Chapter 21

"Valentina?"

Collins voice drew her out of her thoughts and she looked straight at him.

"Are you okay?"

He asked and she nodded.

"Yes. Sorry.. I zoned out for a moment. I remembered something."

She murmured and he nodded.

"Oh. Are you sure you're okay?"

He sounded concerned. Valentina forced a smile.

"I am."

She turned to the woman next to Colin, the woman stared at her with curious familiar eyes.

"Mrs Parson this is Valentina. We met a few days ago."

Mrs Parson smiled and Valentina couldn't help but notice how much she looked like the woman from her memory. Her first memory by the way. The woman in front of her looked a lot like her. With her eyes and the kind smile on her face. Only the hair was different. Straight and blond and long, past her small narrow shoulders. And her face looked older, gaunt, with sharp lines and a narrow face.

"Nice to meet you Valentina. Are you sure you're okay?"

The woman asked softly as she stretched out a hand.

Valentina shook her slightly and the memory popped in her head again, she struggled to comport herself.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You just remind me of someone."

The woman looked surprised.

"Who?"

She asked and Valentina chuckled. The woman in her memory could have been her mother. It was possible. She was singing her a lullaby, while she was in bed under the covers watching the woman intently.

"My mother."

She finally replied and the woman seemed to freeze. She quickly regained her composure and smiled again.

"Oh. Do I look like her?"

She asked and Valentina nodded.

"Well yes. Except she has curly hair. You look alike a lot. I'm sorry, I couldn't help blurting it out."

"Oh it's nothing."

Mrs Parson waved it away.

"It's nice to meet you Valentina. I'm Lily Parson. Colin here is like a son to me."

Parson. Parson. Parson.

What a peculiar and familiar last name.

"Parson? I feel like I've heard that name before."

The woman's smile started faltering and Colin quickly stepped in.

"Valentina, we'll be on our way now. It's nice to see you."

"Oh okay."

Valentina said as she wondered if she said anything wrong. She watched them walk over to the other end of the cafe, Mrs Parson didn't look back once.

...........

As the moon rose higher and higher in the sky, Remy knew the transformation would begin. They were prepared. He had gotten everything ready and Valentina was safe and far away where she wouldn't hear them howling all night.

Everyone in the pack stoically waited for what was coming. The moon, the transformation and then finally the hunt. He could already taste the change in the air. He could almost feel the throbbing powerful energy of the moon.

The moon that would give them their powers.

His pack was ready, when it was time, they would run through the forest, their senses heightened and their instincts razor-sharp. They would howl at the moon, their voices blending together in a haunting chorus that echoed through the trees.

For hours they would hunt, their wolf forms sleek and powerful, until finally the moon began to sink below the horizon, and the transformation would begin to reverse itself.

As they slowly start to regain their human forms, they would return home, exhausted but fully satisfied. Knowing that they had finally gotten rid of that gnawing ache to be wild. Knowing they had experienced something truly unique, something that only they and a few select others could ever understand.

"Is everything ready?"

Kale asked as he stood next to his alpha. They both looked out the clearing from the hill they were on. Their members were scattered all through the dense forest, but Remy could see and hear each and every one of them.

"It is."

Remy answered and Kale sighed.

"Anytime now."

"I heard you sent Valentina away."

He added and Remy nodded.

"Yes. I think it'll be better for her if she's away."

Kale didn't look convinced.

"I thought maybe the full moon might somehow help her get connected to her wolf."

Kale said and Remy shrugged.

"It wouldn't. I don't think any of our methods or ideas would have helped. Nothing would work unless she remembers everything first."

"Let's hope Marielle finds John on time."

Kale sighed and Remy smirked.

"I'm sure she's hunting him down as we speak."

..............

The full moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the forest. The werewolf alpha, Remington, felt a restlessness deep in his bones. He knew what was coming, and he couldn't stop it.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, Remy felt a primal energy coursing through him. His senses sharpened, and his muscles tensed. The transformation was coming, and he couldn't resist it.

With a guttural howl, he shifted into his werewolf form. His body grew, his bones cracking and reforming. Fur sprouted all over his skin, and his face elongated into a snout filled with sharp teeth. He stood on four legs, towering over the trees.

