Chapter 36

Selene

"It can't be him. It just can't be," Makayla mutters, starting to pace back and forth on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" I demand, staring at her like she's starting to lose her mind.

First she tried to piss off a clearly mentally unstable werewolf, and now she's muttering to herself. Perhaps everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours is getting to her.

She stops to plop back down on the couch, frustration and concerned etched across her face. "Loki. I think I know him from my childhood," she says quietly, almost as if she's afraid to say it out loud.

My eyebrows furrow. "Uh, what do you mean?"

It's hard to imagine Loki as a child. At least, not a normal one.

He's too terrifying.

"As you know, my mom was kind of a free spirit. Whenever my mother and her best friend got drunk or high or disappeared for days, my mother's best friend's son would take care of me. He was a year or two older than me, but quiet and kind. He kept me safe." She smiles, as if lost in the distant memories. "I followed him everywhere. I always worried that it would annoy him, but he always took me along wherever he went without ever complaining about it."

We're definitely not talking about the same person right now.

"Loki was dark and scary, and all the other kids would stay away from him, he was never unkind to me. If anything, I felt safest when I was with him. Like he was my personal protector."

"You really think he's that Loki. I mean, he is dark and scary, but he's not kind...like at all. And he doesn't seem to recognize you," I point out, crossing my arms over my chest as I lean against the wall.

He did stare at her for a long time in the club, but I think he just does that with everyone. Those dark, soulless eyes—who would want him to stare at them in the first place?

"That's the only problem," Makayla muses, her voice tinged with a mix of hope and doubt. "I feel like he should remember me too. Unless he's really changed that much since we last saw each other."

"Maybe you should talk to him," I suggest, shrugging.

She chews on her lip, anxiety flickering across her face. "Maybe I will, but I'm just so nervous to ask. I have so many memories with him, it would really fucking hurt if he said he didn't remember any of them."

I hum thoughtfully. "What if he had some type of head injury that made him forget? It's clear he was in some type of accident."

"Yeah, that could be true too," she agrees.

If he actually lost his memories, could he actually remember her? I've heard of werewolves losing their memories. Eventually, their wolves are able to bring them back, but I've never seen it for myself.

Loki suddenly strides back into the house, a Chipotle bag in his hand. "Here," he says, dropping it on the table with a thud.

"Thanks," I mutter, pulling my burrito bowl out and handing Makayla hers.

I wonder how ordered our food. Did he show them his phone, or actually say it? I snicker to myself at how scared the workers probably were.

Makayla raises a brow at me, but I just shake my head.

"Get anything for yourself, Loki?" I ask curiously, shoving a forkful of food into my mouth.

Loki just looks at me, and glances back down at his phone as he sits across from us, his expression unreadable.

Okay, I guess I won't try to talk to him again.

I find Makayla staring at him, and I gesture towards him with my head. "Talk," I say through our telepathic connection.

"I can't do it!" she exclaims back, her voice nearly shrill. "It just feels too awkward. He's more intense than I remember him being."

A more awkward silence washes over us as we eat, and Loki continues to scroll on his phone, not even bothering to glance up again.

I start to miss Phoenix. I know it's only been a few hours, but I wonder what he's doing, or if he's missing me too. Even if he stole my teddy and obviously busted nuts on it many, many times.

Freaking pervert. But I guess he's my pervert.

A sudden knock at the front door startles me and Makayla, our heads snapping towards the sound.

"Who the hell is that?" she whispers, her eyes wide with panic.

I silently mouth, "I don't know."

Oh, Goddess. What if it's the intruder, here to abduct me or something?

"Stay here," Loki orders gruffly, rising from the table with a dangerous, commanding aura. He pulls a gun from his pocket, swiftly unlocking the safety.

My mouth drops open in shock. He has a...gun?

Does Phoenix and Luke know he has a gun, and he's just whipping it out all willy-nilly?

We're silent as mice as Loki approaches the door without any hesitation and asks, "who's there?" without opening it.

"It's Sam. I'm here to check on my girls!" Sam's familiar voice resonates through the door, and I immediately breathe a sigh of relief.

"Who is that?" Loki asks, narrowing his eyes at us. Well, mostly at Makayla. I don't think he cares much about me at all. "Do you know Sam? And what is he doing here?"

Makayla blushes, stumbling from the chair. "Oh yeah, it's okay. He's our best friend. We all work at the same company or whatever," she replies nervously.

I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Get yourself together, girl.

Nodding, Loki opens the door, and Sam runs inside, stealing a side glance at Loki before rushing over to embrace us.

"Oh my Goddess. I haven't heard from you guys in forever. So, I asked Phoenix where you were, and he gave me the address for here. What the hell is going on?" he asks, concerned coloring his features.

I laugh humorlessly. "Sit down, make yourself at home. This is going to be a long story."