The forest was dead silent except for the sound of my uneven breaths. My body ached, my legs sore from walking for what felt like hours, but I couldn’t stop. I had nowhere else to go.

The rogue—Hendery, as he called himself—led me deeper into the woods, his steps light, barely making a sound. He moved with the ease of someone who knew every inch of this land. I, on the other hand, stumbled over roots and uneven ground, my body sluggish from exhaustion.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, feeling the faint warmth there. The reminder of my baby, of Noah, twisted my heart into something raw and broken. He didn’t know. He would never know. The father of my child had no memory of me, and worse—he had looked at me like I was a stranger.

A cold wind swept through the trees, making me shiver. I finally found my voice, though it was hoarse.

"Where are you taking me?"

Hendery didn't stop walking, but his voice was low when he answered. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere they can’t find you."

They. Caroline. The Sinclair Pack. The mate who no longer remembered me.

The pain of it was still fresh, a deep wound that refused to close. I had spent weeks begging Noah to remember, waiting for his warm gaze to soften when he looked at me, praying that he would wake up and realize who I was. But none of it had happened. Instead, I had been cast aside like I was nothing.

The moment I saw him holding Caroline in his arms, I knew I had lost. I bit my lip to keep the emotions at bay, but it was getting harder to hold back.

After what felt like an eternity, we reached a small clearing where a wooden cabin sat hidden between towering trees. It looked abandoned, but when Hendery pushed open the door, I realized it wasn’t.

Hendery motioned for me to sit near the fire, and I didn’t argue. My body was ice-cold, and for a moment, I just focused on the warmth licking at my skin.

"You need to hear the truth," he said. Hendery sat across from me, his dark eyes serious. "Someone erased his memories."

The room seemed to shrink around me. I shook my head. "That’s not possible. The healer said—"

"The healer lied." Hendery’s voice was sharp. "Or maybe they don’t even know the full extent of it. Either way, Noah’s condition wasn’t caused by his injury. It was caused by black magic."

Black magic.

The words sent a chill through my spine. Magic like that was rare—dangerous. It came with a price.

I swallowed hard. "Who?" My voice cracked, but I forced myself to ask. "Who would do this to him?"

Hendery didn’t answer immediately. His eyes studied me, as if weighing whether or not I could handle the truth.

I already knew.

The moment he spoke her name, it only confirmed what my gut had been screaming all along.

"Caroline."

Of course. Of course, it was her.

She had always wanted Noah back. She had always looked at me like I had stolen something from her. And now, she had taken everything from me.

"She erased me from his life," I whispered.

Hendery nodded. "And she replaced herself in the space where you used to be."

A hollow ache settled in my chest. It made sense. Noah remembered her. He looked at her like she was his entire world. And me? He had only seen a stranger.

I felt sick.

I pressed my hands against my stomach again, grounding myself. I wasn’t just fighting for myself anymore. I was fighting for my baby.

"How?" My voice was barely above a breath. "How do I fix this?"

Hendery hesitated. "Black magic isn’t easy to undo. And the deeper the spell, the more dangerous it is to break."

"I don’t care." The words left my lips before I could think. My wolf stirred inside me, weak but determined. "I have to get him back."

Hendery sighed, rubbing his temples. "You don’t understand. If we try to force Noah’s memories back, it could break him."

I blinked. "Break him?"

"The mind isn’t meant to be tampered with like this," he said. "If we go against the magic, he could lose everything. Not just his memories of you, but all of his memories. His identity. Who he is."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. If I tried to make him remember, I might lose him forever.

My hands trembled. The weight of that possibility crushed me.

But could I just leave him like this? Living in a lie? Loving the woman who had destroyed him?

I closed my eyes, exhaling shakily. "There has to be a way."

Hendery was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "There is."

I snapped my eyes open. "Tell me."

His expression darkened. "You have to get close to him again. You have to make him feel something for you. Only then can we weaken the spell. Only then can we bring him back."

My chest tightened. The thought of facing Noah again—of watching him love someone else while I fought to break through to him—felt unbearable.

But what choice did I have?

I looked down at my stomach. I had no choice.

Noah had the right to know he was going to be a father. And I had the right to fight for the love that had been stolen from me.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and met Hendery’s gaze.

"Then I’ll do it."

Hendery watched me for a long moment before nodding. "Then be ready," he warned. "Because once we start this, there’s no turning back."

I wasn’t turning back. I had already lost Noah once.

I wasn’t going to lose him again.

