"Onyx," a voice cooed. "It's time to get up."
A hand shook my body lightly and I let out a growl before swatting at it. If I wasn't awake yet, then it wasn't time to get up.
"Onyx," someone groaned. "Come on, we have plans."
With a sigh, I peaked form under the blankets and stared up at Gaius who was looking both amused and slightly annoyed. Frowning, I forced myself to get up and tilted my head at him.
"You never wake me up," I tell him.
I had been working on my speech recently. It was annoying when words came out wrong or they flowed together when I didn't mean for them to.
"I know, but we have to meet up with Gray."
My mood slightly soured at that. I wanted a day where Gaius and I could just lay around and not have to deal with the mess called our life.
"Why?" I asked instead.
"Gray wants to try and see if you're in any of the missing wolf files. Maybe you'll remember something."
"The what?" My brows furrowed and Gaius chuckled slightly.
"The missing wolf files. They're basically reports of wolves that disappeared from their packs. They're mainly high ranking wolves so it's rare that we'll find anything, but it's worth a shot," he explained.
I nodded at his words and Gaius helped me to the bathroom before going to get clothes from the closet. While he did so, I brushed my teeth and took a quick shower before getting dressed.
When it was time to leave, Gaius helped me into the car and I buckled my seat belt. I knew Gaius didn't like to drive around the pack so I had decided that after my speech improved, I would work on walking.
As Gaius drove, I looked out the window at the pack. It was a Monday so most pack kids were gone, but there were some adults walking around with kids who were too young to go to school. There were also some people who I assumed were getting ready to go to work.
Work. I wanted to get a job at some point. Gaius did everything for me and while I know he didn't mind doing so, I felt like a deadbeat.
When we pull up at the building, Gaius helps me put of the car and we make our way to Gray's office. Gaius opens the door after knocking twice and inside sits two familiar ladies from before, but I can't remember their names.
"Gaius, Onyx," Gray greets. He stares at me for a few minutes before he notices my confusion and turns to the ladies. "This is my mate, Quinn," he introduced the younger lady with golden blonde hair. "And this is Elder Rachel."
Elder Rachel nods in greeting and Quinn offers me a smile which I hesitantly return.
"Where's Foster?" Gaius questions as he leads me to a seat.
"He and Taylor had a doctors appointment today," Gray explains.
I don't know who Taylor is but Gaius seems to. He nods in understanding before taking a seat beside me.
"What about Councilman Steele?" I find myself asking.
"He is away on business but will be back later today," Elder Rachel says.
This makes me more happy to hear than it should. I don't like the councilman. At least, I don't have to worry too much about being accused of lying now.
"Do you know why you're here, Onyx?" Gray questions and I nod. "Good, then we should get started."
I notice that beside Gray sits a big folder that looked as if it was going to burst and in front of him was a computer.
"Some files are on paper and some are on computer, it would depend on when you went missing. I'd rather we start with the computer files," Gray said. Gaius nods and Gray turns to me. "I'm assuming you don't remember your last name?" I nod and he sighs before typing.
We spend the next hour and a half reading over reports, trying to see if anything matches my description or jogs my memory. Nothing does and it seems as if every case we read over, the more frustrated I get.
I want to remember. I want to know. Let me remember.
"This..isn't working," I scowl.
"Calm down," Gaius tells me as he runs his fingers through my hair.
"We still have the paper files," Quinn tells me as if that was supposed to make me feel better.
Gray closes the computer and grabs the paper files. He opens the folder and the first case is a picture of a young boy with curly dark brown hair and mismatched eyes. Gray stares at the picture for a minute before flipping through the papers.
Similar to before, Gray reads out cases with the help of Quinn and Elder Rachel and we try to find anything that sounds familiar. Some cases don't have names listed but they seem like they could be matches and Gray puts them over to the side to check on later.
"How about this one?" Quinn says grabbing my attention. "Young boy, age of thirteen went missing from his pack during the night of his first shift. His wolf was a dark black color, had dark brown eyes, and he would be in his early twenties."
Nothing she said sounded familiar to me. I shake my head and she sighs.
"Parker...Moore...Harper...Silver," Gray mumbles to himself. I snap my head up at the mention of Harper.
Something about that sounds familiar.
"What about Harper?" I ask him.
Gray's brows furrow before he grabs a case file and begins to read. "For reasons I don't know, the name isn't listed but it says that a fifteen-year-old boy was home alone while his parents were at work, when they came home their house was wrecked, there were scents from rogues, and their son was gone."
"What pack is that? That case sounds familiar," Elder Rachel says.
"It's the Solar Moon pack," Gray tells her.
Solar Moon?
That sounds familiar but why does it?
Closing my eyes I try to push past the fog in my head and figure out what's so special about that name.
"Onyx?" Gaius calls out but I ignore him and keep trying.
Come on, come on, come on!
My hands grip my head and I cover my ears to block out the calls from the others.
I'm almost through, I can feel it.
As if I'm forcing my way through a space too small for me to fit, I make my way through the fog and a number of memories hit me all at once. Most flash through my mind before they disappear but ones stays and I remember it vividly.
Mom grabs her keys while Dad stomps around the house angrily yelling on the phone. Mom has a worried look on her face as her eyes dart between Dad and I.
"Mark, we have to go!" Mom calls out. "I'm going to be late!"
Dad lets put a frustrated growl in response before hanging up the phone and fixing his tie before stomping out the house. He doesn't even bother to say goodbye.
Mom sighs and turns to me with a tired smile. Our pack was at war right now and everyone was worried, especially Dad. Mom runs her fingers through my messy black hair before placing a kiss on my forehead.
"We'll be back soon, Onyx, behave," she tells me and I roll my eyes.
"I'm always good," I tell her and Mom shakes her head with a smile.
"Stay inside," Mom tells me seriously.
I was a late shifter. I hadn't changed into my wolf form yet and she worried about me especially during times like now when we were at war.
"I know Mom," I sigh.
Mom offers me one last smile before she leaves. With it being Saturday, I was home alone. I watch them leave from the window before running upstairs with a grin. Grabbing my headphones, I turn on my computer and begin to play games with my friends.
There's a sound from downstairs but I chalk it up to Dad forget something. He's always angry these days.
Footsteps come up the stairs and my door is thrown open.
"Dad," I scowl turning around to face him, but the wolf standing in front of me isn't Dad.
A man stands behind the wolf and he offers me a jagged smile before the wolf lunges at me. I try to move past him and run down the stairs, but the man grabs me. The man drags me down the stairs and I try to kick, scream, and grab anything I can to stop him.
The man grabs a fistful of my hair before bringing his head down to my ear.
"Calm down unless you want to die," he growls out.
"Who are you? Why are you taking me?" I ask fearfully.
The man lets out a dry laugh and drags me outside before placing me into the back of his car.
"Blame your cousin."