Alpha's Forgotten Wife

The past-Twelve Months Ago

The sky cracked open like a wound.

Lightning split the clouds, throwing white veins across the bruised sky. Rain poured in sheets, slicing the forest with icy precision. The air was thick with danger, the kind that crawled down your spine and whispered that something terrible was about to happen.

Alpha Kade Black stormed through the trees, his massive form soaked and snarling, eyes glowing like twin moons in the darkness. His wolf was pushing at the surface, claws tearing through skin, rage boiling just beneath the edge of control.

"She ran this way!" shouted one of his warriors behind him.

"She wouldn't just run," Kade growled, jaw tight, muscles tensed. "Not unless someone made her."

He could still smell her. Her scent clung to the bark, sweet like lilacs after rain, but muted. Fading. As if she were... slipping away from him.

No. Not again.

Branches cracked underfoot as he charged through the woods, lungs burning, heart pounding. The wind howled through the trees like a ghost mourning something lost. And deep inside, Kade felt it-the gnawing fear that he was too late.

They'd fought.

Not even a full hour ago, Evelyn had stood in their shared room, hands trembling, eyes hollow, voice low as she whispered, "I can't do this anymore, Kade. I feel like I'm fading beside you."

And he'd said nothing.

No apology.

No promise.

No chase.

He'd stood there like a stone, watching her pack a small bag, her fingers shaking. Watching her slip off the bond mark with trembling fingers and place it gently on the dresser like it didn't mean anything. Like he didn't mean anything.

And still, he said nothing.

Until now.

Until she was gone.

Up ahead, the trees thinned, revealing the edge of the cliff-the place where the land dropped off into jagged rocks and violent waves below.

"Evelyn!" he bellowed over the thunder, eyes scanning every shadow.

A soft sob answered him.

His head whipped left.

There-half-collapsed beside a fallen tree, her knees scraped, hair soaked and tangled, was Evelyn.

She was breathing heavily, eyes wild, cradling something to her chest-a small bundle, wrapped in his old shirt.

His heart stopped. "Evelyn..."

She looked up.

And that look-gods, that look-wasn't the way a mate should look at her bonded. It was broken. It was empty.

"You didn't come," she whispered, voice cracking. "I waited. I waited so long, Kade."

He dropped to his knees beside her, rain streaming down his face. "I'm here now."

"It's too late."

Lightning flashed-and in that brief second of illumination, he saw her tears mixing with rain.

"What's in your arms?" he asked hoarsely.

She hesitated.

Then slowly, she unwrapped the bundle.

A tiny newborn.

His hair.

Her lips.

His scent.

"Kade, this is our daughter."

The ground shifted beneath him.

A child. Their child.

And she hadn't told him.

"Why-why didn't you-?"

"Because you never listened," she said, voice barely more than a whisper. "Because I couldn't bear the thought of you rejecting her like you did me."

He flinched.

Before he could speak again, the sound of growling echoed from the trees behind them.

Kade rose instantly, shielding Evelyn and the baby with his body.

Rogues.

Three of them emerged from the forest line-scarred, lean, eyes glowing with madness.

"She's ours now," one of them growled. "And that child too. She's not your Luna anymore, Alpha."

Kade's roar shook the trees.

He shifted mid-charge, his black wolf crashing into the first rogue with bone-shattering force. Claws tore, blood sprayed, and fury danced in every movement. The second rogue lunged for Evelyn.

She screamed, clutching the baby, stumbling toward the cliff's edge.

"Evelyn!" Kade snarled, slashing down the last rogue in a blur of red and silver. "Don't move!"

But her foot slipped.

The muddy ground gave way.

He reached for her-he was so close-

She fell.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Screaming his name as the wind tore her voice away.

"EVELYN!"

Kade dove after her.

But the storm swallowed her whole.

And he hit rock-hard.

Everything went black.

Back to Present Day

"Alpha Kade, you need to see this."

The scout's voice dragged him out of the past.

Kade turned, stiff, jaw set like granite. A year had passed since that night. A year of grief, rage, regret. His pack whispered that he'd gone cold, that their Alpha had died when his Luna fell. And maybe they were right.

