Unclaimed

Chapter Twenty-One

Screaming. Screaming was the first sound I heard. Was it coming from me? I felt hands on me, but I couldn't yet see yet. "Grady," I whimpered. I had to find him.

"Right here, baby. I'm right here."

I let out a soft sound as I heard his voice, knowing he was close enough to protect me. I forced my eyes open to see his face. I needed him. The stubble had been shaved from his face before our run, leaving his skin smooth. I reached for it, but my hands weren't quite mine yet.

He smiled at me, holding my cheeks. "Hi. How do you feel?"

"I'm confused. I- Was I screaming?"

"No. I think Grandma was." He looked me over quickly, checking me for obvious injuries though I don't know how I would've gotten hurt. "But you're okay, right?"

"I think so. Something happened while I was talking to Aunt Lydia. Luke was trying to give me my memories back, but I said no."

Grady's brows drew together in confusion. "Why? Why would you say no?"

"Because for her it was a choice between you and him," Lily said from behind Grady. "She chose you."

The lines on his forehead deepened. "Why? I don't understand."

"Because if Lily had done that spell and brought back all my memories, I would have woken up completely in love with Luke," I explained. Iwas finally finding my footing back in reality. "He loved me so much he died for me. I loved him so much I erased years from my life to try to save him. That wouldnt have just washed away when I came out of it. I would have been heartbroken all over again. I couldn't risk losing you."

"What are you... Charli, I would have waited-"

"I may have never come back," I said forcefully. I needed Grady to understand. "I wouldn't have been the same if I did. I'm happy now. I'm fine now. I don't want to open wounds I can't see just to have to fight them to heal. I want to live now."

He groaned, but I lunged for him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I needed to feel more of his warmth. I needed to inhale his scent deep into my soul.

"He wanted me to run away with him," I whispered into Grady's neck. "I broke up with him and told him not to. He thought if he marked me when I turned eighteen I would feel him and I would follow him. He was trying to get here where he would have been safe. He didn't run fast enough."

He rubbed my back as he tried to release the built up tension. "I'm so sorry. God, I thought you were dead again. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm good. I don't really know what happened. I was talking to Aunt Lydia and then I was talking to Luke, and now... I'm talking to you. How did Lily get here? How long was I out for?"

"I was on the phone with Lily when you went down. You were only out of it for maybe ten or fifteen minutes."

"I heard you shouting her name," Lily said. "I knew something was wrong."

"I asked you not to call Lily," I whispered, unsure of myself. I thought I remembered that happening.

"You did. I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't want to take any risks." His apology was one of the most sincere I'd ever heard.

"Can we get off the floor?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. Let me help. I'll call Beta Mark and ask him to take care of things for the day. He's probably going to start asking why he isn't Alpha." He pulled me to my feet and helped me into the bedroom.

I sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at Grady. "Then don't ask him. You can work. I'm fine. I can even help. I need to do something anyway. I can't spend the rest of my life in this room. The nightmare is over. I get to live my life how I want without fear of uncovering more memories."