"What? But how? They were the best of the best," Aselia couldn’t believe the words Yurian had just uttered. It was like yesterday when she was sitting with Marhia joking around. She was the only other female platinum hunter along with Aselia and both of them had been friends for quite a while.

Tears welled up in her eyes as emotions got the best of her. She stared at Silver Wolf, remembering how close he was to his partner.

"The enemy was formidable and we underestimated their power and paid the price," Silver Wolf replied with gritted teeth, his nose flared from the seething anger he was experiencing, thinking back on the incident.

"I am so sorry Silver..." tears trickled down her cheeks as she touched his arm and he didn’t recoil back or showed her animosity. Knowing she didn’t remember any of it and was experiencing this emotional turmoil all over again.

"Yes, it has devastated all of us. That’s why we want to keep you safe, we already lost Marhia. We need to be very vigilant now. So do as you have been instructed by Aldridge and Yurian," he slightly patted her hand which rested on his arm and she nodded.

"Come, you need to pack before we can leave," Yurian instructed and guided her towards her room, she silently followed for a while before speaking:

"What else are you not telling me? Taking out the Alpha team is not a feat anyone can achieve. Who was it? Is it the same person who is after me now?"

"Partner, you have just recovered. Don’t forget what Dr Sumeria said, don’t overstress your brain. Exactly the reason I didn’t want to dump everything on you. Stay relaxed, I will tell you everything in time," his pleading tone told her there was a lot more that had happened. Her headache was growing stronger with each passing second, so she didn’t push him for any further information.

Reaching the room, Yurian asked her to pack whatever she wanted to take along, he then headed to his room to do the same.

Aselia took out a bag and a hand carrier and began to pack her clothes and other accessories. There were some new clothes she didn’t remember along with a white shirt with magnificent wings painted on it and she wondered why she bought a shirt with wings, they seemed beautiful though. Instinctively, she pressed it to her nose and smelled it. It had a faint petrichor smell to it. She carefully folded the shirt and placed it inside her bag with her other clothes.

Her mind was in constant turmoil, a lot was not making sense to her.

Why did she only lose a year’s memories, this fact was very specific. Her hair was perfectly cut and dyed as if done by a professional. How could someone have done that if she was lying unconscious? There was no sign of head injury on her head and Yurian said her ribs were injured.

So Aselia lifted her shirt to see the wound, there was a scar between her abdomen and ribs. But it seemed old, at least a few months and not weeks. She touched it and it didn’t pain and yet there was this uneasiness in the pit of her stomach and then slowly it began to grow.

Her heartbeat picked up the pace and she felt like screaming for no reason at all as if someone was calling out for her in extreme agony. Her head pounded so loudly that she almost staggered and a scream escaped her.

One of her hands clutched her head and the other her heart, but that emotional pain she didn’t even understand only grew and she whimpered again in the pain it brought her.

Her door opened and Yurian rushed inside:

"Partner," he yelled and steadied her before she could fall. "What’s wrong?"

"It hurts, Yuri. I don’t know what’s wrong, but my head and my heart hurt and there is this uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. Something is wrong," Yurian guided her to the bed so she could lie down. Sweat trickled down her temples and back and she was almost panting.

He offered her a glass of water from the table and she hurriedly gulped it down but her condition didn’t improve. Yurian understood what might be happening, it was the bond they shared that was most probably wreaking havoc.

"Deep breaths, just keep taking deep breaths," Yurian instructed and she obeyed.

"I think these are the after-effects of the accident. As time will elapse this will pass too. Hang in there," he held her hand seeing how lost her eyes looked. She was suffering for something she didn’t even remember. Something that should have been erased, but he could only erase her memories, there was nothing he was able to do about this damn bond between them.

Yurian knew he needed to talk to him once alone and figure out how to rid her of this bond too. He wanted Xiran to be completely gone from her life without leaving any traces or suffering for Aselia to go through. She had suffered enough at his expanse.

Gradually Aselia began to feel better. Palpitation of her heart stopped and her headache lessened as if some emotional switch had been turned off and she relaxed.

"Yuri! I feel better now, thank you," she breathed out and sat up.

"Are you sure?" he inquired not letting go of her hand but saw that her breathing was steady now.

"I am, let me finish packing," she got up from the bed. Her sixth sense told her that this was not normal and she decided to get to the bottom of this without telling anyone. Seeing her lost in thoughts and with her forehead creased, Yurian spoke before exiting the room:

"I have something for you, that will cheer you up. Consider it your birthday gift."

Aselia was left standing there when he returned after five minutes with a basket in his hand on which sat an adorable white and brown puppy.

"Here, his name is Rony."