LYDIA

Even when I try, I can't keep my eyes open. My head spins and my body feels weak. My skin burns, yet a chill runs through me that makes me tremble.

"Stay with me," Dex says over and over as he drives through the empty streets. His voice is urgent, shaking slightly. The sound of the city fades into nothing as he speeds through the night. It feels like the world has stopped existing-like it's only the two of us left.

He stops suddenly, leaves the bike behind, and carries me in his arms. His heart beats fast against my cheek. I can't tell if it's fear or desperation.

"You'll be all right," he whispers, almost like he's trying to convince himself.

I force my eyes open and see faint lights in the distance-colored lamps that once glowed bright. The shapes are familiar.

"Are we in...?"

"City Hall Station," Dex answers softly. "We're almost home."

His words sound far away. I remember coming here once. It was a tour that cost me fifty dollars, and I loved every second of it. But there's a gap in my mind. I was with someone. Someone important. I can't remember who.

Dex's movement pulls me out of my thoughts. He jumps down onto the rails, heading toward a tunnel sealed off from the public. The air is heavy with the scent of dampness and decay. Then, as if by magic, it fades away.

We descend deeper, and I hear his boots striking metal steps. His grip on me tightens, protective and certain.

"Not much farther," he murmurs against my hair.

When I open my eyes again, I see light spilling over stone. My breath catches. We've stepped into a space so vast it could hold an entire skyscraper. In the center stands a tall, magnificent structure.

"Impossible," I whisper.

It must be the fever making me hallucinate. But Dex doesn't look surprised. He walks straight toward the glowing building and slips inside through a wide entrance.

"Brad!" he shouts as soon as we enter. His voice echoes across the massive hall. "Brad, it's an emergency!"

My surroundings blur. Sounds twist together. The people, the walls, even the floor seem to move in waves.

"What happened?" a woman's voice asks. She sounds young, sharp, and frightened.

"Baron bit her," Dex says quickly.

"Oh no, Dex, this is bad," the girl replies.

"I know. Brad, she doesn't remember anything..."

I blink, trying to focus. A woman leans over me. She has smooth brown skin, full lips, and thick onyx hair tied behind her shoulders.

"You have to save her," Dex says beside her, his voice tight with pain.

"I'll try," the woman answers softly. Her hand presses against my forehead.

A sharp sting runs through my arm. I glance down and see a needle piercing my skin. Warmth spreads through me, and everything turns to black.

When I wake, it feels like I'm drowning in air. My chest heaves, and someone screams nearby.

"It's not working!" the woman yells. "Baron's poison has already spread too far!"

"I can't let her turn into one of them," Dex says through gritted teeth. He's holding my hand so tightly I can feel the tremor in his fingers.

"What can we do?" he asks.

"Your blood," the woman says suddenly. "We need your blood to fight the poison. It's the only way."

Dex curses under his breath. His hand leaves mine. I try to focus on him, but the world swims in and out of view. I see him raise his hand to his mouth and bite into his wrist. His blood shines dark against his lips.

Before I can ask what he's doing, he's already leaning over me. His thumb brushes across my lips, parting them. Then his mouth covers mine.

I feel the warmth of his blood between us, the heat of his breath mixing with mine. The taste is nothing like I imagined-not metallic, but sweet, almost intoxicating.

The moment it touches my tongue, I gasp. Air fills my lungs again. My body comes alive. My hands clutch his arms as his lips move over mine, gentle but desperate.

He pulls back slightly, his breath rough against my cheek. "Good girl," he whispers.

"She's stabilizing," the woman says quickly. "It's working."

Dex doesn't hesitate. He bites his wrist again, and before I can think, his lips meet mine a second time. I swallow the warm liquid as his tongue brushes mine, slow and deliberate.

When he finally pulls away, I can breathe again, though part of me doesn't want him to stop. He wipes the blood from his lip with his thumb and presses it to my mouth.

"Lick," he says.

Without thinking, I obey. The taste lingers-sweet and strange.

"That should hold," Dex murmurs, his tone quieter now. He turns away, folding his arms, as though trying to compose himself. My heart beats wildly in my chest, but the dizziness is gone. The weakness has vanished.

Now I can see the room clearly. It's an infirmary, clean but dimly lit. The woman-Brad-looks exhausted.

"That will slow the poison," she says.

"Poison?" I ask weakly.

She nods. "Vampire poison. It entered your system when Baron bit you."

"It was changing you," Dex says, his expression dark. "But my blood will stop it-for now."

"At least long enough for us to find a cure," Brad adds.

Dex exhales deeply, his face shadowed with worry. Before I can ask more, the door bursts open.

"Lydia!" a familiar voice cries. "By the goddess, you're alive!"

A girl rushes toward me and throws her arms around me. Her hair smells faintly of jasmine and smoke.

"I thought I'd lost you," she whispers.

When she pulls back, I stare at her. Her face looks like mine-but softer, prettier. Her eyes are blue, her hair darker. She looks like a version of me that belongs to another life.

For a moment, I can't speak. I only stare, trying to remember her.

