Possession

37- Do You Remember

Not even a word came out of my mouth because I was still trying to process the things that Aster was telling me. I had seen Alpha since childhood. I had never seen him do anything wrong. How could he do something like this? With his own daughter?

"Why did not you run away? I gently asked. I would have thought that she was lying but the pain in her eyes was too raw to be a mere lie. I knew she was not lying.

"I found my mate." She hesitance murmured.

"You what?!"

She looked up at me through suppressed shame and continued,

"Ryan is human. I started meeting him, fell in love, but then Marcus found out about it and attacked him. He arranged to have Ryan murdered through accident. He wanted me to marry a werewolf, not a human."

Liam was shocked. This was the most blasphemous thing he had heard. Mating with a human had become common in their world now. Which dream was Marcus living in till now?

"I saved him." Aster whispered, "and promised to not go to Ryan."

Liam looked at her with worry. Behind that strong exterior this girl was going through so much and nobody even got a hint of what was happening to her for so many years. He had always thought of Aster as a spoiled, rich, powerful girl. But now, he did not think he had met anyone as fragile and as broken as her.

"You should have gone with Ryan anywhere in the world, Aster." Liam stated, "you could have left our pack and settled somewhere else with Ryan"

"And what would I have done with this pack link that is binding me to our pack? And suppose I would have even broken it, do you think Marcus is as easy to ditch?"

Sighing she clenched her fists in anger, "He kept me under his thumb my whole life. But Ryan let me fly. I was open to him, he had become my reason to live. Marriage with you was just an excuse to get Marcus off my back."

Liam's hand lifted up to rub his tired as hell eyes. How many more lives Marcus had ruined? If that bastard did not leave his own daughter, what could be expected of him for others?

"But it is my fault as well." Liam whispered, "if I had not been so greedy for alpha position, you might have gotten married to Ryan. But I mistook my attraction towards you for love and dragged you down with myself."

"I was...." Aster's gaze moved away from mine, unable to stare at me, "I was using my magic on you. Marcus forced me to attract you through my succubus powers so that it would be easy for me to get you."

My mind was exploding and heart was racing hard. It all was suddenly making sense. My strong attraction towards Aster despite of having a mate. Marcus binding me to Aster, offering me the alpha position.

It was not my fault then, right?

I was also betrayed, I was also taken under a spell and bound to Aster. It was not my fault.

*****

A Week Later

"LIAM!" Someone shook my shoulder gently, "Liam, wake up."

I jolted awake in surprise, ready for anything, "Yeah... yes?"

Straightening in the hospital chair, I rubbed my eyes harshly to come out of slumber.

Aster's blurry face danced in front of my eyes, "She is awake! Eva is awake."

I immediately shot to my feet. Doctors had said she would not live if she did not wake up in a day or two. But she had stayed. I was there, each moment, begging her to stay with me. She had not died but she had not come awake either. These past seven days were hell for me. Waiting for her and Rush to come awake. Waiting for them to stay with me even if they did not want me in their lives anymore.

I shot up from my seat to run inside the room. My heart kept racing at an uneven speed. I only wanted to see her. I wanted her to know that she was not alone. I was there for her.

As I entered the room, the doctors were surrounding her, checking her vitals, eyes and other parts of her body. She was sitting silently with her back against the soft pile of pillows, staring at the doctors with the most innocent and tired look on her face.

With long strides, I rushed to her side. Her eyes lifted up to see me but did not linger. She just gave one glance and then started looking at the doctor treating her, asking her to move her arm and fingers.

I moved to her side and took her hand in mine, holding it. But just as I did so, she snatched back her hand and scrambled back in fright, looking at me with an unknown look on her face.

"Eva?" I whispered in broken tone seeing her reaction to me, "I know you are upset. Just let me be here for you till you get better."

Her eyes looked at me with confusion and slight worry along with fear. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Are you... are you alright?" I asked, worry eating me alive.

"Wait a minute." The doctor suddenly said, his tone had an attentive worry, "Mr. Liam, please stay calm for a second."

"Eva?" The doctor called to her to get her attention, "Say something. Anything. Any word."

Eva worried looked up at doctor and tried to speak. Except for some broken voices no words came out of her mouth.

The doctor immediately started checking her throat with his equipments.

"Eva, do you remember your surname?" The doctor suddenly asked casually, "just nod your head in yes or no."

Eva stared at the people in the room in worry and fright, confusion was clear as day on her face.

After a moment she shook her head in denial.

The doctor's concerned gaze sliced to me for a second before he continued speaking, "Do you remember this man?" He pointed his thumb at me.

Eva looked at me for a few seconds, the attempts of trying to dig inside her memory were going inside her eyes.

When she did not reply the doctor spoke, "Do you remember anything? What happened to you, where you live, where you have come from, how did you get hurt?"

After a couple of distressing, ages long seconds, Eva shook her head in denial.