walking past me into the room without waiting for an invitation. "It's time for a change."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice stiff.
Selene glanced at me with a look that was almost too amused. "You've lost control, Ronan," she said. "It's clear to everyone. You're distracted. You're weak."
I clenched my fists, anger bubbling up. "You're one to talk," I muttered. "What do you want from me?"
She didn't flinch. "I want what's best for the pack. And for you. I've been speaking with Lucien. He's willing to help you take control again."
The mention of Lucien made my blood run cold. Lucien, the rival Alpha, was someone I had no interest in aligning with. He was ruthless, ambitious, and not to be trusted.
"I don't need Lucien's help," I said, my voice low and firm.
Selene tilted her head, studying me. "You think you can handle this alone? You think you can fix everything?" Her smile was icy. "You're not just up against your own demons, Ronan. You're up against a prophecy. You're up against something much bigger than you."
I didn't have the words to argue. She was right about one thing. Elias's return wasn't just a blessing. It was a burden, one that I didn't know how to carry.
Selene didn't wait for my response. She turned and walked out of the room, her footsteps echoing in the silence that followed.
I stood there, my mind racing. Could I trust her? Could I trust anyone?
But the more pressing question was whether I could save Elias from what he was becoming.