Chapter 62

"What do you mean Maeve?" Lia asked before I could.

"Oh, yeah. You haven't met each other, Maeve, these are the Northern Alpha and his batallions, Northern Alpha and his batallions, this is Maeve Redwood, a young witch," Matilda introduced.

"I'll eat you alive if you call me young again, Matilda," Aelin/Maeve said.

"Oh, shut up, you're annoying me," Matilda replied, rolling her eyes.

She three a small closed vase with a blue liquid in it at Aelin, making it break and soaking her in it. In a matter of seconds, she plummeted to the floor. The witch sighed, "so much better, right?"

The witch tried to open the door with her ind before realising it had been built against it, "may you open it for me, sweetheart?" Matilda asked Lia with fake politeness.

She stepped into the cell, I was by her side watching her every step. "You'll have to do a better job at explaining than what you did before," I pushed her for more answers.

"It's called 'external mind', the name leaves very little space for imagination," she commented with a disgusted face. "The point is your sweet Aelin," she brushed Aelin's cheek. My hand flew to grab hers. She wasn't to touch her unless it was necessary, I was the only one allowed to do that. She was mine and I had to protect her. She pulled her hand away angrily, but understood my point. "She's somewhere in there, probably fighting Maeve off and failing miserably. But not to be alarmed *Alpha*," her mocking tone rubbed me the wrong way, "it's not your mate's fault, no one would be able to fight it. When was the last time she came in contact with a witch?"

She didn't even ask me if she had. She was sure that Aelin had that 'external mind' that she was referring to and as bad as it sounded, I preferred having a straight answer.

"Yesterday," I replied, Matilda's eyes showed surprise before they went back to their lazy glare, "but she was caught."

"Oh, sweetheart," she shook her head, "that wasn't Maeve, that was the linker. She connected the two of them, but Maeve isn't here in this pack. She doesn't have to. That witch connected the body, Aelin, and the mind, Maeve, together and she was out of the picture. Maybe, she even stitched her up a bit, gave her a cool story miixed in with a couple of memories and she that's it."

"I want solutions," I demanded, "what can you do?"

She laughed at my need for my mate, finding my desperation amusing, however all I wanted to do was sleep with her, curled safety into my body. "I can pull Maeve out if that's what you want me to do. Aelin won't remember a thing. She'll wake up like if everything was a crazy nightmare," she shrugged.

"Do it," I commanded.

She tilted her head, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth, "you see, it's not that easy."

"Why?"

"Well, this type of magic isn't a perfect science so as I'm pushing Maeve out, I may take with me some memories, it's usually nothing too big, random stuff. Her 12th birthday, a date you guys had, her first kiss, nothing too important," she explained.

"I don't care, do it," I ordered.

"Arsen, it could be something important between the two of you that she forgets," Lia warned me.

"And it could also be Khann, who she forgets," I replied, "we can always make new memories."

Lia shrugged, "okay."

"So, should I get to my magic?"

"Wait," I stopped her, "how long will it take for her to recover?"

"She'll be sleeping for a few hours too many but once she wakes up she'll be fine, like she never met the witch," Matilda explained.

"Can Maeve ever return?"

"Well, with the help of another witch like this time, yes. The process is easier too, but anyone could have an 'external mind' so no need to worry, pup."

I took a deep breath, "and you're telling me, that she will not suffer any consequences apart from some memory loss?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes.

"She will remember me?"

"Yeah, mate bonds are difficult to fuck up," she explained.

"Then, do it."

*

I took off her cuffs and I slid her arms through each of the hoodie's sleeves. I was now only hoping that Matilda hadn't lied that, whatever words she mumbled in the witch's old language would bring back my Aelin. I carried her in the bridal position all the way back to our room where I placed her comfortably in the bed. There was two good things to take away from today, Aelin was okay and so was her wolf.

I slid into bed after putting on my sweatpants and I slept with her in my arms. Ascian was behind this and I knew he wouldn't hold back to take Aelin again away from me. Tomorrow, we would be leaving to go to Falkjetijn. I had already told my team who completely understood. Ulises and Darya would move there with us, whereas Lia, Cullen and Forrest would stay in the packhouse making sure everything was under control until I returned.

I had her again safe and sound in my arms, which was what mattered as I muted those comments that Maeve had made Aelin shout at me.

The only thing why they hurt was because deep down, I knew they were true. Ascian had been Aelin's first love. They had grown up together and I couldn't do anything to change that, but I wished the Goddess that I could return back the time and stop them. Aelin may have been betrayed by him, but there was trust in that relationship, friendship and love. They may have been young and stupid and perhaps what they called love may have been hormones, but I also knew that whatever they felt for each other must've felt so strong at that time and I could never give Aelin that heightened version of reality. I could give her love, safety, support and calm, but I would never be what Ascian was for her.

My mind run through each one of the comments that she made. Khann had been inside of her and while her virginity mattered little to me, it did keep me up the thought that her only memory of sex as mating, was of the man that raped her. I wanted to give her a whole new other meaning of that word that everytime someone talked about sex she would think of me as I pounded into her while she would moan my name as her body ache with the pressure that I was building inside of her. The mixture of lust and love that she would taste, I wanted that for her, but I had to wait. My patience was being tested, not only because I wanted to claim her fully as mine, but because I wanted to make love to her until Khann would disappear in an abyss of her moans.

The last comment that came to my mind hurt me deeply, perhaps because I didn't expect or especially because I hadn't gotten around to telling her about my wounds just yet. I had promised myself that one day I would, when we were old and wrinkly and we had multiple kids, a happy life and I knew that she wouldn't leave me. That she would understand that the man that went at the age of fourteen to the Faljketijn wasn't the same man that stood in front of her. However, she was growing impatient, asking to know more about me, claiming she didn't know me and while I agreed, I couldn't tell her because I knew she would leave me.

I held her closer to me, holding her down, making sure she wouldn't leave, because the peace of mind that having her around offered me, the genuine sparks of happiness that she brought into my life by surprise. I had fell addicted to them even if I had passed all my life leaving without them. If I didn't have her with me, I would die. She was a drug that I could never get enough of, her scent, her voice, her face, her body, her smile, her laugh, everything. My mind was an abundance of her and I wouldn't mind becoming the villain in anyone's story for her.