You Rejected Me. Remember?

Leo

Jace and Jett brought me around the kingdom in the hopes that someone would recognise me. Jett drove me to his office while Jace chauffeured me around. I ended up visiting most of the Wizard Kingdom’s main locations and meeting many of their friends. However, we had to return each time without running into someone who knew who I was.

It was depressing. I was losing hope by the end of the month.

It wasn’t the end of the world, though. There is still reason to be optimistic.

That was what I kept telling myself. A member of my family was a member of a werewolf pack. All I had to do was figure out which one it was. Even though I didn’t know which pack my mate and her family belonged to, there were occasions when I felt compelled to try to trespass their territory. It was, however, a long shot.

I would be chastised if I ended up in the incorrect pack. In that case, I wouldn’t be able to find my family or re-discover the abilities I’d lost track of. I was hoping to achieve both objectives as soon as possible, so the risk of trying to cross the perimeters of a pack was a little too daunting.

I gradually gained strength in the days that followed. I began to utilise my hands more effectively. After a few weeks, I attempted for the first time to connect with my internal energy.

It started off as nothing more than tiny sparks exploding from my fingertips. It was aggravating. Jett and Jace, on the other hand, were encouraging.

“It’s possible that the powers need to be reawakened. It’s possible that it went dormant as a result of the trauma your body endured.”

They informed me. As soon as miss Wilma returned from the lycan kingdom, Jace promised to take me to meet his mentor so that I might regain the talents I had lost.

Regardless, I never gave up trying. Weeks passed, and not a single day went by without me attempting to reactivate my abilities. It was difficult, and dealing with failure after failure was discouraging.

Nonetheless, I didn’t allow anything to get in the way of my desire. Finally, after countless endeavors, I was able to ignite a small flame on my fingers.

I was giddy as I glanced at it. It was a significant accomplishment. Despite this, I believed I still had a lot to learn.

“Hey, Jack, what’s up…?” It was Jace who entered the room. “What are you doing?” He inquired as he peered inside the space.

I looked at him with a grin on my face. His lips stretched.

“Wow, you finally activated your abilities!” He was overjoyed.

“Yeah,” I said, my gaze drawn to the small fire flashing on my palm. I tried to touch the flame, grinning from ear to ear.

“Ouch!”

When the heat burned my finger, I let out a yelp and Jace began to laugh.

“That was a blaze. What did you expect to happen?”

I scratched the back of my neck with a smug grin.

“Well, I’m not sure… ” I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. “Hasn’t your mentor returned yet?”

I stretched my body while I changed the subject.

He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

“I’m not sure. She had never been gone for so long before. Whatever was going on in the Lycan kingdom had to be significant.”

I flopped back into the mattress with an annoyed m**n.

“I should probably get started on something. It appears that I am stranded here.” I made a comment. “I want to do something useful.”

Shrugging his shoulders, “I can teach you what I know,” Jace volunteered, much to my joy.

I exclaimed, “Yes! That would be great!”

His countenance suddenly changed. Pursing his lips, he looked at me.

“Right, Jett and I have been talking about something,” he mumbled as he entered the room.

I focused entirely on him. Something about the way he spoke drew my interest. It gave me the impression that the subject was highly delicate.

“Yeah, what is it?” I inquired enthusiastically.

He leaned forward on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees. As he tapped his foot on the tiles, his face was wrenched into a deep grimace. I waited for him to say something, but he stayed silent, creating an uneasy atmosphere in the room.

“Well?” The silence was broken by me. “What exactly is it?”

Dread began to sink in my chest all of a sudden. It had been nearly two months since I moved into his home. They didn’t demand that I pay rent or buy groceries. To be honest, I didn’t have much to offer them, but could it be that they’d had enough of me?

I took a big gulp. Maybe he wanted to tell me that I should contribute to the household. He might be finding it hard to express. Perhaps I should start by breaking the ice for him…

“Is this about me, Jace?”

He gave me a sidelong glance when I voiced my thoughts.

“I’ll make an effort to locate work. I’m not sure what I could do, but maybe a janitor’s job might suffice for the time being…”

His scowl became much more pronounced.

“What?”

I just shrugged. “You know… so I can assist with grocery shopping or even pay the rent.”

He answered, “What the f**k… there’s no way you’re going to pay us anything.”

“But…”

“That was not what we were speculating about,” he cut me off.

“We talked about the situation you were in when you were discovered. You were barely alive at the time. There were serious bite marks on your body, as if something or someone was attempting to kill you. Not to mention the enormous quantity of energy you expended, as determined by hospital tests. What if someone was attempting to kill you, Jack?”

He sounded truly concerned.

“It was assumed that you lived among the werewolves. Perhaps someone didn’t like the fact that you were hitched to one.”

He mentioned it, and pulled his lips together in a grim line. I kept looking at his face. His demeanour indicated that he was worried about my well-being, and while I didn’t like the sound of what he said, I had to concede that he had a point.

