Chapter1

I woke up groggily in the hospital room, my head throbbing like it would split open. "Lois, you utter fool!" Clara burst in, her eyes frighteningly red. "You gave that bastard everything, almost died for him! And he doesn't care if you live or die!" Which bastard? My blank expression must have seemed like stubborn denial to her. "Lois, I'm begging you, that bastard Harvey Stephens isn't worth it! Are you really going to throw your life away for him?" "Not to mention, the moment you were carried back, he was already off comforting his delicate little lover. You're not in his heart at all. Can't you see clearly?" By the end, the usually tough Clara was choking up. She gripped my hand, tears falling thick and fast onto my skin, her voice trembling. "Lois, do you realize? It was that close... your wolf soul was almost completely extinguished. I beg you, stop loving that idiot Harvey, okay?" Her words left me dizzy. I voiced the question in my heart. "Clara, what nonsense are you talking? Who's Harvey? Is he a new Omega in our Pack?" Clara's sorrow froze on her face, replaced by utter disbelief. Thinking she hadn't heard, I repeated myself. The next second, she screamed in terror and rushed out to fetch the Pack medicine man. The medicine man gave me a thorough examination. Physically, I was fine. But I couldn't connect with my wolf. I told him. He sighed and said perhaps my wolf had suffered immense emotional trauma and vanished. I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. I'd lost my wolf? Become human? Clara started ranting again, cursing Harvey from head to toe. If it weren't for his betrayal, I wouldn't have lost my wolf. "Harvey was my fiancé? Then why did I forget him?" Somehow, just hearing the name made my heart twist painfully. Clara recounted all the stupid things I’d done for Harvey in the past. Especially this time. On the way to the Pack gathering, we were ambushed by Rogues. "The exact details aren't clear," Clara said. "Harvey claims he saved you from the Rogue's claws. But isn't that what he should have done?! And the very next day after you were carried back, he was off to a werewolf soirée with his little lover! Ugh, damn bastard!" I could tell Clara genuinely despised this man. I hated him too. Just then, a large, powerfully built man walked in. He radiated a violent aura. When he saw me, his lips curled in a mocking smile. "Lois, you look perfectly fine to me. I don't see any problem." Who was this guy? I glanced questioningly at Clara. She exploded like ignited gunpowder, her tone sharp. "Harvey! Why didn't you wait until Lois was dead to show up?" I understood instantly. This was Harvey? My fiancé? I desperately searched my mind for any fragment of memory about him. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Facing him, my heart didn't race at all. He felt like a complete stranger. It was hard to believe he was my fiancé. Harvey walked to the bedside and sighed dramatically, taking my hand. I flinched like I’d been burned, instinctively trying to pull away. "Lois, stop this. I know I shouldn’t have gone to save Cecilia first when the Rogues attacked. But she's a medicine woman! If her hands were injured, her career would be over. Besides, you're fine now, aren't you? Stop acting like a child, okay?" I wasn't acting like a child. From Clara's account, I'd pieced together my past. I had loved Harvey madly, even severing ties with my birth Pack to follow him from a nobody to the Alpha of this strong Pack he ruled today. And that medicine woman, Cecilia, was the root of all our conflicts. This time, I nearly died because Cecilia insisted on coming to the inter-Pack gathering, then got lost in the forest. Harvey took me to find her, and we were ambushed by Rogues. What chilled me more was that after I was carried back, my wolf spirit on the verge of dissipating, Harvey had gone off to a werewolf soirée with his fragile little lover! Only now did he show up, insisting I was faking amnesia to punish him. Any shred of goodwill I might have felt vanished instantly. I coldly pulled my hand back and wiped the spot he'd touched vigorously with a towel. "I'm sorry, Sir. I don't know you." "Lois, stop playing these stupid games." He looked at his empty hand, clearly annoyed. "Listen, I know you're upset about the Rogue attack, about me not saving you first. I can apologize. And I promise I'll never let you face danger like that again." Harvey's apology sounded ludicrous. Clara cut in sharply, "Hurt her first, apologize later? You're a complete bastard!" Just then, Cecilia appeared, her face a mask of false contrition. She started tearfully taking all the blame. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have tagged along to the gathering. I caused all this trouble for Lois..." Huge tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked pitiful. Harvey immediately shielded her, wiping her tears tenderly. "Sweetheart, it's not your fault. I decided to go rescue you." Clara glared at Cecilia with pure disgust. "Shut up, you hypocrite! Will your tears magically heal Lois's vanished wolf soul? Maybe you should try using those 'precious' hands of yours to treat that lying brain of yours!" Faced with Clara's scorn, Cecilia showed no shame. A flicker of triumph crossed her eyes instead. She adopted a concerned tone. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have worried about Harvey's safety and caused so much trouble. Lois, please, don't fight with Harvey over this. Don't let it ruin your bond." Then, she actually tried to kneel and beg for my forgiveness! Harvey couldn't stop her. He turned and yelled at me, "LOIS! Don't push this too far!" He probably expected me to back down like I used to. He didn't expect me to stride straight up to Cecilia and slap her hard across the face. I shook my stinging palm, smiling sweetly. "There. I forgive you. After all, we must always show pity to the weak and pitiful, right?" Cecilia was stunned. She clutched her rapidly reddening cheek, tears welling up, ready to wail. But before she could make a sound, I spoke again, mimicking her saccharine tone with exaggerated flair. "Oh, dear Cecilia, don't look so terribly wronged! Is apologizing to me really that painful? Or... were you never sincere about apologizing in the first place?" "You...!" Cecilia choked on her fury, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away. Harvey exploded. "LOIS! You dare use your wolf soul disappearance to torment Cecilia?! So it's true what she said, that you always bullied her!" I met his rage without flinching. "Brainless idiot! Get your lover out of here, now, or I won't hesitate to slap her awake again!" Finally, Harvey scooped up Cecilia and stormed out, his face thunderous. After Harvey left, Clara eagerly subjected me to a series of tests. My wolf soul was truly gone. Eventually, I had to accept an absurd truth: I remembered everyone around me, except Harvey. I could recall every member of our Pack clearly. I even remembered how we seized this territory from a pack of bloodthirsty Rogues to establish this Pack. But the man who had stood beside me, fought alongside me... memories of him were wiped clean, leaving only a blank space. Clara let out a long, relieved sigh. "Oh, thank the Moon Goddess! You finally forgot that bastard completely!"