/-Melucia-/

After the terrifying man left, all I wanted was a moment of silence to recover from all his threats. But almost as soon as he left, the door opened and a group of people came staggering in.

Almost as if they had been waiting by the door for him to leave.

“Annabelle, you're awake!” A middle-age woman exclaimed, running towards me. She threw her arms around me while my entire body stiffened.

Who was she?

“My baby, I was so worried about you. We thought you died!” She sobbed. I felt so awkward. I didn't know whether to hug her back or not so I blurted the one thing in my mind.

“Who are you?”

Her cries stiffled for a moment as my question caught her off guard. She looked at me, surprise coating her eyes.

“Huh?”

“Who are you?” I repeated and she glanced at the other people behind her. An elderly man stepped forward as well. I raked my brain to see if I could remember them but everything was just blank.

“How can you not remember me, Annabelle? I am your mother!” The pretty woman sounded devastated as she said it. She pulled the man closer. “Do you remember him? He is your father, Alpha of the WhiteFang pack.”

I tried to remember but this time, I was met with a terrible migraine that left me wincing in pain.

The nurses were quick to attend to me.

“You shouldn't try to force her to remember anything. She suffered severe head trauma which lead to the amnesia and on average, it lasts from a couple of days to months,” I heard one of the nurses say.

The pain eventually reduced but my parents were still by my side. I must confess that they looked so beautiful together. Then another person came to my head. A man that knocked breath out of my lungs with just a single look.

“Mom…” the words felt alien to me but her eyes watered, shining with hope that I might remember her now. I hated to dash that hope. “The man that left this room before you came in, do you know who he is? The one with curly hair?”

My parents exchanged glances.

“Do you mean Alpha Ezra Maverick?” She asked.

The mere mention of the name sent a terrifying chill down my spine. I nodded, pulling myself together, even though my heart hammered in my chest. That had to be him.

“Yes, curly hair with grey eyes,” I affirmed.

“He is the Alpha of BlackClaw pack, your fiancé,” she responded and my heart stopped for a second. Did she just say fiancé?

Does that mean, we were in love? My mind flickered to those icy grey eyes.

No, I highly doubted it. That man didn't look like someone in love. He had the murderous stare of a man who wanted to end me.

My father's eyes softened as he spoke for the first time. “We know Ezra is not your first choice and we are sorry for dragging you into a political marriage but trust me, sweetheart. It was the best option we had. We need the BlackClaw resources to sustain our pack or we would all starve and become a target to other packs. Please understand.”

So, it wasn't for love then. No wonder he easily looked like he wanted to kill me.

My mother took my hand. “He is very p*ss*d at you, baby. You have to apologize to him. Alpha Ezra doesn't joke with his children and what you did was rather brash. Both his sons are currently hospitalized. It would be a miracle for him to let this slide.”

I bit my lip, remembering his angry words from earlier. I let one of them trip and gave the other a drink he was allergic to.

Even though I had no memory of doing any of that, guilt gnawed my chest. That was a very cruel thing to do and I needed to apologize to him, even if he beheaded me on the spot.

My stomach twisted with unease. I couldn’t imagine what would drive me to hurt children, his children, but the fact that I did… it made me feel sick. Had I been that kind of person before I lost my memories? Someone cruel?

I shook my head. No. The way my mother spoke, the way my father looked at me with both disappointment and worry… It didn’t feel like I was a monster.

I gripped the blanket, my fingers tightening. “How bad is it?”

My mother hesitated before answering. “The younger twin, Dani, is stable, but his throat swelled shut before the healers intervened. He nearly suffocated.”

I winced, my stomach churning.

“And the older one?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

My father let out a long, weary sigh. “Axel hit his head when he fell down the stairs. He’s still unconscious.”

I swallowed, the weight of their words pressing on my chest. No wonder Ezra looked like he wanted to murder me.

“I don’t know what made you do it, Annabelle,” my mother said softly, squeezing my hand. “But you have to make it right.”

I exhaled shakily. “I’ll apologize.”

My father nodded in approval, but my mother still looked worried. “Be careful,” she warned. “Alpha Ezra can be very dangerous when he's angry.”

Oh, she didn't need to tell me twice.

After a few hours of rest and rehearsing the most sincere and polite apology in my head, I decided to go and see him.

I was still a little weak from the medications. The nurses would never have allowed me go anywhere if this wasn't important.

The hallway leading to Ezra’s quarters felt endless, each step heavier than the last. The further I walked, the colder the air seemed to become, as if his presence alone could freeze the entire wing.

The guards outside his door barely spared me a glance before one of them knocked and pushed the heavy doors open.

“Alpha, she’s here.”

Inside, Ezra sat in a chair near the fire, one leg crossed over the other, his elbow resting on the armrest as he swirled a glass of whiskey in his hand. His gaze lifted lazily to meet mine, but there was nothing lazy about the way he watched me. It was sharp, unreadable, predatory.

I hesitated in the doorway, my throat suddenly dry as fear engulfed me.

“Come in,” he ordered, his voice deep and cutting.

The guards closed the door behind me with a thud, sealing me inside with him.

I took a careful step forward, my fingers trembling slightly. “Alpha Ezra…”

He didn’t say anything. He just stared. The firelight shone against his face, making his sharp features even more intimidating.

I forced myself to take a breath. “I came to apologize.”

Still, no reaction.

I swallowed hard and continued. “I don’t remember what happened. I don’t remember who I was before the accident, but I would never intentionally harm children. If I did something to hurt your sons, I…” My voice cracked, and I quickly steadied myself. “I’m sorry. Truly.”

The silence stretched, long, suffocating.

Then, in a slow movement, he set his glass down on the table beside him and stood.

I instinctively took a step back.

A smirk curled at the edge of his lips, but there was no humor in it. Only something dark, something cruel.

“I don’t care about your apology.” His voice was eerily calm, yet it sent a chill down my spine.

I blinked. “What?”

He took a step toward me, and my body screamed at me to run, but my legs were frozen in place.

“I have no interest in this marriage anymore,” he continued, his grey eyes glinting with something far more dangerous than anger, predatory intent.

For a second, I thought relief would flood me. No marriage meant I could be free of him. But the way he looked at me told me freedom was the last thing I was getting.

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”

I felt my breath hitch.

“You hurt my sons, Annabelle. Whether you remember or not, I don’t care. Actions have consequences.” His fingers brushed against my chin, tilting my face up so I had no choice but to look into those merciless eyes.

I trembled. “W-what are you saying?”

His smirk widened, his grip tightening just enough to send a warning through my nerves.

“You won’t be my wife,” he murmured, his voice like velvet over steel. “You’ll be my slave.”

My blood ran cold.

“I’ll make sure you pay for what you did,” he promised, his gaze burning into mine. “Every. Single. Day.”