Katrina’s POV
When Adolphus's eyes fluttered open, I shot to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. I had been sitting by his bedside in the Pack Doctor's clinic for what felt like an eternity, waiting for him to wake up.
"Adolphus," I breathed, relief flooding me as I reached out to touch his arm. "You're awake."
His golden eyes focused on me, still hazy but burning with an intensity that hadn’t been there before.
For a moment, he simply stared, as if processing everything that had happened. Then, his lips parted, and his voice, hoarse but firm, filled the small room.
"I remember everything now."
I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth as a rush of emotions crashed over me. Happiness. Relief. Shock. He remembers.
"You do?" I whispered, barely daring to believe it.
He nodded, his jaw tightening. "I remember who I am, Katrina."
Tears welled in my eyes, and I stepped closer, gripping his hand tightly. "Tell me," I urged. "What do you remember?"
Adolphus sat up slowly, groaning as he adjusted to his new reality. But there was something different about him.
The lost, wandering man I had met by the riverside was gone. In his place sat someone sharper, someone stronger, someone who knew exactly who he was.
"I remember that it was you who saved me," he said, his voice steady, unwavering. "Not Cassandra. It was never her."
I exhaled sharply, my heart clenching. He had said those words before, but this time, there was certainty in them. Before, he had doubted himself, second-guessed the memories. Now? He was sure.
"You believe it now," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I know it now," he corrected, his gaze burning into mine.
Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. "Adolphus…"
He reached out, brushing his fingers against my cheek, wiping the tears away. "There’s more," he murmured.
I blinked, straightening. "What else do you remember?"
His expression darkened, his fingers tightening around mine. "My mother committed suicide and I am the illegitimate son of the Alpha of the Indigo Pack. They came for me, not Cassandra," he said.
My breath hitched. The Indigo Pack. A pack that had been wiped out. A pack that had been slaughtered.
I swallowed, my mind racing. "The Indigo Pack was destroyed," I said hesitantly. "Just before we found you."
Adolphus nodded. "My brother and I fled the massacre together, but he had other plans. He wanted to eliminate me, to ensure that there were no remaining threats to his rule when he reclaimed power. He didn't just betray me, he tried to kill me."
A shiver ran down my spine. "Your brother?"
"Yes," he said, his face tightening with pain. "He wanted the Alpha position for himself, and I was in his way. He defeated me, Katrina. I lost to him. And when I lost consciousness, I was certain I was going to die."
His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. "But then something happened," he continued. "When I lay there, broken and bleeding, the sky above me turned dark. And suddenly, the vultures that had been circling overhead scattered. They fled."
I frowned. "Vultures?"
"Yes," Adolphus said grimly. "They had been drawn to my body, waiting for me to die. But the moment I lost consciousness, they vanished."
I swallowed hard, my mind spinning with questions. "Why would they—?"
Before I could finish my sentence, a voice interrupted from the doorway. "That is because your wolf has the power to emit the Indigo Light, Adolphus."
Both Adolphus and I snapped our heads toward the entrance, and my chest tightened with fear.
Standing there, her expression unreadable, was the Pack Doctor.