I had imagined this moment a thousand times before. The day I would tell Noah that we were having a baby. I had planned to surprise him in our room, maybe after a long day of training. He would have pulled me into his arms, kissed me like I was his entire world, and then laughed in pure joy when I told him we were going to be parents.

But that moment would never come.

Instead, I stood at the entrance of the Sinclair Pack’s great hall, my heart pounding against my ribs as I stared at the scene before me. The grand ceremony, the hundreds of guests, the golden light spilling from the chandeliers, it was everything Noah and I had once dreamed of for our own wedding. But now, he was standing at the altar with another woman.

Caroline.

My fingers clenched around the small envelope in my hands. The proof. The only thing that could force them to let me stay.

A hush fell over the crowd as they noticed me. Murmurs rippled through the hall, growing louder as people recognized my face. Some in shock. Some in disgust. To them, I was an intruder, a ghost that should have stayed buried.

Caroline turned first. The moment her eyes landed on me, they widened in surprise, then narrowed into pure fury.

Noah… his reaction was worse.

His gaze was blank. Cold. Like I was nothing more than a stranger.

"Audrey?" someone whispered.

Caroline stepped forward, lifting her chin high. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice sharp enough to slice through the silence. "Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?"

I forced a smirk, even though my hands trembled. "Relax, I’m not here to ruin your wedding." I held up the envelope. "I came to deliver some great news."

The tension in the room deepened. Caroline’s eyes flicked to the envelope in my hands, suspicion creeping onto her face.

Slowly, I opened it and pulled out the ultrasound photo. The black-and-white image of my twins stared back at me, small but unmistakably alive. I turned the photo toward the crowd, letting them all see.

"I’m pregnant," I announced, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "With Noah’s twins."

Gasps erupted across the room. The elders at the front turned to each other, whispering in shock. A few pack members exchanged stunned glances, while others simply stared at me as if I had lost my mind.

Noah’s expression didn’t change. He remained still, unreadable.

Caroline, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to rip me apart. "You’re lying," she spat, her voice shaking. "You’re desperate. This is pathetic."

I took a step forward, meeting her glare head-on. "Lying?" I let out a small laugh, shaking the ultrasound in front of her. "This is proof, Caroline. I would have told Noah sooner, but someone made sure he forgot me."

Noah’s body tensed. His brows furrowed slightly, but he still didn’t say a word.

"The accident," one of the elders muttered. "She’s saying the accident erased her from his memories."

Caroline let out a harsh laugh. "Do you hear how insane that sounds? If Noah forgot her, maybe it was for a reason."

I turned to Noah, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Noah, do you really not remember me at all?"

Silence.

He didn’t answer. Didn’t even blink.

My fingers tightened around the ultrasound. "Before your accident, you loved me. You were going to be a father. This should have been the happiest moment of our lives." My voice wavered, but I forced myself to stay strong. "You promised me forever."

Noah finally spoke. "I don’t remember making that promise."

The words cut deeper than any blade.

I sucked in a sharp breath. I knew this would happen, I had prepared for it—but hearing him say it, with that empty look in his eyes, nearly shattered me.

Caroline stepped beside him, looping her arm through his. "Enough of this nonsense. This is our wedding day, and we don’t need some delusional ex trying to ruin it."

I smiled bitterly. "Oh, don’t worry, Caroline. I’m not here to take him back." I turned to the elders, knowing exactly what to say. "I’m here because the Sinclair Pack needs an heir."

Caroline stiffened.

The elders exchanged glances. "She’s right," one of them murmured.

"The Alpha must have an heir," another agreed.

Caroline’s fingers dug into Noah’s arm. "You can’t be serious—"

I tilted my head, feigning curiosity. "But that’s a problem, isn’t it? You can’t give him one."

A deadly silence fell over the room. Caroline’s face drained of color.

Everyone knew. Everyone knew she was infertile.

For a moment, she couldn’t speak, her lips parting in shock. Then, just as quickly, her fury returned. "You little—"

"Enough," one of the elders interrupted. He turned to Noah, his expression firm. "Like it or not, these children are yours. Audrey is carrying your bloodline. This isn’t something we can ignore."

Caroline let out a strangled noise. "You’re saying she can stay?"

Noah finally met my gaze, his golden eyes dark with something I couldn’t decipher. Then, slowly, he exhaled and turned to the elders.

"She can stay," he said.

For a second, my heart leapt. But then, he finished.

"But only until she gives birth." His voice was as cold as ice. "After that, she leaves."

The room spun. I stared at him, waiting for him to take it back. To realize how cruel he was being. But he didn’t.

