My mate was found by the Southern Pack and regained his memory.

But he forgot me.

To help him remember, I tried everything.

When I limped to bring him the rare herb soup, I overheard his friend ask:

“You’ve already remembered everything, haven’t you? Why keep it from her?”

He chuckled, a hint of pride in his voice:

“I promised her ‘one mate for life.’”

“But the Southern Pack can’t have a rogue as their Luna, can they?”

“It’s just easier this way.”

So my mate, the one I knew, was already gone.

I continued to bring him the soup.

I continued to arrange his marking ceremony with Briella Phillips.

But on his marking night, I left a rejection letter.

And stepped into the car that came to take me away.

==============================

Carrying the rare herb soup, I stumbled on my way to Talon Fernandez.

The glass shattered, and shards cut my knee, blood seeping through.

But I didn’t feel the pain.

The healer said the soup had to be served hot.

If it cooled, the potency would fade.

As I reached the door, I heard a familiar voice:

“You’ve already remembered everything, haven’t you? Why keep it from her?”

I froze.

Talon’s voice followed:

“If I didn’t, there would’ve been chaos long ago.”

He laughed softly:

“I promised her ‘one mate for life.’”

“But the Southern Pack can’t have a rogue as their Luna, can they?”

“It’s just easier this way.”

Only then did the pain in my knee begin to surface.

A slow, deep ache that seemed to seep into my bones.

When I was fifteen, I found a gravely injured boy by the river.

He remembered nothing except his last name, Fernandez.

Young and naive, we grew close, and eventually became mates.

On my birthday that year, he said he’d go to the town to find me a special gift.

He never returned.

When we met again, he was the Beta of the Southern Pack.

He remembered everything—except me.

All these years, I’ve tried everything to help him recall our past.

I told him stories, reenacted moments, sought healers, gathered rare herbs.

This bowl of rare herb soup in my hands was the result of a month in the snowy mountains.

And three days on my knees in front of the eccentric healer’s cabin.

Only to find out.

He had remembered all along.

“With the pack’s marking ceremony approaching, what do you plan to do with her?”

The voice asked, sharp and calculating.

“She’s just a rogue, lucky enough to catch Talon’s eye and enter the Southern Pack. She should be grateful.”

“What happens to her depends on Talon’s mood, doesn’t it?”

The room erupted into laughter, the sound cutting through me like claws.

After Talon regained his memory, things between us became strained. He couldn’t stand my tears, my desperate pleas for him to remember the wolf he once was—the wolf who called himself “Talon Fernandez,” the wolf who claimed me as his mate. He hated the sight of his mark on our bond, the one he had sealed with his own fangs.

He had publicly rejected me, his Alpha tone cold and final.

When I tried to leave, his mother, Iliana, the Luna of the Southern Pack, stopped me.

“He’s just injured, Skyla,” she said, her voice pleading. “He fought against his father, the Alpha, to find you. He fell while escaping the pack’s warriors.”

“That wolf loved you so deeply. He said he’d give up being Beta just to find his mate.”

“One day, he’ll remember. Could you… wait for him?”

I stayed. I endured his cold stares and the mocking whispers of the pack. I stayed, lingering in the shadows, without a rank or a place.

Two years ago, when the old Alpha passed away, I stayed by Talon’s side. Slowly, his icy demeanor softened. He began to seek me out, to crave my scent. I thought it was my devotion that had finally reached him.

But now… I wonder.

Had he remembered all along?

A tear fell into the bowl of herbs I was preparing.

“Who’s there?” Talon’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

I quickly wiped my tears, smoothing my clothes to hide the bruises on my knees. I knocked lightly on the door.

“It’s me.”

“What are you doing here?” Talon opened the door himself, his expression a mix of surprise and concern. “When did you get back? Why didn’t you let me know?” His voice softened as he took my hands in his, warming them between his palms. “It’s such a heavy snow. Aren’t you cold?”

I gave him a small smile, pulling my hands away to place the steaming bowl of broth on the table. “I brought you some hot soup,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me. “I didn’t realize you had guests. I’ll leave you to your gathering.” I dipped my head slightly in a gesture of respect and turned to leave.

“Wait.” Talon’s voice stopped me in my tracks. He reached for the leather jacket hanging by the door and draped it over my shoulders. “Go back to the packhouse and wait for me, alright?” His eyes gleamed with something warm, almost tender, like stars hidden in the night sky.

I nodded, keeping my gaze down. “Alright,” I murmured, my voice barely audible. I stepped out into the snow, the jacket wrapping me in its warmth. The cold night air bit at my cheeks, but inside, I felt a strange, lingering heat—like the remnants of a fire I couldn’t quite extinguish.

But it didn’t last. Less than fifteen minutes later, the window of the room opened. The bowl of broth I’d spent weeks perfecting, the one I’d carried through the snow to bring him, was unceremoniously dumped into the icy night. The sound of it hitting the snow was muffled, but the act itself cut deeper than any words could.

I stood there, the jacket suddenly feeling heavier, as if it carried the weight of everything unsaid. The warmth it had provided moments ago now felt like a cruel illusion. I turned away, the snow crunching under my boots, and disappeared into the night.