Chapter 2
The hospital had been in a commotion all morning. All morning since the Jane Doe had woken up. The news had spread far and wide in the hospital and people were pouring in to come get a glimpse of her. The hospital had been fighting off the press all morning, everyone wanted to see who the mysterious woman was.
Dr Calloway didn't believe in miracles. Just coincidences. The Jane Doe was brought in dead with no apparent cause of death. That didn't mean that she was actually dead, he also didn't have a chance to examine her. Whatever it was, he was determined to believe that she wasn't really dead in the first place.
To make matters even worse the woman was too disoriented to speak or even tell them anything tangible. She must have suffered from long term memory loss and they were currently running a series of tests in the lab. Dr Calloway was concerned with other grim things.
The waking of the strange woman had totally overshadowed the death of the four people who died in the car crash and he was currently on his way to pay his condolences to the Parsons who were apparently too devastated to even leave the hospital. Although the mother had insisted on seeing her daughter's lifeless body, she had passed out immediately after seeing it. Mr Parson on the other hand was quiet and stoic, his only red rimmed eyes the tell tale signs of his grief.
It was all so awful when he thought about it.
Even now, going to offer his condolences filled him with endless dread. He didn't know the girl, but he had three daughters, he couldn't imagine what it would feel like if he lost one of them. He would be absolutely shattered.
As he approached them in the hallway, he could see the withdrawn, haunted looks on their faces. Mrs Parson, a small slim woman was leaning on the shoulder of her tall husband. He looked equally as weary as she did, they were waiting for the hospital to release the body of their daughter to them.
Calloway didn't know what to say
They had run tests on her all day. She didn't know what they were for, but they made her weary, all the poking and prodding and the look they had on their faces, like she was some sort of anomaly, or miracle, the look varied depending on who was looking at her. She had to admit, it was getting sort of exhausting, but apparently not as exhausting as not being able to remember anything about herself or who she was.
The doctor had asked her several questions about herself, yet anytime she tried to draw up an image to answer the questions she came up blank. She couldn't even piece together one coherent statement if she tried. She had no idea who she was, or what she was. When she caught glimpses of herself in the mirror all she could see was short straight black hair and bits of pale slender skin. Her arms were covered in light thin scars but she had no idea where she had gotten them from, she hoped she hadn't been hurting herself, yet something told her she would never bring herself to do that.
After a while, a doctor came into her secluded room, he gently examined her again, this time, with a gentleness the other consultants didn't have.
"We have run a lot of tests, looks like everything is fine with you. We would send you home but unfortunately no one has come to pick you up yet."
She wanted to say something, but unfortunately she didn't know what to say, or how to say it.
Did she have no family?!
"We have put out a report with the police department. When your family sees it, they will come for you. In the meantime you will stay here for the night while the results of your other tests come out."
The doctor patted her shoulder gently and left. She watched him leave, not a thought in her head.
Remington Albrecht was a very busy man. Very busy and the past few days had been nothing short of hectic. Looking for his mate and wife, Valentina Combe, took more effort than he thought. It was the second time she was going missing. The first time, she had come back on her accord, three days after he sent his pack out looking for her. She gave him no explanations as to why she left.
He had been excited when he found his mate. The Silverback Pride pack had a long history of Alphas who had no mate or lost their mate before they could even meet them or right after they met them. Remy had hoped and prayed that this wouldn't be the same for him. His pack had no luna for years, for at least hundred years, there was no history of a luna. He had been born to a pack member, a woman his father had simply married for the sole purpose of breeding. Their union was a complicated one and his father was a very troubled man. He had spent years looking for his mate. To no avail. He died searching for his mate.
Remy had been determined not to end up like his father, or have the same obsession with finding a mate, but in the end things had gone very differently. He found Valentina and a part of him had been hugely relieved that he wouldn't end up the same with his ancestors. Because even though he had denied and lied to himself that he didn't need a mate, he felt strangely complete when he found her. That was when he knew that he couldn't afford to lose her.
