I was confused. Why is Aldus talking about the difference in aging if Mateo is a human? "Didn't you say that Mateo was just a human and that is why they wanted to kick him out?"

"That is not entirely true.", Aldus said and made a dramatic pause. "You see, Damiano asked me to do a number of tests on the boy when he was about six or seven years old. Mateo was lacking the traits of an Alpha and he had shown no special abilities. And even though he had his father's DNA, and I identified a second presence inside him, the boy was unable to shapeshift. It was like his beast was dormant. Now if we assume that his beast is present and undeveloped, that would explain why he was lacking traits of an Alpha which stem from the beast." ​​

Aldus exhaled heavily. "I suspected that someone fed him a poison that affects beasts, but all the tests came back clean which means that either it happened a long time ago and it got flushed out of his system or I was wrong. Without proof, I decided to keep that for myself because telling a supreme Alpha that someone poisoned his cub is a recipe for slaughter. I would tell Damiano that the boy took after Isabella, but Mateo had the healing abilities which are common for a werewolf, and that made me believe that the boy could have extra strength, speed, or the longevity of a werewolf, and maybe even some special ability that was not discovered yet. But he was too young for most of the tests, so I told Damiano to bring Mateo to me again after the boy turns fourteen. At that time, he would be more mature, and I could also do invasive tests to check why his beast is not waking up. However, Isabella was killed, and I didn't see Mateo after that one appointment because Damiano wanted to shield the boy from anything that is not human."

OK. That makes sense, I thought. "When did Mateo disappear?"

Aldus thought for a second. "About seven years ago, maybe eight."

"And they still hope to find him?", I asked in a shaky voice while thinking about werewolves who are working for Aldus as they are waiting to reunite with their prince.

Aldus's eyebrows shoot up at my emotional display. "Are you touched by his story?"

I couldn't deny that the story shook me in more than one way.

"I am missing for three weeks, and it does not seem that anyone is looking for me, yet those rogues who work for you are longing for the boy who is not their blood relative after almost a decade. I am not so touched by his story how much I think that mine is pathetic. Was I such a bad person that no one cares about me?"

Aldus paused and his expression showed that he is not sure how to answer. Eventually, he spoke: "It does not matter who you were, Serina. You can't change the past. What matters is who you are now."

"I know, but I still want to know why."

"If there is a will, there is a way", Aldus responded. "I am sure that in time, you will remember."

I exhaled. There is no point in being sad about who I was when I have no memories. The only thing I can do is focus on the present and plan for the future, at least until I figure out who I was. I'm confident that there is a reason for everything.

I thought about those rogues. Are they lost without their leader how I am lost without my past? Due to the unknown sentimental reason, I thought that we have something in common.

"Can I meet rogues?"

"The werewolves of the leaderless Bluemoon pack who work as my security?", Aldus asked.

I nodded in response.

Aldus shrugged. "Sure. They are at Notte Pharmaceuticals. When you visit the company, I will introduce you."

"When will that happen?"

"First, I want you to be fluent in Italian. I don't want you to embarrass me.", Aldus said curtly without care if he is hurting my feelings.

For a man who is successful and seems to be a walking encyclopedia of everything ever written and then some more, I am probably an embarrassment.

While sulking silently I missed some points he mentioned, and I heard him say: "…and there will be a few more things you should learn…"

I laughed internally at my situation as Aldus started listing chemistry, biology, epidemiology, statistics, chemometrics, mathematics, physics… Of course, it's more learning! How come I didn't think of that? Did he create an immortal with a goal to stuff me within books for an eternity? Maybe visiting those rogues is not such a good idea.

…

After dinner, we headed to Aldus's lab.

Aldus was visibly excited, and I wondered if that is because he didn't gather any data from me in three days.

The only time I saw his eyes lit up with excitement (or maybe madness) is when he was immersed in his research.

I wished that one day I find a passion of my own, and I wondered if this emptiness inside me is because I lost my memories or because I never found anything that lights me up to the point of fluttering.

At the thought of flutters, I remembered Duke. The dream from this morning of our first meeting left an impression on me. Even now, when I think of his intense gaze that bore into my soul, I feel butterflies in my stomach.

Every time I dreamt about Duke, I felt warm and fuzzy, and my soul was at peace like we are supposed to be together, and the dream from this morning left me breathless and my body buzzed in frisson.

"Are you OK?", Aldus asked me while keenly observing my expression.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Aldus tilted his head. "You are quiet. And smiling."

"I was just remembering something.", I mumbled in response, not willing to tell him that I met my crush in my dream and that I was reliving it. I wanted to change the topic. "Are you going to do more tests in order to figure out how I got Lazarus to act out of character?"

"Yes. I will do additional blood tests to check your hormone levels and see if anything else is out of place. I will collect your sweat, tears, and saliva. I will start broadly because I don't know what I'm looking for. If you had any sensations at that time, it would be a clue, but like this, I need to check everything I can think of. I will examine parts of your body with the ultrasound machine…"

He was back to talking about tests and I waited for him to inhale so that I ask: "Can I stay and watch?"

Aldus's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You are interested?"

I nodded vigorously. "If you can talk to me about what is happening while you do tests, I will learn much more than sitting and reading from the books."

"We can try that, but you are lacking basics so I'm not sure how much you will understand."

"I am a fast learner.", I declared confidently. "And whatever I don't understand, I will take notes on it and research that topic later."

Aldus smiled stiffly. "Alright. But if you get in my way, you are out of here."

I cringed. Why is he treating me like I'm an idiot? Did he forget that I participated in various tests with my cells and he liked my ideas? But I knew that this is not the time to bicker because he might kick me out.

I smiled a little and hoped that he does not see that I'm faking it. "I understand."

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