Chapter 7
I sat on the plane.
Clouds churned outside the window, golden light piercing through them and spilling into the cabin, but it couldn’t reach the part of me where my memories had already been torn apart.
I glanced at the time–just two minutes left.
In two minutes, every memory of Damon would be wiped from my mind. Even the mark he’d left on my soul would be gone.
I gently closed my eyes, the corners of my lips lifting in a faint smile. It felt like a goodbye–maybe even a release.
He must’ve read that letter by now…
Would he regret it? Would he wish he’d never betrayed our mate bond?
But it didn’t matter anymore.
I looked down and let out a soft laugh. It was clean, final.
Tahu
From now on–his path would be his, and mine would be mine. There would be no more entanglement between Damon and me.
I opened my phone and, without hesitation, deleted the last piece of contact I had with him.
Click-
In that moment, it felt like claws had ripped through my chest. The final trace of our bond snapped, collapsing like a broken soul contract. Even the air around me seemed thinner.
I clutched my chest, my heart pounding violently, as if it had just
broken free from its cage.
Memories shattered–completely erased.
It was over.
敬
I slowly lifted my head and took in a breath of air that felt clearer than
any I’d ever drawn.
A flight attendant approached with a gentle smile, setting a cup of warm water in front of me. “Miss, are you alright? You don’t look well.”
I shook my head and gave a tired, grateful smile. “I’m fine, thank you.‘
After she walked away, I stared out the window at the edge of the sky, as if I could already see the direction of my future.
On the third day after arriving at the Royal Institute of Medicine, I finally settled in.
The moment I put on the white lab coat, I could hear the echo of a long–buried voice from deep inside my soul.
This was my true home. This was where my journey as a werewolf alchemist had begun.
keese, the head of the institute, came to the lab in person. When she saw me, her eyes shimmered with emotion, her voice trembling with joy.
“I never thought… I’d lived to see the day you returned to the Royal Institute. Looks like our sealed ‘Memory Loss Serum‘ project might finally come back to life.”
I nodded and smiled, my gaze firm.
Back then, I gave up everything for Damon.
Now, I was taking it all back–for myself.
“You have my word, Reese. This time, I won’t waver. I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
She grasped my hand, her eyes full of hope and pride.
After she left, a familiar voice sounded behind me. It felt like a ghost from the past, or perhaps fate taking one last swing.
“Zoey.”
Ifroze. The moment I turned around, I was pulled into a tight, familiar embrace.
“Hannali?” My eyes widened in shock as she nearly squeezed the breath out of me. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprise!” she grinned mischievously, letting go. “I’m your assistant for this project. Assigned just to you–full–time.” Chapter 7
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“But… didn’t you stay back with the pack?”
“Please. Like I’d follow around some disloyal alpha.” She winked, then added more cautiously, “These past few years… how much do you actually remember?”
I frowned, rubbing my palm absentmindedly.
“My memory’s hazy. Ever since I took the potion, it feels like a chunk of my life was just cut out. I keep thinking… there’s something important I forgot.”
Her eyes flickered, but she quickly regained her composure and gave a light laugh, patting my shoulder.
“Then it probably wasn’t worth remembering. Honestly, I hope you never
I glanced at her, then slowly nodded. “Alright. I’ll go with that.”
That very day, we began our research.
Call
any of it.‘
I’d expected to feel rusty, but the moment I put on my gloves and stood before the workstation, the familiar weight, scents and steps of medicine all came
back like second nature.
This was where I belonged–not in some Alpha’s arms, but in a world of logic and precision.
By nightfall, the lab lights were still on. I had just finished processing a full batch of samples and was heading over to Hannah when I saw her buried under a mountain of documents, groaning in frustration.
“Zoey, go ahead and eat first. I still have a ton of paperwork to finish.”
I let out a sigh. “Alright, I’m going. But you better not stay up too late.”
I stepped out of the Royal Institute. The night air rushed against me.
In the same instant, a cold, powerful hand grabbed my arm.
That grip carried a frantic, volatile strength–like a wild wolf lunging in the night.
My pupils dilated.
A familiar scent wrapped around me, sharp and suffocating, filled with traces of old pain and the wolfish imprint buried deep in memory.
My heart shuddered violently.
Chapter 7
