Kael’s fists clenched as he approached Bella and Zeryth, the familiar burn of jealousy searing through his chest. He had never been one to back down from anything, especially when it came to Bella. But seeing her standing there with a stranger—someone who seemed to know so much about her—was more than he could handle.
“Bella,” Kael’s voice was sharp, his tone demanding, as he moved closer to her. “What’s going on here? Why are you talking to him? Why are you trusting a rogue over me?”
Bella’s eyes flickered with confusion, a flash of hurt crossing her face before she quickly masked it. She had been trying to find answers, to piece together the fragments of herself, and here Kael was, acting like she was betraying him. But she didn’t even know who she was anymore. She didn’t know what was right.
“I’m not trusting anyone,” she shot back, her voice trembling with emotion. “I don’t even know who I am anymore, Kael! You want me to remember, but you’re pushing me to feel things I don’t understand. You’re trying to control me when I don’t even know who you are. I don’t remember you!” Her words were harsh, but they were laced with the fear and frustration she had been holding in for days.
Kael’s chest tightened at her words, her rejection hitting him harder than he anticipated. He had always been the one who controlled everything, the one who protected her, and now she was pulling away from him. The pain was almost unbearable, but he wouldn’t back down. He couldn’t.
“You don’t even know me, Kael!” Bella continued, her breath quickening. “You don’t understand what it’s like to not remember who you are. To feel lost, alone, with nothing to hold onto.”
Kael’s throat tightened as her words sank in. He had never imagined this side of Bella—the uncertainty, the pain. He wanted to reach out to her, to make her understand, but he wasn’t sure how to bridge the gap that had formed between them.
Zeryth, who had been silently watching the exchange, stepped forward, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the raw emotion between Kael and Bella. He raised a hand to stop Kael from speaking further, his voice quiet but firm.
“Kael,” Zeryth said, his eyes never leaving the Alpha. “She’s right. You can’t force her to remember. Bella deserves to find the truth in her own time. She has to come to it on her own terms, or it’ll only make things worse.”
Kael’s jaw clenched as he glared at Zeryth. He had no patience for someone who appeared out of nowhere, telling him how to handle his own mate. But there was something in Zeryth’s gaze, something commanding yet measured, that made him hesitate.
Kael exhaled sharply, his anger and frustration bubbling beneath the surface. He wanted to yell at Zeryth, to demand that he back off, but he could see the truth in the other man’s eyes. Bella wasn’t the same as she had been before. She wasn’t the Bella he had known, the woman who had stood by him through everything. She was lost, and it wasn’t something he could fix by forcing her to remember.
“I’m not trying to control her,” Kael muttered, his voice strained with barely contained emotion. “I just… I just want her back. I want her to remember who she is, who we are.”
Zeryth’s eyes softened as he looked at Kael, understanding the pain that lurked beneath his words. “And you will, Kael,” he said quietly, “but you need to give her space. The more you push, the further away she’ll pull.”
Kael’s gaze shifted to Bella, his heart aching as he saw the tear in her eyes. She looked so lost, so fragile, and he couldn’t bear it. He wanted to help her, to fix everything, but it seemed like every step he took only pushed her further from him.
Zeryth continued, his voice steady and reassuring. “She’ll need to remember at her own pace, Kael. She needs to go back to where she felt most herself. Only then will the memories come back. And when they do, it’ll be on her terms, not yours.”
Kael clenched his jaw, feeling a mixture of relief and frustration. He had to admit, Zeryth was right. Bella had been through too much, and the last thing she needed was to feel trapped or controlled. But the thought of losing her, of her never remembering the love they had shared, made his chest ache.
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Kael said through gritted teeth, the pain evident in his voice. “If it means giving her space, I’ll do that. But I won’t stop trying to bring her back.”
Zeryth gave him a brief nod, recognizing the struggle in Kael’s words. He understood the desperation, the fear of losing someone you loved more than anything.
Turning to Bella, Zeryth spoke gently, “If you want to remember, Bella, you have to go back to where it all began. The place where you felt most like yourself. That’s where the answers lie.”
Bella’s heart skipped a beat at his words. Something about the way he said it resonated deep within her, like a whisper from the past, just out of reach. She wasn’t sure where that place was, but she knew she had to find it. Maybe then, just maybe, she would be able to unlock the truth of who she was and who she had been before all of this.
She glanced at Kael, her heart aching at the lost look in his eyes, before turning back to Zeryth. “Where do I go?” she asked quietly, her voice full of uncertainty.
Zeryth smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with understanding. “You’ll know when you get there. Trust your instincts. They will guide you.”