Return of the Alpha Read Online Free PDF Page A

were forced to abandon you.”
    “In Camthorpe?”
    “That's right. I think your amnesia was the result of being brought out of the coma too quickly. The wender berries must have kick-started your memory.”
    “You should have told me all of this before.”
    “I know, and I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure if you'd be able to handle it. You've already been through so much.”

Chapter 5
     
     
     
    LOUISE
     
     
    I didn't know what to think. I wanted to be angry at Craven for keeping me in the dark, but I knew he'd done it with the best of intentions. And besides, how could I be angry with someone who'd spent forty years looking for me? He'd never spoken in any depth about the ordeals he'd encountered during that time, but I was sure it hadn't been an easy existence. Few shifters could have survived on their own without a pack or a territory for as long as he had.
    “What did you tell Zema?” I asked at breakfast the next morning. “Did you accept his offer?”
    “We didn't really get the chance to discuss it after you'd been taken ill. I said I'd let him know today.”
    “When you speak to him, will you ask him to apologise to Olivia for me?”
    “I'm sure that's not necessary.”
    “All the same. I wouldn't want her to think her meal had anything to do with my fainting.”
    “Did you have any more dreams last night?”
    “Yes.” I hadn't been sure whether to share this. “I've remembered more about Marlow.”
    “What?”
    I didn't know where to begin.
    “Louise? What did you remember?”
    “I can't be sure. It's more of a feeling than a memory.”
    “What? Tell me.”
    “I think he and I were—”
    “What? Mates?”
    This is what I'd been dreading. I could see the devastated look on Craven's face.
    “I'm not sure. If I knew, I'd tell you. I just have the sense we were together for a long time. I'm sorry.”
    “There's no need to apologise.”
    “I'm not even sure it happened or if it was just a dream. Marlow might be a figment of my imagination. My mind is all over the place. Anyway, this doesn't change anything. You're still my fated mate. You're the only one I've ever truly loved.”
    “I know.”
    “I did remember one other thing though.”
    “What?”
    “A word: 'Semron'. I don't know what it is.”
    Craven went into the living room to do a search on his laptop. “There's a territory named Semron. It's to the north. Several hundred miles away.”
    “It's probably nothing.” It was time to change the subject. I could tell Craven was still reeling from my earlier revelation. “Why don't you give Zema a call?”
    “To tell him what?”
    “That you'll accept his offer to become alpha of course.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Of course. It's your rightful position. The one you gave up to search for me.”
    “What do you intend to do about Marlow?”
    Craven could read me much too well.
    “I have to find out what happened.”
    “The past is best left behind.”
    “I can't. You know I can't. I won't rest until I know what happened. I have to try to find Marlow.”
    “Then I'll come with you.”
    “No. Your duties are here as alpha.”
    “My duty is to be by your side. I lost you once; I don't intend to do it again. I'll go with you to Semron.”
    “What will you tell Zema?”
    “That you come first. If he's prepared to wait until we return, I'll take over as alpha then. Otherwise he'll have to appoint someone else.”
    “There isn't anyone.”
    “There's always someone.”
     
    I was still in the bedroom when I heard Craven make the call to Zema. It was obvious, from the one-side of the conversation I could hear, that Zema was disappointed, but had agreed to wait for Craven to return.
     
    *********
     
    It was almost a week before we were ready to leave for Semron. Craven had to ensure that everyone knew what was expected of them while he was away. The last thing he needed was for the security measures, which he'd put in place, to lapse during his absence. Craven also wanted to ensure