Trying to remember everything.

LYDIA

"I'm sorry," I whisper to the stranger and take a small step back. "Do I... know you?"

The moment the words leave my mouth, the girl stiffens. Her expression changes as though I just threw ice water on her.

"What?" she says sharply, her tone tight and hurt.

Before I can say anything else, Dex places a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turns toward him, her eyes full of confusion and pain. There's something in the way he touches her-gentle, protective, that stirs an unexpected wave of jealousy in me. I quickly push the feeling away. It doesn't make sense.

"Don't take it personally, Linda," Dex says quietly. "She doesn't remember me either."

Linda's eyes widen. The hurt fades, replaced by shock.

Before anyone else can speak, the doctor, Brad, I think they called him, steps closer.

"It's possible Baron did more than just drink her blood," Brad says in a thoughtful, serious voice. "He must have given her something, a drug or a poison, that suppressed her memory."

Dex nods, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Maybe. She didn't seem to recognize him either."

"Who?" I interrupt, my voice sharper than I intend. "Who are you talking about?"

No one answers. They just exchange quiet looks, as if I'm not even in the room.

Linda finally speaks again, her voice trembling. "I don't understand... what really happened?"

Dex exhales heavily and leans against the counter. "Things went wrong," he admits. "We were late. I barely got Lydia out of there before Baron tracked us down."

"Is the pack still there?" Linda's voice breaks with worry.

Dex closes his eyes for a moment. His jaw tightens before he shakes his head slowly. "No. They escaped. Some are hurt, but no one died."

Both Linda and Brad let out shaky sighs of relief.

I cross my arms, feeling frustration boiling inside me. "I don't understand any of this," I say. "Who are they? Who are you people? And what exactly happened to me?"

They all look at me then, three pairs of eyes, each filled with different emotions. Brad looks sympathetic, Linda looks heartbroken, and Dex... Dex looks unreadable, but there's something in his eyes that feels too familiar, like he's holding back everything I'm desperate to know.

Brad clears his throat softly and steps forward. "My name is Brad," he explains gently. "I'm the doctor of the Silver Crescent Pack." He pauses, grimacing a little. "You might not remember me, Lydia. We think someone used a kind of poison or spell to erase your memories. But this place, this pack, is your home. You belong here. You and I were close friends."

Before I can respond, Linda steps closer, tears filling her eyes. "I'm your sister," she blurts out, her voice cracking. She grabs my hand tightly. "We're twins, Lydia. My name's Linda. Please, you have to remember me."

I stare at her face, searching for something-anything, that sparks a memory. But there's nothing. Just emptiness and guilt.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, shaking my head slowly.

Linda's lips tremble. She covers her face with both hands as quiet sobs escape her. I feel a sharp ache in my chest watching her cry, pain mixed with confusion and helplessness.

Dex gently pulls her into his arms. She clings to him, and for a moment, I feel like an outsider watching something deeply personal. He holds her, but his eyes stay locked on me, steady and intense.

Who is he? Why does he look at me like that?

"We'll explain everything once things calm down," Dex finally says, his voice low but certain. "Right now, Lydia needs to rest and recover. That's what matters."

Linda sniffles and steps away, wrapping her arms around herself.

Brad nods. "He's right. Rest first. The rest can wait."

Dex shakes his head. "Not here."

Before Brad can protest, Dex moves toward me. Without warning, he pushes the blanket aside and lifts me effortlessly into his arms.

"Dex!" Brad exclaims. "She's safe here. You know that."

"I know," Dex says, though his voice sounds firm and final. "But I'm not leaving her again. The last time I did, Baron took her. And look what she's been through because of it."

His words hit Linda hard. She looks away, her shoulders shaking.

Dex walks out of the infirmary, carrying me as if I weigh nothing. I'm too stunned to fight it.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask softly.

"To my room," he answers without hesitation.

My heart starts pounding in my chest. He glances down at me, a faint smile curving his lips.

"Don't worry," he says quietly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

My cheeks flush. Does he somehow know what I was thinking? Can he read my thoughts too?

"I don't understand," I whisper. "Why are you doing all this for me? I don't even know you."

Dex stops walking. The hallway falls silent. His gaze meets mine-deep, unreadable, but full of something I can't name.

"Yes, you do," he says softly.

"I don't," I insist. "I don't know who you are, where I am, or what any of this means."

He takes a breath, as if steadying himself. "My name is Dex Wright," he begins slowly. "I'm the leader of the Silver Crescent Pack, a pack of shapeshifters. Wolves."

For a second, my mind goes blank. His words sound like something from a story, impossible and wild. But then I remember the night-the shadows, the fangs, the claws, and I can't deny what I saw.

"Even if that's true," I murmur, shaking my head. "What does that have to do with me? What do you have to do with me?"

Dex's expression changes. His eyes soften, but there's sadness there too, a pain I can almost feel.

"Because you and I are one," he says quietly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "You might not understand it now, or even remember it. But you're my mate. The one chosen by the Goddess to be with me, for a lifetime. For all eternity."

