Kael’s heart raced in his chest as he stood hidden just outside the doorway, overhearing Bella’s quiet confession to Zeryth. Her words, so fragile and filled with uncertainty, struck him like a blow to the gut.
“What if I don’t want to remember?”
The question hung in the air like a challenge, one that Kael wasn’t prepared to hear. His hands balled into fists, the tension in his muscles coiling as he fought to keep his emotions in check. But they were all too raw, too exposed. He couldn’t let her walk away from their bond, not like this. He wouldn’t let Zeryth—or anyone—convince her that forgetting was the answer.
He stepped into the room with a force that made both Bella and Zeryth turn toward him. His eyes, dark and stormy, locked onto Bella, the woman he loved, who seemed so distant and cold now. She looked at him with confusion, her eyes filled with a mixture of pain and indecision.
“Bella,” Kael said, his voice low and strained. “What the hell is going on here? Why are you even listening to him?”
Bella stiffened, her eyes flitting to Zeryth for a moment before settling back on Kael. “I’m trying to figure out who I am,” she said, her voice trembling with barely contained frustration. “How can you expect me to love you when I don’t even remember who I am? Who we are?”
Kael’s breath caught in his throat as the weight of her words hit him. He took a step forward, his voice growing more desperate. “I’m trying to help you. I’m trying to bring you back to me. To us. I’ve been here, Bella, through all of this. Don’t you see that? We were together before. I know you felt it.”
But Bella shook her head, her expression flickering with pain. “I don’t feel it anymore, Kael. I don’t remember it.” She took a step away from him, almost as if she feared being too close to him. “You keep telling me about a bond that I don’t feel, about love that’s gone.”
Kael’s chest tightened painfully at her words, but he refused to back down. “You will remember. You have to. We’ve been through too much for this to end like this.” His voice cracked with a raw intensity. “I won’t give up on you, Bella. I can’t.”
Zeryth, standing in the background, watched with a calmness that only seemed to aggravate Kael’s growing frustration. The rogue was so damn composed, so sure of himself, and Kael hated it. He hated the way Zeryth was standing there, playing his part in Bella’s confusion.
“You don’t get it, Zeryth,” Kael spat, his eyes narrowing. “She doesn’t need you, not now. You don’t belong here. She’s mine, and you’re getting in the way.”
Zeryth’s gaze remained unfazed, his eyes flicking briefly to Bella before returning to Kael. “You’re too blinded by your own desperation, Kael. Bella has the right to decide what she wants. You can’t make her remember, no matter how much you push.”
Kael’s anger flared, his fangs peeking from behind his lips. “I don’t care what you think, Zeryth. Stay out of this, or I’ll make you regret it.” His voice was a low growl, the Alpha within him emerging as he took a step closer to Zeryth.
Zeryth didn’t flinch. He stood his ground, his expression unchanged. “You’ll regret this, Kael,” he said calmly. “Because Bella is not yours to command, and you need to face that reality. She needs to choose what’s best for her.”
Bella’s breath caught in her throat as the tension between the two men grew thick. She could feel the hostility in the air, a sharp divide between them. But it wasn’t just about the men; it was about her, about her future and who she wanted to be. The pressure of it all was suffocating.
“Stop!” Bella’s voice cracked, her hands trembling at her sides. “Both of you! I’m not some prize to be fought over!”
Kael’s gaze softened as he turned back to her, his anger momentarily fading in the face of her distress. But his frustration remained, simmering just beneath the surface. “Bella, I—” He stopped, realizing that his words weren’t reaching her, not in the way he wanted them to. He could feel his grip on the situation slipping. “Please, just listen to me.”
But Bella shook her head again, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m lost, Kael. And every time I try to find myself, you’re there, telling me what to feel, what to remember, what to do. I need to do this on my own.”
Kael’s heart shattered at her words. “You don’t have to do this alone, Bella,” he said softly, reaching out to her. “I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
Zeryth’s voice cut through the fragile moment. “No, Kael,” he said, his tone cold and steady. “She can do this alone, if that’s what she chooses. And you need to stop trying to force her to fit into your world. Let her choose her own path.”
Kael’s eyes flared with fury. He was done with Zeryth’s interference. Bella was his. She had to remember that.
But Bella wasn’t listening to either of them anymore. She turned away, her breath ragged. “I need to be alone,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Please, just give me some space.”