As the transformation completed, he let out another howl, signalling his dominance over the pack. His senses were heightened in this form, and he could smell the scent of their prey in the distance. He led his pack through the forest, hunting down the prey and howling deep into the night.

Remy felt free in this form. Free and unhinged, with raw power coursing through his muscles. In his werewolf form he no longer felt burdened by the trivial worries of human life. He was a true alpha, leading his pack through the wild. The moon guided him, and he felt a deep connection to the earth.

As the night wore on, Remy felt the moon's power begin to wane and his energy dwindling slowly. His transformation slowly reversed, and he shifted back into his human form. The fur retreated, and his bones shifted back to their original shape. He was left crouched naked in the middle of the forest, feeling drained but exhilarated.

It was finally over. And even though it had been hours, they had gone by so quickly that they felt like minutes to him. Too short, too fleeting of a time.

The next day, Remy returned to his human life, but he couldn't shake the feeling of the wolf within him. He longed for the freedom and power that came with the transformation. But he knew that he had a responsibility to his pack, and he couldn't abandon them for his own selfish desires, even though all he wanted to do sometimes was just run and run and feel free in his wolf form.

The next full moon would come soon, and Remy would once again embrace his werewolf form under the full power of the moon.

..............

Valentina went back home two days later. She was thoroughly satisfied and at peace when she got back. Lukcily, the house was back to normal. The people who had come had left and Ellen had welcomed her with a warm hug.

"Valentina!! I missed you. I thought you were supposed to come yesterday."

The woman said as she pulled away. Valentina shrugged.

"I had an appointment so I had to stay an extra day."

She had gone to the spa. That was the appointment.

She watched the two men bring out all her luggage. All of the things she had bought.

Ellen's jaw dropped.

"Sweetie. You were only gone for a few days, how do you have so much luggage?"

Valentina shrugged.

"I had to buy some stuff, I really needed them."

Truth was, that wasn't even all she got, some stuff would still arrive days later. But she had bought a lot of stuff, especially when she noticed that Remy was not complaining about the bill she was racking. She had blown thousands and thousands of his money and all he had asked her was when she was coming home and whether or not she was having a good time.

Well, thanks to him she had a great time. And she couldn't wait to show her full appreciation for everything that he did for her.

"So, you'll have to tell me all about where you went to and what you did, seems like you had quite the adventure."

Ellen remarked and she beamed.

"I did. I don't think I've had that much fun in a long time. And I'm not even exaggerating. I had a lot of fun."

"Oh wow. Come come come. Let's go in so you can tell me all about it."

Ellen gestured.

"Oh wait. You look a little different."

She murmured as she looked a her daughter - in - law from head to toe.

Valentina did a little twirl for her.

"Can you tell? I'm changing my entire wardrobe."

Ellen squinted at her shoes.

"Is that a pair of sneakers I see?"

She asked and Valentina nodded quickly.

"Yup! They're Nike's."

Ellen looked stunned. She had never seen Valentina dressed in such way. Like some preppy teenager. The shoes, the pair of jeans and the small white top that cut right above her belly button, showing the pale white skin below. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Where's Remy?"

Valentina asked as she walked in with Ellen behind her.

"Somewhere upstairs. Maybe in his study."

Valentina nodded.

"Oh that's good. I'll just go say a quick hello and return something of his real quick."

She dropped her bag on the long sofa and headed up the stairs.

As she neared the door to the study, she heard the heated voices of Remy and Kale, his beta.

"Well, she won't be useful to us if she can't perform the Lunathion ritual. No offence Alpha."

Remy let out a deep sigh.

"Her usefulness is not of the essence right now. What matters is that she recovers her memories first..."

"And what if she doesn't? And if she doesn't connect with her wolf?!"

"Months and months of careful planning all in the drain!"

Kale murmured.

"We need to plan ahead. Think ahead." He added desperately.

"I am planning."

Remy groaned. He sounded mildly frustrated at his beta.

"Valentina will perform the ritual. I am positive that she will. Marielle will find John, he will heal her and Valentina will do what she is supposed to do."

"She will perform the ritual."