The salty sea breeze stung my face.

Above me, Lily’s laughter rang out, light and carefree.

I lifted my gaze.

There he was.

Brooks.

He stood on the balcony, blow-drying her hair, his movements slow, deliberate—loving.

Familiar.

A scene I had once been part of, now playing out with someone else in my place.

It should have been me.

But I was nothing more than a bystander now.

Lily leaned into him, utterly at ease in his arms. And I…

I couldn’t move.

Her laughter froze me in place.

I squeezed my hands into fists, nails digging into my palms.

What if I told him the truth?

That I was his mate.

Would he believe me? Would he remember?

Or would he only pity me?

I didn’t want his sympathy.

I wanted his love.

By the time I managed to pull myself together and return to my room, it was already past midnight.

Doctor Reynolds was still awake.

"With Alpha’s keen sense of smell, he must have figured out who we are by now."

I nodded. "I know."

Brooks wasn’t just intelligent—he was calculated.

Even if he didn’t fully remember, he had to have noticed Julian’s forced familiarity with me.

"Did Julian tell him about the elders?"

Silence.

Then finally, Doctor Reynolds sighed. "He said it was an accident."

That was the only excuse that made sense.

"Alpha said he’ll return to the pack with us after the wedding."

I ran my fingers over my ring, the cool metal grounding me.

A long pause.

Then, I whispered, "He’s getting married. He should bring his mate back to visit. He should."

Doctor Reynolds hesitated. "Did Alpha ask you?"

My mind flashed back to that moment at the door.

He had asked.

And I had said nothing.

"Don’t worry," I murmured.

Doctor Reynolds’s expression darkened. "Ava, you know that’s not what we meant."

A sharp pain shot through my stomach. I pressed a hand against it, swallowing down the ache.

"But that’s what I meant."

Ten years.

From eighteen to twenty-eight, Brooks had been my world.

He was woven into every memory—every precious moment of my life.

To let go of him now?

It felt like tearing my own flesh from my bones.

Painful.

Unbearable.

By my third day here, insomnia returned.

I lay awake until dawn, staring at the ceiling, two days left until the wedding.

Outside, Lily’s voice echoed through the courtyard.

"I want a flower arch here—with red roses!"

"How long does the red carpet need to be?"

"And what size should the backdrop be?"

"Liam, if we don’t have a photo wall with our pictures, you’re dead!"

Her laughter. Her excitement. Her wedding.

I shoved my head beneath the pillow, but nothing could drown out the sound.

I had a wedding, too.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the memories poured in like a flood.

White jasmine lined the aisle—the same flowers he had used when he proposed.

The bouquet—he had made it himself.

Orange freesia. Sweet. Subtle.

The guest seats are tied with orange ribbons.

The menu, finalized after four revisions.

The wedding candies—chosen together, with our cartoon figures printed on the boxes.

I remembered walking down that long flower path during the rehearsal, his hand gripping mine.

He had been nervous. His fingers had trembled. It had all been perfect.

But that night…He never got to put the ring on my finger.

He never saw me in my wedding dress, the one with his name embroidered inside.

"I’m sorry," he whispered. "I swear, just one week. Give me one week, and I’ll be back to marry you."

I had waited. And waited. For five years.

Until one day, I received an invitation—his wedding, to someone else.

The morning light seeped through my curtains.

I forced myself out of bed, got dressed, and stepped outside.

The wedding preparations were already in full swing.

Workers bustled about, setting up the venue.

And then—

"Ava!"

I turned just in time to see Lily running toward me.

She grinned, sticking out her tongue like a playful child.

"I need a favor."

A favor? From me?

And I never could have imagined what it would be.

**********

The white backdrop was covered in photos.

Memories. Moments frozen in time.

Lily sighed, her voice soft with nostalgia. "Look at these. Five years of memories."

She hummed happily as she attached each picture, her hands never still. Chatting. Laughing. Reminiscing.

