Chapter 42: Who are you.

Victim: Kael Aspen

Age: Twenty six

Assault weapon: A weirdly crested dagger

Suspect: Not found.

KAEL

A flash of metal and silver whips past me or at least that what I seem to remember — A weirdly crested dagger.

Beep. Beep.

The continuous monitor sounds are deafening, messing with my brain. The smell of healing magic in the room duels with the natural smell of antiseptic. I am in an hospital. Footsteps draw closer, the door does not open but whoever it is stands by the closed door.

"Is he awake yet?" It looks like there are two people at the door, and the first voice sounds weirdly familiar, but I cannot place it.

"He is not, but as the special Lycan he is he would definitely survive this. He should be awake in maybe five hours."

"How are you so sure of that?"

"Because the sedatives works for ten hours, and if is only been five hours since we administered it to him."

"Good. Tell me immediately when he is up, okay?"

"Of course Your Highness."

Your highness? Who is that and why is he so keen on knowing how I am doing? And why was there an underlying hate? In his words?

That is when it dawns on me. I can't remember anything or rather I do not know what is happening. Still—

The door swings open, and I lay still feigning unconsciousness. "I know you are awake Kael, please open your eyes." Okay, this is a different voice not from either of the two people outside, it is a female voice, soft and thick with emotion.

I pry my eyes open to take in who is before me. She is staring at me and I can see tears welling in her eyes. I do not know her, but she looks familiar, maybe I do know her. "Kael." She says again.

The name, it rings around my head and I blink. Is that my name? "Is that my name." I say, voicing out my thoughts.

The girl's eyes widen at my question, I see the confusion swirling in her blue eyes. "You do not remember your name?" She asks.

"If Kael is my name, then I do not remember it."

"You do not know who I am too?"

"You do not look like someone I would date, so I do not think you are my girlfriend." I reply, my eyes wavering still trying piece everything together.

She stumbles back, body shaking with incoming tears. "It's me Kael, you don't remember me?"

"Who are you?"

"Your sister! I am your sister, Issy... Isabelle." At her yelling, my head does a backpedal and then it starts to ache badly. I close my eyes tightly, trying to numb the pain but it is not going away. I think I hear the beeping increasing.

"Oh heavens."

Isabelle runs out of the room and then some minutes later, she comes back in with a man. The doctor I think. "He can't remember me, he doesn't remember." She tells him, still crying.

The doctor comes close to me. "Calm down Your Highness, we are going to take some test to know what is going on."

"Your Highness, I am going to ask you some questions and hope that you answer.. Is that okay?" He is staring at me as he speaks so I'm assuming he is talking to me. I nod.

"Good. Now, do you know where you are?"

"In an hospital? Clearly." I reply him

"And can you remember your name?"

I point to the lady. "She says it's Kael"

"But you didn't know that?"

I shrug. "Do you know what city you are in?"

Lycania. The name comes to me and I blurt it out. "Lycania."

"Great, what else do you remember?" I know I am a Lycan, it is why I could sense the healing magic in the air. I try to remember something else, anything. It is futile.

I shake my head. "Nothing else. I remember nothing else."

"He can't remember me. Why can't he remember me? Would he even remember his wife? Oh that poor girl." Isabelle is saying.

I blink my eyes open. "I have a wife?"

"Oh goddess! We should get the healer."

"Where is she? My wife?" I try to stand up but he pushes me back down with a stern look.

"Can you please calm down your highness. I need to check some things." The doctor places his hands over my head.

"Why do you keep calling me that? I mean, your highness?"

"Because you are the prince. The supposed crown prince of Lycania whose title was stolen by his half-brother." My eyes wide, I watch as the newcomer steps inside, she does not look a day over forty but I can see the old age in her strides.

"Doctor Carla." The doctor glances back and forth between Isabelle and the woman. "That is blasphemy!" He whisper-yells.

"It is so good to see you Doctor Corey, but the Prince is my patient so I'll like him to be discharged and brought under my care." The woman—Doctor Carla says firmly.

"I am your patient?"

"Correct.. I am your therapist, you could also call me your personal doctor."

"He still has to undergo some tests!" Doctor Corey protests.

"I will run them myself, besides what other tests would you take when we already know he has amnesia!"

"His Majesty will not allow this."

"His Majesty does not care about this young man lying on that bed with his memories robbed from him, so you'll give him to me."

"Doctor Carla!" Isabelle speaks this time, glancing at me with a pitiful look which I realize that I hate. I sit up.

"When you all finish arguing about me while I sit here, will you finally acknowledge me and brief me of whatever the hell is going on? Like how I got to the hospital bed in the first place and how I am married? Perhaps you could do that?"

Lilac

"What do you think we should tell her?"

"Nothing. You will not say a word, she has to see for herself."

I recognize those voices, Carla and Issy. When did they start to talk to each other, I remember Issy telling me that Carla was a scary witch.

Remember.

The thought brings the spiral of events crashing down on me. Beryl, the crest she had shown me, her plead for me to help her, the freaky fact that I can read a book in which the words are hidden with some kind of magic... Kael! I sit up in an instant, almost regretting my sudden reflex move as pain lances through my skull.

"Hey, slow down sunshine."

"Where is Kael?" It is the first thing I ask her before I begin to realize where I am—Carla's home. "And why am I here?"

"Which of your answer do you want me to answer first?" I sit upright on the bed, my eyes scanning the room.

"Kael. Where is he?"

"He is resting, do you want to see him." I almost did not notice Carla in the room until she speaks from where she is standing by the doorstep.

"Yes." I want to see him. I need to see that he is okay. I get down from the bed, carefully this time and follow Carla and Issy out as they lead me to where Kael is. When I see him though, I am not ready for what he is. He is fine, no sign of pain or wound on his face or even his stomach, well except for the little jarred scar that runs past it and I can only see that because he is shirtless, but there is a faraway look in his eyes as he stares at me from where he is seated like he is trying to decipher who I am.

That is impossible. I double my steps towards him, almost wobbling on my feet as I rush to his side. "Kael." I breathe, my chest tight. Who would have thought I would actually care for this man. It is a realization that hits me square in the chest. I care about him—my husband. The revelation is crazy, but true and even as much as it scares me, it also warms my heart. I am going insane, literally.

"Is it you? My wife?"

I stumble back in shock. He did not just say that. "Why are you talking like this Kael?" I stutter.

His gaze roams over me curiously, heat licks at my skin like it always does when he stared at me, he reaches out and takes my arm in his and looking straight into my eyes, he says; "I would imagine marrying you, because you are beautiful."

"He has amnesia." Carla says from behind me, explaining why he is acting like this. I stagger back, releasing my hands from his as swiftly as I can.

"He can't remember me?"

"Or anyone in general."

My stomach bottoms out, tears gather in my eyes, and I literally forget how to breathe.

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