Aiden’s POV
Slowly my lumbering eyelids dragged themselves apart and I stared at the harsh glare of the hospital ceiling light above. I could feel the slow pulse that spread dull and aching behind my eyes as if my very brain was aching with pain. My body finally responded, alert and rigid, as if the heavyweights of lead had draped around my bones and as a trial to flex my muscles, shooting spasms of lingering pain.
The surroundings of the room were bleached and motionless, the steady sound of appliances providing me with a clear sensorium of time. For a moment, I understood that I was in a hospital, and while that much was clear, the why eluded me like a shadow that slipped across the grass just as one turned to pursue it. Something was amiss, there must have been a big hole in my head that I couldn’t locate or perhaps fill. Irritation started to build up beneath the thick layer of confusion when I tried to find something in my head that wasn’t there.
Before I could breathe, thinking back at the emptiness in me, quickly there were hurried footsteps and a woman with scarlet hair came into the room her face all painted with relief and something else indescribable.
“Aiden, you’re awake!” She touched my hand, her fingertips lingering against my skin, gentle, and resonating with anticipation like it was the first time we touched.
But as I sat there staring at her, I did not feel the least attraction or even a desire towards her. It was a hole, a large nothingness into which all hope of recognition was devoured. I wanted to know, who was she? Why she looked at me like that? Yet I realized that the word ‘why’ weighed too much and felt shameful.
“I…” My modulated response emerged in a whisper and hoarse tone. “I’m sorry, but… I don’t know who you are.”
I saw the red-haired woman stiffen, and the feel of her hand in mine left me. She opened her mouth to say something but remained speechless. Pain flickered in her eyes, but she masked it quickly, glancing away before I could make sense of the raw hurt in her expression.
A second woman with dark hair entered, her face was solemn and her eyes trained on me with concern. She had an air of authority about her, but even as she moved closer, her face softened.
“It’s okay, Aiden,” she said gently, her voice calm and reassuring. “You’ve been through a lot, and it’s normal for things to feel… hazy. Just rest. In time, it might come back to you.”
I nodded, though nothing felt certain, nothing felt real. The redhead lingered a moment longer, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t return or even understand before she turned and left the room without a word.
The days bled into one another, a quiet procession of tests, checkups, and confused, unsettling glances from faces I didn’t know. They said my name often enough “Aiden.” It felt familiar, and yet so far removed from who I was now. Lucy who introduced herself to me as my sister told me of my life, I tried to fill in the gaps-how I was an Alpha, the leader of the Crescent moon pack, a protector. I was told I’d been shot, but there was nothing beyond that, every memory felt locked behind an invisible wall.
A woman called Aunt Belle was there often, and she became a presence of warmth in the otherwise sterile routine. She held her hands over my head, closed her eyes, and murmured words in a soft, lilting voice that sent a warmth trickling through my veins, like sunlight spreading from within. Each time, I felt more at ease, though the void in my mind remained, stubborn and unyielding.
As the healing sessions continued, I felt stronger, and fragments of my past began to emerge. Memories seeped in like faded snapshots, ghostly images that flickered before vanishing again. There were battles, moments of rage, snippets of responsibility but nothing about the woman with the red hair-nothing about the supposed life I was expected to return to, and my wolf, Smoke, remained silent, an empty presence I’d once known but could no longer feel.
When Lucy came to introduce herself as my sister I felt bad because I also wanted to know her, to feel that connection, but as she recounted the story of what happened to me, her words felt like listening to someone else’s life. She told me I’d been shot on my wedding day, that my own half-brother had tried to kill me because he was obsessed with Shenaya, the woman with the red hair, my supposed mate. The name felt hollow, and I tried to picture her, but every time, my mind filled in the blank with shadows instead of memories.
“I don’t remember,” I admitted, looking away from the pain that flashed in Lucy’s eyes. “I try… but I just can’t.”
She smiled her face tight with a forced optimism.
“It’s okay, Aiden. Just… don’t give up on her. Aunt Belle’s working with you, and she’s the best. When you’re ready, it’ll come back.”