Lily was the kind of person who thrived on connection. Or maybe she just wanted to share her happiness with everyone.

"This one," she pointed, "was right after Liam was discharged from the hospital. He was so skinny back then—but still so fierce."

She giggled, shaking her head.

"I saved him, you know. He’s always called me his benefactor."

I stared at the photo, my throat suddenly dry.

"I was the first to fall for him," she continued. "Chased him for two years. But he kept turning me down."

"Why?"

"He said he’d forgotten something important. He wouldn’t even consider anything else until he remembered."

I swallowed. "Did he ever find it?"

Lily shook her head. "No. We searched for three years—aimless, hopeless. Then life got tough. We went through hell together. And, well…" She smirked. "I guess he pitied me for being an old maid, so he finally settled for me."

Silence stretched between us.

Then I heard my own voice. Flat. Emotionless.

"I guess it wasn’t that important after all."

Lily frowned. "That’s not true."

She glanced at the picture, at the man I once knew. "For Liam, it’s still important. He hates treatment, but for that one thing, he spent three years in therapy."

I reached out, tracing the edge of the photograph with my fingertips.

A young man stood in the sunlight, his grin wild, reckless—free.

Alpha Brooks. Eighteen years old. Arrogant. Gentle. Mine.

A lump formed in my throat.

"Why bother?" I whispered. "If he forgot, maybe it wasn’t meant to be remembered."

"Ava!" Lily called, waving an orange pen at me. "Come sign your name!"

I took the pen, felt the weight of it in my palm.

Then hesitated. "Never mind. My handwriting is awful."

The wedding flowers needed to be picked up.

Liam was too busy with the preparations, so Lily dragged me along.

I could have refused.

But I didn’t. Maybe I was just looking for an excuse.

An excuse to hear more about the past five years.

The flower fields stretched before us, a sea of colors beneath the golden afternoon sun.

"Look," Lily said, crouching down. "Freshly bloomed freesia. Want some?"

I reached out, plucking one between my fingers, breathing in its delicate scent.

Orange freesia.

His favorite. Mine, too.

Lily shook her head. "I like flowers with bold colors. Strong scents."

I glanced at her, at her bright red dress, at the fire in her eyes.

She was a red rose.

Vibrant. Passionate. Full of life.

The kind of woman who could heal even the deepest wounds.

The kind of woman who had healed him.

As we made our way back, Lily suddenly crouched down again, scooping something off the ground.

"Look at this—mountain pitaya!" She grinned. "Liam loves these. Let’s bring some back for him."

I froze. I didn’t even know that.

A bitter realization settled over me. Apart from his face…Nothing about Alpha Brooks was familiar anymore.

A distant sound pierced the air. A low, guttural howl. Something primal. Unnatural. The animals felt it first.

Birds took flight. Rabbits bolted. And then—A slow, eerie ripping.

The sound of something shifting. Changing. Breaking.

My pulse spiked.

Shit.

I looked up. A full moon. Damn it.

I had forgotten what tonight was. A shadow moved behind us.

Tall. Menacing. Red eyes glowed in the darkness.

My stomach dropped.

"Liam?" Lily’s voice was hesitant.

Confused. Afraid. But this wasn’t Liam anymore.

This was Alpha Brooks. And he had lost control.

He lunged. Straight for Lily.

I didn’t think. I moved.

Using every ounce of strength in my body, I shoved her out of the way.

Pain.

A sharp, searing impact.

I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs.

Dirt. Blood. Crushed flowers beneath me.

"Ava!"

Lily’s panicked scream barely registered.

I pushed myself up, pain radiating through my ribs.

Alpha Brooks loomed over me, his body rigid. Trembling.

His scent filled my lungs.

Close. Too close.

For the first time in five years, I was in his arms again. And for a split second— Just one.

He froze.

Something deep inside him recognized me. Even if he didn’t remember— His body did.

"Lily, run!" I screamed.

Because I knew one thing for certain.

If he fully lost control…

None of us would make it out alive.