His words steal my breath. My heart pounds so loudly I can hear it echoing in my ears.

For a lifetime. For all eternity.

It feels impossible, and yet, somehow, it feels like the only truth I've ever known.

LYDIA

Dex's hand settles gently against the hollow of my waist. He stops walking suddenly and pulls me close, his touch firm but careful, as though he's afraid I might disappear if he lets go. His other hand moves to my cheek, his thumb tracing slow circles against my skin. The simple movement sends shivers down my spine and makes my lips tingle.

His gaze locks with mine-intense, pained, yet determined. There's so much emotion in his eyes that it roots me in place. I can't look away even if I want to.

"I know this doesn't make sense right now," he says quietly, his voice low and rough. "Baron played a cruel trick on us when he erased your memories. But you belong to me, Lydia. You always have. Just like I belong to you."

My heart skips a beat. His words feel impossible, too much, too fast. Someone like him, so powerful and unreachable, saying I belong to him? It feels unreal.

"I want to believe you," I whisper, though my voice trembles. "But everything is just... confusing."

"I know," he says, and his expression tightens with frustration. "Baron has twisted everything by erasing your memory."

Dex steps back, taking a deep breath. Then he reaches for my hand and leads me down the corridor until we stop before a dark wooden door. He pushes it open and gestures for me to enter.

The room takes my breath away. It's large, almost as big as a luxury apartment in the city. Shades of black, gray, and white dominate the space, giving it a cold but strangely calming feel. A massive bookshelf fills one entire wall, crammed with books from floor to ceiling. Across from it, tall windows overlook what seems like the center of the cave, their view hidden behind long black curtains.

I walk in slowly, hesitant, taking it all in. Dex closes the door behind us and sits on the edge of the bed, his eyes following me as I wander.

There are pictures everywhere, on the dresser, the mantel, even on the bookshelf. Pictures of us. Of me and Dex together. Of smiling faces I don't recognize-Brad, Linda, Clara, Calma, and Jack, people who look like they once meant something to me.

He can't be lying. These are real.

"How come I don't remember any of this?" I ask, frustration bleeding into my voice. I pick up a photo, my hands shaking slightly. I'm smiling in it, standing beside Dex and the others like we're a family.

Dex studies me carefully. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know," I admit, running a hand through my hair. "Everything feels blurred. I remember waking up in that dark room before Baron... before he bit me." My throat tightens at the memory.

"And before that?" Dex asks, leaning forward. "What's the very last thing you remember before the attack?"

I close my eyes and try to focus. I dig deep into the haze of my thoughts until small fragments begin to surface.

"A kitchen," I whisper slowly. "The walls were yellow. There was a table in the middle covered with a white tablecloth... and flowers."

Dex nods. "Your parents' kitchen. You're remembering a place you haven't seen in over eight years. You must have been around twelve then."

I stare at him in disbelief. "How is that possible? How can I remember that, but not everything else?"

He sighs and looks away for a moment. "Like I said, Baron erased your memories."

"Including Linda?" I ask. "She's my twin. How could I forget her?"

"She's tied to this world," Dex explains softly. "If Baron wanted to remove us from your mind, he would've started with her-and with me."

"But why?" I demand, my voice breaking. "Why go through all that trouble? Why erase my memories if all he wanted was to kill me?"

Dex's expression hardens. "Because he didn't want to kill you. He wanted to turn you into one of them, to make you his."

His words hit me like a cold wave. My breath catches, and the phantom sting of Baron's bite burns at my neck. Everything that's happened rushes back-the fear, the pain, the chaos.

Dex doesn't move. He just watches me silently, waiting for me to process it all. I lean against the wall beside the shelf, folding my arms tightly across my chest.

"I can see you're not lying," I admit quietly. "But you have to understand... none of this feels real. Even if I believe you, it still feels"

"Impossible?" he finishes for me, his mouth curving into a bitter smile. "Humans always struggle to accept what they can't explain, even when the truth is staring them in the face."

Annoyance flares in me. "Would you believe a stranger if they told you fairy tales were real? That everything you've ever known was a lie?"

"I would," he says without hesitation, stepping closer. "If I saw it with my own eyes. Only a fool denies what's right in front of him. And as far as I know, you're not a fool."

He keeps coming closer until his height forces me to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. My arms are still crossed, but it feels more like a weak defense than real protection.

He places one hand against the wall beside my face, leaning in until I can feel his breath against my skin. His eyes search mine like he's daring me to deny what we share.

"What about you and me?" I ask softly.

"What about us?" he counters, his tone guarded but filled with something deeper. His lips twitch into a crooked smile as he gestures toward the photos around the room. "The proof is everywhere, Lydia. You just don't remember it yet."

My heartbeat quickens. "You said we're... together? Like a couple?"

"It's not like human relationships," he replies, his voice dropping to a low rumble.

"Then what is it?" I whisper, my curiosity outweighing my fear.

Dex's eyes darken as he slowly licks his lower lip. A faint, dangerous smile plays on his face.

"I can show you," he says softly, his voice edged with both promise and danger. "I can prove it to you."