Kamrynn’s POV
“There might be a way out of this.”
Aryna’s voice echoed in my head, calm and sure despite the storm raging in my chest.
I stiffened slightly, keeping my expression neutral as I responded silently. “A way out? How?”
“You need leverage,” She responded. “As a descendant of Selene, you don’t just have the power to curse-you can grant blessings as well. Make a deal with him.”
I frowned slightly, glancing at Lorien from the corner of my eye. He was watching me closely, his sharp gaze calculating, patient-waiting.
“A blessing?” I asked, skeptical. “How would that even work?”
“Trust me,” Aryna insisted. “Offer him something he can’t refuse. A way to experience the mate bond and successfully reproduce with his true mate.”
I hesitated. Would he really go for that?
“We won’t know unless we try,” Aryna urged. “But one thing is certain-you have to act now.”
I inhaled deeply, gathering every ounce of courage I had before rising to my feet.
Lorien’s body tensed immediately. He stood as well, muscles rippling beneath his clothes as he regarded me warily. “And where do you think you’re going, little wolf?”
I squared my shoulders, forcing my voice to remain steady. “I want to make a deal with you.”
His brows lifted, amusement flickering across his face. “A deal?”
I nodded. “You give me my memories back, and in return, I’ll give you something just as valuable.”
Lorien tilted his head, intrigued but skeptical. “And what, pray tell, do you have that could possibly interest me?”
I swallowed hard. “A blessing. One that will allow you to experience the beauty of a mate bond and successfully reproduce with your true mate.”
For the first time, Lorien’s smirk faltered. He studied me carefully, the red glow of his eyes flickering as he processed my words. The silence stretched between us, heavy, suffocating.
Then, finally, he spoke. “How can I be sure you’ll keep your promise once your memories are restored?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Getting my memories back doesn’t strip you of your power. If I try to go back on my word, you’re free to attack me.”
Lorien’s expression darkened slightly. “See, that’s the problem,” he mused. “I don’t know the extent of your abilities. Once you regain your memories and understand your true power, you might become a formidable opponent.”
He stepped closer, his towering presence nearly overwhelming. “You’re asking me to take that risk.”
I exhaled, forcing myself to stand firm despite the tension coiling in my gut. “I know.”
Lorien studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a sigh, he ran a hand through his long red hair, looking almost… exhausted.
“You promise you’ll actually keep your word?” he asked, voice quieter this time, but no less serious. “I don’t take lightly to fake promises. I’d rather we didn’t have to be at each other’s throats… or fight to the death.”
I took a slow, steady breath, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. Then, with as much resolve as I could muster, I extended my hand toward Lorien.
“I swear it,” I said, voice unwavering.
Lorien didn’t move at first. His serpentine eyes flickered with something unreadable as they shifted between my face and my outstretched hand.
For a moment, I thought he would refuse.
Then, with a slow, reluctant sigh, he reached out and clasped my hand.
His grip was warm, firm-but hesitant. It was the first time I’d ever seen him unsure of himself, the ever-confident dragon caught in a moment of doubt.
But the deal was struck.
Lorien let go first, stepping back. The hesitation was gone now, replaced with that same cool arrogance as he lifted his hand and began tracing symbols in the air.
They glowed the moment his fingers moved through them-ancient, intricate markings I didn’t recognize, pulsing with an eerie, golden light.
The energy in the room shifted.
The very air seemed to hum.
And then it appeared.
A shimmering orb materialized between his palms, its swirling silver and gold light casting strange shadows across the walls.
I gasped and stepped back, barely able to contain my shock.
Lorien’s lips quirked upward, his amusement clear. “You really are a unique one,” he mused. “Not batting an eye while making deadly deals with a desperate dragon, but spooked out by an ornament.”
Heat flared across my cheeks. “I-I’m not spooked!” I snapped, too quick, too defensive.
His smirk deepened. “Of course not,” he drawled. “Whatever you say, little wolf.”
I clenched my fists, trying to find a retort, but my mind was still too fixated on the glowing orb in his hand.
It was mesmerizing.
Lorien ran his fingers over its surface, and for a split second, his expression softened. Like he was holding something precious.
Then, without another word, he stepped forward.
I tensed but held my ground.
His fingers pressed against the small button at the top of the orb.
It pulsed-once, twice-before bursting into a blinding light.
A sharp gasp escaped me as I instinctively raised my arms, shielding my face. The misty glow wrapped around me, wrapping around my skin, sinking into me like it was being absorbed into my very soul.
And then-
Everything hit me at once.
Like a dam breaking, memories flooded back, crashing over me in relentless waves.
I saw it all.
My birth.
The warmth of my mother’s arms, the scent of her soothing embrace. The lullabies she hummed as she rocked me to sleep, promising me the world.
Sherelle.
The moment my parents brought her home. I had only been two, too young to understand, but as we grew, we were inseparable. I had called her my twin, unaware of the truth-that she had been adopted, that we were cousins by blood.
But it hadn’t mattered. We had been everything to each other.
At least, I thought we were.
Calvin.
The first time I met him, when we were just kids. His mischievous grin, the way he teased me endlessly, how he always managed to push my buttons-until one day, I realized I didn’t mind.
Until one day, I realized I loved him.
Our childhood.
The laughter. The fights. The way he had always been there, always had my back, like the universe had tied us together long before we even understood what it meant.
The pain.
My parents’ deaths.
The hollow, gaping wound their absence had left in my heart. The way I had clung to Calvin because he was all I had left, because he was my home.
The betrayal.
Calvin’s rejection.
His cold words slicing through me like a blade.
Sherelle standing beside him, triumphant.
Their mating ceremony.
The way my heart shattered into a million pieces, knowing I had lost them both.
And then-
My children.
Arabella. Astor.
Tiny fingers wrapping around mine. Soft, sleepy breaths against my skin.
The overwhelming love that had filled me the moment I first held them in my arms.
The fierce, unbreakable bond.
They were mine.
My babies.
And I had forgotten them.
A choked sob wrenched from my throat.
Tears streamed down my face as my past unfolded before my eyes, piece by piece.
My life had indeed been filled with a lot of sad memories, but there were happy times I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
My childhood memories with Calvin.
Family time when my parents were alive.
My found family at Blue Bell.
The birth of my children.
The moments I spent with them…
A part of me ached from the weight of the losses, but another part of me clung to the warmth of those fleeting, irreplaceable moments.
A sudden, iron-like grip closed around my arm.
I gasped, yanked out of the torrent of memories, my vision snapping back into the present.
Lorien stood before me, crimson eyes locked onto mine, burning with intensity.
“You made a promise, little wolf,” he murmured, his voice low, unwavering.
His fingers tightened, grounding me. Demanding.
I swallowed hard, my breath still shaky.
I had my memories back.
Now… it was time to fulfill my end of the deal.