Chapter 10
417words
I arrived early.
I ordered a latte and sipped it slowly, my thoughts drifting inevitably back to Sebastian.
When Dominic walked in, he saw me with that silly grin.
"Well. Does the Ashford daughter find me that pleasing?"
He dropped into the chair opposite me, his expression still carrying that insufferable arrogance.
Those amber eyes, set in his harsh features, studied me without pretense.
An invisible aura radiated from him, causing nearby humans to instinctively shift their chairs away.
I caught his sarcasm and replied flatly, "Dominic, don't embarrass yourself."
We still had unfinished business from the fight club.
"Hah." He scoffed, his eyes flashing gold momentarily.
"Tell me, Ashford, still holding a grudge? It's been years. Time to let it go, don't you think?"
"You're the one who can't move on," I pointed out.
His gaze faltered briefly before he laughed it off. "Bullshit."
"Isabelle, if you still remember what we shared, I'm willing to forgive and forget. That vampire pet of yours? I'll pretend he never existed."
He spoke casually, but those wolf-gold eyes never stopped scanning my face for reactions.
Finally, his Adam's apple bobbed as he forced out the words.
"Us. Let's start over."
"I'll say this one more time. He's not some plaything. Sebastian is my partner." Anger crept into my voice.
"Fine, fine. Then with your—"
He paused, pressing his lips together, forcing out three words.
"Vampire—"
"Break up. We'll start fresh."
"Dominic, are you out of your mind?"
"Yes. I'm out of my mind." He picked up my words, speaking slowly, enunciating each syllable. "So could you please take pity on me and stop being stubborn?"
Outside, the sun climbed higher, streaming through the café's large windows.
Thank god it wasn't midday, or Sebastian wouldn't have been able to enter at all.
Pedestrians hurried past on the sidewalk.
He watched me carefully, the veins on the back of his hand standing out as he clenched his fist. Those golden eyes held a flicker of hope.
I met his gaze, my anger suddenly evaporating. "Dominic, I lost my memory."
He went completely still.
"I don't remember you."
"Isabelle." He suddenly forced out a laugh, voice stiff. "You're joking. An Alpha like me—how could you forget?"
The final words barely audible.
His gaze dropped to the medical file I'd slid across the table.
"I had an accident. My memories are gone, Dominic."
My quiet confession reached him over the café's soft jazz.
