Lunch with Artemis' parents had run smoothly as Sol had expected though they did leave just before desert. Artemis had enjoyed getting to know them all but had found it all very overwhelming. Sol was just glad that her parents seemed to understand that she needed time to process things, not that he would have cared if the situation was otherwise.

And so Sol had lead them both back to their guest cabin where Artemis headed upstairs to change into something more comfortable while Sol waited for her downstairs, casually scrolling through some channels on the television.

He had decided that he would take her out on a run through the woods. That would help clear her mind. And thankfully it seemed to work.

Both wolves, a stark black one and a ginger she-wolf that darkened the closer it got to the tail ran together without a care in the world. When they were running together he didn't have a messed-up childhood and she couldn't not remember having a childhood at all.

Once Artemis' legs started to ache for running for so long, she howled before gradually coming to a stop. Sol followed. Artemis was the first one to transform back into her human body, not caring that she was naked as she bent down and untied her top and jeans that she had tied around her ankle earlier. After she had gotten dressed, she turned around to find Sol just zipping up his jeans without a shirt on.

The man seemed to always be half-naked.

Artemis was barefoot but she didn't mind walking around the forest with no shoes on. Walking over to the lake that they had stopped nearby, she rolled up her jeans to her calves not worrying too much about stretching them since they were more of an elastic, stretchy material. Dipping her toes in the water, she closed her eyes and leaned back with her arms stretched out behind her to support her weight.

It didn't take long for Sol to join her though he didn't bother rolling up his jeans like her. Instead, he just let his jeans get wet.

She enjoyed the feel of the soft winter breeze against her face, the wind whipping at her hair softly. "What did you think about my parents?" She asked, waiting anxiously for his response. His opinion meant a lot more to her than she let on and definitely a lot more than he thought it did.

"They seemed nice."

"Just nice?" She found herself asking, prying for some more information. Artemis wasn't able to analyse the situation properly herself since she was very nervous and her mind had been scattered all over the place so Sol's input here was very vital.

"They really love you." He assured her, his eyes watching her closely as she stared ahead.

"Even after all these years?"

Sol nodded but she more sensed it than saw it.

"What do you think I should do?" She asked, her voice low and gentle, almost lost to the faint sound of the water rushing slowly down the stream.

"I think you need to make that decision yourself." He replied truthfully.

Artemis sighed and leaned back even further so that she was now lying down on the forest ground on her back, her toes still dipped in the water, occasionally creating small ripples.

She closed her eyes and thought, really thought. Sol didn't speak once though he did eventually lean back on his arms and join her on the ground, his arms folded so they were rested on his stomach while hers rested by her side. In her heart she knew what she wanted though she did worry about the reaction of her family but above that, she worried about what Sol wanted.

Artemis was aware that Sol's life was far more peaceful and possibly even safe before he had taken her under his paw but she hoped that he had enjoyed it as much as she did. Before Sol, Artemis couldn't even remember what her life was like or what kind of living situation she must have been in for her mind to block all her memories in order to protect the rest of her.

All she knew was Sol and she just hoped that he felt the same way. If he didn't then she wasn't sure what she would do or where that would place her. Even if Sol denied her request or seemed to feel uncomfortable about it, Artemis knew that she wasn't ready to just head home and move in with her parents, brother and sister-in-law. Even if Sol disagreed with her and kicked her out of the forest cabin that she had shared with him for the past few months, Artemis knew that she would never forget him even if he did her.

Opening her eyes, she was met with the faint blue of the sky, a few clouds dulling the colour of it, attempting to hide it all. It was starting to get dark and soon but she didn't mind. As long as Sol was by her side, she was safe.

Sol was still there, lying on the ground next to her. Artemis relied more on him than she was ready to admit, even to herself.

"Whatever happens, I don't want to move here. I don't want to live in this pack."

Sol didn't say anything, though she could feel his eyes on her as she sat up.

"I want to stay with you." She whispered, her eyes staring straight forward, refusing to meet his. Sol released a sigh of relief, not realising that he had been holding his breath for the past couple of minutes, scared of her decision.

"Whatever happens, it doesn't feel right to just move back to this pack and pretend that everything is okay because it isn't. I don't remember my past and I definitely don't remember my family, but that doesn't mean that I'm not willing to get to know them and stay in contact with them regardless of where I choose to live. And even if I don't live with you, I'm still not ready to come live here."

"I thought you said you wanted to stay with me?" Sol found himself asking. The words rushed out of his mouth before he could even think on the matter too much. He was aware that he was coming across as needy and desperate but at that current moment, he didn't care.

Sol didn't know what he would do if Artemis decided to stay.

She nodded, the movement only slight yet he still saw it. Turning her head to the side, she looked at him. "I do. But in case you don't want that..."

Sol chuckled lowly though it wasn't as light-hearted as he had hoped it would be and it didn't help that he replied almost instantly, almost afraid that if he hesitated too long then she would change her mind. "I want that, I do."

"You don't think it's selfish, is it? To not want to move here and live with my family?"

Sol shook his head. "No, I don't think it's selfish." He replied truthfully, his worries easing slightly now that he knew that she had no intention of leaving him. Sol felt selfish which was ironic since she believed herself to be selfish but unlike Artemis, he didn't feel the least bit guilty. "Sometimes its good to be selfish."

Artemis nodded in understanding. She felt slightly better at her decision now that she was talking about her feelings. "I think jumping straight into lunch with everyone was a little much for me. I know that there weren't many people but it still felt quite overwhelming especially with the way that my parents kept staring at me."

Sol nodded in understanding. "That's understandable. They've been without you for so long and all this time they had thought that you were dead and now, you're sitting across from them eating your mother's pot roast and laughing at your dad's corny jokes. I think it was overwhelming for them too."

