Alex's final memory was of pain, and such extreme pain had engulfed him that all of his other senses were completely overwhelmed. A blade had punctured his body right below his chest. A stream of blood could be seen gushing from his hip and leg. He'd tried to stay alive, but his strength had deserted him, as the position of his major wound kept his breathing shallow and on the verge of unconsciousness.
Then his heart stopped beating, and there was no doubt that his pulse had as well.
But just then, he was floating, and he hadn't had this sense of freedom in a very long time.
When he regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the scent of barn animals and dirt. Next came the cramps in his chest and shoulder area, and his hands had gone numb from the cold.
Then he felt as if he had died a second time.
At least, that's what he thought...
Opening his eyes once more, he found himself in a wooden shack, lying on a wooden table. Cloths stained with blood were strewn about, as were needles and a pail of blood-stained water on the floor, and various herbs were strung on the walls. His hands were tied to a post on either side of him.
He made an attempt to find someone who could tell him where he was, but his little ounce of strength was drained once more and his thoughts became lost within his pain-fogged mind. His thoughts were adrift, flitting between memories that held varying degrees of significance for him.
"Alex…"
He turned toward the voice he had only heard in his head.
"You're..." He gaped at a huge wolf with thick white and gray fur.
"I'm you," Alex's wolf said in response.
"How is this possible? I can...*see* you." Alex asked.
"Baffling, isn't it? The fact that I get to speak with you; that I am here, and you are there, astounds and baffles me, too."
"Is this some kind of dream?" Alex asked as his wolf moved over to a large rock and took a seat on it.
"I wish we were. We do not deserve this. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to prevent the two of us from ending up here. "
"Wait. So, if this isn't a dream...are we dead??"
Before responding, the wolf took a few moments to gather his thoughts. "When a lycan dies, his human form is severed from his wolf form. But we are not really dead yet. We are literally standing on the precipice between death and life." He looked away from Alex to a waterfall in the distance. "Beyond that rushing water is *death*. So I advise that we remain on this side."
"I guess we should," Alex remarked as he gazed around him. There was nothing in this place but for him, his wolf, and the waterfalls in the distance, which gave him the impression that they were on a semi-blank canvas. "What are we doing here if we aren't dead?"
"Perhaps because the gods haven't decided whether we should go back or move forward," the wolf speculated.
"I can't move forward just yet..." Alex said, staring past the foggy edge of the distant waterfalls. He drew his brows up. "Do you—do you remember anything, too?"
"No." The wolf moved his weight on the rock to find a more comfortable position. "I don't remember anything. We're not the same, but we share the same mind outside this limbo, this state of waiting, this strange plane of consciousness."
"I understand. But do you remember our mate?" Alex paused, not really sure why he suddenly wanted to know. "Do you *want* her?"
"*Want*? The heart doesn't want what the heart doesn't know," the wolf replied, as if it should have been apparent. "When they removed our memories, they also wiped out memories of the bond we had with our mate."
"I feel sorry for Francine. But, I have fallen in love with Harper."
"When we're finally free from the bond, we fall in love in the same way that human beings fall in love."
"And what do you suppose would happen if we were to regain our memories? Would I forget about Harper? Would I lose my feelings for her? Would the bond I had with Francine automatically be repaired after everything that had happened between us, between me and Harper?"
The wolf looked at him for a moment. "I wish I had all the answers to your questions. But, to be honest, I'm not sure either. Maybe things would even get more complicated after you regain your memories. But, right now, what exactly do you want?"
"I didn't really care whether I got my memories back or not. But now... I want them back." Alex planted himself in front of his wolf, a determined expression on his face. "I figured that those missing memories were the only thing that would be able to fill the void in my being. I want to get to know my parents, my family, and the person I used to be so that I may better understand myself and apologize to everyone I have offended. I am sorry. And I'd like another chance to be the brother Lucas so well deserves."
"Lucas…" the wolf said, standing up. "He's the reason you're in such immense pain right now. He's the reason we are here."
"He didn't mean to do anything that he did. I know that he's hurting too."
"He thrust a sword into your chest."
"Harper rejected him. He was in a great deal of pain. It was both unbearable and palpable. At first, I couldn't figure out what was going on. However, I now do. I felt it."
"You've completely changed."
