HIDDEN (FIGHT OR FLIGHT)

Chapter 21

BEAR'S (DAREN) P.O.V.

For the past three days, it was me and Becky, trudging through town and woods like some low-budget adventure duo. I still couldn't wrap my head around the gaps in my memory, and while I wasn't exactly panicking, there was this weird, nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I guess having a huge chunk of your life missing will do that to you. Becky was my guide, though-gentle, patient. She told me all these little stories about our family, starting with the harmless ones, the ones that made us laugh.

We walked for miles, boots scuffing up dust on these old trails, the trees rustling like they were gossiping about us. The smell of pine and damp earth filled the air, which I'm sure would've been relaxing if I wasn't so... off. The distractions worked for a bit. Until they didn't.

"So... Becky," I said, trying to sound casual as we stepped over some fallen branches. "When you first met Damon, why did you look so freaked out and call him Kyle? I mean, is there something I should know about, or were you just making up names for the guy on the spot?"

Her step hitched a bit, barely noticeable, but I caught it. She wasn't looking at me either-major red flag. "Oh, that," she said, waving it off like it was no big deal. "I thought he was someone else for a second. You know, slip of the tongue. Happens."

"Right..." I squinted at her, not buying a word of it. But before I could press her, she switched gears fast. She was good at that. Suddenly, she was telling me about how, when we were kids, she used to swipe cookies from the kitchen and then blame the whole operation on me. "You always looked so confused," she laughed, nudging me.

I chuckled too, because the visual of baby Becky being a cookie thief was priceless. But still, something felt off. She was definitely hiding something.

Then her whole vibe changed when she started talking about Evan, like someone just flipped a switch. "When Evan came to find me," she said, her voice getting all soft and dreamy, "I knew right away. The mate pull... it's like this electric charge between us. The second I touched him, I couldn't pull away. It was amazing, Shadow. I felt so... complete."

I couldn't help but grin. "Wow, Beck, you sound like you're about to write a romance novel."

She smacked my arm lightly, but she was smiling. "Shut up, you know what I mean. It's... different."

"Sure, sure," I said, shaking my head with a smirk. "Different, like how you thought Damon was someone else for a second? Yeah, still stuck on that, by the way."

She groaned dramatically. "Ugh, Shadow, drop it already."

"Uh-uh. I think you should know me better than that." I gave her a playful side-eye. "I'll stop when you tell me why Kyle came out of your mouth. Pretty sure no one here is named Kyle."

She sighed, clearly exasperated but finally caving a little. "Okay, look, it's a long story, alright? And I'll tell you... eventually."

"Uh-huh, eventually. That's code for 'never,' isn't it?"

Becky just rolled her eyes and kept walking, and I laughed, but it didn't last long. The thing nagging at me was still there, pulling at the back of my mind. I didn't know what Becky was holding back, but something told me it was bigger than just a name slip.

We walked on in silence for a bit, her still lost in thoughts of Evan, me... trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces. But one thing was clear-no matter how hard Becky tried to distract me, there was more to this than what she was letting on. And I wasn't going to drop it. Not anytime soon. But, I decided to move to another topic.

"So why didn't you believe Evan when he told you I was alive?"

I glanced at Becky as we kept walking, her face shifting into a look of guilt and hesitation. She was good at dodging questions, but this time, I wasn't going to let her wriggle out of it.