"You're right," she agreed and sighed. "I just feel bad that I still can't remember them. I mean, I can tell they're my parents and that Apollo is my brother -the resemblance is too uncanny to ignore but I just don't remember anything about my childhood."

Sol sat up and reached over, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled her into a hug. Kissing her on the top of her head, he rubbed his hands down her back, soothing her. "Everything will fall into place, I promise."

Artemis nodded and hugged him back. "I really hope so." She muttered, her voice muffled as she spoke against his chest. "I really do hope so."

-

"I know, Beth. I know. I'll be sure to visit when I back home." He sighed and closed his eyes, though opened them quickly once he remembered that he was a conference call where the person on the other end could both see and hear him. "Is there anything else you're worried about?"

Beth smiled. "Other than the issue with one of the vending machines, everything else has been perfect."

Sol nodded gratefully. Beth was a great manager who was able to work independently and give him the peace and quiet that he needed and desired. Beth managed his one and only hotel that he owned which was in the city and with her being so efficient at her job, Sol rarely had to go into the city to oversee things himself. Though he did stay in touch with Beth just to make sure things were running smoothly.

"I'll drop by the hotel some time next week and see if I can fix that vending machine." He promised before continuing to speak casually to his manager for a few minutes. After that, he hung up and pushed himself back on the bed, his head resting on Artemis' pillow. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep sooner than he anticipated.

While Sol slept peacefully, Artemis was in her parents' house, sitting with her mother over a cup of coffee. It was awkward at first, mostly because her mum had been so surprised to see her ringing on their doorbell, though she had been very quick to get over that surprise and replace it with an ear-splitting grin and usher her daughter into their house.

It seemed that Artemis' father was out with some of the warriors while Apollo and her sister-in-law, Cass, lived in a separate house. This meant that Artemis got some alone time with her mum which she very much appreciated.

Artemis had requested a black coffee when her mother had offered her something to drink. It wasn't he favourite but it was something that she would be able to knock back easily. It was also quick to make which meant that they wouldn't have to wait too long in silence while Sienna made it.

Raising the mug to her lips, Artemis sipped at her coffee, watching her mother from the brim of the cup. "Apollo mentioned that I'm the younger twin."

Sienna laughed and nodded, wiping away a few happy tears. Artemis didn't comment on that. "Only by a few minutes but when you were younger and somebody would bring up the topic, he would always make sure to throw it out there. That he was older. He used to act as if he was older by years and not minutes."

"It sounds like we used to be close." Artemis noted aloud.

Her mother nodded. "You were inseparable even if you spent half that time fighting."

"What was I like as a kid?" She found herself asking, genuinely curious. Just because she couldn't remember anything about her childhood at the current moment, it didn't mean that she would never be able to. As far fetched as it sounded, Artemis found herself hoping that being around her family, even if it was for a short period of time would trigger her memories and she would be able to remember.

"You were such a sweet, loving kid. And absolutely adorable too. You and your brother used to your father and I whenever we used to train the little kids. You were a little young to join in at the time but it didn't stop you two from pretending that you were old enough to train as well, even if you were just play fighting each other." Her mother stared down at the cup, watching the dark liquid that sat still there, lost in her own memories.

"Dad used to train the kids as well?"

"He used to help out sometimes. When you were younger you used to say that you wanted to be a warrior just like dad."

"He didn't like the idea?"

"No, he absolutely loved it. Naturally, if one of you twins did or wanted something then so did the other. Your father was so proud that you guys wanted to be a warrior like him." Her mother sniffled and dabbed at her eyes lightly. She tried to be discreet but there wasn't much room to hide especially since she was sitting across her daughter with only the kitchen island to separate them.

"How did I go missing exactly?" Artemis gulped but was glad that she had asked. Apollo had already told her the story but she had wanted to know from her own mother.

"We still don't know exactly. There was a rogue attack one day and by the end of it, you went missing as well as a few of the other children. I think there was about three of you missing in total as well as a few adults that were injured, though none were killed."

"What happened to the other children? Did they return?"

"No," she shook her head. "Their bodies were found within a week, just outside the pack borders." She tried to blink back the tears but that didn't help much at all.

"Dead."

Sienna nodded and sighed. "We don't know how they got there without any of the warriors or guards sensing it but we did have suspicions that whoever had taken and killed them was using something to mask their scent."

"And you thought I was dead as well?"

"We never did find your body but yes, we did think you were dead when the other two children were found. We waited for your body but we never found it. We just assumed that they had disposed of it elsewhere." By the end of it, Sienna's voice had cracked and tears had begun freely running down her face, no longer able to hold them back.

Artemis nodded and blinked back a few tears though she too, was unsuccessful like her mother. "I don't remember anything about you or dad, or even Apollo."

"I know, sweetie." Shea attempted to smile through the pain and the tears and even if it did come out as more of a grimace, Artemis didn't care.

"I don't remember my childhood." Her voice was quiet and low, vulnerable; nearly as vulnerable as she felt in that moment.

"I know," Sienna repeated, reaching forward to grab Artemis' hands. At first, she was hesitant, not too sure how her daughter would react but when Artemis didn't flinch, she applied some light pressure and held her daughter's hands. "But we'll make some new memories, okay? Ones that you'll remember and no one will take away from you."

Artemis nodded and squeezed her mother's hand gently.

Artemis didn't remember anything of her past and she certainly didn't remember the people whom called themselves her family, but she was determined to change that.

She refused to let her blurry past dictate her future.

-

You can wait for the next chapter which will be uploaded on 25/12/2019

OR

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Layla Knight

05.09.18