Mated by Amnesia

Chapter 6 - The Mate I don't Remember

Mateo’s hand covers mine, warm and steady against the trembling in my fingers. His thumb brushes across my knuckles like it’s a touch he’s given me a thousand times before.

But I don’t know him.

Do I?

“I don’t understand.” My voice scrapes from my throat, hoarse and uncertain. “I don’t…know you.”

His smile softens, though the weight in his eyes doesn’t. “You will,” he says gently. “The memories will come back.”

Something inside me twists. The certainty in his tone should be comforting, but instead it sends a sharp chill down my spine.

I swallow hard. “How long have I been here? How long have I been...asleep?”

Mateo studies me, tilting his head like he’s calculating how much truth I can handle. “Longer than anyone expected. But you’re awake now, and that’s all that matters.”

The words are meant to soothe, but they leave my skin crawling.

The older nurse—Mae, he called her—clears her throat. “Alpha Harrison will want to see her.”

At that name, Mateo’s entire posture shifts. His smile fades, his shoulders stiffen. His hand tightens on mine, not painful but possessive.

“No. Not yet.” His voice is calm but firm, with a sharp edge that makes the nurses freeze. “I’ll speak to my father when I’m ready.”

Father.

The word lodges like a stone in my stomach. If Alpha Harrison is his father, then that makes Mateo…

The Alpha’s heir.

I stare at him, trying to reconcile the stranger beside me with the authority radiating from him. My pulse beats faster, traitorously strong, as though my own body is responding to something I don’t understand.

Mate.

The word echoes in my head. It doesn’t belong to me, yet it hums through my bones. A part of me reacts, my chest tightens, my skin prickles, but my mind rejects it.

“I don’t…” The words tumble out before I can stop them.

Mateo leans closer, his other hand lifting to cup my cheek. His palm is rough with calluses, yet his touch is tender. Intimate.

“You don’t have to force it,” he murmurs. “Don’t fight yourself. Just trust me. Trust us.”

My breath stutters in my chest. I should shove his hand away. I should tell him to leave.

But my throat closes around the words. My limbs feel heavy, pinned under the weight of his gaze.

He feels...comforting. A stranger, yes, but the way he speaks, his soft caress...I don't want him to leave me alone in this stark, sterile room alone with the nurses who steal glances at me like I'm some sort of strange caged creature in a zoo.

The younger nurse makes a strangled sound and quickly busies herself with the machines. Mae’s jaw tightens, her eyes darting toward me with something that looks like a mix between curiosity and pity.

But neither of them speaks.

No one challenges him.

My eyes blink heavily. Fatigue washing over me, even though I've clearly slept plenty.

“Rest,” Mateo says softly, though the command in his tone is undeniable. “You need your strength back. I’ll be here when you wake.”

“I don’t want—” I begin, but his hand presses mine more firmly, silencing me without words.

“You’re safe now,” he insists, eyes never leaving mine.

Safe. The word rings false, hollow.

How can I be safe if I can't even remember who I am? If I can't even remember my own mate?

Mateo finally pulls away, releasing my hand, and I want to reach back out for it, like a child pulling a favorite stuffed animal close for comfort.

But my arm feels too heavy, falling onto the bed with a silent thud as I fight against sleep.

In-between blinks, I catch the nurses exchange a glance. Their expressions flicker, fear, pity, unease, but no one says a word.

The silence in the room thickens, heavy enough to choke me.

Mateo leans over and tucks the thin blanket around me.

There's a strange swooping sensation in my stomach as my eyelids finally flutter shut, too heavy to remain open any longer.

Something about this place feels wrong. Something about all of this.

I don’t know who I am. I don’t know how I got here.

I don't even know who my own mate is apparently...but I will find answers.