I nodded, trying to push down the frustration that twisted within me. I wanted to remember, to reconnect to something real. But I could feel myself slipping, a stranger in my own life, surrounded by people who expected something from me that I couldn’t give.
The weeks went by, and with Aunt Belle’s help, fragments of my life began piecing themselves together. But as much as I tried, as much as I hoped, Shenaya was never in those fragments. Instead, memories of another woman surfaced. An image of raven hair, eyes that gleamed with a fierce determination, a smile that hinted at secrets only we shared. The image was strong and tangible, and every time I closed my eyes, I could see her face, and hear her laughter.
One morning, I was standing by the window in my room, staring out at the distant mountains, trying to make sense of the dissonance between the past I was told and the memories I actually had. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and in walked a familiar figure, a woman with dark hair, the same face from my fragmented memories.
“Skylar,” I murmured, the name slipping out before I’d even registered it. A wave of recognition hit me, something deep and powerful as if a puzzle piece had finally found its place.
Skylar smiled, though there was a tension in her posture as she stepped inside, carrying Zoey, I thought, the name surfacing instinctively.
“It’s been a long time, Aiden,” Skylar said, her voice soft, and I could see a flicker of surprise in her expression as if she hadn’t expected me to remember her name so easily.
“You…” My voice wavered as memories rushed through me, clearer and more vivid than anything I’d remembered so far. Moments shared, promises made, the laughter, the touches, the connection I once had with her. Skylar had been my fated mate, my destined one. And with her standing in front of me, it was as though the rest of my life had been erased, replaced by a certainty I hadn’t felt since waking.
“Yes,” she said gently, watching my reaction. “I see you remember me.”
A surge of relief, mixed with something darker, rolled through me.
“Why didn’t you tell me? You should have come sooner… I was floundering here. They told me someone else was my mate, that I had this life… a life I don’t remember.”
Skylar’s face softened, her gaze steady.
“Aiden. You were hurt, and from what I understood… you’ve rejected each other. You had Shenaya, the pack. It seemed only fair to let you have that life.”
“Except that life is a lie,” I replied, anger simmering beneath my words. “Shenaya isn’t in any of my memories. I have nothing with her, nothing but fragments and shadows.”
Skylar looked away, a hint of sadness flashing across her face.
“Aiden, Shenaya is your chosen mate. And I’m sorry, Aiden. I wanted what was best for you.”
Zoey, her daughter, looked up at me with wide eyes, and I felt an unexpected warmth, a sense of recognition I couldn’t quite place. Somehow, this small child felt like she belonged in my life, more real than anything else I’d tried to piece together.
I glanced at Skylar, feeling the weight of the past pressing down on me.
“I remember everything with you. Everything… except her. There’s no space for Shenaya in my mind. She’s a stranger.”
Skylar placed a hand on my arm, her gaze intense.
“Then come with me,” she whispered. “Forget this life that feels like someone else’s. I’ll be there to help you through it. You deserve to feel whole again, to live a life that’s yours.”
My heart raced at her words, an unfamiliar freedom bubbling beneath my skin, but I hesitated, the flicker of obligation tightening in my chest. Lucy’s words echoed in my mind-of loyalty, responsibility, and the weight of an Alpha’s duty, but staring into Skylar’s eyes, all of it faded, replaced by the undeniable connection I felt with her, the only person who seemed to belong in my memories.
Without a word, I nodded, my decision made. I would leave with her, reclaiming a life that felt like mine.
I packed a small bag, my mind already drifting far from this place, and Skylar waited for me outside, her face calm, but her eyes alight with something that mirrored my own urgency. As we prepared to leave, a familiar figure stepped into the doorway: Shenaya, her face etched with pain and betrayal.
“Aiden… please, don’t go,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “I know you don’t remember, but I’m your mate. We belong together.”
My heart twisted at the sight of her, but the memories refused to emerge, leaving only a hollow ache in their absence. I met her gaze, my voice steady.
“I’m sorry… but I can’t stay for a life that doesn’t feel like mine.”
And with that, I turned, leaving behind the fragments of a life I couldn’t remember, stepping into the night with Skylar by my side.