“Please accept my apologies, Jack. But I’m very concerned about you. I don’t want the person who attacked you to be able to complete the task he began. I believe I appreciate having you around since you’re an awesome friend, ” he explained.

I found myself smiling sadly.

“But, my mate…” I trailed off when I saw him nodding his head.

“You’ve been marked by her. That suggests she is most likely interested in you,” He informed me.

I considered it for a while.

Why should I back off if she wants me?

I straightened my back with a fresh resolve.

“I don’t care that someone is attempting to murder me. That person is free to go to hell. I’ll track her down and we’ll be together. I am not afraid of being in danger.”

My declaration was unequivocal. With a smirk and a nod, Jace left the room.

“I don’t believe you’ve ever been afraid of danger. You’re a savage. You surely did put up a great fight against whatever attacked you.”

My lips twitched in response to his remark.

Yes, I’m a fighter, and if necessary, I’ll battle for my love.

Over the days that followed, Jace attempted to teach me what he knew, as promised. I was able to make better flames and have better control of my gift with his help. Despite accepting that finding my family would have to wait until the Lycan kingdom’s turmoil was calmed, I kept longing for a stronger indication of who I was.

Every day after he returned from his duties, Jace trained me. I prepared for him as usual because my sessions were what kept me going. Without it, my life would have been monotonous.

Jace barged into my room, grinning from ear to ear, clearly enthralled by something.

“Guess what?” He exclaimed. He sounded overjoyed. “Miss Wilma has returned and agreed to visit you tonight!”

My pupils dilated. “Tonight?” I asked.

Nodding his head, “yes,” he confirmed. “She returned last night because she needed to attend to some pressing affairs at the Academy. She may need to depart again, so if we want to meet her, we should do it when she offers us the opportunity. She is the most knowledgeable magician I know of. It won’t be a waste of time to meet her, ” he advised me.

“All right,” I said as I glanced at the clock. “Time?”

“Eight.”

My heart began to race. Was I prepared to face an experienced witch? No, I don’t believe so. What if she’s conceited and arrogant?

“It’s possible that meeting her will jog your memory as well. She has enlisted the help of a large number of young wizards and witches. It’s likely that you were one of her students. She might be able to assist you…”

“If that’s the case…” says the narrator. I took a step forward. “Let’s go!” I stressed.

He laughed at my enthusiasm.

“Wait… It’s only a few minutes past 5.”

The remainder of the evening seemed to go by in a blur. I wished the time would speed up a little. That night, I couldn’t wait for the clock to strike eight. I didn’t eat much at all throughout supper. I was overly enthusiastic about the meeting.

My heart pounded in my chest like it had never thumped before as Jace drove me to the venue after dinner. When it came time for me to enter the house, I took a few deep breaths to try to calm my racing heart.

Jace patted my back and chuckled.

“Relax. You’re going to be alright,” he stated.

I followed Jace as he approached a red brick home and rang the doorbell. The door swung open, which I guessed, magically, because there wasn’t anyone at the door.

“Come in,” said a female voice.

As I entered, I took a deep breath. An elderly lady stood near a wooden table, frowning at a large piece of paper that was spread on it. The paper appeared to be a map and she was deeply engrossed in it. Her scowl seemed to have exacerbated the creases on her wrinkled face. She didn’t even bother to glance at us.

She occurred to be worried about something. I waited for Jace to start the conversation and remained silent.

“Miss Wilma,” he said courteously.

She let out a weary sigh while her eyes remained glued to the map.

“So much is happening,” she mumbled. “And it is exhausting.”

She was busy, apparently.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you, Jace. It is always a pleasure.”

She turned towards us before forcing her thin lips to stretch as she greeted Jace. As soon as she saw me, she went completely still. Her smile evaporated almost instantly as her eyes opened in surprise. She exhaled deeply and covered her lips with her hand.

“Leo!”

In my head, the sound of her surprised statement echoed. I went rigid. Leo? Who was that? Her eyes glossed but she quickly blinked her eyes.

With her lips parted, she stepped towards me and reached out to touch my face with trembling hands.

I was stunned. I couldn’t discern her reaction. She cupped my face with her thin, icy hands, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Leo…” she whispered.

I glanced at Jace. Who was Leo? And why was she calling me that? Did I look like someone named Leo?I wouldn’t want to break the heart of an elderly lady. Or could it be possible that she knew me.

She turned towards Jace. “Where did you find him?” Her voice quivered.

It was apparent that she was forcing herself to speak. Her voice was barely above a mere whisper as she spoke.

Jace nervously shifted on his feet. “He was in the river. He… he was unconscious and beaten up. Uh… miss Wilma, do you know him?”

His eyes were fixed on the elderly lady as he inquired.

She let out a humourless chuckle.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I recognise my own b***d? This is Leo, my great grandson. The one we have been looking for this whole time in the lycan kingdom.”

My mouth hung open. Her revelation felt like a gust of wind that shook my entire being.

The Lycan kingdom?