Wolverton Falls

23. Unable to Forget

LUKA'S HAND LEFT the human girl's face as he watched her smooth, freckled face softly lay on the white pillow. He let out a deep sigh of relief, knowing that she would no longer be his problem.

The sedative would keep her knocked out for a couple of hours. He would leave her enough money for her to start over and bus ticket out of the dangerous town. As soon as his sister would get back from her nightly prowls and wanderings, they would leave Wolverton Falls once they tied up loose ends like the runaway lycanthrope.

Luka moved around the bed after placing down the hollow syringe and cup on the side table. Grabbing his duffle bag and shoving the last of his items within it, he prepared to go in the bathroom. Sifting through the minimal belongings, he placed them in their rightful compartments in the travel bag. He then picked up the damp towel sitting on the edge of the countertop but paused when the scent reached his nose.

The trace of fresh soap and intoxicatingly mysterious scent of Maggie lingered on the soft material.

Hands trembling, the towel slipped from his grasp.

Growling lowly from his chest, Luka cursed himself for being so disturbingly drawn to the girl. His clustered mind could barely comprehend the intense emotions he felt rise within him when he was around the human. He thought she was an insignificant, defenceless creature with a strange scent. That she did not need to be involved in his dark, merciless world. She got on his nerves. The timid girl barely did or said anything to him, yet she got under his skin like no other.

As soon as the towel hit the floor, Luka's sensitive ears picked up the sound of his sisters' light footsteps climbing up the staircases two floors down.

He grumbled angrily under his breath, twisted his hands together before stretching his arms anxiously over on top of his head. He stormed out of the empty bathroom and dumped the bags near the door. He glanced over at the human girl's sleeping form. Her chest softly rose and fell, head nestled in the pillows and body laying unmoving on the sheets. Before his mind went wandering once more, he turned away from her and inhaled sharply through his nose.

Luka impatiently waited for his sister to arrive, leaning his body against the wall opposite the bed. He absentmindedly pondered over how Katya would react once she stepped inside the room. He knew that she would immediately sniff out the small, lingering scent of the sedative.

His sister would bely undoubted furious – livid – to know what he had done.

Finally, the door handle twisted before it softly swung open. Katya barely acknowledged her brother as she merely nodded at him before shutting the door soundlessly. Her body then suddenly stilled. Her bare shoulders straightened out, back muscles coiled, and her fine nose tilted upward in the air slightly.

She barely inhaled before her lethal, sharp eyes captured her brothers' awaiting gaze. They flickered toward the girl's sleeping form laying unmoving on the bed.

"What have you done?" Katya whispered lowly; her words marked with a deadly tone.

Luka stayed motionless against the wall, his muscled arms folded across his chest and eyes firmly on his fuming sister. His subconsciously ground his teeth together causing his jaw to clench painfully. He knew a deadly argument was looming.

Finally, he answered her as she began to approach Maggie in a slow, watchful manner.

"I did what needed to be done."

His sister's shoulders dropped defeatedly as she looked back at her brother with intense eyes; a flicker of betrayal and sadness flashed by them. Her gaze returned to the human when Luka did not continue. Katya already knew exactly what steps he took. It was typically a standard procedure for them to erase the memories of victims violently affected by aggressive species. It ensured the survival of the victims' mental state and the confidentiality of the supernatural race. Maggie was a casualty, but Katya had made her choice when she decided to save her and divulge to her ancient secrets. Luka blamed himself for allowing himself to be weakened by his sister's kindness. He was the one who needed to make the tough decision and he failed his sibling – and the human.

Luka truly believed that revealing their world to her would have Maggie face more dangers. She would no longer be able to hide from the horrific elements of supernatural cruelty. She'd forever be haunted by the knowledge and her own experiences had proved to Luka how scarred she was.

The utter turmoil of the last few days has left Luka's whole stay in Wolverton Falls complicated. Anything chaotic or disorderly had him on edge. He despised the feeling. He stood by his decision to remove Maggie's memory of the last few weeks. For his mission's sake.

With vigilant eyes, Luka watched his sister bring her hand up to Maggie's tranquil face. She gently pushed away some wispy tresses of hair from her flushed cheeks. Her gaze lingered on Maggie's soft features until they flickered down to her own hands. His sister pulled away, a hard frown settled between her brows.

"What's this absurd devotion you have with her?" Luka questioned with utter frustration at his sister's display. He could not understand why she could not see his side. He, unknowingly, was trying to protect Maggie and believed this was the right way. Having no memory of either of them would save her life.

Katya's fiery anger returned as she glared up at him and replied with her sharp tongue, "Why are my feelings toward Maggie such a concern to you?"

He shut his mouth; lips settled into a firm line as a growl rumbled up from his chest. He remained silent for a moment, having trouble selecting the correct words.

"I am your brother, Katya," He finally answered with a hiss. Her name was particularly pronounced in an angry manner as he pointed a finger at the unconscious human across from him. "She has been a problem since the beginning, this was the best decision –"

"No!" Katya interrupted him with a vehement shout. Her usual kind brown eyes flickered with a threatening hue of gold. "She has only suffered at the hands of our kind! It should be our responsibility to show her that – that I –" Katya cut herself off, faltering for a millisecond before she regained her enraged surge, "You just hate that she was something that you did not predict, my brother. You do not care about her wellbeing nor do you understand –"

A furious snarl ripped past Luka's throat as he took an intimidating step toward his sibling.

"You did not see what I saw!"

Katya froze, shocked by her brother's booming voice. His usually stoic façade broke as he continued to shout, "Until we apprehend Emmett, she will never feel safe no matter how much we reassure her. She is an ordinary girl who has already been through so much – I can see it and I know you can, sister," He breathed in heavily, his husky voice trembling with unadulterated rage. "We should have followed protocol from the beginning because it has never failed us, and we should not have wavered that for a simple girl!"

"Luka –"

Amidst their vulgar arguing and thunderous growling, there was a sudden shift in the air that stilled the siblings.

They frowned at each other, haltering their argument.

It had been less than hour and the lycanthropes could sense the abrupt change in the sleeping human's heartbeat and her body make miniscule movements. It was not possible. The sedative should have her knocked out for hours.

Katya and Luka's stunned gazes returned to Maggie who let out a deep, breathy exhale.

She was waking up too soon.

"What – what happened?" She whispered, her hands coming to rest against her forehead. She blinked her brown doe-like eyes up at the two people standing stoically in front her.

Neither sibling answered nor moved a muscle. Only stared.

She frowned at them and tilted her head in question, "Luka?"

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MUSIC: Still Don't Know My Name by Labrinth

NOTE: thoughts on the chapter? a big conversation in this chapter which I felt was needed to clarify how luka and katya were feeling about the situation. also, maggie wasn't affected by the amnesia concoctive - do you guys know why that might be? do you think luka made the right choice? 

please vote for the chapters! x