Page 60 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

“Did you do this?” I ask, recognizing him. He turns around to face me and I blink in surprise. The once wild-looking man has chopped his hair off. He’s taken a bath . He must’ve stolen some clothes from the witches, because he’s wearing a billowing green tunic and pants that are too short and loose on him. Everything is held together with the help of a belt. He almost looks presentable now.

He's much older than I had first assumed. I would assume he's in his late forties or early fifties.

"Did you leave us food?” I ask.

He shrugs. “You have a problem with that?”

"I have a problem with you sneaking around when I’m trying to protect my mate.”

“By sleeping?" the man mocks. me. "Some protecting you were doing. You didn’t even wake up.”

I flush in embarrassment. "I was tired.”

He turns his back on me. “I hope that’s not how you usually protect your mate.”

It's like he's deliberately antagonizing me.

I stride over to him, and grab him by the front of his shirt. “Don’t tell me how to protect my woman. I don't need tips from you. Just stay away from us."

The man pushes me off. “Get out of my way. I’m looking for something.”

“Alex!” Sophia’s voice reaches me, and before I can tell her to stay there, she’s already rounded the corner and she’s staring at both of us. “You’re the man from the cave!”

The man stares at her, but his eyes are gentle. "You’ve recovered, little wolf. Did you eat?”

Sophia smiles at him. “Thanks. And yes, I did. You were the one who left us that meat, weren’t you?"

He nods. "You should eat more. You’re too thin."

My mate crosses her arms over her chest. "You're one to talk. Have you seen how thin you are?"

The man looks down at himself and shrugs, saying gruffly, “I’ve been here for a long time. They only fed me when I was on the brink of death."

Sophia steps forward. “Did you do all this? What are you looking for here?”

“My things.” The man returns to rummaging through the rubble. "Something to tell me who I am. I must be someone.”

There’s a hint of desperation in his voice, and despite the situation, I feel some level of pity for him. Not knowing your own identity must be daunting indeed.

However, Sophia speaks what’s on my mind. "If you’ve been here for so long, don’t you think they would have erased everything about your existence?”

Her words may sound harsh, but her tone is soft.

The man stops digging, and for a moment, I think I see his hands tremble.

"I must find out who I am. I should have kept some of them alive.”

"What’s done is done,” I tell him. "You’re alive, and that’s what should be important to you."

He looks at me and then Sophia. “But what if I had a mate?”

“If you had a mate,” I point at the center of my chest. “You would feel that bond.”

The man's quiet and the last lingering hope flickers out in his eyes. "There’s nothing.” He sinks to the ground. “I feel nothing."

Sophia exchanges a look with me and I know what she's thinking. My mate has a bleeding heart so I don't give her the opportunity to speak. "At least you've escaped. Use that fact to begin your life anew. Come on, Sophia. Let's get our things and leave. Your mother doesn't have that much time."

She shoots me an evil look, and I refuse to feel guilty for using her mother against her, but my mate has the habit of taking in strays.

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