Chapter 2 001-The Stranger in Her Eyes

Evelyn blinked.

The man standing at the edge of the crowd was taller than most, with ink-black hair plastered to his forehead and storm-colored eyes locked on her like she was a ghost he'd never expected to see again.

She didn't know him.

At least-she didn't remember knowing him.

Her fingers curled instinctively around Theo's-her fiancé's-hand. She felt his gaze move to hers, filled with gentle confusion. "Ev? Do you know him?"

"I-" Her voice faltered.

The tall man didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't breathe.

His presence felt too heavy, too familiar, like something from a half-remembered nightmare. Her heartbeat quickened. A whisper brushed the edges of her mind, a phantom echo of someone screaming her name through a storm.

But it was gone before she could grasp it.

"No," she said, stepping back slightly. "I don't."

Theo squeezed her hand protectively and took a step forward, blocking part of her from view. "You're frightening her. Can I help you with something?"

Kade's jaw flexed, muscles ticking like they were barely holding together.

Frightening her? Her.

His wife.

His mate.

His Luna.

And she didn't remember him?

Didn't feel the bond?

Didn't remember the child she'd given birth to?

"Her name is Evelyn," Kade said slowly, voice rough like gravel dragged across steel. "Evelyn Black."

She flinched at the last name, a flicker of confusion passing over her face. "I-I'm Evelyn Grant."

"No." His voice cracked like thunder. "You're my wife."

Gasps rippled through the villagers around them.

Theo narrowed his eyes. "You're mistaken. Evelyn has been here for the past eleven months. She was found unconscious by the riverbank-barely breathing. No identification. No memory. The healer said she had severe trauma and amnesia."

Kade's heart plummeted.

She hadn't died.

She'd survived.

And she hadn't come back because... she couldn't remember who she was.

"Let me speak to her," he said, his voice lower now, steadier. "Alone."

Theo looked at Evelyn, waiting for her to decide.

She hesitated.

There was a war inside her eyes-a flicker of recognition that she didn't understand, and a deep-rooted fear that told her she should know this man, but didn't.

"I'll be nearby," Theo murmured, brushing a kiss on her temple before walking a few paces away, though his posture remained watchful.

Kade stepped forward slowly.

Evelyn didn't move.

She watched him like prey watches a predator-not with terror, but with wary fascination.

Up close, he looked like a painting come to life. Sharp, unforgiving features. A scar down his jaw. Shoulders broad enough to carry wars. And eyes that were too sad for a man who looked so dangerous.

"You don't remember me," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "No."

He swallowed. "I'm Kade Black. Alpha of Blackriver Pack. You are-were-my mate. My Luna."

"No," she said, not angrily. Just... gently. "I would've remembered."

Kade clenched his fists. "You had a child."

Her lips parted, eyes widening. "What?"

"A daughter. You carried her to term. Gave birth. I-I held her in your arms. That night. Before the rogues attacked." His voice broke.

"I don't have a child," she said, shaking her head slowly, panic flaring behind her eyes. "You've made a mistake."

"I never forget my own mate," Kade snapped, louder than intended.

She flinched.

He closed his eyes, inhaled sharply. "Sorry."

"I'm not her," she whispered, stepping back.

"You are. You have her scent. Her eyes. Even her laugh. Your wolf-" he paused, eyes narrowing. "Can you shift?"

She blinked. "I... haven't shifted since the accident. The healer said my wolf might be blocked due to trauma."

Kade's jaw clenched tighter.

Of course. That would explain the absence of the bond. If her wolf was dormant, she wouldn't feel it. She wouldn't feel him.

A wave of helplessness rolled over him. How do you convince someone they belong to you when they don't even know who they are?

"Your favorite flower was lilac," he said desperately. "You used to hum when you cooked, even if you were terrible at it. You slept curled up like a fox and got cold without five blankets. You liked my scent because it smelled like cedar and pine. You cried when you first felt the baby kick."

Evelyn stared at him, frozen.

Something shifted in her eyes.

Her hand moved to her stomach. An echo of a movement so familiar it made Kade ache.

"I don't know why, but... that feels like something I'd do," she whispered.

Hope ignited in his chest.

But then Theo appeared again, protective and calm. "That's enough for today. She's overwhelmed."

Evelyn didn't argue.

Kade watched helplessly as she let Theo lead her away-back to the healer's hut, back to her quiet new life, back to a world where he didn't exist.

His wolf howled inside him.

Later that night, Kade stood by the riverbank where she'd been found almost a year ago.

His Beta, Rory, stood beside him, arms crossed. "You sure it's her?"

"I'd stake my life on it."

"But she doesn't remember. And she's engaged. To him."

Kade's jaw locked. "He's not her mate. I am."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "You rejected her."

Kade turned sharply. "I never said the words."

"You didn't need to. You ignored her. You broke her. She ran because she felt unloved. And now you want her back like nothing happened?"

"She's the mother of my child," Kade snapped.

Rory went still. "What?"

"She had our baby, Rory. She was holding her that night." His voice cracked. "And now... there's no trace of the child. No grave. No remains. Just Evelyn, alive, with no memory."

Rory was silent.

Kade stared at the stars above. "I don't know where our daughter is. But I know Evelyn's the key to finding her. And I'm not leaving until I get her back."

Back in the healer's hut...

Evelyn stared at the mirror.

The woman who stared back looked like her-but didn't feel like her.

She touched her lips. Her eyes. Her collarbone.

Then she pulled down her shirt slightly, revealing a faint scar over her heart. A jagged, uneven mark.

She didn't know how it got there.

But when she touched it, something burned.

Not pain.

Memory.

A whisper.

A name.

"...Kade..."

She stumbled back from the mirror, breath shaking.