Chapter 131

My head throbbed as I slowly blinked myself awake. I had fallen asleep again. I seemed to be falling in and out of sleep, yet nothing could bring my memory back. It was annoying. 

The room around me was dimly lit, the walls made of rough stone. My body ached, and my mind was a foggy mess. I didn't know where I was—or who I was. The only thing that surfaced in my mind was my name. Ariadne.

The door creaked open, and the large man who had saved me came back in. I realized that even though he had saved my life, I didn’t know his name. His eyes were sharp but not unkind.

"You're awake," he said, his voice low and rough. "Good. Thought we lost you for a while there."

I swallowed hard. My throat felt like sandpaper. "I’m sorry. Who... who are you?"

The man stepped closer. "Name's Gregor Ivor. I'm a wolf from the Red Moon Clan. We live in these mountains. Have lived here for centuries.” 

Wolf. He was a werewolf then. Men who could shape shift into wolves. I was surprisingly aware of that. 

"You have been slipping in and out of consciousness," Gregor continued, his gaze flicking down to my stomach. "You should get something to eat. For the baby’s sake.” 

My hand instinctively went to my belly. A baby? The fog in my mind swirled deeper.

Oh yea. I remembered him telling me I was with child. He mentioned that but I didn’t understand it. 

Gregor nodded at my reaction. "Yes. I don’t understand it either,  even though you're an Otsayak, I can tell the baby's got wolf blood. The heartbeat's strong. Strong like a werewolf's."

Otsayak. The word felt important, but I couldn't grasp why.

Did it have to do with me? Was it who I was? I really couldn’t tell. 

"I... I don't remember anything," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I only know my name. Ariadne."

Gregor's expression softened. "Memory loss isn't uncommon after a head injury. You bled for a while, but you healed fast because of your abilities. Maybe it'll come back with time."

He hesitated before speaking again. "You should meet the rest of the clan. The Chief has been weary since your arrival. It won't be easy, though. Outsiders aren't welcome here. Especially your kind."

My kind? What did he mean by that? I didn't have the strength to argue. I needed answers — and maybe these people could help.

Gregor led me out of the small room. The mountain air hit me immediately, cold and crisp. The village was a collection of stone huts, smoke rising from several chimneys. People stared as we walked by, their eyes narrowing.

A group of them approached us, their expressions hostile.

"Gregor," one man growled. "Why'd you bring her here? She's an Otsayak. She'll bring trouble."

Gregor stood his ground. "I couldn’t have left her there! Those Braamin soldiers wanted her by all means. They looked determined to kill her.”

“And how is that our business? You know we don’t meddle in business that is not ours. Return her back at once!”

The man growled.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Chief. She's pregnant with a werewolf's child. That baby's got wolf blood. And she's clearly in danger."

The whole clan went quiet after that, they looked unhappy with the news, but they didn’t say anything else against Gregor. 

"She's wearing fine clothes," a woman scoffed. "Looks like a noble. Probably important. You should take her back to where you saw her Gregor, we don’t want trouble with others.” 

"You expect me to just drop her off on the side of the road and wave her goodbye?! She doesn't even remember who she is," Gregor snapped. "I'm not tossing a pregnant woman back into the snow to die."

The man Gregor had called Chief stepped closer, voice low and threatening. "She's not one of us. This is dangerous business Gregor.” 

Gregor's voice was steady. "No, but the child might be. Our rules say we protect any wolf in need. Her baby is a wolf, so we have to protect her. And until she remembers who she is, I'm keeping her safe. She stays with me."

The group fell into tense silence. Finally, the Chief spoke again, this time, after a heavy sighs If you insist on keeping her, she pulls her weight. No dead weight in this clan."

Gregor glanced at me. 

“She’ll earn her keep. Don’t worry.” 

I nodded quickly. "I'll work. I'll do whatever I need to."

The man grunted and walked off, the others following reluctantly.

Gregor let out a breath. "They'll come around. Eventually."

Over the next few days, they gave me menial tasks—scrubbing pots, mending clothes, hauling water. 

“You seem better than this than I expected. One would think a noble woman like you wouldn’t be used to such chores.” One woman said one day as I scrubbed pots in the blistering cold. 

I shook my head.

“I don’t think I’m a noble woman. You say I’m an otsayak and that my kind isn’t worthy. How can I be a noble woman?”

The old woman shrugged. She sat next to me and sighed. 

“You’re carrying a child with wolf blood. So who knows? You are a very interesting woman Ariadne.” 

The woman said. 

I didn’t say a word and continued with my scrubbing. Shortly after, I felt a hand on my hair. I looked up and saw the old woman touching my hair.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I pushed her hand away.

She shrugged.

“Even your hair is funny. The roots are black but the ends are golden. Quite interesting.”

I didn’t know what she meant and I didn’t own a mirror to check, so I ignored her. 

My hands blistered, and my muscles ached, but I kept going. I didn't want to be seen as useless.

Gregor checked on me often. One afternoon, he found me struggling to lift a heavy bucket of water.

"Enough," he said firmly, taking the bucket from me. "You're pregnant. You shouldn't be doing this."

"I said I'd pull my weight," I argued. "I'm not helpless."

Gregor's eyes softened. "I'm not saying you're helpless. But the baby... you need to rest."

I crossed my arms. "Why do you care so much? You don't even know me. Besides, I’m an otsayak, everyone keeps their distance from me here. Why don’t you?” 

He studied me for a moment, then sighed. "Because I need something from you."

I blinked at him. "What?"

He shrugged. "My clan is a small clan. As you can see there is not many of us around. We’re a little over eighty in number. And our population consists mainly of the elders and we have about ten children in total. Our clan's numbers have been dwindling for decades.

We've lost too many in the wars. A strong bloodline is important. You're carrying a wolf's child. I felt the heartbeat, it was strong. Powerful. Whether you remember it or not, that makes you valuable. And..." He hesitated. "They’re not a lot of girls of marriageable age here. Everyone is either too old or already married out of the clan. I have been looking for a wife for a while…” 

I didn't know what to say to that. My heart twisted, even though I didn't understand why.

"I'm not asking for anything right now," Gregor added quietly. "I know it’s too soon. You're hurt. You've been through hell. You don’t remember anything. But just... think about it."

“A peaceful life here. With no one chasing you. You can raise your son here. The clan will accept you regardless of what you are. I will take care of you and your son and raise him as my own.” 

I swallowed hard, unsure of what to feel. My past was a blank slate, but a part of me couldn't shake the feeling that someone—someone important—was out there searching for me.

Still, for now, Gregor was the only thing keeping me alive. And maybe that had to be enough.