Chapter 169

Chapter 169
Ivan

I heard footsteps leave the room. I knew someone was still here but I was still laying there. Eyes closed. Unable to move. 
“You’re lucky, kid. Boss doesn’t usually stick his neck out for people. You impressed him. Hopefully you remember enough to stay alive.” Ryker said before leaving the room. 
“Sir, we were called over here?” A soft voice said. 
“Only one that managed to live. Though it doesn’t look like he’s doing so well. Do what you can to heal him. When he wakes, find me. If he dies, let me know.” Ryker instructed them. 
“Yes, sir.” The soft voice said. 
I heard the person get closer to me. I felt their hands hover over my body and a gasp of shock as they assessed the damage. They got to work healing me and the darkness finally took hold of my consciousness. 
I awoke with a start, unsure of where I was or what was going on. My body ached all over. 
“Easy now, kid. Do you know where you are?” 
I looked at the person who spoke to me, the voice was familiar. I had heard it when I first got here. As my mind began putting the pieces together it hit me. This voice belonged to Ryker. He looked to be in his early thirties. Kind of taller, maybe around 6 feet. But he was stocky which made him appear a bit shorter. His hair was black and buzzed on the sides but spiky on the top.  I looked around, I didn’t recognize where I was. I shook my head no at Ryker. 
Ryker raised an eyebrow at me, “Can you speak?” 
I opened my mouth, “Yes.” 
My throat burned from the effort and I coughed. Ryker handed me some water which I drank down quickly. 
“Do you know your name?” Ryker asked me. 
I thought hard. Who am I? My eyes widened as I couldn’t remember something as simple as my name. My breathing picked up as the panic started to set in. 
“Easy, kid. You’ve been through a lot. We figured you wouldn’t remember much of anything. Do you remember the last thing that happened before you got here?” 
I tried thinking back but nothing was coming to me except small pieces. 
“I remember a burning smell. I know I fought someone. I know I saved someone. I don’t remember anything else.” I answered, shakily. 
“More than I thought you would. Drake must not have had time to do too much damage to you. Unfortunately for you, you’re stuck with me now. I’ll be your trainer moving forward. If you make it through training, you’ll likely be extremely hard to kill here. Otherwise, you’ll be dead.” Ryker smirked at me. 
“It wouldn’t matter if I was dead or not. It’s not like I remember anything anyway.” I scoffed at him. 
“Well then let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?” Ryker said and then quickly grabbed my head with both of his hands. 
\-
I screamed out as Drake let me go. My eyes blurred and I felt the anger take hold of me. I felt my eyes change as I lashed out, punching Drake square in the nose. My body shook violently as I growled angrily. 
“Ivan! Stop!” 
I froze at the voice. My heart pulled toward it but all I could think about is what Drake had done. He’d taken something from me. Someone. Someone so important to me. I couldn’t remember who it was. My mind was foggy and I couldn’t think clearly. I just felt anger. The rage burned inside me. 
I fell to the ground on my knees, grabbing my head in my hands. I screamed out in pain as I tried to put my thoughts together. My body continued shaking but I didn’t know why. I felt a pull in my head. The pull felt so familiar and the pain didn’t exist with the pull. I let it take me and the world around me blurred. 
Arms wrapped around me tightly and the familiar scent hit my nose. 
“Ivan, come back to me!” The voice begged me. 
My vision began to clear and I was in a blank room. Hadn’t I just been in the forest? Where am I? What is going on? 
“Ivan, it’s me, Ari. I’m here. Come back to me.” Ari said softly. 
Why was that name so familiar? The voice. The scent. I felt a pull to it. Like I needed to wrap myself in it. My breathing began to slow back down to a normal pace. My vision had cleared completely and a shorter, spiky hair sat in front of me, holding my face gently in her hands. She had a scar on her left eye. I reached out and touched it. Who would do that to her? I felt the urge to protect her. To keep any danger away from her. I looked into her gray-blue eyes. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. I could tell she was a fighter. That she was strong. Her eyes were full of love for me. Why? Did she know me? Who am I? 
“Your name is Ivan. And yes, I love you very much. You are my mate. I am yours.” She whispered.