But Valentina was different. She was cold, elusive and he knew nothing of her past. She said she was an omega, so he knew nothing of her pack origins. He had ignored all the signs and his pack was very excited and grateful to finally have a luna, regardless of the complications she came with.
They had a short engagement and got married very fast, the Luna rites proceeded fairly quickly too. Surprisingly, Valentina was the one who rushed the process, claiming she wanted to be his Luna as soon as possible so she could feel the sense of belonging and safety that came with a pack.
He had no qualms with that, he could understand where she was coming from. She was an omega.
Barely days after the wedding she had started acting really strange, she would receive strange calls outside the house and spend hours on a run. Then when she went missing at first he had almost gone crazy looking for her, she came back on her own accord and refused to tell him of her whereabouts. Her mind was closed off to him too, even though his mother had assured him that with time they would be able to read each other's thoughts like mates did, it never happened for them. Valentina just created more distance between them.
And then finally when things started to look like they were normal again she went missing again, this time he felt increasingly worried because he could barely feel the mating bond between them.
So, he had gone out himself to find her.
And his search led him to Oak Creek, a small town at the outskirts of the city. The town was usually a drive through and a pit stop for most, since it was impossible to miss.
Barely a day in the town and he already got a lead. A woman had turned up in the hospital, the local police station had uploaded her picture on their site. By all accounts she was missing and unaccounted for.
He left the police station with a lead and they led him to the hospital where she was in.
The officer looked at Remy incredulously.
"You're her husband?!"
He asked and Remy raised an eyebrow.
"Is there a problem?"
He asked and the cop shook his head as he glanced at him.
Remy had handed him Valentina's driver's license and a copy of their wedding picture. The man still looked baffled.
"Are you taking me to her or not?"
"I will. But I might need you to answer some questions."
Remy snatched the ID and picture from the man and pocketed it again.
He sighed.
"I already answered some questions at the station. But if you need me to answer more, then I would."
"But right now, I just want to see my wife and make sure she's safe."
The officer nodded his head.
"Sure. I'll take you there."
Together they walked through the halls of the hospital, till they reached one of the rooms.
A doctor in a white coat and white beards came out of the room.
"Officer William. What brings you here?"
He asked and the officer pointed to Remy.
"This is our Jane Doe's husband. Apparently he has been looking for her for a few days now. All his info checks out."
Dr Calloway looked up at the gigantic man in front of him.
He was tall, at least 6'3. He had long dark hair in a low bun and deep set amber eyes. He was wearing a long dark coat despite the warm temperature. He found it hard to believe that the Jane Doe woman was the man's wife. But he trusted Officer Willian and he really knew very little about the woman.
"Oh. Nice to meet you Mr?...."
"Remington Albrecht."
The man said and Calloway raised his eyebrow.
An expensive name. Clearly came from old money but he strangely didn't look the part with how huge he was. He was too huge, bulky even.
"And the woman, her name you say is?"
"Valentina Combe."
He answered and Calloway raised an eyebrow.
"She chose to keep her last name."
Remington offered an explanation to the lingering but unasked question.
"Right."
Calloway murmured.
"I'll take you to her."
And he did. Remy's heart was beating wildly in his chest as they approached her room. On the way, Calloway made small talk about how she had been found unconscious in the woods and how they didn't even know the cause of her death.
She was pronounced dead.
It was a miracle she was alive!
The doctor said, even though Remy could detect a hint of disbelief in his statement. He kept quiet.
It was too long. He was practically itching to see his mate.
He couldn't wait.
The door to a private room opened and Remy looked upon the face of a woman sitting on a bed with a badly cut short black hair that barely touched her shoulders.
Valentina.
He thought as she finally raised her face.
The black hair, the pale face and the bright baby blue eyes, yes, it was definitely her, but there was something about the way she looked at him that hurt him.
No hint of recognition, no movement, not even a flinch.
"Valentina?"
Dr Calloway tested the waters.
She didn't speak.
"This man here, do you recognize him? Do you recognize the name Valentina?"
After a few seconds of what seemed to be eternity she shook her head.
Remy felt his heart sink. The doctor gave him an apologetic look before turning back to her.
"Well, this man here is your husband and he's here to take you home."