He hadn't felt alive since.

The scout led him toward a rogue village deep in the neutral territories. It was supposed to be a simple negotiation. Establish trade routes, offer protection.

But something was wrong.

The moment he crossed the border, his wolf stirred.

Something familiar was nearby.

Then he saw her.

She stood near the healer's tent, laughing softly as she bandaged a child's arm. Her eyes were bright, her hair now shorter, messier-but unmistakable.

Evelyn.

Kade staggered back.

It couldn't be.

She was dead.

She'd died in his arms. He remembered the silence after the fall, the blood on the rocks. The empty pain of digging through rubble and never finding her.

But here she was.

Smiling.

Alive.

And...

With another man standing beside her.

Holding her hand.

A ring on her finger.

No bond mark on her neck.

She looked up-and met his eyes.

Her smile faltered.

Confusion flickered.

Then... nothing.

Not fear.

Not recognition.

Just... blank.

Like he was a stranger.

His chest clenched.

"Alpha?" his Beta asked.

Kade didn't answer.

Because at that moment, every instinct screamed the same thing:

She didn't remember him.

Not their marriage.

Not their child.

Not the bond.

Not him.

And worst of all...

She looked happy.

Evelyn blinked.

The man standing at the edge of the crowd was taller than most, with ink-black hair plastered to his forehead and storm-colored eyes locked on her like she was a ghost he'd never expected to see again.

She didn't know him.

At least-she didn't remember knowing him.

Her fingers curled instinctively around Theo's-her fiancé's-hand. She felt his gaze move to hers, filled with gentle confusion. "Ev? Do you know him?"

"I-" Her voice faltered.

The tall man didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't breathe.

His presence felt too heavy, too familiar, like something from a half-remembered nightmare. Her heartbeat quickened. A whisper brushed the edges of her mind, a phantom echo of someone screaming her name through a storm.

But it was gone before she could grasp it.

"No," she said, stepping back slightly. "I don't."

Theo squeezed her hand protectively and took a step forward, blocking part of her from view. "You're frightening her. Can I help you with something?"

Kade's jaw flexed, muscles ticking like they were barely holding together.

Frightening her? Her.

His wife.

His mate.

His Luna.

And she didn't remember him?

Didn't feel the bond?

Didn't remember the child she'd given birth to?

"Her name is Evelyn," Kade said slowly, voice rough like gravel dragged across steel. "Evelyn Black."

She flinched at the last name, a flicker of confusion passing over her face. "I-I'm Evelyn Grant."

"No." His voice cracked like thunder. "You're my wife."

Gasps rippled through the villagers around them.

Theo narrowed his eyes. "You're mistaken. Evelyn has been here for the past eleven months. She was found unconscious by the riverbank-barely breathing. No identification. No memory. The healer said she had severe trauma and amnesia."

Kade's heart plummeted.

She hadn't died.

She'd survived.

And she hadn't come back because... she couldn't remember who she was.

"Let me speak to her," he said, his voice lower now, steadier. "Alone."

Theo looked at Evelyn, waiting for her to decide.

She hesitated.

There was a war inside her eyes-a flicker of recognition that she didn't understand, and a deep-rooted fear that told her she should know this man, but didn't.

"I'll be nearby," Theo murmured, brushing a kiss on her temple before walking a few paces away, though his posture remained watchful.

Kade stepped forward slowly.

Evelyn didn't move.

She watched him like prey watches a predator-not with terror, but with wary fascination.

Up close, he looked like a painting come to life. Sharp, unforgiving features. A scar down his jaw. Shoulders broad enough to carry wars. And eyes that were too sad for a man who looked so dangerous.

"You don't remember me," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "No."

He swallowed. "I'm Kade Black. Alpha of Blackriver Pack. You are-were-my mate. My Luna."

"No," she said, not angrily. Just... gently. "I would've remembered."

Kade clenched his fists. "You had a child."

Her lips parted, eyes widening. "What?"

"A daughter. You carried her to term. Gave birth. I-I held her in your arms. That night. Before the rogues attacked." His voice broke.