Alex flashed a sly grin. "You mean... we changed completely?"
"Oh, no! I was keeping an eye out for our mate. All those mindless screwing and leading a life of restlessness and irresponsibility - it was all you."
He chuckled as he watched his wolf's reaction. He soon found himself following the wolf along the river's edge when he heard someone call his name. When he turned around, he found his wolf standing on a rocky ledge.
"You might want to move away," a voice of a woman cautioned him. "Once you've crossed over to the other side, there's no turning back."
Alex took a step back and opened his lips to reply, but he winced instead when he was immediately hit by a wave of pain.
"That's it... keep moving," the wolf instructed him. "The pain will lead us back to where we should be. Hold on to that and don't look back."
"Argh! This...is...too much! Too much!"
"But you've got it! Come on. We're almost there," the wolf's voice urged him.
Alex noticed that his steps were becoming more lethargic as the pain became more unbearable. Each step was a fight, and eventually, exhaustion joined the pain.
What followed soon after was a sharp and excruciating pain that jolted him back to reality. Then, he wasn't sure how much time had passed after that until the pain became bearable.
Soon after, he was able to regain some focus, and he noticed two people approaching him. His eyes widened slightly as he tried to turn his head to see who they were, but he was unable to move much.
He shut her eyes closed and braced himself for torture. When nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes and saw a young woman with stringy red hair and an older but brawny man peering down at him, their expressions reflecting their surprise at seeing him awake.
"Isn't this the guy?" the young woman asked, her voice sweet and smooth.
The older man examined him closely. And it didn't take long for him to nod, as if he had recognized Alex.
"Yes, that is him. You're right." He shifted his gaze to the young woman and took a deep breath before saying, "He's regaining consciousness. We must act quickly to close his wounds."
Alex gazed down, his eyes drawn to the flickering flames of a small fire near him. A dagger was held in the flames and was gleaming with heat.
"Who are you? What are you doing?" Despite his frail voice, he managed to muster up the courage to ask.
And they intended to answer him with a scorching dagger. Ignoring his query, he clamped his teeth tightly as soon as he felt the heat of the steel pressing on his flesh.
"Stay still, wolf!" the older man ordered.
"Please... tell me... where...." His voice broke off as his words caught in his parched throat, and he coughed helplessly, the movement cruelly pulling on his abdomen. The pain, on the other hand, helped him stay focused. "…Where's my brother?"
To calm him down, the young woman spoke softly and gently, encouraging him to take a deep breath and relax. "You're out of harm's way now, wolf. Don't worry."
Alex was able to gather the power he needed to prepare himself for the onslaught of pain that was about to hit him.
The young woman stood at his side, holding out a rolled piece of linen for him to bite into. "I strongly advise you to bite into this."
Despite his hesitation, Alex opened his mouth and bit into the thick, rolled piece of material. Two other people then put their hands on his arms and torso, restraining him. In his mounting panic, he sought to control his breathing but found it far more difficult than any other control he had ever had to exert.
"Hold on. This is going to feel a lot like hell," the man spoke again, and Alex drew one more deep breath before scorching steel slammed into his chest and burnt his flesh.
The room was tense, and Alex's gasps were the only sounds they could hear. He kept his gaze fixed on the young woman and her calming eyes, which reminded him of the forest in the early morning.
“Who are you?” he muttered, mindlessly. “Where am I?”
Soon, his senses gradually expanded beyond the pain in his body, and he became aware of everything around him. In his presence, he could hear the breathing of the two people who were with him, and he could sense their confidence in his survival. Then, his mind stretched further away from his physical surroundings and followed a path he couldn't see, as if he were being pulled along by an unknown power. He had a strong sense that something important was about to be revealed to him.
His answer came later when the young woman had left and just the man remained.
"Where am I?" he asked, his mind numb, the same numbness he felt the first time he opened his eyes after his long coma back in the cottage in his world.
"You're in Moorland," the man replied.
"Moorland," the word came out of Alex's mouth like a whisper. He took a look around before turning to face the man who stood near him. "Who are you?"
"Alpha Redmane. We've already had a chance to meet. You were with a human girl."
His eyes narrowed, and his heart began to thump against his rib cage. "Are you the－"
"*Red Wolf*? Yes," Alpha Redmane said, smiling. "It's great to see you again, pup."