"You've gotten your memories back?" Harper couldn't believe it, and Alex seemed to have changed. She hastily drew the sheets over herself and scooted to the other side of the bed, putting some distance between herself and him.
When Alex noticed this, he couldn't help but smile and think about how cute Harper looked. "I do have my memories back," he revealed.
"And you remember *everything*?"
He smiled as he nodded. "*Everything*. I remember Lucas. I remember my parents and Collette, as well as the terrible things they did."
"Francine?"
He sighed before nodding his head once more. Yes, I remember everything about her as well. I remember what or who I was before my memories were erased. I remember Mira. Heck, I remember every single woman I've ever had slept with. I remember how much of a jackass I was…" He hesitated, then gazed deep into her eyes for a while. "I remember you and how much of a jerk I was to you. I really hope you will forgive me for everything, Harper."
Harper had no idea how to respond, so she just snorted and shook her head slowly, remaining perched on her side of the bed. "I think we have already passed that point. You know, asfter taking everything into consideration."
"I know. But I still want to apologize to you for being such a jerk. I was a haughty douchebag."
"H-how…"
"How did I regain all of my memories?" Alex shrugged, mindful of the gap between him and Harper. "I'm not sure if we had the same experience, but when Gwinifer said to think about home, I didn't know what to think about because I had no notion of where or what home was like for me then, so I thought of the cottage. After that, I recall your hand slipping out of mine and then falling into a dark pit. I closed my eyes and the next time I opened them, I was back in the cottage where I had first met you... after I had lost my memories."
"You were there?"
"At that moment, it was the only place I could really think of. Then, like a scene from a movie, everything about my life played in front of me in a cascade of flashbacks, filling in the blanks in my life. A memory after another. One by one until all at once. It's actually downright eerie how it all happened."
"And you spent the last couple of days in the cottage?"
"No. I got a ride back to the city on a station wagon. Can you believe it? I, Alexander Carmichael, a hitchhiker!" Alex said, sounding very much like the old Alex, which Harper noticed right away, aside from his trademark smirk on his face. "As soon as I got home, I took care of a few things, made a few phone calls so I'd know where I could find you."
"You called a detective to track me down. How romantic," Harper said as she pursed her lips together, fighting a smile, before continuing, "So, you now remember you have a mate. You can now feel the bond again."
Her tone had dropped, and Alex had noticed it right away. "Yes, I remember. But, just so you know, Harper, I haven't forgotten how much I love you. I came here, okay?" Slowly, he reached for her hand and kissed it.
Harper remained silent after that. For a while, she did nothing except stare at him.
"What's going through that pretty head of yours, Harper?"
She shook her head. "Nothing," she said, remembering what the Moon Queen had warned her about how things would become much more difficult for him once he regained his memory.
He would reconnect with Francine, but he would remain in love with Harper. How were they supposed to live happily ever after with that? Someone was still going to get hurt.
After that, Harper gingerly curled back up to Alex, and the two of them lay there together, listening to each other's breathing, neither of them wanting to break the spell of contentment that had been cast over them. Their fingers would trace soft patterns on each other's skin now and then, and they were almost entirely silent – until his sigh broke the silence and his eyes strayed around the room. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Somewhere to start a new life."
"Do you mind if I go you?"
"It depends. Does the prospect of living a life that is extraordinarily boring and tortuously mundane appeal to you?"
"Are you kidding me? After everything we've been through, all I want to do is live for anything extraordinarily boring and tortuously mundane," Alex replied playfully, kissing the top of her head.
Harper let out a small chuckle.
They soon fell asleep, but made love again before the break of dawn.
When the sun rose in the sky, they were up again. They talked about Harper leaving Seattle that day, and Alex told her again that he was going with her. She didn't argue with him, but did insist that Alex meet with his parents first to say goodbye. At first, Alex first refused, but he eventually caved, and the two planned to meet at the airport thereafter.
The next hour found Alex seated in front of his family at a table in the Sanson Grand Salon, where they often held a family gathering.
"Everyone knows you're back, and your sister and I think a welcome home party should be arranged to officially announce your return," Mrs. Carmichael stated, sitting between her daughter and her husband, who was looking intently at Alex.
"Throw a welcome home party and ignore the fact that you betrayed me, lied to me, and even allowed my memories to be wiped so that I would forget Francine. And oh," Alex glared at his father, "Are we going to disregard the fact that Lucas is my brother, and you've kept that to save face?"
Collette sighed and rolled her eyes. "Don't you think you're being a little unfair here, Alex? Our actions were a last-ditch effort to spare you from the council's sentence. As far as you were aware, the treaty forbade-"
"And what is happening to that treaty now?" Alex snapped. "Dad should know because he's a member of the fucking council. A complete reform, is that right, Dad?" He angrily pointed at his father. "You knew that Queen Niran was considering revising the treaty because it was fucking useless, it no longer worked, and it no longer provided protection. But, what exactly did you do? You fought against the Moon Queen's initiative to amend the treaty, despite the fact that it would have been favorable to me! Your own son!"