"I don't have a child," she said, shaking her head slowly, panic flaring behind her eyes. "You've made a mistake."

"I never forget my own mate," Kade snapped, louder than intended.

She flinched.

He closed his eyes, inhaled sharply. "Sorry."

"I'm not her," she whispered, stepping back.

"You are. You have her scent. Her eyes. Even her laugh. Your wolf-" he paused, eyes narrowing. "Can you shift?"

She blinked. "I... haven't shifted since the accident. The healer said my wolf might be blocked due to trauma."

Kade's jaw clenched tighter.

Of course. That would explain the absence of the bond. If her wolf was dormant, she wouldn't feel it. She wouldn't feel him.

A wave of helplessness rolled over him. How do you convince someone they belong to you when they don't even know who they are?

"Your favorite flower was lilac," he said desperately. "You used to hum when you cooked, even if you were terrible at it. You slept curled up like a fox and got cold without five blankets. You liked my scent because it smelled like cedar and pine. You cried when you first felt the baby kick."

Evelyn stared at him, frozen.

Something shifted in her eyes.

Her hand moved to her stomach. An echo of a movement so familiar it made Kade ache.

"I don't know why, but... that feels like something I'd do," she whispered.

Hope ignited in his chest.

But then Theo appeared again, protective and calm. "That's enough for today. She's overwhelmed."

Evelyn didn't argue.

Kade watched helplessly as she let Theo lead her away-back to the healer's hut, back to her quiet new life, back to a world where he didn't exist.

His wolf howled inside him.

Later that night, Kade stood by the riverbank where she'd been found almost a year ago.

His Beta, Rory, stood beside him, arms crossed. "You sure it's her?"

"I'd stake my life on it."

"But she doesn't remember. And she's engaged. To him."

Kade's jaw locked. "He's not her mate. I am."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "You rejected her."

Kade turned sharply. "I never said the words."

"You didn't need to. You ignored her. You broke her. She ran because she felt unloved. And now you want her back like nothing happened?"

"She's the mother of my child," Kade snapped.

Rory went still. "What?"

"She had our baby, Rory. She was holding her that night." His voice cracked. "And now... there's no trace of the child. No grave. No remains. Just Evelyn, alive, with no memory."

Rory was silent.

Kade stared at the stars above. "I don't know where our daughter is. But I know Evelyn's the key to finding her. And I'm not leaving until I get her back."

Back in the healer's hut...

Evelyn stared at the mirror.

The woman who stared back looked like her-but didn't feel like her.

She touched her lips. Her eyes. Her collarbone.

Then she pulled down her shirt slightly, revealing a faint scar over her heart. A jagged, uneven mark.

She didn't know how it got there.

But when she touched it, something burned.

Not pain.

Memory.

A whisper.

A name.

"...Kade..."

She stumbled back from the mirror, breath shaking.

EVELYN POV

The whisper left her lips before she realized it.

"...Kade..."

She staggered back from the mirror, heart thundering in her chest. Her fingers hovered over the scar-raw, angry, and oddly familiar. A scar no healer had ever explained.

"Kade," she repeated, slower this time, like tasting the sound of it.

It felt like a memory, heavy with pain. The kind that buried itself deep enough to wound your soul.

Evelyn gripped the edge of the wooden basin to steady herself. She didn't understand. That man-those stormy eyes-why did he feel like something she'd once called home? Why did her chest ache like something was missing?

"Evelyn?" Theo's voice came from outside the room. "You alright?"

She tore her hand away from her scar, like she'd been caught stealing.

"I'm fine," she said quickly. "Just... tired."

"Come to bed. The moon's full tonight. You always say you sleep better when it's full."

She hesitated.

What if that wasn't true?

What if... someone else had told her that once?

With trembling hands, she blew out the lantern and walked back to the shared bed. But sleep wouldn't come easy. Not when every time she closed her eyes, Kade's face stared back.

KADE POV

He didn't sleep.

He'd sat in the dark woods, surrounded by the silence of the river and the howls of wolves in the distance. His thoughts circled like vultures.

She remembered something.

He saw it in her eyes before she left.

