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Chapter 9
Clara shot him a look of disgust, wrapped her arm around me, and marched away without a single glance back.
Her steps were firm and resolute, like she was escorting a rare treasure. I looked over my shoulder-
He still stood there, frozen like a statue, spine straight but saturated with a kind of loneliness that soaked through his bones.
In that instant, our eyes met.
He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but no words came out.
“Why are you still looking at him?” Clara asked coldly.
I lowered my gaze and softly asked Hannah, “So… he’s the one? My mate?”
Hannah corrected me without a second’s hesitation. “Ex–mate,” she said, her tone like a blade. “You don’t need to remember. And you definitely don’t need to feel anything. Zoey, he’s not worth it.”
I gave a faint smile and nodded. I didn’t ask anything more.
Three months later, the project had progressed faster than anyone thought possible.
The moment the antidote was successfully synthesized, Hannah’s eyes turned red with tears. She screamed with joy, throwing her arms jumping like a maniac.
around me
and
“The sample’s been sent for verification! Reese and the others are on their way!” she said, gripping my hands as they trembled with excitement. “Zoey! Do you know what this means? This antidote could revolutionize psychological therapy across the entire werewolf continent! The next Silver Wolf Award -it’s yours. Even the Alpha King himself will have to present it to you!”
Exhausted as I was, I couldn’t hide the sense of liberation in my eyes.
After five long years, I had finally accomplished my dream.
But then-
The door creaked open.
A cold draft swept in with the movement.
I looked up instinctively, expecting Reese.
It wasn’t.
It was Damon.
He stood at the doorway, radiating a chilling Alpha dominance. The shadows of the night seemed to cling to him like a cloak.
He stepped forward, each movement thunderous.
“Zoey.”
His voice was hoarse and low, yet unmistakably commanding.
He approached and held out a small vial—it was the antidote.
Hannah’s expression changed instantly, fury flaring in her eyes.
“Are you insane?!” she snapped, grabbing his arm with fierce protectiveness.
Damon shook her off with a cold jerk. “I’m one of the project’s largest investors. As an Alpha, I have the right to request that she take this.”
He turned to me, gaze burning with regret and longing.
“Zoey, I was deceived by Clara. That’s why I hurt you. But she’s paid for that now.”
He lowered his head, his voice growing gentler. ” design a new wedding dress for you. You once said you loved starlight in the desert… memories return, I’ll take you across mountains and oceans. We’ll start over. I’ll make you happy for the rest of our lives.”
When
your
He took a step closer, eyes blazing. “This time, I won’t let you go.”
I met his gaze, my voice calm but sharp as steel.
“Damon, if Clara had never entered our lives, would we still be together? Would the mate bond have survived?” Chapter 9
of
the mate
Hannah frowned, trying to stop me, but I raised a hand to hold her back.
Damon didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Zoey, the one I love–has always been you.”
I stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
It was a cold, weary smile. A smile of clarity.
“You’re lying. Again.”
He froze. The fire in his eyes
dimmed.
I continued, my tone light yet merciless.
“You’ve never been faithful. If it hadn’t been Clara, it would’ve been someone else. Because that’s who you are–weak, selfish, unworthy bond.”
“Yes, I lost my memory. But I’m not stupid.”
“Did you think a few sweet words would make me forget what it felt like to have our bond torn apart?”
I stood tall, voice ice–cold.
1
“I remember that pain. Like my soul being ripped in two, like my bones crushed piece by piece.”
“But even that doesn’t compare to the pain of your betrayal.”
My eyes locked onto his, clear and merciless.
“So what if you’re an Alpha? I’m not your Luna. I’m not part of your pack. I’m not your possession. I refuse to take this antidote.”
“I don’t want to remember you.”
Damon looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
His face turned pale, his eyes a storm of pain and rage. Even the atmosphere rippled with his unstable energy.
But my gaze crushed his Alpha aura into nothing.
Hannah stepped forward, placing a hand protectively in front of me.
“That’s enough, Damon.”
Her voice was sharp, laced with biting contempt.
“Zoey’s made herself perfectly clear. So spare us the drama and don’t come back.”
She gestured toward the door, and the warriors standing nearby immediately stepped forward.
Their movements were swift and calm as they bowed slightly. “Alpha, please leave.”
The room fell into an oppressive silence.
The light from the hallway stretched across his body, casting a long and heavy shadow.
But he was no longer the Alpha who could dictate my fate.
This time, I was the master of my own destiny.
