Page 82 of Her Arranged Alpha
I was just getting into my car when my phone vibrated. I pulled it out, stunned to see if it was Jillian. I smiled as I answered it. "It's a little early for a lunch call."
"Where are you?"
I froze, hearing how worried her tone was.
"I'm leaving the meeting. Why?"
"Do you remember my vision? That I had when we were leaving the Council meeting?"
I thought about what she'd said. Her vision of a woman in the woods. "Yeah?"
"She's here."
I swallowed. "Where?"
"She came out of the woods from where we are doing my project."
"Did she give you a name or anything?"
"She's not really answering any of my questions. Can you come here? She seems confused."
I nodded, starting my car up. "Yeah, I'll be there in a little bit."
I drove straight to where Jillian said she would be and found her and her team sitting around a woman. There was this thin-looking woman who was as pale as possible. She was wearing a pair of dirty jeans and a ratty t-shirt. She looked exhausted as she sat there looking around at everyone with wide eyes.
I walked closer, pausing just a foot away from them. Jillian walked towards me, seeming uneasy.
"What has she said?"
Jillian shrugged. "Not much. She said her memory is clipped like it's been wiped."
I knew instantly who could have done that, and it didn't sit well with me. "Do we think she's dangerous?"
"Possibly," Jillian said, chewing on her lower lip. "But she clearly needs help. We should take her home."
I looked at the girl, and as uneasy as I was feeling, I didn't feel like she was dangerous. If anything, she looked like she'd had it hard.
I nodded. "That's probably a good idea. What's her name?"
"Natalia." My head snapped as the gal spoke up in a soft voice. Her dark brown eyes stared at me. Confusion flickered across her face. "You're Maddox… aren't you?"
I stared at her. "I am."
She nodded at that and looked at Jillian. "I'm tired…"
"Let's take you to our house. Get you a hot shower and some food, and then you can sleep." Jillian reached for her, and Natalia moved like a slow, injured animal. My stomach twisted up. I looked at the guys. "Where did she come from?"
They all shrugged. "She just emerged from the woods."
I stared into them, questioning where she came from, but I didn't have long before Jillian was calling for me.
We took Natalia home, and Jillian set her up for a shower while I made up lunch. Natalia ate slowly, seeming to flinch if we moved too fast. Jillian and I were both unsure of how to handle it. I spotted bruises on her hands and felt my stomach dip with anger.
"Natalia, do you remember anything?"
She paused mid-bite and looked at me. Her lips pressed together, and I could see concern and worry flicker across her eyes. She shook her head. "I remember darkness. I remember I was doing something, but I don't know what."
"Do you remember where you came from…. where you were working?"
