Chapter 1

After months of tearing the continent apart, I finally found her. Covered in mud and blood, raw from the river, I was a monster, a ghost. Across the street, June looked peaceful, utterly unaware.

Then, a man stepped out, shielding her with an umbrella, his arm a casual, possessive claim. My heart stopped.

I unleashed my Alpha aura; June shivered, thinking it a cold snap. Frankie turned, a mocking smile in his eyes. He knew.

Marcus broke ribs restraining my rage as June and Frankie drove away, taking the only light in my miserable world.

The 'Tabula Rasa' spell hadn't just erased her memory; it rewired her soul, making her immune to our mate bond. She saw an ordinary stranger. Her scent gone, preferences changed. Agony shredded my mind; my power useless.

My magic failed, but I had other weapons. "Buy the street. Buy the shop. Buy every property within five miles. Suffocate them with cash," I commanded. Tomorrow, I'd be Bren, a bankrupt man seeking solace, ready to reclaim what was mine.

Chapter 1

Brendan POV:

I stood in the stagnant water of the dark alley, letting the freezing rain wash over me. The icy drops slid down the unhealed cuts on my face, stinging the jagged wounds the river rocks had left behind. The sound of the rushing water from that day still echoed in my ears. Every drop of rain felt like the river trying to drown me again. My body wanted to reject the water. My lungs tightened with the phantom sensation of drowning. But my boots remained nailed to the filthy pavement.

Through the heavy curtain of rain, my eyes locked onto the slender figure standing under the awning of the antique shop across the main street.

June.

I had spent months tearing the continent apart like a madman to find her. Seeing her now made my heart stop completely. She pushed the heavy wooden door of the shop open and stepped outside, holding a ring of tarnished brass keys. She looked peaceful. She looked like she belonged in this quiet, dusty world, far away from the blood and violence I had always dragged her into.

My throat bobbed. A harsh swallow did nothing to ease the dryness in my mouth. My right foot moved forward on its own, splashing into a deep puddle. The Alpha inside me roared, demanding I cross the street, grab my mate, and take back what was mine.

But I stopped. I looked down at my hands. They were covered in mud, grime, and dried blood from the men I had killed to get this location. I was a monster. I was a ghost crawling out of the river. The absolute absolute need for control I used to have shattered against the sudden, crushing weight of my own inadequacy. I couldn't touch her looking like this.

Then, a black umbrella extended from the side, perfectly shielding June from the rain.

A man in a tailored khaki trench coat stepped into the light. He smiled warmly and took the brass keys from her hands, smoothly turning to lock the shop door for her. He stood close. Too close. He was building a comfortable, normal human boundary with her, doing the small things I had always been too arrogant to do.

My pupils contracted into tiny pinpricks. A low, dangerous growl ripped through my chest, vibrating against my ribs. My fangs extended, biting into my lower lip until I tasted my own blood.

He was touching my mate.

The territorial rage of a wolf took over. I didn't think. I just reacted. I unleashed the full weight of my Alpha aura, a suffocating wave of pure, lethal dominance. It shot across the street, cutting through the rain like a physical blade. In the past, this pressure alone was enough to force grown men to their knees.

Around the alley, stray cats and dogs let out terrified whimpers and scrambled over fences, fleeing into the deeper shadows.

The invisible tidal wave of power slammed into June. I held my breath, my eyes wide, waiting for her to tremble. Waiting for her to submit. Waiting for her to remember me.

June's footsteps paused. Her brows drew together in a slight frown.

A manic spark of hope ignited in my chest. *She feels it. The spell didn't erase everything.*

But then, she just shivered, shrinking her neck a little, and pulled the edges of her knit cardigan tighter around her body. She didn't look around in terror. She didn't fall to her knees. She turned to the man in the trench coat and muttered a casual complaint, her face completely relaxed. She thought the deadly Alpha aura was just a sudden drop in the weather.

The man-Frankie-chuckled. He unwound the expensive cashmere scarf from his own neck and wrapped it gently around June's.

I watched the fabric carrying another man's scent touch her bare skin. My fingernails dug so hard into my palms that they pierced the flesh. The physical pain was nothing compared to the absolute agony shredding my mind. Blood dripped from my clenched fists, mixing with the dirty puddle at my feet.

I refused to believe it. My eyes flared with a terrifying golden light. I pushed my aura to its absolute limit. The streetlights above us flickered and buzzed under the strain of my power.

Across the street, June let out a small sneeze and rubbed her nose. The physical laws of the world protected her now. My magic, my power, my dominance-it was all useless against her.

Frankie stepped closer, wrapping his arm lightly around her shoulders to pull her fully under the umbrella. It was a clear claim of ownership. A protective stance that mocked my existence.

As they turned to leave, Frankie's gaze shifted. His eyes cut straight through the heavy rain, bypassing the shadows, and locked directly onto my face in the dark alley. His vision was too perfect for a human.

The corner of Frankie's mouth twitched upward in a microscopic, mocking smile.

That look shattered the last thread of my sanity. My pride screamed. I lunged forward, ready to tear his head from his shoulders.

Strong arms slammed into me from behind. Marcus, my second-in-command, wrapped his arms around my waist, using all his werewolf strength to hold me back.

I spun and drove my elbow backward into Marcus's chest. The sickening crunch of breaking ribs echoed in the alley.

Marcus coughed up a mouthful of blood, but he didn't let go. He clung to me, his voice a desperate hiss. "Boss, stop! You'll ruin it! She'll see you!"

I froze. I looked past the streetlights. June and Frankie were already getting into a completely ordinary, secondhand sedan. The physical barrier of the car doors shutting brought a cold splash of reality to my burning brain.

The red taillights faded into the rainy night, taking the only light in my miserable world with them.

I slumped back against the moss-covered brick wall. The golden glow in my eyes died out, leaving nothing but dead, empty darkness. The rain washed the blood from my hands.

"Find out who that man with the umbrella is. I want him dead."