Mrs. Carmichael's eyes began to brim with tears. "Alexander, please... calm down. Your father－"
"Is an asshole! Mom, he ruined my life! You had no idea the shitshow we had to go through. I almost died! His refusal to support the reform has caused irreparable damage, not just to me, but to Lucas, Harper, and Francine! For fuck's sake! We were enslaved and coerced into doing heinous things in Velaris. Francine is still in Nebiru!"
"I believe Francine refused to come back because of you and that human! You've broken her heart! Don't blame that on us," Collette chimed in with a striking comment.
Mrs. Carmichael took a quick look around to make sure they were still the only people in the restaurant. "Calm down, both of you! We're here to discuss and reconcile so that we can once again be a happy and loving family."
Alex's face scrunched at the mention of them being a peaceful and loving family. "Peaceful and loving? Mom, we were anything but that. And didn't you hear what Collette just said? She's blaming me and Harper for what's happening to Francine," he said, then stared at his sister angrily. "If you and dad hadn't fucked me up, if dad had only stood up for me, stuck by me, none of this would've happened. You forced Francine out of my life against my will, so don't you fucking dare put this on me. Or Harper!"
"Alexander, please calm down," Mrs. Carmichael said as she reached for Alex's hand, but Alex abruptly stood up, startling everyone at the table, including Mr. Carmichael.
"I'm done with this family. Now, all of you listen to me, especially you, Dad, because you will grant Lucas the same privilege that you have provided me and Collette: you will make him the new *CEO* of your fucking corporation. Don't worry, you don't have to acknowledge him as your son; he does not deserve such humiliation. Do it -"
Mr. Carmichael looked at him with a cocked eyebrow, as if challenging him, "Or what?"
"Or you will lose everything! This family, your company, and your position on the council!" Alex bellowed. "I'm done here."
"Shit!" Collette snarled and stomped away from the table, hurling everything she could grab.
"Alexander! Please, son! Don't go! Come back!" Mrs. Carmichael cried for him before turning to face her husband. "This is all your fault! Fix this! I want my son back!"
Walking out of the salon, Alex rushed out of the hotel, leapt into his car, and sped out to the airport as quickly as he could.
He arrived at the airport an hour before their departure, giving him enough time to meet up with Harper in the airport lounge before checking his luggage in.
As he sat in the airport lounge, looking out at all the other people for Harper's familiar face, checking his phone almost every few seconds, his eyes caught an advertisement for a 5-star hotel displayed on a digital board. It was one of the hotels, and basically, one of the many businesses that his family owned. His thoughts immediately returned to his heated confrontation with his family. When he thought about Collette blaming him for what happened to Francine, he felt his rage rise up inside of him right away.
He shook his head, visibly disgusted. As he continued to sit there, his thoughts strayed back to the battle in Velaris, where he had fought not only for his and Harper's freedom, but for the lives of everyone whose freedom and future hinged on Alpha Redmane's victory. After the terror that they had all been through, particularly Harper, who had been close to death twice, he believed that this new place was exactly what he and Harper needed.
Alex was pulled back to reality when he realized that he had been waiting for Harper for over 15 minutes. He'd have to get his luggage checked in soon.
He reached for his phone to call Harper, but he quickly frowned when he was redirected to her voicemail.
*Hey, you've reached Harper. Please leave a message and I will do my best to call you back. No promises, though.*
"Hey, Harper," he said, not quite sure how to disguise the concern in his voice. "I'm already here. Where are you?"
He sighed and began to go around the lounge in search of her.
Twenty minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of Harper. He called her again. Still no answer. He began to panic. He searched for her all over the airport, going to every boarding gate, lounge, and every possible place he could think of.
Then, came the time for them to board. Yet, still no Harper.
When he received a text message from her an hour after their flight had taken off, he thought his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
*Alex, I'm sorry, but I can't be happy knowing that she isn't. You belong to her. You belong to your mate.*
He immediately came to a halt in the middle of the airport. His face flushed as he read the text message over and over, until outrage overwhelmed him, drowning all other emotions he felt inside.
After a moment, he took a long, deep breath and took another look around the packed airport before swallowing his anger and making his way to one of the airport's bars where he hastily ordered a full bottle of whiskey.
"A whole bottle, sir?"
"Is that so shocking?" he asked, struggling hard to make his voice as steady as possible. "I don't have any flights to catch, if that's what you're worried about."
"Right."
While he waited, Alex took his phone out of his pocket. His wolf wanted to come out, to lash out. Perhaps the old Alex might have shifted and wrecked the entire place, but he knew better now. With his head down, he just called Harper's phone again.
It rang once before going to voicemail.
On his face, a wave of melancholy swept over him, followed by a dejected and pained smile.
"What the fuck, Harper?"