That one word-his name-echoed in his chest all night.

Rory crouched beside him at dawn, tossing him a flask of water. "She's not going to remember everything in a day."

"I don't need her to remember everything," Kade muttered. "I just need her to remember enough."

"Even if she remembers, she might not come back. You weren't exactly Husband of the Year."

Kade shot him a look.

Rory lifted his hands. "Just saying. You rejected the bond. Treated her like a burden. Then she got pregnant and disappeared."

"I didn't know she was pregnant!" Kade snapped. "I thought she left me. I thought she died."

"Okay, okay," Rory said quickly, trying to ease the heat between them. "What's the plan now?"

Kade looked up at the mountain village in the distance. "I'm going to win her back."

"Win her back?" Rory snorted. "You're a damn Alpha. When have you ever had to win anything?"

"For her?" Kade said with a tight smile. "I'd crawl on glass."

EVELYN POV

The village square was already buzzing with market stalls and chatter. Evelyn walked beside Theo, basket in hand, trying to act normal.

But her mind was anything but.

Everywhere she turned, she felt eyes on her.

Kade's eyes.

She didn't even know how she knew he was watching. She just... knew.

When she glanced up, there he was-across the square, leaning casually against the edge of the old stone well.

He didn't speak.

Didn't move.

Just stared.

Not possessive. Not angry.

Just... aching.

Theo noticed her distraction. "He's here again?"

She nodded.

"You don't owe him anything."

"I know," she said quietly.

But her chest told a different story.

KADE POV

He caught her alone.

At the edge of the woods, where she gathered herbs from the damp moss.

She startled when he appeared, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

"I won't hurt you," he said gently, raising his hands.

"I never said you would."

"Then why do you look at me like I'm a stranger?"

Evelyn looked away. "Because you are."

Kade stepped closer. "You said my name last night."

She froze. "I don't remember saying anything."

"You did. You touched your scar and whispered it."

She instinctively moved her hand over her heart.

"I didn't imagine it," he pressed. "You feel it, don't you? The bond. Even if it's weak. It's still there."

"I don't know what I feel," she admitted. "My head is a mess."

He nodded, understanding flickering in his eyes. "Then let me help untangle it."

"I'm engaged."

His jaw tensed, but he didn't look away. "To someone who isn't your mate."

She turned sharply. "And you are the man who rejected me once. Why would I go back to that?"

Silence.

Pain flickered across his face like a storm cloud passing over sunlight.

"I was a fool," he said. "A broken one. I pushed you away before you could leave me."

"You still did," she whispered.

"I know."

Their eyes locked.

Evelyn turned to leave-but before she did, she said, "You said I had a child. A daughter."

His breath caught.

"I want to know more."

KADE POV

Rory tossed him an old, cracked leather book. "Found this in your old office. It's her journal."

Kade stared at it like it might burn him. "You sure?"

"Says her name on the inside cover. 'Evelyn Black.' Page marked with dried flower petals."

Kade opened it slowly.

The writing was messy-fluid, rushed. He scanned the last page.

"I don't know if I'll make it. But if I don't... I hope she looks like him. Strong. Brave. And I hope she never knows what it's like to grow up without love."

His throat tightened.

"She didn't just survive," he whispered. "She protected our baby until the end."

"Where is she now?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. But I'll tear down kingdoms to find her."

EVELYN POV

The moon hung low.

Evelyn stood barefoot by the edge of the river, staring at the reflection of the scarred woman in the water.

And then she heard the voice again.

Soft. Urgent.

"Mama."

She spun.

No one was there.

The whisper was in her mind.

She dropped to her knees, clutching her chest. A stabbing pain flared across her ribs. A flash of lightning in her mind-a crib. A baby with black curls. Tiny hands reaching for her.

Then darkness.

Then,

"Kade!" she gasped, falling forward.

Everything went black.

KADE POV

He bolted upright in his tent.

His wolf howled inside him, fierce and guttural.

"Kade?" Rory's voice came through the flap.

"She's remembering," he said, breathless. "I felt it. The bond flickered back. She's starting to remember."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm running out of time."