Kai POV
Pain flashed across my mother's face. "The building was collapsing. You had the human girl in your arms, but your mate was still inside. She told you to go, to save the human. She promised she would find another way out."
"But she didn't," I said, the words like ash in my mouth.
My mother shook her head. "By the time you got the human to safety and tried to go back, it was too late. The building collapsed. Your mate was trapped inside."
A wave of grief crashed over me—not the abstract guilt I'd carried for years, but raw, visceral loss for a woman whose name I couldn't even remember.
"Why can't I remember her name?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Why can't I remember her face clearly?"
"The trauma was too great. Your wolf was going mad with grief and rage. The pack healer had t
