The Alpha's Amnesia

r stood before the mirror, his fingers hovering over the smooth surface. He looked a

es, which used to be so familiar, suddenly seemed far away. He ran a hand through his black hair and noticed it had grown lon

t of familiarity. But all he saw was a

He turned just as Elara walked in. Her eyes relaxed when they met his, but he

er and whispered

id in a voice that was h

ached for him, but Ryder moved back, holding on to the table's edge wh

nd closed the gap between them. "You're not the only one going through this." "We'll fig

There was something very wrong. He didn't know what to make of

Ryder stayed where he was, his mind raci

med so strange, Ryder gazed at the closed door. His thoughts were all over the place, and his recoll

rd him, her body slim and graceful, and her silver hair flowed behind her like a cloud. "I'm sorr

But the way she walked and the care she took with every motion made him nervous.

she said with a soft smile th

she sounded unsure. "Is it?" he questioned, loo

d her ear. Ryder's eyes moved to the movement, and there it was: a small scar on her wrist disguised by the sleeve of h

ale. "Where did

en them broke. A shadow crossed her face, and she stopped breathing. "It's nothing," she said h

The acute, animal instinct screamed

, but the disquiet was suddenly heavy on his ch

oo quickly. Too careful. "Don'

eyes stayed on her wrist the whole time. The scar stayed in his memory, bothering him

His senses were sharper than ever. The smell of her, the lovely smell

"Tell me about the scar," he said. He meant his voice to be stronger, b

quiet between them seemed thick and heavy. "Ryder," she murmured, her

You could feel the tension in the

fore she smiled. "We don't have to tal

irs on his neck spring up, and the air around them seemed to get heavier. He reached for her

ing. Elara hastily took her arm away, and h

er voice sounded strained. "Let's focus

eyes darkened. There was more. There

topped moving, and a recollection hit him like a wave crashing. Elara's fac

llection was there, clear, but it didn't make sense.

oke in a quiet,

lready turned away from him, her back to hi

e," she begged, her voic

t, but Elara's smile, which was tight an

n't go away. Ryder's memories were still jumbled, but there was

Ryder could see that she was not okay. Her forced smiles and laughs that didn't quite reach her eyes wer

alked about small things like the pack, their future, and their rehabilitation, but Ryder couldn't unders

her fingers brushed across his softly,

His gut told him she was hiding much more than she was saying. The mark. The point of the debate. The w

s real anymore. He was

s something else there that Ryder couldn't ignore. A question. It w

ired, her voice gentle, but she

didn't know what to say, but he did know that the gap between them had grown

ver really remember. Would he ever know the

blinked, and it was gone, replaced by the ma

nking about the doubt in he

ing in circles. His body felt heavy, tired, and broken, like it belonged to someone

. Ryder, on the other hand, watched her every move. Her sp

g to hide any signs of stress. She reached for the water pit

d to, gods. She was all he had in this broken world, yet the more he watched her, the less sure he was. His wolf encoura

ion was tricky for him. "Why do I feel that I

d to hide the fright. "What do you mean? Ryder, you've

w uneasy he felt in his stomach. He looked at her very intently. There was m

rything is fine," an

s if his body was telling him something his intellect couldn't understan

this was real? Or was there something else goin

his arm, but this time he flinched, and his body let him down. Her smile faded for a time, and h

ng. Had his thoughts turned against him? Or was there som