Chapter Fifty-Three – The walk

Lilith arrived not long after breakfast, walking into the dining area with a frown on her face, heading directly towards Talia. The moment she saw the woman she knew. She had the result.

“Can we talk?” She asked as she got to their table, nodding shortly to the others before disappearing out on the terrace to the side of the dining area. Talia excused herself and followed after the doctor.

“Let’s walk” Talia said as she stepped outside, creating a distance between them and the prying ears of the wolves inside.

“How are you feeling?” Lilith asked as they reached the tree line at the side of the property.

“Overwhelmed” Talia answered truthfully. It wasn’t a point to lie to the doctor.

“I understand” Lilith started walking into the woods, following an old path deeper into the reserve the property bordered to.

“I’m taking a guess, I’m not related to Xavier” Talia asked once they were further into the woods. They had walked away from the pack and the hustle and bustle, now the only sound surrounding them was the sound of birds chirping and a creek that run from the mountains and all the way down to the sea.

“You’re not” Lilith answered, biting her lip. She didn’t like being the barer of bad news.

“Can you check if I’m related to Anthony?” Talia asked.

Lilith stopped, a surprised look on her face.

“Anthony? As in mayor Anthony?”

“Yes. He has this theory that I am his long-lost sister, stolen when I was a baby. His father is fae, his mother a witch. Which makes me a hybrid chaotic experiment” Talia exhaled, kicking a rock on the ground.

“How do you feel about all that?” Lilith continued to walk.

“Honestly? My memories have been coming back to me in waves for the past two years, and I tried to deal with it myself. And then I remembered the attack, the pain, the excruciating pain and the fear. I was so afraid. Not of the person hurting me, but death. I was so afraid he would kill me. And I survived but lost my memory. And I’m starting to think that was good. Because it’s hard to remember that traumatic experience. It’s always there, lingering in the back of your mind, making you question everything. Not to mention, the memories that have come back to me turns out to be a big web of lies and deceit. And it’s a lot. It’s a lot to process. It’s a lot of news and truths to get accustomed to. So, I don’t really know how I feel about it all. But I’m relieved in a way. Relieved that I have a home, people who love me, and that the truth about my past are being pieced together one by one” Talia sat down near the creak, dipping her hand in, feeling how the cold water surrounded her hand, how the cool water had a relaxing feeling. She wondered if she would be able to bend it like Xavier.

“It’s all understandable. It’s normal to feel a lot of different things as you learn more and more about what has been hidden away from you”

Lilith sat down next to her.

“Didn’t know you were that kind of doctor as well” Talia smiled at the other woman. A genuine and thankful smile. She was grateful that people like Lilith excised.

“I dabble in psychology” Lilith shrugged, smiling back at Talia.

“Thank you. For checking up on me. And respecting how I don’t want everyone to know everything right away”

“You’ve been through a lot. And I’m sure you’re in store for much more. I recommend talking to a therapist regularly, it’s a good way to heal and come to terms with what happened. I’m not saying that you need it – but it’s always recommended to people who experience trauma to find someone they can talk to who won’t judge and can see things from another perspective then friends and family”

“I’ll consider it” It was the second time Lilith had brought it up, Talia had to at least consider it. Talia got back on her feet and turned to walk back to the pack house. There were so much more she needed to learn, and she didn’t even know where to begin.

“Good. Is there anything else I can help you with, just let me know. I’m here to help, in whatever way you need me to”

Talia pulled Lilith in for a hug. It was the only way she knew that could show just how much she apricated the help she’d gotten from the doctor.

“Thank you again”
–
Adam stood by the edge of the forest, waiting for Talia and Lilith to come back from their walk. The look on the doctor’s face when she arrived had told him enough, and he worried about his love and how she was doing.

*‘She’s a strong one’* Damir said in the back of his head. Even though she wasn’t a wolf Damir admired the fiery little fae and held much love for his chaotic mate.

*‘I know’* Adam answered him back, restlessly bouncing on his feet until he saw them. Talia had a smile on her face, and he sighed in relief.

“Did you worry about me?” She asked in a soft voice, letting him wrap her in his embrace. It felt like coming home.

“I always worry about you” Adam confessed.

“It’s the mate bond” Lilith shook her head, smiling at the both of them. “It’s a wonderful bond that works in mysterious ways”

“I like it” Talia said, nuzzling against Adam’s chest.

That warm feeling, the feeling of belonging, it was so much more than she could put into words. With everything that was going on around her, the very foundation of her life crumbling under her, he was a steady rock that held her up and that made her feel safe. Despite everything that was happening the love he had for her, it never faltered.

“I’ll give you two a moment” Lilith smiled as she walked back to the pack house.

“Wait, Lilith. Could you do me a favor, as a doctor?” Adam asked.

“Sure, anything”

“Ariel is in the clinic. And she’s in bad shape. Can you check up on her? Our own doctor has an issue with being too close to her”

“Oh, how come?” Lilith asked puzzled.

“She tried to kill him” Talia answered bluntly. She was the one who had convinced Adam to let Ariel stay, and she didn’t second guess her decision. But he had underestimated how hard it would be for the pack to treat her.

“I see. I’ll go over there right away” Lilith turned in the other direction and followed the tree line back to where the clinic was located.

“How is she doing?” Talia asked, knowing full well both Nadine and Adam had been to check on her.

“Not good” Adam answered, dragging his hand over his face. “She shouldn’t be here. It’s not right” He said through gritted teeth.

Talia took a step back to look at him. His eyes flashed between amber and yellow, both wolf and human at conflict with the present of a huntress.

“I know you don’t want her here. And I know I’m the one who swayed your mind. I don’t like it either, but this way we can keep an eye on her. Monitor her. Sedate her if needed. It safer, for us, and for her” Talia was the word of reason when his own emotions ran wild, and both he and Damir had to agree with her logic. And Ariel was truly in a bad shape. When he’d stopped by for an update, she was awake, but unresposive. They had to give her liquid nutrition through a tube, same with hydration. And the doctor on call had a hard time approaching her and treat her like any other patient, emotions running on an all-time high regarding the huntress who thought of them as monsters.

“You’re right”

“I know I am. You should know that I’m always right” Talia punched him playfully in the ribs, earning herself a sideways glance from him.

“Not so sure sending your cousin through the window on the second floor was the right decision” Adam argued. The wall had been patched, and the window would arrive in just a few short days. Until then, the opening was sealed off and the office of little use.

“No, it was the absolute right thing to do. It shook some sense into him” Talia argued before stepping fully out of Adam’s embrace, instead taking his hand in hers.

“Where is Anthony?” Talia asked, changing the subject.

“Library, with Xavier. And Nadine. Possibly also Devan, unless he’s at the clinic watching over Ariel. I told Katlyn to get some rest, she’s been there all night”
They walked back to the house hand in hand, both sporting wide smiles as they reached the ground where the kids where once again playing out in the sunshine. Alehtta was among them, running around like any other six-year-old with no worry in the world. There was no news about her parents, good or bad.

Talia stopped at the terrace to take in the sight, feeling how her heart swelled in her chest at the mere thought of the little lost girl now blossoming under their protection.

“I can’t let her go” Talia said lowly.

“Who?” Adam looked at her puzzled for a moment before following her gaze to Alehtta and the other kids.

“We need to find out what happened to her parents” He said.

“We need to find out many things” Talia added before the two of them disappeared into the house, letting the kids be kids.