Chapter 17
532words
Dominic trapped me in Grey Pack's London castle for an entire day.
His wolf eyes rimmed with red, almost obsessively making me identify objects from our past—
The Mate necklace.
A moonstone set in silver. His gift when he'd asked me to be his Mate.
Antlers from our first hunt together.
A wolf fang pendant—his gift to me.
An Alpha's canine tooth—irreplaceable and sacred, only ever given to one's true Mate.
The vintage pocket watch I'd given him for his birthday...
He presented each item with desperate hope, searching my eyes for any flicker of recognition.
But.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Not even a spark.
My eyes remained clear and empty—devoid of any emotional connection.
Finally, the truth sank in. I was no longer his Isabelle.
His control fractured. He began to half-shift—
Eyes blazing gold, fangs elongating, muscles rippling beneath his skin.
He stared at me in disbelief, raw vulnerability threatening to spill from his reddening eyes.
In the end.
In a last desperate attempt, he cornered me before the roaring fireplace, words pouring from him in an unstoppable torrent.
About the sacred vows we'd planned to exchange.
About running wild through Scottish forests together.
About his love for me—not just the instinctual Mate bond, but genuine, soul-deep love.
About his countless regrets.
And that final argument—
Just before graduation, he'd demanded I follow him to Scotland, join Grey Pack.
No explanation. No compromise. My wishes completely disregarded.
I'd frozen him out for weeks, planning to discuss it rationally once my anger cooled. But before that could happen, his father had dragged him back to Scotland.
Too proud to admit the pressure he faced, he'd never explained his father's ultimatum.
Seven years had passed since then.
He told me about his life in Scotland—his ascension to Alpha, the orphaned wolf cub he'd raised by hand.
He talked until my head spun with the weight of a history I couldn't remember.
When he finally fell silent, his wolf eyes held a tiny, desperate flicker of hope.
As if waiting for me to say the magic words that would make everything right.
Anything—a memory, a feeling, even small talk—anything to fill the void between us.
But I said nothing.
I had nothing to give him.
The light in his eyes gradually extinguished, his powerful frame seeming to collapse inward.
The mighty Alpha sank to his knees before me.
For an Alpha to kneel was the ultimate surrender—an admission of complete defeat.
His arms encircled my waist, his voice a broken rasp.
"Say something, Isabelle, anything... please..."
From deep in his throat came soft whimpers—the sound of a wolf in unbearable pain.
I stared down at his disheveled dark hair, a strange ache blooming in my chest.
After a moment's hesitation, I offered the only truth I had, my voice gentle.
"Dominic, I truly don't remember any of it."
"You need to let go of these memories. Move forward with your life."
His only response was ragged breathing. Choked sounds. Low, animal growls from his throat.
I felt wetness seeping into my shoulder.
Firelight flickered across his devastated features.
In the shadows, I stood motionless, letting him grieve for what we'd lost.