He meant it. The final knife in my chest.

I forced myself to nod, refusing to let my pain show. "Fine."

The Sinclair mansion had never felt colder. Months had passed since I returned, my belly now round with the twins growing inside me, but the man I once loved still refused to acknowledge my existence.

Noah didn’t care. Not about me. Not about our pups. He wanted me gone.

I watched from the grand staircase as he walked through the halls, talking with his pack members, issuing orders, acting like I wasn’t even there. His cold indifference cut deeper than any words ever could. I remembered how he once held me, how his eyes used to soften when he spoke about having children. How he once swore that he’d cherish me forever.

Now, those memories meant nothing to him. He had no recollection of me, no attachment.

The only reason I was still here was because of the twins. And even then, he had made it clear—I was nothing more than a vessel. The moment I gave birth, I would be cast aside.

A bitter laugh threatened to escape my lips. How cruel fate was.

Caroline, on the other hand, made sure my life was hell. She took every chance to humiliate me, treating me like a lowly servant instead of the future mother of the Alpha’s heirs.

“Clean this up,” she ordered one morning, pointing to a spilled cup of tea on the floor.

I ignored her, taking my seat at the dining table.

“Did you not hear me?” Her voice was sickeningly sweet, but her eyes burned with anger.

I finally looked at her, unbothered. “You seem to have forgotten your place, Caroline.”

Her expression twisted. “Excuse me?”

I leaned forward, resting my hand on my belly. “I am the mother of the future Alpha. You, on the other hand, are just a placeholder.”

The dining hall fell silent. Even the elders who once sided with Caroline exchanged hesitant glances. They knew I was right. Caroline held no real power. She was only standing beside Noah because of the spell she had placed on him.

Caroline’s face turned red with rage.

I smiled. “Don’t worry. If Noah ever remembers me, you won’t even have a place in his heart anymore.”

Her hand twitched at her side, itching to slap me, but she couldn’t. Not in front of everyone.

But I knew she wouldn’t let this go. That night, she made her move.

I was walking down the hall when I heard her footsteps behind me. I turned just in time to see her lose her balance at the top of the staircase.

She screamed as she tumbled down.

The entire mansion seemed to shake with the impact. Gasps echoed through the halls. Servants rushed to her side as she lay there, sobbing, clutching her stomach like she was in immense pain.

The moment I saw her smirk, I knew. She set me up.

“She… she pushed me,” Caroline choked out, her voice weak and trembling.

The murmurs around me grew louder.

“Liar,” I snapped, taking a step forward, but before I could defend myself, a terrifying growl filled the room.

Noah.

His presence was suffocating as he marched toward me, his golden eyes ablaze with fury.

“How dare you,” he seethed, his hands clenched at his sides. “You would harm her while carrying my pups?”

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his glare. “I didn’t push her.”

His nostrils flared, his aura pressing down on me like a storm ready to consume everything in its path.

I could see it in his eyes. He didn’t believe me. He wouldn’t believe me. His hand shot up, and for a split second, I thought he would strike me.

But then a strong hand gripped his wrist, stopping him mid-motion.

The entire hall fell silent. I turned, my breath caught in my throat.

Hendery.

He stood between us, his expression calm but dangerous. His uniform, adorned with the insignia of the Sinclair pack’s highest-ranking warriors, glistened under the dim lights.

I froze. No… this wasn’t possible.

Hendery, a rogue, now stood as the General Sentinel of the Sinclair pack.

Noah’s fury shifted to him. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Hendery smirked. “Your new General Sentinel.”

Whispers erupted around us. I saw the confusion in Noah’s eyes, the tension in his jaw as he tried to make sense of it.

Hendery had infiltrated the Skyler pack.

But why? I watched him carefully, searching for answers, but his gaze remained unreadable.

That night, as the pack settled down and the chaos of the day faded, I confronted him in the corridors.

“You planned this,” I accused, my voice barely above a whisper. “You wanted to get close to the pack. But why?”

Hendery simply leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “You needed help.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re hiding something.”

He chuckled. “Aren’t we all?”

I hated that I couldn’t read him, that I couldn’t tell if he was truly on my side or if he had his own hidden motives.

But for now, I had bigger things to worry about.

Like breaking the spell that kept Noah from remembering me.

As I turned away, I caught sight of someone in the shadows.

Noah stood at the end of the hall, watching me.

His face was unreadable, but for a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes. Something that wasn’t anger.

Something familiar. And then, as quickly as it came, it was gone.

The spell still held him.

But for how much longer?